I'm looking to listen to more artists that play relatively simple stuff yet make it sound so good.
Guys like The Edge, Andy Summers, Dave Matthews etc...
Guys like The Edge, Andy Summers, Dave Matthews etc...
Simple yet effective artists
DAVID GILMOUR!
Peter Buck of REM
Malcolm Young of AC/DC
Keith Richards
Pete Townshend
Tom Petty
Mike Campbell
...that's all off the top of my head. Although I know there are many more.
Peter Buck of REM
Malcolm Young of AC/DC
Keith Richards
Pete Townshend
Tom Petty
Mike Campbell
...that's all off the top of my head. Although I know there are many more.
Not a guitarist but Miles Davis IMnsHO was/is the god of keep it simple but infinitely deep
I'd opine that some of the above are actually fairly limited players who have learned to make effective use of what they can do. I'd exclude especially Campbell who I think is a really, really good player - but not one that will pay three notes when one will do.Alan Ratcliffe wrote: DAVID GILMOUR!
Peter Buck of REM
Malcolm Young of AC/DC
Keith Richards
Pete Townshend
Tom Petty
Mike Campbell
...that's all off the top of my head. Although I know there are many more.
In engineering there used to be a philiosophy of "elegance". Elegant solutions were/are solutiuons that solve the problem, that do all that is required but that have nothing extra. I believe that this is a valid way to look at music - that good parts (solos, drum parts, whatever) are those that do what is necessary for the song and the arrangement but don't spill over into the realms of indulgence or spotlight hogging or of leaving nothing else for anybody to play.
Richards at his best (IE not this century) was that kind of player. He is often viewed as the secondary player in the Stones (especially in the 70s when Mick Taylor was with them) but I think that what he did was to figure out what the song needed and deliver that - even if he didn't get a lot of solos. And hats off to him for that.
Gilmour is another who is a really, really good player but has the sense and taste to try and play something that serves the song (he also has a fantastic sense of dynamics).
Petty and Campbell play well as a combination.
That all said, I don't think there's anything wrong with chops per se, but for me really good players often know when NOT to play as when as to play, and they have good instincts as to how MUCH or how little to play.
13 days later
Bob Dubery wrote:I'm a Peter Buck fan!Alan Ratcliffe wrote: DAVID GILMOUR!
Peter Buck of REM
Malcolm Young of AC/DC
Keith Richards
Pete Townshend
Tom Petty
Mike Campbell
...that's all off the top of my head. Although I know there are many more.
I'd opine that some of the above are actually fairly limited players who have learned to make effective use of what they can do. I'd exclude especially Campbell who I think is a really, really good player - but not one that will pay three notes when one will do.
In engineering there used to be a philiosophy of "elegance". Elegant solutions were/are solutiuons that solve the problem, that do all that is required but that have nothing extra. I believe that this is a valid way to look at music - that good parts (solos, drum parts, whatever) are those that do what is necessary for the song and the arrangement but don't spill over into the realms of indulgence or spotlight hogging or of leaving nothing else for anybody to play.
Richards at his best (IE not this century) was that kind of player. He is often viewed as the secondary player in the Stones (especially in the 70s when Mick Taylor was with them) but I think that what he did was to figure out what the song needed and deliver that - even if he didn't get a lot of solos. And hats off to him for that.
Gilmour is another who is a really, really good player but has the sense and taste to try and play something that serves the song (he also has a fantastic sense of dynamics).
Petty and Campbell play well as a combination.
That all said, I don't think there's anything wrong with chops per se, but for me really good players often know when NOT to play as when as to play, and they have good instincts as to how MUCH or how little to play.
Humph we forgot about Carlos Santana
Alan gave a list of great guitarists. I think some of the players mentioned (Santana, Gilmoure etc) are extremely skilled and can barely fall in the class of "simple".
Another name is Robbie Robertson (Bob Dylan's guitaits in The Band). A totally under-rated guitarist who can play well, but is not flashy or fast and furious. Check out The Last Waltz movie and see him holding ground against Clapton.
Another name is Robbie Robertson (Bob Dylan's guitaits in The Band). A totally under-rated guitarist who can play well, but is not flashy or fast and furious. Check out The Last Waltz movie and see him holding ground against Clapton.
And now somebody went and reminded us!Renesongs wrote: Humph we forgot about Carlos Santana
Sorry all, but I am not convinced in this case. I don't think Santana has that much going for him as a player, and I think this is largely a case of the emperor's new clothes.
I have to agree there Bob. Noodling over someone else's backing tracks with lots of gain doth not a great player make.
+ NEIL YOUNG !
Simplicity master !
Simplicity master !
+1Vintage Vibe wrote: + NEIL YOUNG !
Simplicity master !
Maybe not the right thread to mention him, but I recently remembered about the Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman. I have only one of his CD's, his stuff is not commonly seen in music shops. Anyone know more of him?
Jan Akkerman - now there is a memory. He played in Focus and had the brilliant but annoying song called "Hocus Pocus"
A dutch group with the brilliant thijs van leer (spelling could be dodgy) on keyboards and flute.
They both got a bit Jazzy but I cant remember the album names etc
A dutch group with the brilliant thijs van leer (spelling could be dodgy) on keyboards and flute.
They both got a bit Jazzy but I cant remember the album names etc
I'd hardly call him "simple" ?Riaan wrote: Maybe not the right thread to mention him, but I recently remembered about the Dutch guitarist Jan Akkerman. I have only one of his CD's, his stuff is not commonly seen in music shops. Anyone know more of him?
He played guitar with the Dutch prog-rock band Focus in the 70s. They had some novel touches in their sound - including yodelling. (no kidding).
They had an instrumental hit... the name escapes me now. Back in the 70s it was a sort of standard piece to be able to play to show that you had got to a certain level. I can still hear the tune in my heard, but can't remember the name.
O yeah!!Vintage Vibe wrote: + NEIL YOUNG !
Simplicity master !
AFAIR the First LP was In and Out of Focus the 2nd was Moving Waves and the 3rd was Focus 3 after that I lost track of them.I cant remember the album names etc
Silvia - I obviously was a big fan of Focus. I cut my teeth on learning Silvia which wasn't too difficult it took me a lot longer to get Hocus Pocus right, so I would agree with Bob the Jan Ackerman is hardly simple, (unless I was just plainly sh*t). Carlos Santana on the other hand is beautiful but simple. It never took me more than a couple of hours to wax any of his songs just modal playing all the way either Dorian or Aeolian ?They had an instrumental hit... the name escapes me now.
That's the one.Renesongs wrote:Silvia - I obviously was a big fan of Focus. I cut my teeth on learning Silvia which wasn't too difficult it took me a lot longer to get Hocus Pocus right, so I would agree with Bob the Jan Ackerman is hardly simple,They had an instrumental hit... the name escapes me now.
I never got it right.
I did a tolerable job of the yodelling part in "Hocus Pocus"
Great we should get together and form a tribute band ?I did a tolerable job of the yodelling part in "Hocus Pocus"
Wow...looks like there's a lot more to Jan Akkerman that I knew about - my CD is quite jazzy so it must be his later work. Yodelling, of all things... I gotta get more Jan Akkerman and check it out. Didn't know about Focus. Will try and get some, I'm really curious now!
+ 111111111111111sepheritoh wrote:+1Vintage Vibe wrote: + NEIL YOUNG !
Simplicity master !