Thoughtless 7 Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 Sorry if this has been done before, but on another forum i go to i saw this thread and thought i'd ask you guys! I like my music to have meaning, but to also have some good guitaring or beat that makes it slightly more exiting. IMHO too technical = boring, too emotional = whiney. What about you guys? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 It's easy to say "both" because to a certain extent, we ALL respect and enjoy a little bit of both. But instead of taking the middle ground, I'll go ahead and say "emotional" because the split of importance to me is more like 70/30 than 50/50. For example, and I know everyone always uses him as an example, but SRV's playing is primarily emotional. But he was certainly an accomplished guitarist with technical skill if not necessarily "academic theory". Given that he's got chops but also plays with emotion, he's really "both". But you know and I know that in the grand scheme of things, people will always relate more to the fire and emotion he put into his playing than to his fingerboard gymnastics. Gotta be emotion. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 I agree, it HAS to be about emotion. Otherwise, the only reason a person would want to listen to music is because they envy the musicians for their ability, not necessarily the song itself. I only appreciate technical skill in that the musician has enough to play with emotion without struggling... anything after that is just showing off, in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 I put emotional, I have been writing songs for as long as I've been playing guitar and all my music has been soley based on emotion and life experience. Thats what music is for me. I want to feel what the singer or the guitarists are putting out whether it's sad or excited or angry whatever. But I must say that having the ability to be technical in an emotional song makes it that much better. It just lets the composer get his/her emotion across easier. If that makes sense. Anyways thats how I like my music. If I had to choose one it would be emotion, but when possible I take both. Thats my feeling. Later. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borge Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 i would probably go with emotion too, but i also think there are great bands that are neither. ACDC for example, not at all technical and IMO not very emotional either but they have ALOT of attitude and thats why I think they are so popular (5th biggest selling album of all time). and when youre talking about being technical i think complex chords,tempo changes,time sig changes,key changes,alot of parts, ect. is that what were talking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmrentis Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 and when youre talking about being technical i think complex chords,tempo changes,time sig changes,key changes,alot of parts, ect. is that what were talking about? Thats what I took it as. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 and when youre talking about being technical i think complex chords,tempo changes,time sig changes,key changes,alot of parts, ect. is that what were talking about? ← I took it as "shredding ability" so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saber Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 I don't know why I like the music that I like, and I don't need to know. I just like it, not because it's good, but because I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaper Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Put me up for technical. And not the how-fast-can-you-shred technical. I'd simply rather watch a good jazz show put on by someone who knows their instrument inside out and can play the hell out of it, than someone who has little talent and a lot of "emotion". Give me Dave Brubeck over SRV any day of the week. Just my $.02. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
haggardguy Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 I said emotional, a good acoustic song with 3 chords and smart lyrics, or the scream in "won't get fooled again" etc. will always give me chills up my spine and make me happy more than something technical. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Churchyard Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Well I voted for "both" because I really love complex/difficult/technically challenging music with "that special something". But I regret it, I should have voted for "technical" just because of this widespread prejudice that technically challenging music cannot be emotionally loaded. Instead, most of these open or barré chord songwriter stuff, three chord stuff or standard blues licks are most of the times boring as hell to me for the simple reason that it is not very original. I have an intense dislike of musicians who always play simple stuff only for the reason that they are unable to play anything else. Do not misunderstand me, "simple" songs can be great, but most of the time there is no new musical idea in there, no possibility of developing into something that hasn't been there before... At least that's how I feel about it. Now my personal test is whether the music speaks to me when the singing is taken out of the song (and possibly the singer's melody replaced by some instrument playing it). As far as simple three chord songs are involved, the answer for me is NO. They rely on the singer's interpretation of a more or less good songtext. Well if it's only words that are needed to make the music "emotional" or so, personally I prefer reading some poets like Rilke or Baudelaire. Like classical music without singing- now most people nowadays would go and tell "oh, it's so boring, I fell asleep at the opera". I cannot stand it. They are not making any effort to dive into this music and try to understand it and its beauty. Don't know if I make myself clear. Also technically challenging does not mean playing up and down the scale forever at high speed... In fact that is not even soooo technically challenging, you know what I mean? It's just the scale. Just worthy of mentioning, my favourite piece of music is "Touching Tongues" by Steve Vai - no singer is able to give me the feelings this instrumental ispires to me. I like the music more than the language because it is more universal. It is not restricted to the one language the singer sings in, it is far more widespread and international. