ARE YOU A OPEN MINDED GUITARIST? 100%?

I used to be a metal head but then, back in the early nineties, I found out about this one guy named Frank Zappa, who totally changed my way of looking at music and foremost the way it is played. Nowadays, I can listen to any music as long as it`s been played be real people with real instruments. I`m also Light and sound coordinator at our local music venue and here we have all kinds of genres on stages, last week we had bluegrass on Friday and death metal on Saturday. The diversity is enormous and that`s awesome. I really wish I discovered Zappa earlier....

BTW, last night we went to see Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree) with the likes of Guthrie Govan (to define awesome), what a night, one of the best gigs ever.
 
I try to be open-minded about a lot of music and my favorite thing is hearing something I've never heard before that grabs me. However, there are lots of things I hear that don't make it past the 3 second mark on my radio just on style alone. Most really heavier music, particularly if the vocals are screamed or growled and/or the riff sounds like a math problem...gone. Most modern country (unless I just catch the solo)....gone. People rapping about bitches and hoes...gone. A particular type of modern indie vocalist that irritates me...gone.

I'm very discerning. I've spent thousands of hours honing my tastes, but not in an exclusive way. I like music across a huge swath of genres, but in no way could I say I'm 100 percent open to whatever comes along. Especially in areas of music that I like, I have very well refined tastes, so that tends to make me bail on some of it very quickly if it's not in what I judge to be the better parts of the genre.

I do find that if I'm hearing a band or person live, I'm more likely to get beyond style or genre prejudices to appreciate what they're doing than if I hear it on the radio or Spotify or somewhere random.
 
It depends on my mood, sometimes I like dissonance, other times, I prefer melodies. Am I looking to be excited or relaxed?
 
I'm not extremely close minded but I end up playing things I don't care for quite often so I can play music with others.
 
henryrobinett said:
White Stripes. I'm not open at all about White Stripes. OK, I'll admit it.
Click to expand...

That reminds me of somebody who played Jack White (maybe with the White Stripes) playing a Son House tune for me. I appreciated that they did the cover and it didn't totally suck, but how they did it was so lame compared to how I'd heard others do it that it didn't count for much. If you want to hear someone who has got the Son House influence, check John Mooney, a guy who hung out with Son House when Son was older and he was in high school. John Mooney doing Levee Camp Moan is epic, particularly in a band contest (any drummer he's ever played with would smoke Meg White in the first 4 bars). John Mooney's a guy who never got a fraction of some of the youngsters playing blues these days, but he's created an amazing style combining Son House style Delta blues with New Orleans funk/r & b. He's one of the most powerful live musicians I've ever heard, but couldn't get the time of day from the press next to Jack White.

Sorry to be so off topic, but the White Stripes mention set me off.
 
LOL. My gripe is not with Jack White, just that terrible band. Maybe it was that it was a duet with his ex-wife playing drums very badly. Makes me want to have my teeth removed.
 
As long as we are venting about Jack White I want add a comment about the opening scenes in the movie It Might Get Loud. He is fashioning a guitar of sorts out of a piece of wood, a wire and a pickup. His narration states that he thinks music should be a challenge to create, essentially if an instrument is too easy to play it will not enable the performer to play his best. Really? Have I wasted lots of money on my Gibson, Fender and MusicMan guitars? I doubt Itzhak Perlman and Rachel Barton, to name just two, agree. Jeesh. If he must say outrageous things to become famous, he should do it another way. His contention is rediculous.

There, I feel better now. My wife has heard this rant and likely thinks I am crazy. That may very well be true but nonetheless, the idea that an instrument that is difficult to play will make you perform better is silly. The challenge is in using your head, heart and fingers to express the language of music. A poorly set up instrument just gets in the way.
 
Re-creating a diddly bow for the film, seemed to be in his wheel house, as per his explanation of what moves him.

For some reason, it reminded me of some of the campy intro clips in the film, The Song Remains The Same, the scenes where each band member gets a letter presumably about the upcoming shows at MSG. So I found the It Might Get Loud intro charming.

Two scenes in particular I loved though:

1. When all 3 are jamming, and Jimmy Page starts playing the Whole Lotta Love intro riff, and the Edge and Jack White put down their guitars.
2. When Jimmy page is walking through the store room (at his main home?) and you can see a bunch of his guitars and gear up on crude shelves as he walks by with the camera following.
 
Barhrecords, I too found those two scenes memorable. My favorite is the first, the Edge looked like a little kid agape while his idol was playing. I made that same comment when we first saw the move in a theater. Since then I have read many similar comments. I guess it is something you understand when you are a guitarist. Way cool.
 
drgary said:
Barhrecords, I too found those two scenes memorable. My favorite is the first, the Edge looked like a little kid agape while his idol was playing. I made that same comment when we first saw the move in a theater. Since then I have read many similar comments. I guess it is something you understand when you are a guitarist. Way cool.
Click to expand...

Yeah there was no ego in that one scene, the Edge and Jack just look at each other grinning, with the "I am not worthy" look and stop playing... priceless. And Page had his strutting face on too... never get tired of that.
 
I've found that the majority of people that are willing to categorize themselves within a specific category rarely belong in that particular category. YMMV though.8)
 
Music is ultimately about entertainment either for the listener or performer.
Sorry - not going to force-listen to certain genres of music just so i can join the current trend of being "open-minded". The overall aesthetic of some types just doesn't appeal.
It's all subjective, so totally disagree that there's only good and bad music - that's plain silly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom