No guitar...

[reTrEaD]

... no bass, no drums, no keyboard. Just one acoustic instrument (cello) and one voice. Why am I posting this? Maybe there are a few lessons to be learned.

Virtuoso doesn't necessarily mean how complicated can you make it, how many notes can you squeeze in, or how much drama can you create with dynamics. Sometimes it's about nuance. You can play the ink retaining all the written notes, while adding subtle expression in the way you present them. Or omit notes. Or remain static on a single note, when a change of notes is expected.

Modulation make a bold statement when done overtly. But it's equally impressive if masked and obscured. You're not quite certain what happened, only that something did happen.

There's nothing inherently wrong with performing music that's frenetic and complex. Some say that's the benchmark of one's abilities. But I say it's just the beginning. A true master knows what is appropriate for the situation. At times, simple is better. At times finding the voice of the instrument and allowing it to soar and sing makes a bolder statement than a machine gun or a sledgehammer.

[4real]

Nice...

But, the electric guitar is capable of some fantastic nuances and dynamics...the details are often far more impressive than the 'flash' and notes per min shred stuff...at a speed which that too can have it's place, it is near impossible to play with that kind of control...



Perhaps we get used to hearing things as a 'full production' these days, hard to tell...the guy above (mike herman) solo arrangements are all generally beautiful though he does not seem to do many these days.

There are people that can do the speed and control though in the acoustic world and that is a big part of trying to marry that to a more electric sound these days...



Adam rafferty has remarkable control over dynamics, sensitivity to the 'groove' and melody and knowing what to play and what to leave out.

A lot of these players do what it takes to find those sounds and tend to not play just in position but do what it takes to get those subtleties.

I suspect most guitar players skipped a lot of those aspects, found notes that worked generally and some riffs then when straight to find ways to speed things up and it comes a time when few are improvising nor playing with the intention of all aspects of music because it is virtually impossible to think that fast, nor for the listener to really take in nor appreciate what the player is really tiring to achieve.

I certainly would agree and it really is a mark of bravery and genius to be able to control everything and really express in simple ways. Certainly YoyoMa is in that category, but there are some great guitar players around that display these qualities.