TOP 10 GUITARISTS

in all honesty I think Steve and Greg are probably very close to each other in terms of technique....at the very least I'd say it's impossible to say one significantly better than the other. Gilbert DEFINITELY has more picking chops than Greg though, no doubt, but that is about it. Yngwie...well, I won't waste my time giving my stock Yngwie rant...but I'll just say that if we take popularity and influence out of the equation, then Greg doesn't have a single thing to worry about. Bumblefoot and Buckethead are more intense than Greg in terms of chops for sure, but I'd rather listen to Greg any day.

Greg's legato/tapping are incredible, but his sweeping and especially his picking chops aren't what they used to be. They were probably at their best on the recrds he did with Vitalij, but he just doesn't quite have that anymore (nor does he need it to be really). Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to dig at him in any way....I love Greg's playing...if i were to make a list of my all time favorite guitar players (or those who have inspired my own playing the most), greg would be pretty high on the list....probably in a death match with JOhnson or something for a top 5 spot. I was actually in the process of coordinating a lesson or two with him before I moved from Delaware (when he was still up in Easton) I agree totally about him having an amazing feel....he's an EXTREMELY natural player and his improv slays.
 
In all honesty, Yngwie rants are unwarranted. Without Yngwie, I don't think we'd have much out there in terms of "technique" players and we'd mostly be limited to the same pop-rock formula and stuck in the pentatonic box. He single-handedly changed the face of guitar playing. I'll agree he hasn't changed his formula much and he's lost a good bit of technique, but I see those same similarities in all guitarists referenced in this thread. One can practice 9-20 hours a day and develop extreme technical facility to pull off any style; but, without keeping true to those same practice regimens, your ability to further push the envelope of your own playing diminishes and potentially disappears.

What you put into your playing/practicing changes greatly over time. Greg Howe came into the world as a monster metal player with a solid background in funk and R&B; these days, he's a solid fusion guy and a monster gun for hire. He evolved out of his "gotta please the Guitar World masses" days and more into what he likes to do. Similarly with Yngwie - he writes and records music important to him and only him.
 
ABQShredHead said:
In all honesty, Yngwie rants are unwarranted. Without Yngwie, I don't think we'd have much out there in terms of "technique" players and we'd mostly be limited to the same pop-rock formula and stuck in the pentatonic box. He single-handedly changed the face of guitar playing. I'll agree he hasn't changed his formula much and he's lost a good bit of technique, but I see those same similarities in all guitarists referenced in this thread. One can practice 9-20 hours a day and develop extreme technical facility to pull off any style; but, without keeping true to those same practice regimens, your ability to further push the envelope of your own playing diminishes and potentially disappears.

What you put into your playing/practicing changes greatly over time. Greg Howe came into the world as a monster metal player with a solid background in funk and R&B; these days, he's a solid fusion guy and a monster gun for hire. He evolved out of his "gotta please the Guitar World masses" days and more into what he likes to do. Similarly with Yngwie - he writes and records music important to him and only him.
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On the money ABQ...most players who go on Yngwie rants weren't around when he broke through and could have no idea what the guitar scene was like back then...they only know the bloated, repetitive, drunk, obnoxious fuck they see now and hear stories about...hard to give him the props he deserves.

Just like an athlete's abilities diminish with time, so do guitar players. At some point you have to settle into a place of comfort. I read an interview with Marty Friedman where he says he doesn't even practice anymore. Monumental technical prowess doesn't make a great guitarist or musician...the more tools in the shed, the more one can create, but it ain't everything!
 
The thing with Yngwie is that I respect the impact he made on the guitar community, but my appreciation for him doesn't extend much further than that. I went through a brief yngwie phase and I have the majority of his discography...I even still listen to some of his stuff on occasion. The problem with Yngwie is that once you have one or two of his records, you pretty much get the whole idea and everything else is just slight variations on the exact same theme. He took the community by storm, then let it go to his head and has been stagnant for decades now. His technique isn't even quite up to par these days (assuming the show i saw in '04 was any indicator). I do respect the fact that he's remained so true to himself over the years, but at the same time it's long since gotten old.

