Members HMKRich Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 Am I the only one who resents the success of someone who's obviously not as good as me? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1DZReverendDavidLee Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 When you have accomplished as much as BB King - then come back and talk to us. I saw him about a year ago and while I will solidly admit his chops aren't what they used to be - he's in his 80's fer crissake and I forgive him. His voice alone is worth the price of admission. You have much to learn young grasshopper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KennethNishimot Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 It's okay, he'll probably die soon anyway. And if you're white, then you can have the satisfaction of knowing that your ancestors probably made his ancestors pick stuff, maybe. No such luck for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EL KABONG Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 ive seen him like 5 times he used to Own back in the day, now he is pretty much suckin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1DZReverendDavidLee Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 Rough crowd. :poke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Goominim Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 He transcends the guitar. It's not merely technique or anything. It's how it plays into his singing. It's like a second voice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Friendly Ranger Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 Rough crowd. :poke: Well, it's easier for some folks to be music critics than to actually get off their asses and make some success for themselves. My vote would be "B.B. is a great human being who has contributed a lot to music and deserves some respect." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KennethNishimot Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 He transcends the guitar. It's not merely technique or anything. It's how it plays into his singing. It's like a second voice. That sounds like fanboy bull{censored} to me. :p:p:p:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Friendly Ranger Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 The thing is, B.B. doesn't claim to be anything he's not. He has always openly admitted to not being technically proficient on guitar and has always expressed a desire to learn more. In other words, he has something that seems to be in short supply around here -- humility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mueller Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 marginally brewtal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kassanova Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 Its sounds like the rantings of an egomaniac with delusions of grandeur and no appreciation whatsoever for the blues. S'okay, all of your guitar heroes and your heroes' heroes admire his contribution. I swear this generation is the least respectful of all. The blues is about feel. You can play all of the notes, even twice as fast but you can't make it FEEL like B.B. I've heard a ton of so-called blues players that think they've got it down because they've learned all the licks note-for-note but can't move the blues crowd to save their lives. Feel is more important than proficiency when it comes to blues. It don't mean a thing if you can't make people feel it. B.B. made people feel him. Edit: Sorry of that came off as harsh. I grew up in the South and heard many, many blues artists live when I was really young. Very few could touch B.B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HMKRich Posted November 30, 2007 Author Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 I've listened to his old stuff. And I really want to be impressed. But I'm not a great guitarist. And me on a sloppy day is still better than what is considered his best. There's alot of famous folks that might not be all that incredible technicly. But there's still somthing to admire. Edge can't shred, but he's an effects artist, for example. There's a ton of guys who can't shred but write great songs. (Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, etc.) There's a lot of guys who can shred but don't have a ton of commercial success. (Vai, Satch, etc.) There's alot of guys who've defined the direction of the instrument. (Chuck Berry, Hendrix, Chet Atkins, etc.) There are guys who aren't great, but are prolific. (Kief, George Harrison, etc.) Heck, there've even been singer/songwriters who happen to play guitar. (melancamp, elvis, garth, etc.) But BB ain't nothin next to those guys. In his prime, was BB as good as George Harrison? nope. Chuck Berry? nope. Willie Nelson? nope. And we aren't even talkin about Chet, Vai, Hendrix, etc. He might be a better singer, than George, but he ain't better in any other aspect. Same with Chuck. But he's not even as good a singer as Willie. And Willie at 74 is twice the player that BB was at 47. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HMKRich Posted November 30, 2007 Author Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 The thing is, B.B. doesn't claim to be anything he's not. He has always openly admitted to not being technically proficient on guitar and has always expressed a desire to learn more. In other words, he has something that seems to be in short supply around here -- humility. Sorry, but I gotta call BS. The dudes 82 and still hasn't learned how to play a chord. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Destructobot Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 Just cause the guy puts more soul into four notes than you do into a hundred doesn't mean you have to get all snippy about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1DZReverendDavidLee Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 The thing is, B.B. doesn't claim to be anything he's not. He has always openly admitted to not being technically proficient on guitar and has always expressed a desire to learn more. In other words, he has something that seems to be in short supply around here -- humility. A-{censored}ING-MEN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1DZReverendDavidLee Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 Just cause the guy puts more soul into four notes than you do into a hundred doesn't mean you have to get all snippy about it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HMKRich Posted November 30, 2007 Author Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 