The Life of a Guitarist's Son (Guitars in general)

Member Name: bigbtommy

Product:	Guitars in general
Date:	18/08/01 (210 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Saves us from pop.

Disadvantages: Bloody loud!

This is not a guide about guitars, nor is it a guide to buying guitars, but an exploratory piece about my life, as the son of a guitarist. And what hell it was!

Guitars. 6 strings, tied along a couple of pieces of wood. It's just an instrument. It's just a noisebox. Not for me. I don't play the guitar, and probably will never, as I just don't have the musical determination to do that, but many of you that have read my opinions before, know that I love music.

Perhaps it is something I got from my dad, a love for music. But, if it's hereditary, why are our preffered styles so different, yet so close. Many people who know my listening habits at the moment include 'intelligent' R&B and rap, as well as progressive / alternative rock... such as my CD collection spans Radiohead, Jill Scott, Spooks (soon...), Radiohead, Travis, Lucy Pearl, more Radiohead, and more Radiohead, and the odd bit off Muse.

Every time I look back, I remember how loud guitar amps can go, and how an amp on 7 sounds louder at 10 pm than it does at 10 am. But, while most kids were playing and watching football, I was inside listening to music, breathing music, (atteampting to) play music - in the loosest sense of the word.

Having somebody in the same household can have both a detrimental and postively influential effect on everybody else. Just like everything in life. With my father, it was the guitar that was detrimental, yet positively great. Most seven year old's couldn't name 10 makes of guitars. But, is it good or bad to be able to tell the difference between a Strat and a Tele, a Gibson or a Yamaha. How about a Fender? And knowing all about pickups, or amps. Not the greatest area of expertise.

In the end, guitars as a musical instrument are the beggining and the end. The greatest rock band of the last few years (yes, Radiohead) have gone so far from guitars (Idioteque specifically, Kid A generally), yet are moving b
ack to them (Knives Out from Amnesiac for example). As popular as electronic music, R&B and watered down pop gets, guitars will always exist from now on. Whether people emulate, or innovate using their guitars, play hard, soft, loud, quiet, fast, slow, with feeling, or just bashing out a tune in anger, guitars will be with us forever. And God bless those who play with them. Where would we be without the genius of Mick and Keef from the Stones, where would we be without Jimi, the guitar God, and his long-time emulator, yet highly-skilled blues guitarist, Gary Moore. And how about Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood? Or the unknown, yet innovative guitarists still to come...

With everything, there is going to be good and bad. The 'pop'-ularisation of spanish flamenco style guitar has lead to some frightfully awful 'pop' records (why do we use 'pop', when nobody likes it?). But, the rebirth of rock is on it's way. And for that, we can only be thankful. Rock saved the 60's. Rock saved the forebearers of good music in the 60's, from having to listen to happy clappy 'The Sound of Music', running through the field of daisies with their parents sorta music. We will be infinitely thankful, whether to the Beatles, or to Jimi, or even (I shudder...) Elvis.

The promise of more great music, from bands like Coldplay, Travis, Radiohead, Train, White Stripes (thanks to the main man who told me about em, you know who you are...) and all the other great rock bands.

Guitars are a blessing and a curse. Blessing us with the only way of reckoning. Effects, synths and computer-wizadry can enhance voices like Britney's, but nothing can emulate and enhance guitar playing. If it's crap, however much you put in, and change it, crap will still come out. Garbage-in, Garbage-Out. A curse when your lying in your bed at 11pm, trying to get to bed.

And then at midnight, and one am, two am, three am...

-- <
br>ps. I know this has been a bit more of a whinge and a 'it was better before', but the revolution will be with us soon, and $ Club 7 will hang their heads in shame, or we will do it for them...
Long live the guitar, and may Jimi be with you.

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