Musicians that are equally proficient at acoustic and electric

[Hudman]

Originally posted by Kap'n Yep. But it wasn't that way when it started.

 

 

I agree, you made it dumb.

 

Don't try playing any electric guitar tunes on your acoustic.

 

It's down right impossible......

[kwakatak]

Ritchie Blackmore

Randy Rhodes

and yes, Yngwie Malmsteen




... I'm not a "purist" by any stretch but I believe that Randy at least was classically trained. BTW, Yngwie on electric sounds like a sped-up version of Ritchie Blackmore from his Rainbow days but I still like it.

[Hudman]

Originally posted by kwakatak Ritchie Blackmore Randy Rhodes and yes, Yngwie Malmsteen ... I'm not a "purist" by any stretch but I believe that Randy at least was classically trained. BTW, Yngwie on electric sounds like a sped-up version of Ritchie Blackmore from his Rainbow days but I still like it.

 

 

Excellent examples.

 

Randy Rhodes was just as amazing unplugged.

 

Yngwie gets made fun of constantly by guitar players, but you would be hard pressed to find another player that could play with his precision, speed and feel (yes, I said feel). His vibrato is awesome.

[Cldplytkmn]

Originally posted by Hudman Yngwie gets made fun of constantly by guitar players, but you would be hard pressed to find another player that could play with his precision, speed and feel (yes, I said feel). His vibrato is awesome.

 

 

if only people could tolerate listening to it

[dewees]

Bill Frisell

Yeah, and Pat Metheny.

Phil Keagy

[t60 fan]

Originally posted by AK47 Phil Keaggy, Acoustic or electric he has his own standard.

Without ANY doubt.

[JasmineTea]

Anyone mention David Bromberg yet?

[Hudman]

Originally posted by Cldplytkmn if only people could tolerate listening to it

 

 

I was a fan of his stuff back in the '80's. I don't listen to him anymore. Although, in my opinion, he was the best at the neo classical shred stuff.

 

Actually, I'm not a fan of traditional classical guitar either. I get bored after a few minutes of it.

[Faheyfan]

3 pages into this thread and no one has even mentioned Jorma Kaukonen?
The man who became so influential while playing electric with the Jefferson Airplane but mixed in acoustic solos like Embryonic Journey then went on to become one of the great acoustic players with Hot Tuna. Santana once said something like there are thousands of great players out there but only a couple dozen who are so distinctive you can identify them after hearing them play 2 notes. Jorma is one of the few for whom this is true on either acoustic or electric. Clapton is a great player and on electric he just jumps out of the speakers, but is he that distinctive acoustically? How many really pass that test on both instruments?

[zb0430]

Very few pass that on both instruments. Very few pass that test on even one instrument...

And I'd have to side with Kap'n in this debate, not to pick person over person at all. Just happen to agree that electric and acoustic really aren't similar at all, if you ask me. Two entirely different skill sets for playing and writing music. When you creatively, successfully take a song from one to the other, you're in essence writing an entirely new song, not playing it on a different instrument...

But remember guys, we're talking about opinions over a guitar forum... Kinda rediculous the way things get carried away around here by all parties, IMHO...

I'd say this is a pretty good list...

And, for what it's worth, that nylon clip posted was horridly dull, had no soul that Clapton was able to put into Tears In Heaven with his picking technique...

[57GLDTP]

Originally posted by AK47 Phil Keaggy, Acoustic or electric he has his own standard.

Can't believe it took this long to see his name.

If you haven't heard this guy yet folks, you must check him out.

Phil is scary good at both acoustic & electric. I've seen him many
times w/ each & I still can't decide what he's better at.

57GT:)

[Welladjusted]

Jeff Martin, formerly of The Tea Party.

He's equally proficient at both, but plays them very differently.

[Hudman]

Originally posted by zb0430 Very few pass that on both instruments. Very few pass that test on even one instrument... And I'd have to side with Kap'n in this debate, not to pick person over person at all. Just happen to agree that electric and acoustic really aren't similar at all, if you ask me. Two entirely different skill sets for playing and writing music. When you creatively, successfully take a song from one to the other, you're in essence writing an entirely new song, not playing it on a different instrument... But remember guys, we're talking about opinions over a guitar forum... Kinda rediculous the way things get carried away around here by all parties, IMHO... I'd say this is a pretty good list... And, for what it's worth, that nylon clip posted was horridly dull, had no soul that Clapton was able to put into Tears In Heaven with his picking technique...

 

 

I never said you can dupilcate electric guitar music on the acoustic. I said you should be able to play a well written song for electric guitar on an acoustic. You may need to simplify it a bit, but it can be done effectively. I also said it is very common for artists to write electric guitar songs on acoustic guitar. I've read countless interviews over the past 20+ years were people say they write on the acoustic guitar.

 

I will never agree that the electric guitar and acoustic guitar are NOT similiar. Sorry, but that makes no sense to me.

 

In my world they are similiar enough. An open D chord is an open D chord. I can perform bigger string bends and play faster on the electric. I use a lighter attack on the electric guitar and use the side of my picking hand to mute strings.