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 I think an awful lot of musicians use the argument that emotion is paramount as an excuse for their abysmal lack of technique. Technical fluency does nothing to interfere with emotional content, any more than learning grammar makes you a bad writer. OTOH, a master songwiter can probably write something I will find moving with 3 or 4 chords and not a single 32nd note run anywhere. And while I prefer longer tunes with more changes and complex arrangements, there's something very satisfying about a skillfully crafted, perfectly arranged 2:30 pop song that's equally valid, IMHO. I voted both - a great musician usually proves his skill by what he doesn't play! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Give me Dave Brubeck over SRV any day of the week. keep in mind srv was one of the most technically profficient blues guitarists in existence...he was emotion plus tecnique if i have ever heard it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Clapton, Les Paul, Hendrix, SRV, Segovia, Atkins, Buddy Guy, the 3 Kings, EVH, Gary Moore, Vai, Los Indios Tabajares ( ) ... I could go on, but there's the best of both in every one of those guys. All you have to do is pick a style. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 I think an awful lot of musicians use the argument that emotion is paramount as an excuse for their abysmal lack of technique. Technical fluency does nothing to interfere with emotional content, any more than learning grammar makes you a bad writer. ← Exactly, technical ability acts as the tool through which emotion is released. But, to listen to music for the sole purpose of how good the guitarist is is pointless. If you don't get any emotional feedback, there really is no point, is there? Now, I'm not saying that shredders have no emotion in their music -- look at metal heads. Some of them will tell you that they like so-and-so-band because "It makes me want to break stuff..." Well, that is an emotion, and one that Meshuggah gives me. I would have to agree, I would take an emotional and technical player over a soley emotional player any day. But I could never listen to music that doesn't make me feel anything emotionally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crafty Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Well, Fender just came out with the John Mayer Signature Strat, so it seems the world likes their emo and good looks more than technique these days. Of course, I suppose the John Mayer Strat IS a step up from the old Tom DeLonge Strat, who now happens to have a much more expensive Gibson sig model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 I remember when Blink-182 actually played good instruments (not music mind you, just instruments). DeLonge had an LP, and Hoppus had a Music Man... blah, Hoppus's signature Fender DIGUSTS me... BLAH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaper Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Give me Dave Brubeck over SRV any day of the week. keep in mind srv was one of the most technically profficient blues guitarists in existence...he was emotion plus tecnique if i have ever heard it ← I actually like quite a bit of SRV's work, and I admire his talent. The guy could have outplayed me by several miles. But Brubeck, even at his age (I want to say he's 84 at this point), absolutely blows SRV out of the water. I meant that as a comparison between the best emotional player that came to mind, and the best technical player I could think of... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 "It makes me want to break stuff..." Well, that is an emotion, and one that Meshuggah gives me i use meshuggah to work out to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 "It makes me want to break stuff..." Well, that is an emotion, and one that Meshuggah gives me i use meshuggah to work out to ← I salute you, sir! I have yet to be able to play the bass line to any Meshuggah song, although the closest I have come is Neurotica. I just can't seem to get used to the time changes, and I am VERY used to time changes (Tool's 46 & 2). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 "It makes me want to break stuff..." Well, that is an emotion, and one that Meshuggah gives me i use meshuggah to work out to ← I salute you, sir! I have yet to be able to play the bass line to any Meshuggah song, although the closest I have come is Neurotica. I just can't seem to get used to the time changes, and I am VERY used to time changes (Tool's 46 & 2). ← i mean actually work out...with weights. there is music i play and music i listen to...i doubt i will ever learn any meshuggah...because simply it is tuned too low...there are a few of their songs i have heard that i think would be fun... as far as other's work...i rarely learn anything new these days...i mostly just play my own stuff and sprinkle in some slayer ,testament,and metallica here and there.... i have been thinking i need to learn more current stuff...but "lamb of god" has first dibs on me there....i have a 27" scale baritone just waiting to be used for that... i also have a seven string...but i can not get used to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Oh, haha, I thought "work out" was a metaphor... kinda like "I eat bands like Meshuggah for breakfast", etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted July 24, 2005 Report Share Posted July 24, 2005 Oh, haha, I thought "work out" was a metaphor... kinda like "I eat bands like Meshuggah for breakfast", etc. ← shoot no...for one,even if i was so good that meshuggah would be my warm up(who is that good?) ,i would hope i would not be so boastful as to say it... my warm up songs include "war ensemble",angel of death","epidemic",and my own stuff...advanced rythms...but not overly so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvertonessuckbutigotone Posted August 20, 2005 Report Share Posted August 20, 2005 I said emotional, a good acoustic song with 3 chords and smart lyrics, or the scream in "won't get fooled again" etc. will always give me chills up my spine and make me happy more than something technical. ← thats exactly how i was gonna put it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted August 25, 2005 Report Share Posted August 25, 2005 what about Dream Theater?? Technical stuff if I ever saw any, and listen to some of their calmer stuff... Check out Petrucci's lyrics... That's emotional. One way or another, i don't really like shredders and i like even less Emo's... I've seen a band at the montreal jazz fest... The guys wheren't that good, but the drummer was mesmerising... Just pure talent. He broke 3 snares in the show Like someone said, though, poeple seem to use emotional stuff to pass up their crappy playing. (Nirvana comes to mind, though some ppl won't agree) Anyways, I awnsered Both Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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