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Dave Yeats · February 24th, 2004, 12:29 PM

I have a philosophical question for you guys.

The setup:
I was telling somebody the other day that Jimmie Vaughan is the only guitarist who makes me want to buy a Strat. He said, "Yeah, but we can all play like Jimmie." He was thinking that virtuosos like SRV, Jeff Beck, Gatton, Hendrix, etc, were more exciting. (Even Van Halen, and Satriani, though not playing the kind of music he likes, were worthy of note because of their playing.)

My tastes, however, run more toward the simple, well-played part. (Maybe that's why I like blues, but not jazz.) I like Jimmie Vaughan, Mike Campbell, the Edge, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, etc. While some might call these guys virtuosos, I think they're playing simple stuff with feeling (or in a unique way that makes it interesting to listen to).

I may just not be that good of a guitarist, but I would rather play a sweet Jimmie Vaughan lick perfectly (and in the context of a song) than a super-complicated Van Halen tune (although, I'll admit, EVH is impressive).

So, some thought questions:

What's the difference between a virtuoso and other 'good' players?

What are some of your favorites in both camps?

Which to you prefer and why?

Remember, nobody's right or wrong here, I'm just curious what other guitarists are thinking.

February 24th, 2004, 12:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
Dave Yeats Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Austin, Texas, USA Age: 34 Posts: 815 43 Photos	virtuosos or something else I have a philosophical question for you guys. The setup: I was telling somebody the other day that Jimmie Vaughan is the only guitarist who makes me want to buy a Strat. He said, "Yeah, but we can all play like Jimmie." He was thinking that virtuosos like SRV, Jeff Beck, Gatton, Hendrix, etc, were more exciting. (Even Van Halen, and Satriani, though not playing the kind of music he likes, were worthy of note because of their playing.) My tastes, however, run more toward the simple, well-played part. (Maybe that's why I like blues, but not jazz.) I like Jimmie Vaughan, Mike Campbell, the Edge, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, etc. While some might call these guys virtuosos, I think they're playing simple stuff with feeling (or in a unique way that makes it interesting to listen to). I may just not be that good of a guitarist, but I would rather play a sweet Jimmie Vaughan lick perfectly (and in the context of a song) than a super-complicated Van Halen tune (although, I'll admit, EVH is impressive). So, some thought questions: What's the difference between a virtuoso and other 'good' players? What are some of your favorites in both camps? Which to you prefer and why? Remember, nobody's right or wrong here, I'm just curious what other guitarists are thinking.