My list of guitarist that I considered worth mentioning final part

I have deicided to give a summary of guitarists instead of given too much details which is taking up too much time and most prob you are bored from reading about the same topic again and again. ..Oh..before I forget, some of this may not be any Rock star or anything like that...they might be sessionist or they may even be the person living next to you.. here's the list..take your time and make an attempt to explore on your own...

1. Chris Degarmo (Queensyche, soloist) - Responsible for hits like Silent Lucidity, Best I Can, Revolution Calling.

2. Steve Vai (soloist) - Need no further mention...his God from the other dimension.

3. Joe Satriani (soloist) - Mastero too...teacher of Vai

4. Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield (Metallica) - perfect partners in crime.

5. Adrian Smith, Dave Murray, Janick Gers (Iron Maiden) - Come on...do I need to tell you?

6. Dave "Snake" Sabo, Scotti Hill (Skid Row) - Check out 18 and Life, Youth Gone Wild 80s classic hair band.

7. Marty Friedman (Megadeth, Cacohpony, Soloist) - exotic with speed, and a funny guitar picking method.

8. Al Di Meola (solist) - Jazz underated Phygrian wizard

9. Kitaro (New Age composer) - yeah go ahead...laugh..but before you do that, go check out the "one note, full fill" kinda of playing in albums such as Kojiki

10. Kane Roberts (Sessionist, Soloist) - erm..he is from the 80s too, had a commercial hit, but was more famous with Alice Cooper in his "Trash" era.

11. Guitarists from the band at pub Insonmia, at Chijmes, Singapore - they play covers but are well as a pair and input their imprivsation into songs likw Sweet Child O' Mine etc..imagine Malmsteen mutated with Slash's genes...kekeek flexible, R n B, Rock , Pop they got it all..no metal shit though...

12. Peter Green (soloist) - Blues' groovy madman...

13. the editorial team at Guitar Techinques, Guitar Player and Total Guitar mags - go check the mags out..then you will see what I mean.

14. Wolf Marshall - one of the better guitar instructional book/video players/instructor

15. Prince (Soloist) - erm..once known also as the Symbol..anyway, plays killer and funky style, multi-instrumentalist

16. Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi) - Not a difficult player, but damn good song writer and he did and still does just enough for the music in Bon Jovi...

17. Richie Blackomre (Deep Purple, Rainbow, Blackmore's Night) - Before Malmsteen, there was...Now he has gone Middle Ages...

18. Jimmy Page (Led Zepplin) - hey..another no need to mention..you already know....

19. Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) - Godfather of Metal.....

20. Jackson 5 - I don't know the name of the guitarist is, but he has got groovy tunes

21. A. Serg0via - Classical legend...

22. Taregga - classical guitarist and composer, he is no longer around, but his pieces are now standards for classical guitar

23. Julian Bream - another classical legend...

24. Heitor Villa-Lobos - u want to perfect your techniques, play his pieces

25. Joe Pass - Jazz great

26. B. B. King - don't tell me you don't know!!!

27. John Lee Hooker - Blues Blues...

28. Jessie Cooke - New age guitarist, this is a new genre that I started exploring a couple of years ago and this is one guy that took me off...

29. Ernest Kwok - one of Singapore's finest classial guitarist, pity he don't play electric/pop, his tone and speed are superb

30. Roland Graprow (Helloween) - neo-classical player

31. Kai Hansen (Helloween, Gamma Ray) - power metal with a fantasy feel....

32. Neil X (Sigue Sigue Sputnik) - no talent? only one word...SPACE....

33. Ace Frehely (Kiss, Frehely's Comet) - simple leads, smoking guitars

34.Jeff Beck - plays with the trend..reinventive

35. Gary Moore (soloist, Thin Lizzy) - still got the blues...

36. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth) - where's metallica? great rhythm and lead player, not forgetting composing.

37. John Petrucci (Dream Theatrer) - his name speaks for himself...

38. Dave Edmund - Neo-classical is not born yet, but he had traces of it...

the list goes on...

That's not all, but for this moment that's all I can share from my immediate memory bank. Keep exploring all over, you will never know what you will find. There're many styles of playing such as Bluegrass, Folk, Indie and even dance music etc...Do not narrow yourself down and you will find tons of good players around and they may not be Stars or Metal heads...I am still learning..... volume and complication in not everything in music...

happy exploring...