As for greg...he definitely went through his cliche "i'm signed to shrapnel" phase...but if you read up on it you find out that even at the time he wasn't happy with it (granted it had just as much to do with the business end as much as the music). Varney all but forced him into making some of those shred/neoclassical records. I think they are great, personally, but considering where Greg's musical heart is at I'm not surprised at all by how he feels looking back at them. The thing with Greg (as opposed to Yngwie)is that even though you can identify a Howe record when you hear one, there's still an immense musical growth that he's undergone over the years.

anyhow, in contradiction to the post I'd like to point out that I'm not trying to get into the whole Yngwie debate (and I will respectfully sit that one out if it goes that way just because it's been beaten to death and then some :) )
 
Meedleyx10 said:
The problem with Yngwie is that once you have one or two of his records, you pretty much get the whole idea and everything else is just slight variations on the exact same theme. He took the community by storm, then let it go to his head and has been stagnant for decades now. His technique isn't even quite up to par these days (assuming the show i saw in '04 was any indicator).
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Amen.:worship:
 
Meedleyx10 said:
(and I will respectfully sit that one out if it goes that way just because it's been beaten to death and then some :) )
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You want to beat Yngwie to death and then some? Now that's an excessive penalty just for losing your chops, isn't it?:lol:

It had been beat to death...I think the bashing more than any praise at this point in time.

I've never been much of a Holdsworth fan...I do recall being at Berklee in '84 and listening to Bill Brufords first solo LP, Feels Good To Me (with Holdsworth), over and over on reel to reel in the music library. Thanks for the memory, guys!
 
Yngwie ? I have to say of the three G3 DVD's I have seen his is the most impressive and Im not an Yngwie fan and never was. I also thought he did a good job at being a team player and was there for the fun when the three jamed together. Plus he proved he could actually play Hendrix with feel and balls. Did a knock out job harmonizing behind Vai and Satch and for what ever reason I felt they kinda gave him the cold shoulder.... yet in the show he just simply smoked them, and considering who he smoked Id say he showed himself well. I also found it amusing that he appears to be a big dope and I was expecting him to be ecentric and intellectual.

Yes, if you've heard two maybe three Yngwie songs you heard it all. Hes a decent composer but shit song writer. I have two or three tapes here I have barely listened to and thats over twenty years now....

As for Yngwie being the mold breaker or only one to get us away from pentonic, thats just wrong. Eddie was the big time mold breaker. Lifeson maybe a bit but I was never blown away by his improv as much as the songs in his early days.

I hated Quite Riot and was never really an Ozzy fan so I had no idea the neo classical skills Rhoades had prior to just about a month ago when I checked out some live solos on youtube. If Im not mistaken he preceded Yngwie in the neo classical solos or harmonic minor or what ever the hell it is. Correct me if Im wrong.

There were also a few great flat pickers that used various scales, though maybe not the "neo classical" sound, prior to Yngwie in the mid/late 70's fusion world too, primarily DiMeola, who Yngwie has credited as an influence, but Steve Morse owns a few early chapters in the "this is how you play guitar" book (and still holds his weight today). Chicken picken, flat picking, classical type compositions, and while his music was a bit of a musical show off he was never about playing solos every chance he got, he was a composer. Anyone that is open minded, progressive and into great guitar/violin/keyboard/bass/drum work and great compositions and doesnt have "Freefall" and "What If" by Dixie Dregs is missing something. Morse and Sloan ruled along with the rest of the band ! Wihout destroying the music doing so. WARNING: They do have alot of 'ol Dixie in them so theres plenty of bluegrass/ragtime songs with a progressive twist as well as Celtic or Irish sounding stuff but thats what bluegrass was derived from. They mixed their albums up quite a bit so theres variety. Progressive fusion songs like Ice Cakes & Cruise Control for example... bass players, keyboard players and drummers should find this stuff pretty interesting as well as guitar players. For a classical type composition check out "Night Meets Light" (What If) or I think "Holiday" from - Freefall was released in '77 & What If in '78. There was nothing like it then or even now that I am aware of. The coolest thing is that Steve Morse was kicked out of high school in tenth grade for refusing to cut his hair and immeadiatly enrolled in U of Miami School of Music.... the rest is history... now thats a guitar rebel !

Sorry but MacLaughlin compared to DiMeola or Morse just never impressed me. But there is no doubt MacLaughlin led the way... he just had no musical taste.......

Satch ? I think Joe has great feel, to me, he's shed via Santana, Gilmore and other great feel players. Plus one of the smoothest guitar tones there has been, and he just lays his head back, smiles and goes for it... I really appreaciate that.

Petrucci ? Just another metal shredder?....... yarite! His body of work speaks for itself.... if you have ears and mind and cronological knowledge that is

I checked out this Greg Howe guy and I highly approve ! and here I thought fusion & funk were long dead

Ok! Ok! Im off after some Holdsworth now.
 
razoredge said:
Yngwie ? I have to say of the three G3 DVD's I have seen his is the most impressive and Im not an Yngwie fan and never was. I also thought he did a good job at being a team player and was there for the fun when the three jamed together. Plus he proved he could actually play Hendrix with feel and balls. Did a knock out job harmonizing behind Vai and Satch and for what ever reason I felt they kinda gave him the cold shoulder.... yet in the show he just simply smoked them, and considering who he smoked Id say he showed himself well. I also found it amusing that he appears to be a big dope and I was expecting him to be ecentric and intellectual.

