Which one would you rather have if you could only have one?
I posed the question to some fellow tweeters (twitter users) and here is what some of them had to say:
umpump @GuitarPlayerZen i’ll take feel over speed any day. Speed demons have no heart in what they play. Listen to Bucket Head vs BB King.
LoudMac @GuitarPlayerZen Tone, specifically BONE TONE. Feel and touch transcends guitar/amp tone, transcends timing, and trumps speed every time
We’d like to know your thoughts in the comments!
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8 responses so far ↓
1 Brev Sullivan // Dec 9, 2008 at 6:34 am
I think that it’s misplaced statement to say a player has no feel because they play fast.
Playing slow and a slow bend on the guitar can be beautiful and may be the choice style of many players.
But playing fast has it’s place in this world too.
Playing lightning fast licks may not be considered as soulful as the slow blues.
I think that many listeners denounce speed gtr
because secretly they wish they could play that way but can’t do it.
2 Mad Stratter // Dec 9, 2008 at 9:37 am
I denounce shredding because I think it’s garbage
I’ve always loathed Satriani, Vai, that whole crowd…
gimme Heavenly Tone anyday!
3 Mad Stratter // Dec 9, 2008 at 9:40 am
*puts on Flak Jakcet…*
4 Stratoblogster // Dec 10, 2008 at 9:48 am
What a twisted survey you’ve pulled me into…
What good is any one of those without the others? Particularly Time & Tone? I guess I’d say TIME based upon my existing tone & chops. Just listened to a Mike Stern interview where said that time is the most important element– even more important than melody.
Ok! OK! TIME it is.
5 quikfingers // Dec 10, 2008 at 3:08 pm
I think the most misunderstood aspect of Chops is that, its not about playing fast, all the time. Its about Control. Chops is about being able to execute the things you hear in your head.
As far as the actual survey, gun to my head, i’d have to pick Time of course, no brainer. But we all know you can’t be without any of them.
P.S. anyone who says they hate chops is just lazy.
6 Norman Goodman // Dec 11, 2008 at 8:29 pm
To my ears a cat like Eric Johnson has great timing chops and tone….it is really a matter of how you put it all together in the context of a piece of music…another example Randy Rhodes
7 Jeff // Dec 11, 2008 at 11:12 pm
Nice I love the conversation here! I agree somewhat with Brev, a lot of guys who denounce playing real fast often times envy the fast players because their chops arent up to speed.
Even if you dont like that music, having the CONTROL and CHOPS to pull off what you are hearing in your head is an awesome thing to have.
Good point quikfingers!
And yes having good time and feel is a must! All the best players time and time again, say that time is the thing that sets you apart.
8 jimmy mac // Dec 19, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Time, Tone and speed in that order. As a performer in all formats. Solo classical, Jazz quartet and Funk-Fusion , the first thing i review is what’s the groove and what really works ?
If you’re
playing a Parker tune or a Monk piece you have to be able to swing in time. However in an open format with space and a steady tempo and static vamp – go for it ! Open up and
experiment with long notes and measured intelligent aggressive SPEED! Play 16th and 32nd note lines that have a musical content
that feels comfortable to you and your listeners. Nothing is worse than going no place FAST !
Make sense ?
-jimmy
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