My list of guitarist that I considered worth mentioning part 3

Ok.....here's the evergrowing list of guitarists that made my head spin....

9. Brian May (BM), (Queen, Soloist) - sweet sweet tone...

"Here he is, the man with the curly hair and the curly guitar..." - Joe Elliot (Def Leppard) on BM at the Freddy Mecury's Tribute Concert.

Queen, the once glam rock band that gave you memorable anthems like "We Are The Champions", "Radio Ga Ga", "Too Much Love Will Kill You", "Hammer To Fall" and the evergreen classic "Bohemian Rhapsody". This band is most prominent with their operatic lead vocals and front man, Freddy Mecury. They are truly one of the most innovative and creative bands of our time. However, behind the front man, is the person responsible for most of the success of this band, BM.

BM has a self made red guitar and picks with a coin. Even his guitar amplifier is home made. So much for his gear. Let's get to the musical part. BM is also very much influenced by Ritchie Blackmore. However, unlike Ritchie, he turned Ritchie's dark playing and added many colors and shads of light to it. He has a very sweet and rich lead tone and at the same time, heavy riffs as well. He has got a bluesy feel and his guitar playing and music is somewhere between pop and rock. BM is also a great song writer as we can see and hear in many of Queens classic hits and ballads.

This guy is in a Royal Class of guitar and music as far as I am concern. Recommended listening, Queen's Greatest Hits I, II and III. Do check out his solo albums and instructional video too.


10. Akira Takasaki (AK), (Loudness) - Thunder from the East

AK and boys from Loudness, is one of the jewel shredder that did and still is doing Asia proud. He emerged in the 80s together with those hair bands. Loudness did put most mastero almost to shame, all of which includes YJM and Edward Van Halen. His tapping is far more advance then those of Van Halen and even Steve Vai; His sweeps and neo-classical chord progression and sweeps are fluid enough to give YJM a furthur run on his frets.

In the 90s, he totally changed his style to a heavier feel from the likes of bands like Pantera. This is fused with some Japanese/Oriental flavour. AK andthe boys from Loudness are still one of the most respected and followed bands the the Japanese rock scene.

Check out tracks such as "Ashes in the Sky", "S.D.I.", "Loudness"...erm..the list goes on..go explore...

My list of guitarist that I considered worth mentioning part 2

ok..to spare the readers some agony of scrolling down to read the updates, I will now post the updates of the above topic as a new post.

and now to continue from where I left off...

7. Slash (Sl), (Guns and Roses, Snakepit, Velvet Revolver) - More Jack Daniels...

This is one true freak gone cool. Erm..where do I start? Ok, I think it's fair for me to say that he rose to stardom in both the pop and rock world at a time where people were paying attention to the thunders of Metallica, the aderalin of Malmsteen, the tappping of Van Halen. Slash (with Guns and Roses) and his infamous Les Paul, plays base hugely pentatonic and blues scale with the occasional Gypsy -Phygrian mode. It's remarkable how he can be so melodic with only the basics in scaling and gears. These did not compromise the standard of music and energy that metal or rock music has. Although he may be a blusey and "few-notes a bar" player, he is capable of very fast licks as well. One word..he Rocks and drunk!..

Well listen to tracks such as "Estranged", "Patience", "Double Talking Jive", "Welcome to the Jungle" and the latest from his band, Velvet Revolver, "Contraband".

8. Frank Gambale (FG), (soloist) - Jazz Shred from Aussieland

Influenced by blues based players such as Jimi Hendrix , John Mayall / Eric Clapton, and Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, FG picks up the guitar at the tender young age of 7 . In his mid-teens he discovered Steely Dan, The Brecker Brothers and Chick Corea. FG is shred in a Jazz shell. He plays many notes and is with a romantic and jazzy feel. His shred is fluid and unlike many jazz players, he is "poppy" at times. He is also one good video instructor. Check out his instrutional video "Modes - Mystery No More" and some of his instructional books. Albums to start with are : "Thunder from Down Under" and "Brave New Guitar".

My list of guitarist that I considered worth mentioning....

