ok so if we are the max ostro thing omg i love his phrasing!
1 Like
But what do you mean with “playing better then Paul”?
Technically the is still at the very top and his creativity his also on the highest level.
May be some talent from India?
This is Floyd Fernandez, he was a good friend of mine, I play guitar and write code for a living thanks to him. To be honest, I don’t know anybody who gets into Holdsworth space more than Floyd.
This guy has some incredible chops, very restrained here. Sweet tune.
HIs first tune.
1 Like
lol i like max ostros new moustache, he is like if django and steve vai had a baby! this is before he grows in the moustache. wish i could get a gypsy jazz guitar.
1 Like
He isn’t the “end all” of discussions, but I know a lot of people on here respect Rick Beato’s opinions. He’s very into skilled guitar players, is older than a lot of us but still follows the new players.
His opinion on this is:
“We live in an era where the greatest virtuosos, on guitar, are alive right now”
1 Like
Some loosely connected thoughts:
- You cannot separate an artist from their environment. EVH and Yngwie, as skilled and innovative as they were, rose to prominence at a time when their skills were commercially viable. Van Halen managed to appeal to a broad audience that doesn’t care about guitar skills, and MTV helped solidify his image as a standard to be aspired to. There were other players who came before who had the skills but not the commercial appeal. For modern players, the game has changed completely.
- Modern guitarists are competing with the entire world and have to market themselves on social media. Guitarists like Manuel Gardner Fernandes and Ichika capitalize on this with compositions that are very short and dense with technique. I am familiar with these players despite never having looked them up. Guitarists with a less “overt” style (for lack of a better term) are at a disadvantage. There are plenty of them out there but you’d have to go out of your way to find them.
- What role does the guitar play in a world where DAWs, synths and sampling and more versatile and more accessible? Those are the tools a songwriter would use today. What does the guitar provide that cannot be recreated by other means? If we admit that we care about the guitar because it takes effort to play, then we shouldn’t act surprised when we see it reduced to a circus trick.
- You only thought music was good because you were young and impressionable. Music has always sucked. Just ask your parents.
5 Likes
Speaking about technique on the guitar, then watch this!
4 Likes
Thats exactly my point. There are kids now who can play Paul Gilbert stuff. There are tons of seasoned adults and pros who can also play Paul Gilbert stuff. But my other point is I haven’t heard any super cool songs like Scarified come out recently from current gen players
3 Likes
That really reminds me of Assad Brothers! Thanks for reminding me.
For something different, decent exchange on a classic here.
2 Likes
i dunno about that as five finger death punch can really bring much much more power…
1 Like
Glad I saw Tosin Abasi, Ichika Nito, and Tim Henson get mentioned so I don’t have to lol.
I love the older generation’s playing (moreso actually), but I think those 3 (and more) are taking guitar in directions the general crowd hasn’t heard (I don’t want to say “new” directions since some will find that controversial) and actually making it popular. The draw of Polyphia alone is pretty insane.
Even if you don’t like the music, you have to respect the technique. ALSO, they’re going to keep the guitar gear industry alive IMO. Older generations won’t be buying new LPs forever…
2 Likes
I will say, PG can write some verrrry catchy riffs - Fuzz Universe is one of my all time favorite guitar instrumentals. But - on average I think Jason Richardson is up there, or getting close, especially with some of his more recent writing like Upside Down - as a matter of taste you might not agree especially if you don’t like Djenty downtuned stuff as much (I get it, I love 80’s sound also, they’re very different from one another).
Something I think it a little less far from that sound that I absolutely think is writing wise on part with Racer X, although Brandon Ellis ism’t quite PG tier technically, he’s still a very elite player and he’s writing some of the coolest solos out there right now IMO, just check this one out (around 2m in if you wanna skip the rest)
1 Like
whoa… his technique is amazing and the composition is REALLY interesting
3 Likes
Coincidentally I just came across this video and I’ve never seen Brandon play this but he’s really good. I know @Troy had an interview with him but I don’t think it’s out/edited yet
4 Likes
Not sure if you play any classical. I was pretty deep into it for years. I can’t even describe how difficult it is to play something like what’s in that video @Andjoy posted. It’s almost likes it’s a different instrument than an electric guitar, even though all the notes are in the same place.
Getting each note to project requires the string is picked at just the right spot where the nail meets the flesh, and the left hand finger independence required is insane. All that will dynamics and tonal variation (how close to the bridge or soundhole the picking hand is).
1 Like
Like if you’re watching this in 2022!
6 Likes
Love this solfeggietto piece, wasn’t aware it existed, thanks.
1 Like
If you think people hasn’t surpassed the level of 80’s guitarrists you need to listen to (among a huge list) …
Matteo Mancuso
Joshua Meader
Sergey Golovin
Daniele Gottardo
1 Like
Great responses everyone - Some good debate here!
One player mentioned here that I really considered carefully was Anton Oparin. Pretty sure he would have gotten a Shrapnel Records deal back in the day! I just haven’t heard him play in a recorded original song context to be able to judge whether you could say he has surpassed his influences. Do people feel he has obviously surpassed Paul Gilbert for example? He might have - I just haven’t heard him in a context where I feel I could judge that conclusively.
Thanks for the replies everyone!
2 Likes