Yes, if you've heard two maybe three Yngwie songs you heard it all. Hes a decent composer but shit song writer. I have two or three tapes here I have barely listened to and thats over twenty years now....

As for Yngwie being the mold breaker or only one to get us away from pentonic, thats just wrong. Eddie was the big time mold breaker. Lifeson maybe a bit but I was never blown away by his improv as much as the songs in his early days.

I hated Quite Riot and was never really an Ozzy fan so I had no idea the neo classical skills Rhoades had prior to just about a month ago when I checked out some live solos on youtube. If Im not mistaken he preceded Yngwie in the neo classical solos or harmonic minor or what ever the hell it is. Correct me if Im wrong.

There were also a few great flat pickers that used various scales, though maybe not the "neo classical" sound, prior to Yngwie in the mid/late 70's fusion world too, primarily DiMeola, who Yngwie has credited as an influence, but Steve Morse owns a few early chapters in the "this is how you play guitar" book (and still holds his weight today). Chicken picken, flat picking, classical type compositions, and while his music was a bit of a musical show off he was never about playing solos every chance he got, he was a composer. Anyone that is open minded, progressive and into great guitar/violin/keyboard/bass/drum work and great compositions and doesnt have "Freefall" and "What If" by Dixie Dregs is missing something. Morse and Sloan ruled along with the rest of the band ! Wihout destroying the music doing so. WARNING: They do have alot of 'ol Dixie in them so theres plenty of bluegrass/ragtime songs with a progressive twist as well as Celtic or Irish sounding stuff but thats what bluegrass was derived from. They mixed their albums up quite a bit so theres variety. Progressive fusion songs like Ice Cakes & Cruise Control for example... bass players, keyboard players and drummers should find this stuff pretty interesting as well as guitar players. For a classical type composition check out "Night Meets Light" (What If) or I think "Holiday" from - Freefall was released in '77 & What If in '78. There was nothing like it then or even now that I am aware of. The coolest thing is that Steve Morse was kicked out of high school in tenth grade for refusing to cut his hair and immeadiatly enrolled in U of Miami School of Music.... the rest is history... now thats a guitar rebel !

Sorry but MacLaughlin compared to DiMeola or Morse just never impressed me. But there is no doubt MacLaughlin led the way... he just had no musical taste.......

Satch ? I think Joe has great feel, to me, he's shed via Santana, Gilmore and other great feel players. Plus one of the smoothest guitar tones there has been, and he just lays his head back, smiles and goes for it... I really appreaciate that.

Petrucci ? Just another metal shredder?....... yarite! His body of work speaks for itself.... if you have ears and mind and cronological knowledge that is

I checked out this Greg Howe guy and I highly approve ! and here I thought fusion & funk were long dead

Ok! Ok! Im off after some Holdsworth now.
Click to expand...

He definitely seems like a big dope.

DiMeola, Morse, Robben Ford, Larry Carlton...these guys all have their moments of serious picking! My favorite Morse is I'll Just Pick from the Dreg's Unsung Heros...hard to find, but well worth it...great fusion album. Morse is scary live...just incredible! Flawless.

I just downloaded a blast from my past which is the Yellowjackets first album with Robben Ford circa 1980...some great jazzier lead stuff from Ford for those who only know his blues recordings.
 
My two favorite are Michael Romeo and Kiko Loureiro. Romeo has an aggressive yet elegant, swordfighting style of playing that comes off as very musical in a sharp, focused way. I also really love his classical influence. Kiko is very rhythmic and has a lot of passionate, organic feeling in his playing that sets him apart...the Brazilian influence might be a big part of it.

Of course, both have amazing chops and at their level, it doesn't really matter who's faster or can do more because each of them can do whatever they need to do to make their musical message. Even if someone were twice as fast as both of them, I wouldn't care. I've seen plenty of guys cover Romeo and Kiko solos note for note, but none of them ever do it with the finesse and style that each of these have.
 
darkblade said:
where is Kiko? anyone else own his solo albums?
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Yes, I have both of them and the fact that he can play both as a literally world-class shredder and jazz player speaks to his enormous versatility and talent (even though the "shredder" solo album is still bursting with musicality and subtlety). It's just amazing listening to the two discs side-by-side, seeing what he can do.
 
1. Marty Friedman
2. Ritchie Blackmore
3. Yngwie Malmsteen
4. Joe Satriani
5. Brian May
6. Eric Johnson
7. John Petrucci
8. Slash
9. Jorn Viggo Lofstad
10. Stevie Ray Vaughan
 
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