Since I am a guitarist, I think it's only right for me to share my point of view for some of the guitarist that I consider good. This is not meant to condemn or criticize but to share what I know and learnt through the years. They may or may not be technically proficient, especially when the word "technical" is subjective to many people. The same thing goes for the word "feel". So here it is , not in any order of ranking:

1. Yngwie J. Malmsteen (YJM), (Rising Force, Soloist) - Sultan of Shred

This dude here is my all time favorite guitarist. Reason I would site is that he succeeded in the fusion of classical and heavy metal. He is also at one time considered the fastest guitarist ever. I would say he "almost" single handedly created the genre Neo-classical Metal. He inspires my playing mainly and is who I base very much of my playing on. I have always been a lover of classical music, especially of those of Baroque era, and also being a lover of metal, he is the almost perfect example I am looking for. He also did an orcherstra work solely for the electric guitar and that to me is another breakthrough. Many people feels that he is more indulged in his speed playing than his music and he can't play slow and is with no feel. However, I will think that tracks like "Brothers", "Icarus Dream Suite" and "Crying" spoke otherwise.

Although he is my main inspiration, he is not without flaws like any other musician. He plays melodically well and has a good sense of progression in the classical light. However, technically, if you listen to his playing in "Dreaming" from "Live in Lennigrad" and if you have seen and heard his playing on nylon strings in "Live in Budokan" and "Live in Brazil", the screeches are so awfully heard. This I think is the result of two things: 1. His nails are too long and not well filed for playing nylon strings 2. He alternates between playing a pick and and fingers which is both a talent and a flaw for him. Reason is simple, the hard edge of the plastic pick is never good on plastic string. It gives a flat tone. Hence, despite the accuracy and beauty of the melodies, the tone remains flat.

YJM is indeed as far as I am concern, credited for popularizing shred guitar playing and for the fusion of classical and heavy metal. He was once the fastest and the most innovative player I have ever heard. Others have surpassed him, e.g. John Petrucci, Michael Romeo and Jason Becker etc. This does not matter, as he is indeed a living legend and others that have surpassed him all has a bit of his influences and pushes them to a further limit and this is what matters most. It is just like YJM has a little of Ritchie Blackmore, Bach and Mozart in him.

2. The Edge (TE), (U2) - Anti-guitar Hero's Hero

Before I start talking about The Edge, I would like to define the word technical first.

Technical can be define as one of the following:

1. Of, relating to, or derived from technique.
2. Having special skill or practical knowledge especially in a mechanical or scientific field: a technical adviser.
3. Used in or peculiar to a specific field or profession; specialized: technical terminology.
4. Belonging or relating to a particular subject: technical expertise.
5. Of, relating to, or involving the practical, mechanical, or industrial arts or the applied sciences: a technical school.
6. Abstract or theoretical: a technical analysis.
7. Of, relating to, or employing the methodology of science; scientific.
8. According to principle; formal rather than practical: a technical advantage.
Industrial and mechanical; technological.

So now, since we are a bit more clear (or confused), about the word technical, I can go on to talk about TE.

TE by far, like YJM, is a class of his own and there is no other like him as yet from what I know. He is not a shredder. He is not even a lead guitar player. So what the hell is he? Well, all I can say is he falls into every definition of the word technical above and yet defies definition. For those player who thinks his style of playing is easy, you better think twice. This guy knows his gears well. Although his playing and strumming is fairly simple, it is the use of his gear, delays, chorus, overdrive and wah-wah effects to the maximum effect. Musically and technically, they all fall into the right places, solo or not, the music is there, the playing is there, the harmonizing is there...Everything falls in the right places. U2 has come a long way since the 80s and is now a dominant act in the music scene. However, if you listen to TE's guitar playing, he is still pretty much what he is back in the 80s, no guitar solo, no guitar hero attitude. I guess that's part of what kept them going till now. Check out tracks such as "With or Without You", "Mysterious Ways", the current "Vertigo", "Where the Streets have no name" etc. Listen not to the number of notes or beats the band is trying to play or the octaves they are trying to hit, but their music as a whole. Then can you find the essence of the band's music and the important parts that each musician plays.

3. Guitarist in the song "Together in Electric Dreams" by Giorgio Moroder/Phil Oakey

Ok.. I don't know who the guitarist in the above song is. The above song was a big hit back in the 80s. i don't think anyone ever paid any attention to the guitarist in this song. The reason why i think the guitarist is worth mentioning here is that if you take note of the solo, it was a solo like no other. It was a mix of synth-overdrive-wah wah effect and is used with a great control and feel. Unlike most lead playing, this particular solo is pretty impressive as it has a particular cyber sound beyond its time and it's pretty much danceable. Whoever know who he is, please let me know. It was a great solo...check it out!

