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Chad Thorne

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The one thing I notice about JV's playing is his complete lack of vibrato in his playing.Playing less notes is one thing, but at least play them tastefully.
Miles Davis did not play with vibrato.

True enough......I stand corrected. :blush:

"We're just musician's.....here to thin the thickness of your skin." - Max Webster
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The one thing I notice about JV's playing is his complete lack of vibrato in his playing. Playing less notes is one thing, but at least play them tastefully.
Miles Davis did not play with vibrato.

True enough......I stand corrected. :blush:

Not so much "corrected," moe. I think I just want to make the point that 1)one man's meat is another man's poison; 2) there are so many expressions or sub-genres of blues that there's room for everybody. One can really dislike another's musical expression but still recognize its validity/integrity/value.

 

And I still think that in the context of the "guitar god" mentality it takes muchos cojones on JV's part to deliberately eschew guitaristic pyrotechnics in favor of a minimalist, almost haiku-like approach.

 

 

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...it takes muchos cojones on JV's part to deliberately eschew guitaristic pyrotechnics in favor of a minimalist, almost haiku-like approach.

 

:rolleyes: He can't eschew something he never had. Cojones not needed.

 

 

A Jazz/Chord Melody Master-my former instructor www.robertconti.com

 

(FKA GuitarPlayerSoCal)

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I can certainly see peoples aversions to JV's playing, he doesn't sound polished like most modern blues players. He doesn't fill every single space and generally plays behind the beat. But there are just so many big name players that dig him that he must be doing something right.

 

 

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That's the thing. I'm not talking about comparing him to anyone. Or discussing the pros and cons of the minimalist style he plays. The problem is, flat out, he sounds like a beginner.

 

He sounds like a guy that just picked up the guitar. You can hear it in the way he bends notes. You can hear it in his phrasing - in his timing. Put him next to any seasoned guitar player and ask both of them to play five notes. He will always come off sounding like a beginner. It's not just the choices he makes, but the sheer lack of professionalism with which he executes those choices.

 

That's what I'm talking about.

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That's the thing. I'm not talking about comparing him to anyone. Or discussing the pros and cons of the minimalist style he plays. The problem is, flat out, he sounds like a beginner.

 

He sounds like a guy that just picked up the guitar. You can hear it in the way he bends notes. You can hear it in his phrasing - in his timing. Put him next to any seasoned guitar player and ask both of them to play five notes. He will always come off sounding like a beginner. It's not just the choices he makes, but the sheer lack of professionalism with which he executes those choices.

 

That's what I'm talking about.

 

That's what I was trying to say....but worded much better.

"We're just musician's.....here to thin the thickness of your skin." - Max Webster
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This is terrible! I could easily have posted this clip as an example of just how bad he is. On a scale of one to ten, I'd give his playing in this clip, a two. Easily, some of the worst guitar playing I've ever heard.

 

With my students, I could tell how long they had been playing guitar, by listening to them play for a few minutes. I could guess, as long as they were within the first five years of learning. After that, everyone advances at different levels and it's harder to pinpoint. You can tell by the subtlties in someone's playing. By how they pick the notes and the feel they have.

 

If that was the first time I heard Jimmie play and had no idea who he was, I would have guessed that he had been playing guitar for a year or less.

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This is terrible! I could easily have posted this clip as an example of just how bad he is. On a scale of one to ten, I'd give his playing in this clip, a two. Easily, some of the worst guitar playing I've ever heard.

 

With my students, I could tell how long they had been playing guitar, by listening to them play for a few minutes. I could guess, as long as they were within the first five years of learning. After that, everyone advances at different levels and it's harder to pinpoint. You can tell by the subtlties in someone's playing. By how they pick the notes and the feel they have.

 

If that was the first time I heard Jimmie play and had no idea who he was, I would have guessed that he had been playing guitar for a year or less.

Really. Well, I just don't get it, but to each his own.

 

 

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Eagerly awaiting a certain PhD's totally unbiased observations....http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e397/reifspano/Animations/avatar_4437.gif

 

LOL!!! well.... I knew I smelled blood in the water!! for a guitar player, he has.... cool hot rods and still has all his hair (under that grease somewhere) he likes hound dogs, ahhh... I will need to give this a bit more thought!

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C'MON MAN!

If JV didn't have a brother named SRV he would have a tough time making a living as a guitar player and we surely wouldn't see him on Austin City Limits.

Not trying to be mean here... but let's be honest.

 

SEHpicker

 

SEHpicker

 

The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it." George Orwell

 

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C'MON MAN!

If JV didn't have a brother named SRV he would have a tough time making a living as a guitar player and we surely wouldn't see him on Austin City Limits.

Not trying to be mean here... but let's be honest.

 

SEHpicker

 

Nah, The Fab T-Birds were a force unto themselves back then. It was just matter of timing which group would break nationally first. JV & The T-Birds did alright by themselves. And, you forget the "pecking order", or whatever you would call it, in Austin at that time. Even after SRV hit the big time everywhere else, he was still "Jimmie's little brother" in Austin.

I think maybe it's necessary to see a live show in it's entirety to really "get" JV's playing. All the folks in Austin still say JV was better than SRV.

Always remember that you are unique. Just like everyone else.

 

 

 

 

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You're right about the T-Birds Picker, they were great. But not what I'd listen to for the guitar parts... the band's sound was oriented around Kim Wilson's vocals. JV's guitar licks were tasty but not necessarily inspiring.

What I wrote about playing on ACL was meant with him being the main front guy. The T-Birds band would definitely rate being on the show.

SEHpicker

SEHpicker

 

The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it." George Orwell

 

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