Neil Young is a genius

[Shnate McDuanus]

My feeling about it is that, yes, technique matters in a general sense, but technique can mean different things to different players. Neil Young's technique is different than Paul Gilbert's but they both have technique, for argument's sake. Likewise, the level of theoretical knowledge that Neil Young employs for the sake of self-expression is different than the level of theoretical knowledge that Paul Gilbert employs for the sake of self-expression, but what matters is that they are expressing themselves in ways that mean something to them and, hopefully, mean something to their audiences. Neither Wes Montgomery nor Django Reinhardt knew much of anything in the way of theory, and they both had decidedly unusual techniques and yet their music managed to reach a large number of people at an essential level because it was (at least for the most part--in Wes Montgomery's case it's questionable) genuine self-expression. Barney Kessel and Merle Travis, on the other hand, both had a solid amount of theoretical knowledge under their belts, and that doesn't, IMO, make their expression any less valid.

 

On the point of what a performer looks like when they perform--who cares? Nathan, why does it speak to you when you see Neil grimace as he goes into a solo, or when Jack White throws himself around on stage? Would their music be any less valid if it sounded exactly the same, while they stood still and never made a face or hurled themselves at their mic stands while they played? Would you think more of Chet Atkins if he leaped about like a madman while performing, instead of staying relatively still?

[Silenced Fred]

 

 

On the point of what a performer looks like when they perform--who cares? Nathan, why does it speak to you when you see Neil grimace as he goes into a solo, or when Jack White throws himself around on stage? Would their music be any less valid if it sounded exactly the same, while they stood still and never made a face or hurled themselves at their mic stands while they played? Would you think more of Chet Atkins if he leaped about like a madman while performing, instead of staying relatively still?

 

I'm not saying that, its more of an emotional thing to me. When I hear the song, I see that image in my mind. Even if they stand completely still, the music takes me to a separate place and in that place, all emotions are cut loose. And I guess thats why artists like Jack White and Neil Young speak to me because they act out on the emotions that they are feeling and that I see in my mind. They allow themselves to get lost in the emotion and let the music take them into that separate world. I feel more of a connection to them because of that.

 

Chet Atkins is an outstanding player, but you are comparing apples to tomatoes. Look up the live version of Blue Veins in Holland on youtube, and listen to it without watching the video and just think to yourself what might be going on with Jack White on stage. Then watch the video. To me, the image I see in my mind is fairly close.

 

I posted this on MLP and didn't here, mainly because I thought people would make stupid comments, but when I play I get lost and have, on occasion, found myself drooling without realizing it. I just get lost and there's nothing I can do. I don't realize it, but I get to a different place through the music

[freak show]

I agree with the fuzzy guy: Neil is a GENIUS!

 

But for exactly that reason, one should take his advice with a grain of salt.

 

If one is a genius -- like Young -- then one can forget about scales and technique and just play what one feels.

 

But if one isn't a genius, then one should stick to the fundamentals. Breaking all the rules is the privilege of the genius. It's not for everyone.

[retrosurfer1959]

Kind of the difference between being a musician and a artist, Neil might not be much of a musician but he's one of my favorite artists.

[Sproggie]

Reading all this I can't help thinking about Dylan. Pretty much all of this has been said about Bob Dylan in the past. All artists have a mix of different talents and it's the total package that counts.

[bluzhammer]

JO: What are your views on people going to college to learn guitar?

 

NY: Paints a pretty doomed picture of the future, doesn't it?[Laughs.] First of all, it doesn't matter if you can play a scale. It doesn't matter if your technique is good. If you have feelings that you want to get out through music, that's what matters. If you have the ability to express yourself and you feel good when you do it, then that's why you do it. The technical side of it is a completely boring drag, as far as I'm concerned. I mean, I can't play fast. I don't even know the scales. A lot of the notes that I go for are notes that I know aren't there. They're just not there, so you can hit any note. I'm just on another level as far as all that goes. I appreciate these guys who play great. I'm impressed by these metal bands with their scale guys. Like I go, "Gee, that's really something." I mean, Satriani and Eddie Van Halen are genious guitar players. They're unbelievable musicians of the highest caliber. But I can't relate to it. One note is enough.

 

Its from an interview, I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm not a technical player, but I play with the emotion from within me.

 

Not really sure why I posted this, just saw it and thought it was great

 

Sorry for taking your bandwidth

Neil is a great songwriter and musician and I appreciate him as such. I do think that the reference to genius is a bit overstated these days. I once heard an interview in which Leonardo Di Crappio proclaim that Al Gore was " genius, greatest mind since Albert Einstein". Well, then again he did invent the internet and got a flock of lemmings to buy into global warming.