4. Roland Orzabal (RO), Tears for Fears - New Wave...

RO is one of the and the only remaining member of the 80s synth-pop (New Wave) band call Tears For Fears. I put his credit into songs like "Everybody Wants to Rule The World" which has a very catchy and unforgettable riff and the solo in the song "Shout". He is a great guitarist as you can hear the emotions in his music and he is a good composer as well. Listen to albums such as "Songs from the Big Chair" and "Sowing the Seeds of Love". Check them out. Two thumbs up for music and guitaring.

Ok ok...I will have more to come...stay tune..this topic will be extended...enjoy...

Update: 14 Jan 2005 1.00p.m.

5. John Williams (JW), Sky, Classical Soloist - Beyond words from Australia...

In the world of classical music, if anyone were to mention classical guitar, one of the names that would pop up will be JW. Please note that this JW is not the composer of movies such as Superman and Jaws. JW is pretty a benchmark for many classical guitarist and is a musical treasure of our modern time. He's a classical player's kind of player. I would like to stress that he is not a composer or an improviser, but simply a player and that's that. What makes him a well respected guitarist is, in my own perception, his control of his guitar's tone and the ability to create many voicing within a guitar, at many times two. I am not saying that other classical players can't do multi-voicing, but almost no one does it as good as he is. Multi-voicing does not mean you use gears, effects etc to achieve. Classical players do not use those. The only gears they have is their guitar and their fingers. The secret is in their fingers picking/plucking techniques and their nails. JW has a sweet tone too and given any piece, he would bring out the different colors in the music well and approving to the ears. Talking about speed, he has got it too. Talking about heavy riffing, he got it too, minus the distortion and overdrive of course. He is the ticket to the the world of Classical Guitar. Tracks worth mentioning are: "Sunburst, Andrew York", "Cavatina, Stanley Meyers", "Koyunbaba,Carlo Domeniconi", "Three Blues for Classic Guitar, Charlie Byrd", "El Colibri, Julio Sagreras". If you are new or not so into classical guitar, you may want to check out "John Williams Plays The Movies" and for the hardcores, "Spirit of The Guitar" and "The Guitarist-John Williams".

6. Steve Stevens (SS), Soloist, Sessionist - What? When? Where? How?

SS is another, or perhaps should I say the almost guitar version of Nikki Sixx physically. Why I say that? This guy, is also pretty proficient in making use of effects. One amazing fact about this guy is that is extremely educated use in his rack and effects. They come out and hit you out of no where and while you are trying to recover from the first hit, he will swing in another to blow you away and knock you out. He is most famous for working with the Billy Idol, however his credits can be seen in works of artists such as Vas, Steve Lukather, Adam Bomb, Robert Palmer, Harold Faltermeyer, Joni Mitchell, The Thompson Twins, Ric Ocasek, Simon F, Peter Criss, Jerusalem Slim, McQueen Street and Michael Jackson. He is pretty versatile and not so long ago, if I am not wrong, he went back to study Flamenco Guitar which is one of his guitar loves. He is also one those guitarist that works on a Macintosh. Check out "Top Gun Anthem" and the live version of "Mony Mony" especially the solo. What? When? Where? How? did he do those??

More to come....

Music in my life

To start off, and straight to the point.

in my opinion, as far as civilization is concern, music has been with us as far back as we could remember. It's being used as a expression for emotions, to promote an objective and to take us to places we have never been but want to be before.

So why is music there? Well, there's art isn't it? People choose to express or relate themselves to objects or expressions that best describes them. Some choose painting, others may choose martial art and some others choose music etc. The list goes on.

So as far I am concern, I know nuts about drawing, can't draw a single good picture and obviously do not have a dancing bone. Playing to music is just what I deem is the closest to how I express my feelings, ideas and visions. It's an expression from me to others and liberation of my soul...

As for now...Music is definitely a prominent part of my life.

Welcome...

Hi there everyone.

Welcome to my blog. I hope my octaves here will make you stay just a bit longer than you expected...

Here I will share my views, inspirations and whatever not that has shaped me as a musician.

Enjoy...