great postOriginally Posted by Thunder
I tried to stay away from this topic but have had to relent considering the responses.
When it comes to poker, I am not, in the grand scheme of things, very good – hence my posts tend to be questions rather than authoritive answers. However, when it comes to the guitar, I truly am World Class. I was pro up to a few years ago and my development was as meteoric as the online poker kid who turns $100 into $500,000 in 3 months. Imagine the talent of Ivey coupled with the self belief of Hellmuth.
I honestly don't believe there is anybody better and I am so far ahead of the masses that I avoid talking about guitar issues because, like in poker, the vast majority haven't got a fucking clue and I am so far beyond them that they can't even comprehend their own failings let alone my level.
Most of my time on You Tube is watching guitar videos and 99.9% are utter dross. I've witnessed just 3 World Class guitarists who are on my level yet these other muppets, as terrible as the auditionees on American Idol, are getting 5 star ratings and comments of "you're awesome!". Reality checks and advice (usually friendly/sometimes not so) are ignored and thrown back by people – be they terribad or even moderately competent - with the glaring deficiency to comprehend.
Such videos/reactions/inability to comprehend make me feel disheartened - sometimes rarely, occasionally or often. But they always make me feel uber fucking talented! And so It is with rare authority that I make this post.
Rather than bemoan the fact it's not real musicianship, applaud the fact that the kids are being bombarded with real music - crafted and performed by musicians - rather than the glorified karaoke contest winners and manufactured boy/girl bands (most of whom can't sing a note but rely on studio equipment to make them even vaguely listenable. And I am personally happy because it's 80's heavy rock that's getting it's time back on the airwaves. That's perfect music to me: combining heaviness with catchy melody, Olympian level musicianship and a desire to play live
Many will go on to try the guitar – just as play money poker players transferred to cash. Many will give up, as with any hobby. Many will be average. All will have an over inflated sense of ability. And just 0.0007% of us will be right in that self assessment. But so what? It’s exposure to good music and, better yet, to good ethics – learn, persevere, improve, create – all of which have been overlooked in the modern era of instant gratification and overnight success where having the right “look” for a certain demographic is more valuable than any inherent musical ability; and where a good voice can be rewarded with professional styling, marketing, production & song writing.
This is the age where people are made into stars rather than becoming them. “Just roll up and we’ll do the rest” is the modern day mantra. Time served experience: learning, playing, practising, performing is viewed with aghast. You've seen them here at FTR too. And who can blame them when they don’t need an idea about anything, or have learnt through trial and error how to create good music, stage moves & lyrics when they can have someone else do it for them. Especially if they get on a reality TV show?
The next Clapton will play the guitar regardless of Guitar Hero. Maybe even because of it. To be the next real Guitar Hero there has to be that passion, interest and desire for music and for the instrument and it won’t be placated by a games console. The next Clapton may not make it through. He may give up after 6 months like the majority of noobs but he will still pick up a real guitar, sit down in his bedroom and play. And that is only ever a good thing.
I don’t understand it’s appeal and I don’t want to play it.
But long live Guitar Hero!
i wanna hear you play
how do you feel about tim reynolds?
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