Something I just noticed about Gilmour's guitar playing

Hootsmon

here is something I noticed about Brian May.........all ( well nearly all) of his solos feature descending pull off solos for the "fast"parts

EricTheWeary

ICBM said:

EricTheWeary said:

adding vibrato to a bend is a common technique issue

Why? You don't have to, and if you do there is more than one way of oing it.

I dont know! It comes up a lot on guitar forums as something that people have a problem with. :-O

ICBM

EricTheWeary said:

I dont know! It comes up a lot on guitar forums as something that people have a problem with. :-O

If doesn't sound like too much of a tongue-twister, do you mean "something that people have a problem with" as in something they can't do, or something they have a "problem" with other people not doing? I assumed it was the second (ie yet another form of technique/method snobbery), but perhaps not…

Personally, I find the whole thing very overdone (and often badly) and I don't particularly like to listen to it, unless it's by a real master like Paul Kossoff. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that vibrato *as a whole* is often overdone - when it becomes a constant habit it loses its purpose.

I remember reading somewhere that Paul McCartney had to issue specific instructions to the string players on 'Yesterday' that they use no vibrato (which they were doing originally), because he didn't want it to sound overtly "emotional" - he wanted the words to carry the emotion.

I like Gilmour's use of the whammy bar along with bent notes a lot, to me it's just different from Kossoff's finger vibrato, not better or worse. And he can do both anyway.

I think if you think about it, almost all these examples of players being 'limited' because they habitually play similar patterns is part of what makes them distinctive and identifiable, which is usually held up as a good thing .

richardhomer

ICBM;240098" said:

I like Gilmour's use of the whammy bar along with bent notes a lot, to me it's just different from Kossoff's finger vibrato, not better or worse. And he can do both anyway

To me the sonic 'finger-print' of a player is their vibrato. Kossoff's (which I find excessive) is highly distinctive; I instantly recognise it.

Gilmour, Clapton and Mark Knopfler share similar 'vocabulary' (pentatonics with the odd 'passing notes' added in) - yet each sounds completely like themselves.

I don't care about the 'mechanics' of their playing - just their musicality. IMHO, I can't think of a player more musical that DG.

This demonstrates that in spades (though he's on lap steel here). Beautifully understated....

EricTheWeary

ICBM;240098" said:

EricTheWeary said:



I dont know! It comes up a lot on guitar forums as something that people have a problem with. :-O





If doesn't sound like too much of a tongue-twister, do you mean "something that people have a problem with" as in something they can't do, or something they have a "problem" with other people not doing? I assumed it was the second (ie yet another form of technique/method snobbery), but perhaps not…

Personally, I find the whole thing very overdone (and often badly) and I don't particularly like to listen to it, unless it's by a real master like Paul Kossoff. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that vibrato *as a whole* is often overdone - when it becomes a constant habit it loses its purpose.

I remember reading somewhere that Paul McCartney had to issue specific instructions to the string players on 'Yesterday' that they use no vibrato (which they were doing originally), because he didn't want it to sound overtly "emotional" - he wanted the words to carry the emotion.

I like Gilmour's use of the whammy bar along with bent notes a lot, to me it's just different from Kossoff's finger vibrato, not better or worse. And he can do both anyway.

I think if you think about it, almost all these examples of players being 'limited' because they habitually play similar patterns is part of what makes them distinctive and identifiable, which is usually held up as a good thing .

as in something they can't do. Or can't do as well as they would like.

Like all these things it's a matter of context/ taste wether it's the right thing to do or not in a piece of music.

daveyh

EricTheWeary said:

mike_l said:

EricTheWeary said:

I don't like Pink Floyd 

  

Go stand in the "Wrong'un Corner". On your own. >:)

I'll go stand there, but I'm fairly sure I wouldn't be on my own...
|)

I'd be with you. I appreciate why people like them but they bore me fucking rigid.

Samgb

richardhomer said:

ICBM;240098" said:

I like Gilmour's use of the whammy bar along with bent notes a lot, to me it's just different from Kossoff's finger vibrato, not better or worse. And he can do both anyway

To me the sonic 'finger-print' of a player is their vibrato. Kossoff's (which I find excessive) is highly distinctive; I instantly recognise it.

Gilmour, Clapton and Mark Knopfler share similar 'vocabulary' (pentatonics with the odd 'passing notes' added in) - yet each sounds completely like themselves.

I don't care about the 'mechanics' of their playing - just their musicality. IMHO, I can't think of a player more musical that DG.

This demonstrates that in spades (though he's on lap steel here). Beautifully understated....

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WG2Xh523Dt0

As regards 'sonic fingerprint' - very clever term by the way. I agree completely. That overfast vibrato style(i certainly wouldnt put Koss in this category) that, for example, 60s West Coast bands like Jefferson Airplane or Big Brother and The Holding Company or Moby Grape even? Hate it. Even Mike Bloomfield who is probably a bigger name in the US than here does this a bit. I consider a good, clean, refined vibrato to be one of the things that sets the better 'feel' players apart (Greeny, BB King, Clapton). Thinking about this i probably spend quite a lot of my playing time practising my vibrato - its something i like a lot when done when well so it makes sense for me to work at it. Its an achievable technical goal!

Evilmags

Funnily enough Yngwie has one of the nicest vibratos I´ve heard really controlled and slow.

Elx

Evilmags said:

Funnily enough Yngwie has one of the nicest vibratos I´ve heard really controlled and slow.

True...I like Yngwie for the passion, melody and vibrato...as for his speed, he's actually not that fast compared to some other guys, but it's his unbelievable feel and sense of melody that makes him the best in his genre. 

Samgb

Evilmags;248968" said:

Funnily enough Yngwie has one of the nicest vibratos I´ve heard really controlled and slow.

I've not heard enough Yngwie to judge but that's what you're after - controlled, clean and you should be able to adjust the pace of it.

Karlos

Cirrus said:

Or terrible punks selling butter.

...funny thing is that Lydon never actually hated Pink Floyds music at all, he hated what he perceived as their pompous attitude. He loves DSOTM. He turned down an invitation to perform with them once cus he thought he'd just come over as a pretentious tit.

I think Lydon is brilliant... a dick but brilliant.

scrumhalf

randomhandclaps said:

It's in the contract he signed with the Devil that he has to do that.

I doubt it. I know Floyd's lawyers, I would imagine that the Devil came out of those negotiations with either shirt or trousers, but not both.