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View Full Version : I don't know about you guys but I really start to DISLIKE...

TheViking
02-12-2005, 12:56 AM
....people who pretend to have the skills to judge someone’s playing without really having the faintest idea what they are talking about. I mean everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I mean if a guy walks in and says “I prefer this guitarist”, or “to me, this sounds good” I am all ok with that, but if someone who is more or less tone deaf, has no skills in music and basically no sense of rhythm starts on the “oh, he is good, but this guy is better”, I just freak.
Ok so this is what trigged my lil “venting” here.
A lot of musicians hang in our store. We have people traveling up to 4 hrs each way to get here and get modifications done, try out new stuff and just hang with the crew. Some of these guys are household names in the Scandinavian music industry. A couple of days ago one of the prime country guitarists in Norway walked in to have his Tele tweaked. While I was fiddling with his fender custom shop axe, in walks this local “I swear I’m faster than Satriani and Vai” guy in, plugs in a guitar and shreds like there is no tomorrow. Well the shredder has skills as far as speed goes, but that’s about it. When he is done with his daily 5 minute speedtrickinghotlickingflatpickingstringtwisting finger exercises, the country dude picks up a dobro and plays for a while. This guy has been around in music for about 40 years, and I still look like the extremely long faces version of deputy dawg when this guy picks up a guitar.
So during this lil display of speed and the latter display of speed, class and skills, excellent harmonies and perfect timing, one of the local “music police officers” sips his coffee quietly. When the metal shredder and the country boy leave the store he starts yapping on about the difference between good and great musicians. Of course he is trashing the country dude to pieces with comments like, “you would think he could play faster after all those years” and “I don’t see why people admire country guitarists” and so on. I seriously needed to go to the back of the store to find something to bite not to rip that guys ignorant head off. I mean is it only me or do you guys get ticked off by the guys who feel they have the right to trash excellent musicians even though they couldn’t play a single note in key, in tune and on beat them selves even if their life depended on it.
:x
bvmjethead
02-12-2005, 01:48 AM
I wonder if the term "ignoramus" came from the fact that these are people better left "ignored"............
Old Believer
02-12-2005, 03:38 AM
Hey Viking,

Gotta agree. There's always some schmoe who doesn't know a lick from a riff, and likes the guy who can shred a bunch of 32nd notes in some unknown mode that nobody cares about, but him.
bvmjethead
02-12-2005, 04:37 AM
Hey Viking,

Gotta agree. There's always some schmoe who doesn't know a lick from a riff, and likes the guy who can shred a bunch of 32nd notes in some unknown mode that nobody cares about, but him.


Yeah, and we were all there at one point or another.

I say let it go and move on with thinking about thigs that can positively influence you and your walk with Jesus Christ.
MrMike
02-12-2005, 05:11 AM
Reminds me of the old joke:

Q. How many guitar players does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Ten. One to change the bulb, and nine to stand back and say, "Not bad, but I could have done it better!" :mrgreen:
Wally
02-12-2005, 06:34 AM
I'm afraid it's not really limited to folks who "don't know what they are talking about". Many accomplished musicians proclaim their opinions as fact as well... :lol:

But I do get where you are coming from, and yes, I get tired of it too. :lol: Makes me wonder sometimes why I spend so much time on the guitar forums reading about why Clapton is no good, etc....

I can't play well enough to be critical of anyone else myself, don't play lead at all, but I prefer to hear guitarists whose soloing compliments the song and makes it better as opposed to guitarists for which the song takes a back seat to the solo - but thats just me!
kewlpack
02-12-2005, 04:15 PM
A friendly reminder that these "doofuses" are guys that Jesus died for (he knows them by name!) - so think of it as an opportunity to bring them the Gospel.

You never know who has an ear to hear Jesus' music! 8)

I hear you guys though. You just have to take it with a grain of salt. The Scripture rebukes folks who "make confident assertions about things they know nothing about..." and encourages us not to be like them.

So the next time you run into someone who "prattles on like a fool" as in Proverbs, think on your feet and win that soul for Jesus - the director of the Angels of God (now THAT, my friends, is an AMAZING choir!).

Blessings,
~A~
Old Believer
02-12-2005, 06:12 PM
Reminds me of the old joke:

Q. How many guitar players does it take to change a light bulb?

A. Ten. One to change the bulb, and nine to stand back and say, "Not bad, but I could have done it better!" :mrgreen:

Q: How do stop a guitar player from playing?
A: Put sheet music in front of him.
Crunchyriff
02-12-2005, 07:45 PM
Viking, I hear ya man, I hear ya. I'm not a huge country fan by any stretch, but I will give credit where credit is due. These players are HUGELY talented people, for the most part. Roy Nichols is one of my all-time favorite 'country' players. "Diamond Rio's" Olander is another great (and much younger) player, IMHO. I'm naming players here that aren't the current hallmark of noteriety like Vince Gill, Skaggs, etc. (who are obviously great musicians.)

I would probably say something like this to your store cretin:

"Ya wanna know WHY people admire country guitarists? Two reasons:

1. Many can players say more than one note than most can with twelve, and WHEN THEY use more than twelve, look out!

2. You plug the avg country player into a marshall, and its game over. Most rock players can't hold a candle to their chops, let alone taste. "

(Jake E. Lee said something along the lines of this years ago, and he's correct, IMHO)

If said individual prattled on even more, I'd simply close the conversation entirely. Maybe along the lines of: "Do ya wanna discuss something you KNOW about"; or, "hey do you wanna meet my friend, Jesus?"
Teleguy
02-13-2005, 03:26 AM
I can't remember who the quote is by, but a famous old Jazz guy was exposed to some shredder.

When asked what he thought he said, "If music is a race, he's the winner."

:mrgreen: