Is Guthrie Govan the Best* player?

Joe is the man.......I got to see him recently in his role as the Vaultmeister .....IN THE VAULT. NDA in force so all I can say is it was cool seeing him in his non- drumming element.....and I gazed upon a huge many important things in there. ....( some of which we all be seeing/hearing soon at a cinema or smart TV near you............ www.zappamovie.com ......

“Non drumming element”? Not sure I’m following...but I am intrigued by your cryptic crumbs.

Joe is the man. I have so many great Joe stories (I even had one of the six original chromeboy prototypes that never went into production because of him) I was always in the right place at the right time somehow with him. Great player, great person.
 
Yes IS phenomenal! Best is subjective, but he is up there and respected by his peers. Met him in NH a few years ago at the Tupelo Music Hall. I believe he was doing an instant clinic for FAS. Very humble guy with a typical British sense of humor. He jammed with Jon Finn, the professor of Heavy Metal studies from Berkeley.
I love his work on Hand Cannot Erase -Steve Wilson(Porcupine Tree).
You're very privileged to have seen the Aristocrats. On my bucket list of small venue shows.

Big time spider fingers!
 
I definitely agree with your assessment.

I got to spend a week in close proximity with The Aristocrats (and Satch, Animals as Leaders, etc) at The G4 Experience in 2015.

He is amazingly talented and versed in so many styles. And he's a very humble and down to earth guy.

And extremely animated when he speaks.

Even though it should not have been, there is content of the camp posted on YouTube.

Check the first part of the series here:



I was sitting in the audience :)


I’ve seen that video series numerous times, and forced my band members to watch it as well. Sage advice throughout that would benefit any musician. Must have been a great experience for you.

I’m fascinated and inspired by people who demonstrate true human potential...he is definitely in that group.

I’d have countless questions for him and none would be about guitar.
 
He was the 'best' player way back in the 90s, Guitar Player guitarist of the year, in the year of our lord nineteen NINETY THREE a.d. "Best Player" is like a soccer trophy on his dresser...

he can play more with one hand, without picking, through a clean amp, than probably Malmsteen can play with 6 Marshall stacks and 3 lines of white lightning

 
Gutrie is great. Anyway, it would be nice to separate something like technical skills from the skills to create emotions with listeners. For me that's the best talent a musician has. Just a note to all the technically aspiring players, technique is good but it's used to create emotions, not to show off.
 
I have been privileged enough to see him twice with the Aristocrats and once with Steven Wilson. Each time I felt thrilled to see and hear a true virtuoso at work and at the same time, ashamed to call myself a "musician".
 
“Non drumming element”? Not sure I’m following...but I am intrigued by your cryptic crumbs.

Joe is the man. I have so many great Joe stories (I even had one of the six original chromeboy prototypes that never went into production because of him) I was always in the right place at the right time somehow with him. Great player, great person.
I think he meant Travers...
 
I’ve seen that video series numerous times, and forced my band members to watch it as well. Sage advice throughout that would benefit any musician. Must have been a great experience for you.

I’m fascinated and inspired by people who demonstrate true human potential...he is definitely in that group.

I’d have countless questions for him and none would be about guitar.
Yeah... It was awesome.

Seeing him play from a few feet away multiple times, asking questions and getting answers, hearing his philosophy and approach was so cool!
 
Yeah... It was awesome.

Seeing him play from a few feet away multiple times, asking questions and getting answers, hearing his philosophy and approach was so cool!

Yeah I think his "philosophy" is the real key to his ability. Lose the ego and you lose the limitations it imposes...easier said than done.
 
I don't know how it happened, but I only got onto Guthrie in the last year or so and was instantly blown away. I've been listening to rock and metal for a while so I probably missed a lot of the fusion type guitarists over the years, which is a shame, because I could've really learned a lot much sooner had I watched some of his videos and instruction a while back. Anyway, better late than never!

These days if the discussion comes up about the 'best' guitarist I'd say it's probably him, like OP said, the guy seems to be able to play any genre with complete mastery.

On a side note, I want to add what a great time it is to be a guitar student (or any musical student for that matter) thanks to YouTube and the rise of lesson videos online. When I started learning guitar back in the 90s you had books, videos, and basically, whoever was the best local teacher you could find. These days, students can jump online and get lessons from guys like Guthrie, all for free (mostly). I imagine we're going to continue to see better and better players in the coming years as a result.
 
Of all the guitar players I've ever heard, Guthrie Govan is in my opinion is the best and most well rounded guitar player to have ever picked up the instrument.

He's not just "a shredder with good taste in note choice" either, which is how some people tend to categorize the guy. He's the best example we have for what happens when a person has enough intelligence to command a practically complete vocabularic mastery of everything the instrument can theoretically do, AND the physical dexterity and accuracy to translate it flawlessly to the fretboard. And perhaps most importantly, the dude just... gets it. He understands enough about the human experience to convey all that brilliance into something people can feel.
 
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I definitely agree with your assessment.

I got to spend a week in close proximity with The Aristocrats (and Satch, Animals as Leaders, etc) at The G4 Experience in 2015.

He is amazingly talented and versed in so many styles. And he's a very humble and down to earth guy.

And extremely animated when he speaks.

Even though it should not have been, there is content of the camp posted on YouTube.

Check the first part of the series here:



I was sitting in the audience :)


Just watched all five parts; very enjoyable. Thanks!
 
Absolute monster, such a nice guy, and so versatile player, that's something I still can't wrap my head around. Sure, there's guys with maybe more impressive "sound", maybe more impressive songs, etc, but all round as a guitar player, I think it's hard to find someone of that caliber. Just my 2 cents :)
 
I was bummed to learn last night that the Aristocrats were playing a small-ish venue in my town...I only heard about it after the fact, so I wasn't able to go see the show.
 
Saw them for the third time last week. Guthrie is truly a BEAST and can do it all! Best guitarist out there right now, imo.
 
I have only head separated pieces on Youtube, here and there. Though I find the technique astonishing, I haven't been catched by any particular melody of song. However, when I've recently heard Nick Jonstson for the first time, the Remarkably Human Album, I was catched by the melodies and I could not stop until I heard the whole album.

As I've said, I haven't heard much. What recording do you recommend me to listen, with nice melodies and compositions?
 
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