Guthrie Govan on fretless

AlanRatcliffe

Finally a decent video on fretless guitar from one of the only two guys who can really play them:

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Wizard

Oh my.
!O.o!

arjunmenon

Glad you posted this Alan.
Been listening to Mafalda this morning ?
Hectic fretless music that!

Psean

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Finally a decent video on fretless guitar from one of the only two guys who can really play them:

The other one being? Bumblefoot?

charleshaupt

Awesome and challenging stuff,thanks...

AlanRatcliffe

Psean wrote: The other one being? Bumblefoot?

You have to ask? ? Yeah, I'm a big fan...

Mafalda is insane. Have you heard his cover of Hendrix' Fire on fretless?

Psean

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:

You have to ask? ? Yeah, I'm a big fan...
Mafalda is insane. Have you heard his cover of Hendrix' Fire on fretless?[/quote]

Hehe? never actually heard of any others who play fretless

Scorched

A few days ago I saw photos of a recent show he did with The Aristocrats and the Vigier was amongst his gear on stage.

How I wish they would come do a show in SA! Would love seeing GG in a live band setting rocking out the fretless.

Malkav

Don't get me wrong, I think Guthrie owns on Fretless and everything, but I can't help but wonder what the point is?

He doesn't really phrase in such a way where I believe it's allowing him to express what he couldn't on a normal guitar. Bumblefoot on the other hand I feel does actually utilise the fretless in a way where his phrasing becomes so abnormal it actually makes a difference.

I just can't help but feel that Guthrie could have pretty much played all of that on a fretted guitar and the only difference is that the tone would have probably been more like he normally sounds...

AlanRatcliffe

Psean wrote: Hehe? never actually heard of any others who play fretless

Frank Zappa, Adrian Belew, Tim Donahue.

Sorry, make that three players who really do it justice - Govan, Bumblefoot and Donahue. Ned Evett's not bad either.

Chad Adam Browne wrote: Don't get me wrong, I think Guthrie owns on Fretless and everything, but I can't help but wonder what the point is?

Oh he does - the sliding into notes, the vibrato, the Indian influence. Not to the same degree as BBF, but then no-one is...

BTW, one local we have who plays fretless is Ben Badenhorst - some great fusion stuff.
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Malkav

Chad Adam Browne wrote: Don't get me wrong, I think Guthrie owns on Fretless and everything, but I can't help but wonder what the point is?

Oh he does - the sliding into notes, the vibrato, the Indian influence. Not to the same degree as BBF, but then no-one is...

I can't help but feel he could still play all of those phrases almost identically on a fretted instrument, this is Guthrie and his vibrato and pitch control are that good. I'd say if he spent a few more months with it and started to make it more of an extension of himself as it is to Bumblefoot then the results will be frightening...

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I mean really he doesn't need a fretless to play those histrionics...

EDIT: Quote fail above, too lazy to correct it though ?

Greg

I've been playing Upright Bass for a couple of years (which is fretless) and I can honestly say that it's a whole new ball game playing fretless and adding in a bow (real one, not an ebow) really brings out intonation issues. It takes YEARS to get it right and a decade to perfect, intonation is ALWAYS an issue with fretless string instruments, even for masters.

I like the alloy neck, it's very much like a Sarod and I think that kind of music or music inspired by Indian music would sound perfect on the instrument.

I think it's really an electric option for Sarod players or for those that need some specific guitar for that kind of sound and as he said, it's in it's infancy as a modern instrument.

Charlie4

In terms of fretless it's not only good intonation but you have to have a very good ear as well. Seems fretted instruments are a lot easier to play - imo still harder than piano though.

Malkav

Charlie4 wrote: In terms of fretless it's not only good intonation but you have to have a very good ear as well. Seems fretted instruments are a lot easier to play - imo still harder than piano though.

Having owned a fretless for a number of months, had piano lessons, and as someone who's been playing guitar for almost a decade I would say they're not really comparable, fretless guitar is trickier than normal guitar in most respects, but I don't believe you could compare a guitar to a piano - especially seeing as the level of "difficulty" will be directly related to the level of mastery you hope to achieve.

deefstes

Charlie4 wrote:Seems fretted instruments are a lot easier to play - imo still harder than piano though.

Yes but have you tried fretless piano? Now there's a different beast altogether. ?