Its sounds like the rantings of an egomaniac with delusions of grandeur and no appreciation whatsoever for the blues. S'okay, all of your guitar heroes and your heroes' heroes admire his contribution. I swear this generation is the least respectful of all. The blues is about feel. You can play all of the notes, even twice as fast but you can't make it FEEL like B.B. I've heard a ton of so-called blues players that think they've got it down because they've learned all the licks note-for-note but can't move the blues crowd to save their lives. Feel is more important than proficiency when it comes to blues. It don't mean a thing if you can't make people feel it. B.B. made people feel him.Edit: Sorry of that came off as harsh. I grew up in the South and heard many, many blues artists live when I was really young. Very few could touch B.B. I promise you, I'm the most respectful, gracious guy I know. And no, I really don't think he's a piece of crap. I really do understand his place in music history. At least as much as a 28 year old white Christian who likes rock can. But I don't see the point in making him out to be something he's not. Great singer? Sure.Great musician? Ok.Great blues man? Yes.Great performer? Undoubtedly.Great guitar player? No. Just decent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members HMKRich Posted November 30, 2007 Author Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 So your argument for him being a great guitarist is that he's a nice guy? That he's humble? That's awesome, but it doesn't make him great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Friendly Ranger Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 I've listened to his old stuff. And I really want to be impressed. But I'm not a great guitarist. And me on a sloppy day is still better than what is considered his best. There's alot of famous folks that might not be all that incredible technicly. But there's still somthing to admire. Edge can't shred, but he's an effects artist, for example. There's a ton of guys who can't shred but write great songs. (Tom Petty, Willie Nelson, etc.) There's a lot of guys who can shred but don't have a ton of commercial success. (Vai, Satch, etc.) There's alot of guys who've defined the direction of the instrument. (Chuck Berry, Hendrix, Chet Atkins, etc.) There are guys who aren't great, but are prolific. (Kief, George Harrison, etc.) Heck, there've even been singer/songwriters who happen to play guitar. (melancamp, elvis, garth, etc.) But BB ain't nothin next to those guys. In his prime, was BB as good as George Harrison? nope. Chuck Berry? nope. Willie Nelson? nope. And we aren't even talkin about Chet, Vai, Hendrix, etc. He might be a better singer, than George, but he ain't better in any other aspect. Same with Chuck. But he's not even as good a singer as Willie. And Willie at 74 is twice the player that BB was at 47. The musicians you listed would probably not share your opinion of B.B. Tell Kief that B.B. is a wanker and he'd probably beat you upside the head with his Tele. The fact is, B.B. influenced a lot of those guys and they respect(ed) him. Music isn't about being better than someone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaSkip Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 There are a lot of guys making some big money off of B.B.'s history. I personally admire him a great deal. If you don't "get" him, well I'm sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kassanova Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 No offense, but it just sounds to me like you don't really know blues music.I grew up on it. It was my mom's and my grandmom's music and since that's the household I grew up in, it was instilled in me as well. I'm from Memphis; home of the blues. B.B.'s guitar playing has nothing to do with proficiency. Yes, there are lots of "more proficient" guitarists. You probably are. I'd bet my guitars that on your best day, you couldn't play THE BLUES like B.B. Fancy licks and a million notes a minute is unimpressive to the blues crowd.You have to make those people feel you. You have to play pain on the guitar; the kind of pain they know and understand. Being a great guitarist isn't all about proficiency. (well, maybe for the neo-classical crowd). It all depends on what style you do. With blues, feel is everything. In the end, B.B. has already proven himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 1DZReverendDavidLee Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 So your argument for him being a great guitarist is that he's a nice guy? That he's humble? That's awesome, but it doesn't make him great. No that's not my point. My point is, you need to grow up poor and black in the very racial environment of his time as a young man and suffer years of discrimination and racial hatred, put your heart, soul, blood, sweat and tears into every note you play, live the life he lived early on, carve out a life and world fame, be an inspiration to literally millions of other guitarists, both famous and not, then come in here and tell everyone you're a better guitar player than a living legend. BB doesn't sing about the blues - BB King IS the blues. And he has more than paid his dues and he deserves every guitarist's respect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members The Friendly Ranger Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 Sorry, but I gotta call BS. The dudes 82 and still hasn't learned how to play a chord. He actually knows more than he shows. What he plays on and off stage aren't necessarily the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Frankyblues Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 He's great, but all his stuff with guests Beck, Clapton, Bonnie Rait etc. get on my nerves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members talkinghands Posted November 30, 2007 Members Share Posted November 30, 2007 I was more a fan of B.B.'s singing than his guitar playing. I respect the man for what he's done. In a way, he's like Miles - less is more. But I remember seeing him on TV about 15 or so years ago at the Mardi Gras festival jam, and my jaw dropped. He was smoking through songs and I mean with jazz lines. Never seen him play like this before. Well, it's not shredding but certainly fast sixteen note runs. Very un-B.B King. He certainly is a good guitarist but my fave. are Albert Collins and Elmore James. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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