Tommy Emanuel and Andy McKee - I've seen them both live and come out of the shows thinking I gotta practice a whole lot more or just burn the d*mn guitars.
Interesting your alls take. For me it’s Kottke, but I never feel defeated or bad re the Grand Canyon gap between us, as I know I’ll never catch him so just enjoy his effort. All the while glad I can play what I do.
We saw Kottke earlier this year and I don't think I've seen another player use both his hands so well.
Also interesting how your perception / tastes change as you get older. When I was 16 in the early 90's I had just picked up a guitar and dreamed of playing like what - even then - was considered old school Clapton. Everything from Cream to MTV unplugged I was soaking him up in my mid to late teens. When I became an adult ( in my early 40's ) I came to realize he was not neccesarily this guitar god from a player's perspective- granted my opinion. He was really just an all around great musician. Legendary as someone who played well, crossed genres, wrote great songs, put the guitar on the main stage of his works and whose voice got better with time.
That guy was big into jazz guitar too.Also interesting how your perception / tastes change as you get older. When I was 16 in the early 90's I had just picked up a guitar and dreamed of playing like what - even then - was considered old school Clapton. Everything from Cream to MTV unplugged I was soaking him up in my mid to late teens. When I became an adult ( in my early 40's ) I came to realize he was not neccesarily this guitar god from a player's perspective- granted my opinion. He was really just an all around great musician. Legendary as someone who played well, crossed genres, wrote great songs, put the guitar on the main stage of his works and whose voice got better with time.
That being said my favorite players are really the ones who have taken the instrument to new heights with something unigue.
I'm talking about..... C.......C... DeVille....
But even like Freewheelin Bob Dylan’s great guitar playing on that album.
I have gotten better with age. Truly. I am a better player by a long shot than I was even 5 years ago. For me it is not about discipline around certain techniques. It is continued playing what I love sprinkled with pushing myself to learn something that inspires me. I failed to mention one cat on my list who inspired the hell out of me and that is the great Django Reinhardt. Granted you would be hard pressed to hear similarities. He was a titan. I am not. I approach playing differently than I approach almost everything else in my life. I don't approach with the hope of getting better. I approach with the satisfaction that I can play and that I get to play. I think that has been my secret sauce. I am not a disciplined person in the least.
Years ago I was watching a documentary on surfing. There was a guy featured in it who lived on the Oregon coast who got up every morning and went surfing, sometimes in the worst weather you could imagine. He was not a good surfer by any measure, but he just loved to surf that much. No goals, no working towards anything, he just loved to surf. He comes to mind when I find myself fantasizing about getting "really good."
really well said, GJ! The funny thig to me is he says he doesn't even remember his younger self or younger playing. he has slowed down his pieces over the years as he got older etc. I have heard Dylan say the same thing.
Awesome!
Spits 'em right out if it don't like 'em, eh?
