Molly Miller Playing a Telecaster

[nosuch]

Just recently heard about this young lady who seems to have a unique style and blend of music. She has a doctor in music and she holds the chair of the Guitar Department at Los Angeles College of Music. If we need to compare her to someone we already discussed think Julian Lage ...

 

[Mr_Martin]

Reminds me of Jim Campilongo

 

[Sybo]

I find her incredibly sexy, diggin the chops also....

 

[brookdalebill]

Thanks!

 

[421JAM]

Very good player. She and her brother (on drums) have a really nice sound together. She post videos of them playing together on her Instagram page occasionally.

 

[beanluc]

SUPER tasty playing.

On the other hand - I'm not wild about her rhythm. She's tight on the beat but too square on the half-beat. C'mon, this is a shuffle. The drummer sounds swampy, this would be even better if she matched it.

I know she's capable of swinging so I have to conclude that it's deliberate.

(Tangent, she doesn't remind me of Brad Mehldau in any other way, but this is the exact thing that absolutely infuriates me about that guy. He refuses to swing, for longer than the measure and a half it takes for him to show you that he can but just won't. He gives swing the finger, which I think is just abominable.)

 

[swervinbob]

Here she is on the Fender add introducing the APii Teles playing a Tonemaster.

 

[goonie]

Tasty indeed. I would confiscate that delay pedal though.

 

[srblue5]

Great player! Love her sound with a Tele and a 335

 

[srblue5]

SUPER tasty playing.

On the other hand - I'm not wild about her rhythm. She's tight on the beat but too square on the half-beat. C'mon, this is a shuffle. The drummer sounds swampy, this would be even better if she matched it.

I know she's capable of swinging so I have to conclude that it's deliberate.

(Tangent, she doesn't remind me of Brad Mehldau in any other way, but this is the exact thing that absolutely infuriates me about that guy. He refuses to swing, for longer than the measure and a half it takes for him to show you that he can but just won't. He gives swing the finger, which I think is just abominable.)

Just out of curiosity and as somebody who enjoys playing/studying rhythm guitar and drums, do you have an example (video, audio, etc.) of what you mean about Brad Mehldau?

I've always wondered about how to get that swing feel and, as an aside, playing on top of the beat vs. ahead or behind. I've gotten criticisms about my playing that I'm often too ahead or slightly behind the beat...

 

[beanluc]

Just out of curiosity and as somebody who enjoys playing/studying rhythm guitar and drums, do you have an example (video, audio, etc.) of what you mean about Brad Mehldau?

I wish. I have tried repeatedly to give him a chance and try to listen to him enough to get what it is that people like about his playing.

So I've heard almost all of his work.

Can I point to which specific pieces I heard him swing for less than two measures in? No, but there are at least a handful. I swear he catches himself doing it and then squares back up again like he's been caught.

Can I point to any piece in which he doesn't swing at all? All of them - as soon as he picks up even a whiff of swing, he runs away from it.

The same goes for blues - Not only do I find Mehldau boring as hell, when I pay attention I get mad about how he really seems to be actively flipping off the tradition. I mean, hey, nothing wrong with flipping off tradition generally, Miles Davis did it for decades, but Mehldau doesn't do it in any sort of good way.

Taste is one thing. There are plenty of artists whose work I don't really like that much. But for someone to use their talent to just outright reject very important parts of the tradition without having some statement to make about that, or having something better to bring - Yes, it makes me judgemental.

It could be that I "still just don't get him" like all his fans do. It could be that there's nothing to get that I haven't already heard. It could be that I just don't like him and shouldn't take it personally. Well, if it's that, then these are the reasons: He's boring, he doesn't swing, and he has no sense of the blues. And I think he does it on purpose.