Jaimie wrote:

>>And anyone suggesting Steve Vai or Satriani or any
other wank artist is missing my point. It isn't about
how many notes....it's about the right, tasteful
ones.<<

Wow. I find Vai (and Satraini, to a somewhat lesser
extent) to be incredibly tasteful soloists, offering
unique melodies (granted, sometimes played at blinding
speed, but certainly not all the damned time) combined
with delightfully baffling feats of technical prowess.
They are likely not too concerned with “how many
notes” they’re playing – being technically proficient
means being able to express one’s self at a higher
level, which, obviously, can mean MORE NOTES. Did J.S.
Bach write “too many notes”? If you actually listen to
a Vai album – hell, a single song – you’ll find lots
of slower, emotional, intensely tasteful playing mixed
in with the volcanic blasts of sheer musicality.

Rock fusion isn’t everyone's cup of tea -- especially
for one whose tastes reject everything that isn't
immediately "hooky" -– but to dismiss it as “wankery”
reveals a lack of understanding of the genre.

It's fun and inspiring, as a musician, to see/hear the
possibilities of your instrument laid out right in
front of your face -– Vai and the other “wankers”
provide the carrot some of us rabbits like to follow.
After all, being a musician is about growth, isn’t it?

But I get your point, J-man.

Question: who is the best Canadian guitarist ever, in
your opinion? I’m talking wankers here, not “tasteful”
folks like that cat who used to play on Bryan Adams'
albums (he was pretty killer, not too flowery, very
tasteful and composed solos that fit the songs).

kErrY
www.myspace.com/kompost

NP: Piano Reductions Volume I (Mike Keneally's piano
renditions of Steve Vai songs; gorgeous! And proof
that Vai's music is far more substantial than being a
mere platform for his fretboard prowess)


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