 

I take those factors in to consideration when playing electric guitar songs on the acoustic. The chords and melody will be the same. I just adapt the song to fit the acoustic. Do they always sound good? No, but how do you know without trying?

 

The SRV clips in this thread are prime examples of electric guitar songs working well on the acoustic.

 

I refuse to divide up music with solid boundries. Especially, guitar music.

[Kap'n]

Originally posted by Faheyfan 3 pages into this thread and no one has even mentioned Jorma Kaukonen?

 

 

Jorma's one of my favorites, but I think he's seriously let his electric chops slide since the 70's. Acoustically, he's as good as ever.

[EvilTwin]

I just got back from a Barenaked Ladies concert in Virginia.

Ed Robertson is their primary guitar player. He stuck mainly to acoustic in their early years, and was an understated, but IMO darn good, writer and player (and he's gotten better).

He's played more electric lately, and is a capable electric player. He won't be making Van Halen sweat, but he's tasteful.

[Queequeg]

Tommy Malone, of The Subdudes.
Handles both acoustic & electric with equal panache!

[Kap'n]

Originally posted by EvilTwin I just got back from a Barenaked Ladies concert in Virginia. Ed Robertson is their primary guitar player. He stuck mainly to acoustic in their early years, and was an understated, but IMO darn good, writer and player (and he's gotten better). He's played more electric lately, and is a capable electric player. He won't be making Van Halen sweat, but he's tasteful.

 

 

No doubt Ed's a great singer/songwriter, though Steven is a better singer, and also writes great songs.

 

Nearly all the solos are played by the keyboard/accordion/guitar/mandolin/... guy. Kevin?

[DenverDave]

Well - Phil Keaggy comes to mind right away. Pat Methany has done some beautiful acoustic work too....

[fretplay]

Clapton has worked hard on his acoustic playing over the past few years and it is good but he is basically an electric flat pick player, perhaps the best.

Mark Knoffler stands out as his unusual playing of finger style on electric puts him in a class of his own.

However the only player who can play both acoustic finger style and flat pick electric must be Steven Stills. Listen to him on 'Black Queen' and then with Clapton on 'Go Back Home' just great playing at both ends.

Fretplay.

[Charlies Ghost]

jerry reed played a little of both

[LaurentB]

Originally posted by fretplay t. Mark Knoffler stands out as his unusual playing of finger style on electric puts him in a class of his own. Fretplay.

 

 

Mark Knopfler is a nice illustration of Hudman's point that guitar music should be transferrable form acoustic to electric somehow and vice versa. Not everyone can do it, of course. But Knopfler basically plays a kind of acoustic fingerpicking style guitar on an electric in a way that works great.

Strange that I didn't think of him until you mentioned him...

[FingerBone Bill]

Originally posted by LaurentB ....Anyway, what I don't like about his playing in that song is that he actually seems to pull the strings upward, which causes them to bounce back on the fretboard. That isn't the way to make a nylon string sound well, the string is supposed to vibrate horizontally, not vertically....

 

 

It's called a "blues snap". A recognised technique in blues guitar. It may not be to your taste but it's done intentionally - it's not the result of poor technique.

 

Personally, I think Clapton uses it to good effect.

[LaurentB]

Originally posted by FingerBone Bill It's called a "blues snap". A recognised technique in blues guitar. It may not be to your taste but it's done intentionally - it's not the result of poor technique. Personally, I think Clapton uses it to good effect.

 

 

I see... I certainly don't like it on a nylon string, no. I can see how that would work on a steel string, though.

Also, this song doesn't have a bluesy feel to me at all. I like it, but apparently have a different view on it than some other people, amongst whom a Mr. Clapton, haha.

[EvilTwin]

Originally posted by Kap'n No doubt Ed's a great singer/songwriter, though Steven is a better singer, and also writes great songs. Nearly all the solos are played by the keyboard/accordion/guitar/mandolin/... guy. Kevin?

 

 

Steven Page is probably the best singer that most people have never heard of.

 

I think the guys in BNL have definite stage rolls they stick to. Steve and Ed stick to their frontman roles when possible, Jim and Ty are a ridiculously tight and funky rhythm section, and Kevin Hearn fills in all the space left over. Hearn is a fantastic musician, and they do rely on him for lots of solos.

 

However, Robertson does the hardest stuff, and still comes up with most of the solos. He plays the solo to "Wind it Up" (complete with finger tapping) live, as well as the one for "It's All Been Done." He laid down the solo to "Pinch Me" in the studio, and Hearn plays it live out of convenience (instead of Ed switching guitars for the outro). The dude can play, but in a pop/folk rock band there isn't much of a roll for anyone to show off.

(And that's why I got into them...I got in an absolute headlock of listening to jazz and Django Reinhardt and thinking that was all there was to music. I still love gypsy jazz, but there's something to be said for a well-written song with great vocal harmonies, with competent musicianship that doesn't have to show off.)

 

Side note, they're all good guys. I've met 'em a few times, and they're always very gracious.

[Kap'n]

Yep. How often do you hear monster musicians in a song oriented, rather than solo oriented format?

Your right about the stage roles too. They've got their auxillary guy, Tyler's brother, maybe, who's probably not a member, mainly because he doesn't do the "personailty" thing.

They all seem pretty normal.