Today's players have “literally exhausted the possibilities of the guitar”

V8

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/pete-townshend-todays-players-have-literally-exhausted-the-possibilities-of-the-guitar?

When asked about the waning of guitar-based rock ’n’ roll, Townshend told Dallas News: “The guitar may be losing ground, but in part, that's because if you spend an hour on Instagram or YouTube, you will quickly discover unknown people playing the guitar the way a great orchestral violinist like Yehudi Menuhin once might have played his instrument.

The influential guitarist went on to describe how hip-hop has taken the place of guitar music as the soundtrack to rebellion.

“It is, as you so rightly call it, ‘guitar-based rock ’n’ roll’ that is losing ground, not rock itself. Hip-hop is rock to my ears: music for the neighborhood, the street, the disenfranchised, the downtrodden, the young, the ignored. That used to be what I focused on. Now, I try to write real operas, and want my stage work to be like art installations - and why not? Kanye West has been doing the same thing.”

A long time ago, I thought there was nothing one could do more with a 12 bar blues progression than what had already been done. All the metal riffs seemed already written and all the pop chord progressions were old and boring (actually this still seems the case to me ?)

The "but"? Welllll, I reckon it takes a immense amount of work to carve out something fresh and polish it to presentable - it always has and I think will continue to be so. It is easier to learn to use a daw and sample something than learning how to perform it on a instrument.

Vocal heavy genre's (Rap, Pop) are just that more accessible to the average listener who already has some kinda relationship with talking./singing - in a time when infinite entertainment is but a click away on youtube, why would you spend time learning a outdated relic like guitar? Let alone spend time endlessly jamming, experimenting and polishing idea's?

Using Metallica as a thought example - for me - they were great until Load - after that it just seemed forced and that magic around a Hetfield riff was mostly gone. Did they exhaust what metal could do or did they lose a little bit of that fire to keep innovating and spend that time and effort to produce a killer album?

tl;dr : Are all the riffs written and all the originals idea's exhausted?

ScottyDogg

V8 Personally, I think load has a bunch of good tracks on it. Also, I’d say there’s as many “average to meh” tracks as the black album had (the hits are great but there’s no denying songs like Through the Never and My Friend of Misery don’t live up to to Sandman and Sad but true etc)

Load was a departure from their older stuff but hey, they’re allowed to try other stuff if they want to - they’re big enough to not have to care lol. And it certainly would’ve been a solid hard rock album that any other band could be proud of.

Hetfield is still as epic a guitarist as he’s ever been, I just think they’re trying too hard to be current and I think they need a strong producer like a Bob Rock (just not the current has been Bob Rock lol) to kick Lars and James in the ass and get their best out of them (also I don’t understand wtf is up with the guitar tones in Hardwired; they’re terrible)

Also, I see he’s been mentioned a bunch of times in the forums but definitely check out Rabea Massaad’s music - Toska for example. His playing is some of the freshest riffage I’ve heard in years

RodneyVikens

Someone used to say, there is no such thing as an original idea. =)

V8

RodneyVikens Everything is a remix? Enjoyed this doccie a while back.

V8

ScottyDogg My Friend of Misery

Errmmm, I really like this track ? I used Metallica as a example, could have easily gone with Megadeth or Slayer as similar examples (Slayer would have probably been better). I think Sepultura kept it real when other were (imho) fading a bit. ,Even when a few guys went off on side projects (Hattip for Soulfly).

It's subjective for sure - Load wasn't terrible, I just didn't get into it like I did the other albums. There was one track I went and learned some riffs from - but unlike other where I had to (try) learn at two or three riffs, on Load there was but one.

ScottyDogg strong producer like a Bob Rock (just not the current has been Bob Rock lol) to kick Lars and James in the ass and get their best out of them

+100 - think you need to get in there! Or maybe get Rick Rubin in as supersub...Was Load a 'good enough' effort - good enough for release, but not great enough to be remembered?

ScottyDogg definitely check out Rabea Massaad’s music

From watching too much Anderton's I'm a Rabea fan - I like how he thinks about gear and approaches music.

Hadn't paid much attention to Toska, had a long listen today - it's good, WAY better than Dorje (I'm not a fan of Chapper's playing, to me it's widdly-widdly sameness). Though still a bit 'math metal' for me (I was in prog djent band for a while, so I think I can use the term ?) - but grooves are solid and Rabea's tones are something to to appreciate, they're really good.

V8

For anyone still reading...Guitarworld has a rebuttal for Mr. Townsend

https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/pete-townshends-wrong-these-10-forward-thinking-players-prove-the-guitar-still-has-plenty-to-offer

So we have 7xTobin Abasi clones, one blues 'prodigy', one ambient noise maker and one that genuinely interested me (though I suspect video trickery). Maybe Pete was right...? -

At least there's Derek Trucks & Marcus King - they're keeping it alive!

studmissile

I really grew to love Load (and Re-Load) and consider them masterpieces. I liked that they weren't afraid to explore something besides thrash. I imagine it alienated core fans, but I do think it ultimately opened them up to more fans. It remained pretty competitive and fresh in a time dominated by grunge. My only criticism would be all the make-up. Not sure what that was all about?

As to guitar being exhausted, it's a refreshing change to age old "rock is dead"? Every month for the past 15 odd years (actually way more) a similar article pitches up somewhere proclaiming the exact same notion. My question is, if it is dead or if it is exhausted, why do they keeping writing about it?

V8

studmissile it's a refreshing change to age old "rock is dead"? Every month for the past 15 odd years (actually way more) a similar article pitches up somewhere proclaiming the exact same notion. My question is, if it is dead or if it is exhausted, why do they keeping writing about it?

Too true and very well put.,..! ?

If Rabea & Chappers (Of Anderton's fame) are any example being a great guitar player is but one skill you'd want to develop - being a good musician and entrepreneurial in spirit are useful skills too.

*&%^, It used to be easy in the 90's...have own guitar + amp, long hair = star ?

guidothepimmp

I never got into Load or any post Load albums. Not saying there werent decent tracks. Just not for me.
I think guitar is alive and well. Just look at youtube and see all the youngsters rocking it.
I also sense a return to grassroots and simplicity. Listening to guitar centric music got very technical very quickly at some point. It seems to be going back to good catchy riffs.
That said.. there is always a song that a particular riff might remind one of.
My mrs had somr new (ish) Bon jovi stuff in her car recently. The second tune started and i thought it was Wonderwall by Oasis. Virtually identical chord and strum progression?

ScottyDogg

V8 Well on the flip side, people had to be reliant on asshole record labels to make it big whereas these days there's things like youtube and streaming services that it's really easy to get music onto (and it's cheaper than ever to record great sounding music) so really it's a bit easier for the average dude to do relatively well.

V8

ScottyDogg it's a bit easier for the average dude to do relatively well.

I agree with everything but...I reckon to stand out you'll still want to be a personality and be as diverse in the music industry as you can sustain. I've done a little digging into what Spotify and Youtube will 'pay' for streaming, it's a disgusting business - almost as bad as ahole record companies back in the day (actually...the record companies are invested or partnered in many streaming services).

From what I read/hear the average muso will make $ from gigs and merch, some $ from direct sale/supports to fans (cds/bandcamp/cdbaby/patreon/etc) and a fraction of that from streaming services. Unless you did Despacito (6.45Billion views!) or Gangham Style. Then you are minted ?