[tina m]

no wonder youre good derek all the lessons & practice youve put in & can gig easily

i am like paul here i am not at all impressed by the technically brilliant players i find them quite boring
im more impressed by the ones who sound like they  make it up as they go
i have never had a lesson or been aware of practicing & im ashamed to admit i know hardly any theory & have never realy learnt scales ...i rely on my imagination & i definitely have some connection with my guitars when i pick them up... i suppose i have been playing a long time & i have listened to a lot of music... & maybe that is my guitar lessons
i have never taken myself serious as a musician either bcos i dont realy know where it all comes from

[delb0y]

I must confess I am impressed by brilliance in any area of life. I admire people who have mastered difficult things, be it a musical instrument, writing a book, riding a MotoGP bike, acting, singing, splitting the atom, programming a DAW, producing an album, flying a fighter jet... I love brilliance, and am glad people strive for it. It's what moves the world forward.

In terms of music, there are countless players who leave me cold - and, I agree, this can sometimes because they have developed technique to such a level that the technique becomes everything (although, to be fair, sometimes it's the opposite). Are such players common? I'm not sure. There was definitely a period of time in the 90's and 00's when a generation of shredders took electric rock guitar to new limits and yet it seemed like every time they released a new album they'd say something like "This time I'm going back to the music. I'm concentrating on melody and songs rather than technique." And every time I fell for those lines and bought the album I'd find they were still concentrating on technique. All those albums got eBayed pretty quickly and what those guys are doing these days I have no idea.

But there are other players who have mastered their instruments and who do understand how to use that technique in support of great songs. These are the players I tend to go for. Sometimes they are electric guitarists, sometimes acoustic, sometime rhythm, sometimes lead. Sometimes they are trumpet players or sax players or piano players. One of them is a banjo player! One of my favourite musicians, Jerry Douglas, is a dobro player - a masterful player who is always perfectly supportive of the song. Sometimes these folks are ear players, sometimes readers. Some know theory, some don't - Django, one of my favourites supposedly never knew what chord or note he was playing - but he's as brilliant as they come, both musically and technically.

Looking back over the favourite guitarist thread and we all chose pickers at the top of their individual technical game!

[pompeyjazz]

I used to be in a band with a guy called Trev "Don't touch my guitar" O. With regards to learning a lead riff or a chord sequence, once it was in his head after it had been written down for him, he could knock it out a thousand times faultlessly and it would sound "Exactly" the same. However, when it came to ideas or we wanted to go into a jam he did not have a Scooby Do. So, although I can admire technique, I think feel is a far more important thing as is not taking yourself too seriously   

[The S]

Just for the record so there's no confusion, I don't believe practicing has anything to do with being technically brilliant. Personally, I do not care for the technically brilliant players or singers. But I do enjoy Robert Johnson.!?! Guess he's sort of technically brilliant though. But as you guys say tinam and paul, I too, like when it sound like musicians are making stuff up on the fly. As Van Morrison said about his own style, - People think it's easy, but it's taken years of practice to make it sound natural.

Just saying.

/S 

[delb0y]

It sounds like I'm in the minority 

But as I mentioned above, albums that are pure technique tend to get moved on very quickly by me. To me a good technique is just one of several pillars on which the people I tend to like have built their style. In addition to that technique, there's feel, melodic invention, creativity, improvisational ability, a way with words, and so on. I certainly wouldn't put technique above any of these things (or vice versa). But I won't deny that I enjoy listening to a Hendrix or a Django or an Oscar Peterson or an Ella Fitzgerald, and yes, Robert Johnson - all of whom are very technical brilliant in their own ways.

[CaliaMoko]

Or maybe some of those who agree with you

It sounds like I'm in the minority

just haven't said anything yet.

I am very much impressed by technical brilliance (or TB), and I agree it needs to be accompanied by the other "pillars" mentioned by delb0y. TB by itself would be cold and sterile, not very attractive, but that doesn't make TB itself undesirable as a component of a brilliant performance.

[PaulAds]

I just love flawed characters and performances...it's the human element that I admire the most.

[CaliaMoko]

Now that you mention it, PaulAds, I know what you mean. I recall being at a piano concert once and the pianist flubbing a spot. He said, "Hm", and kept on going. He didn't do what you're "supposed" to do--pretend it didn't happen.

It really made the event memorable. I doubt I would even remember I went to that particular concert if not for the flub. While human and capable of flaws, he was still technically brilliant and I know he practiced hours. So I think there's room for both the technical brilliance and the charm of a flaw in the performing.

[The S]

I guess that's what I'm trying to convey, you can be TB and you can be TB, there's a difference. When I instantly think of TB, I picture a musician with no emotion playing extremely difficult stuff in a flawless way. That part of TB is not my cup of tea.

My kind of TB is the guitar playing of Robert Johnson, the fingerpicking of Doc Watson or the simplicity of the late BB King. The lyrical genius of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Van the man. The song crafting of Cat Stevens, Dylan, Cohen, Paul Simon and many more. What I'm trying to say is, the TB that I admire, because I do, may not immediately strike you as TB at first glance, but I believe it is. And to make my final point, I believe none of the above would've become who they are without an insane amount of practice. Be it instrumental, lyrical, theoretical or just song crafting practice. None!

The TB that I love, can not exist without the flawed characters and performances, just adding that. #PaulAds

Not sure I made any sense but fingers crossed.

S