Jimmy James wrote:
Musicscotty wrote:
frunobulax wrote:
Jimmy James wrote:
He's made an artistic choice based on what he likes in blues players from a few generations earlier,...
this. and it's damn hard to do. the guitarist in my last band played in that 50s style and it was just so cool. always tasteful, and NO-ONE else in town plays like that. because they can't.
The problem is that Jimmy Vaughan's technique in playing in that style isn't good and it's not easy to listen to.
It's all very well making a decision to play in a certain style, but if you're doing it in public you really need to be able to pull it off.
That style of playing isn't doing Vaughan any favours. He's trying to emulate the style of the likes of Albert Collins and Freddie King, and he simply isn't anywhere near that level.
He's not mimicking Freddie and Albert. Freddie used thumb picks and Albert tuned to an Fm chord.
I'm a fan of that old style Jimmy is using. I occasionally play blues like that with my fingers when I want to rid myself of rock influences. Let's just say that you're not a fan of that style of blues playing, but if you saw some old video of an black guy doing it, you'd give him a pass. Let's just leave it at that. SRV is more your style. Nothing wrong with that.
It's not about whether the player uses fingerpicks or tune to Fm.
It's all about the output in simple terms. If it sounds good I'll give him a pass (old and black or otherwise).
If it sounds poor - and Jimmy's playing on clips 2 and 3 is indeed poor - then I'll call it as I see it.
I mean no harm to Jimmy Vaughan but it's really obvious that he's just not suited to that style of playing. I don't know what he's hearing in his head when he plays like that but he should play to his strengths and revert to a more conventional style.
If he had came out and sounded like this (or even close to it), then I could understand it - but he never will.
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