Music Shop Guitar Duels

feylya

How many people do this? You know the usual, you go into a music shop and you get you're usual collection of teenagers playing Nirvana and Metallica (usually badly). Then you just go, pick up a guitar and play, usually showing them up. But how many of you get challenged? Yesterday I was in Music Maker or watever it's called, trying a lovely Godin with piezos :-) playing a classical piece that I can't remember the name of and some guy playing Metallica stuff decides to play it over me. How often does this happen to everyone else? End of the story, I played Flight of the Bumblebee and he left.

(Not intended to be bragging)

Giblet

Happens quite a lot..
I actually play the crossroads duel hehe.

feylya

Yeah, kinda rusty on Crossroads. A bit of Trilogy Suite often makes them run crying from the music shop :cool:

juno75

i just squeeze out some really really really slow fat lick wid bags
of jucy feel.
then maybe a bit of reagge/groove stuff.

a. because thats what I play
b. most guitarrists (in music shops anyhow) have no intrest in approaching the instrument from the angle that I like.
The look you get is a suprised one usually...

Without takeing anything away from great technique ,for me its all about the amount of luv you can squeez into each note.

i used to shred,back in the day.
dunno getting old i reckon


all power to you crossroads boys but Id be more into
robert johnson than steve vai (for the luv of god is mad still tho)

Im gonna relearn eurption for a giggle me thinks

feylya

Most guitarists in guitar shop these days can only play metallica and nirvana and they think that's the height of talent. Bit of Eric Johnson, Yngwie Malmsteen et al just confuses them.

Karl Hungus

Some Maiden always goes down nicely.

Or better yet, The Emperial March from Star Wars.
They'll think you're god's gift to guitars.

cournioni

I've got a friend who is a wizard on the guitar. He usually cleans the whole shop of the Nirvana fans you speak of. He usually plays Dream Theater combined with some of his own stuff.

I myself would play something along the lines of Iced Earth solo's or Vai or whatever. Eruption gets some heads turning too.

feylya

Yeah, Petrucci and Vai will usually make everyone run away crying.

Always enjoyed lulling them into a false sense of security by playing something really easy really really badly so everyone thinks you're ****e and then just launching into Triology Suite or Midnight.

desertcircus

The approach I always took was the same to a point: play something really badly (make it look as if you're really hurting the guitar), and then reach for the most expensive guitar you can see. Watch the look of naked terror in the eyes of the employees as they realise that this might come out of their wages...

But that's mean.

However, even though you scoff at kids playing Nirvana on the guitars, there's a damn good reason they're all playing it. It's because Nirvana beat the hell out of Eric Johnson/Steve Vai/whoever the hell it is this week when it comes to sheer beauty. Ragged, bruised beauty, but beauty none the less. And you can shred and tap and scale the fretboard all you want, but it still won't sound as good as the intro to Come As You Are. Just because something is technically phenomenal doesn't mean it's any good. It's about the song not the singer, and the more kids who learn to play songs instead of solos the better.

Apologies, my anti-solo rant is now over.

feylya

You've never listened to For The Love Of God or The Crush Of Love, have you? Pure emotion imo.

BTW, I'm not trying to put down young players. I started out the exact same way, sitting in my room playing One and Enter Sandman over and over. I do realise that one of these players will utterly humiliate me in a guitar shop some day and I look forward to meeting this person, be it man, woman, child, or pensioner. And anyone who thinks they're the best guitarist on these boards, don't forget that there's always someone better than you!!!

Cianan2

Im actually one of the annoying ones who play enter sandman and one over and over. Except not in shops.I just browse.

feylya

Give it a couple of years. I started the same way don't forget. Just don't get stuck playing and listening to the same stuff. Expand!!!

Dr. Loon

I find it very sad that you all feel the need to flaunt your superiority on the guitar over the newbs. Very sad. Playing mind bogglingly fast solos isn't what the instrument is all about.

It's like myself... when I see a drummer that can spin the sticks I get nervous. If I hear them play, they are almost always terrible, proving to me that they've spent more hours in their room practising spinning a stick then the drums themselves....


alright I'll stop now...

feylya

Originally posted by Dr. Loon
Playing mind bogglingly fast solos isn't what the instrument is all about.

Exactly, which is why I don't always play fast solos. When I was learning, I had people playing around me who were unbelieveable and that just made me play more, so I could play like them. Playing in music shops against other people shows me that those hours spent practing have resulted in me being a half decent guitarist. I wouldn't call myself a great guitarist, I'd be pushed to even call myself a good guitarist but it's nice to see that you're not on the bottom of the pile any more.

danger_steve

You people make me cry...

Did you know that the people who work in music shops despise you lot...sad bastards. :ninja:

feylya

Yeah, I can understand the hatred of Guitar shop employees. It is understandable when people go in and keep playing Enter Sandman badly. Meh, it's life.

Dun

Originally posted by feylya
It is understandable when people go in and keep playing Enter Sandman badly.

I've got a funny feeling it was more than just those ones - show-offs would definitely piss me off, so it must be even worse for shop assistants who have to deal with every day, day in day out. Mind you I think that many (verging on most? ) people who work in the retail sector can't stand the customers. Depends on the job/commission etc I suppose.

I hate the thought of trying out guitars with other people around, cause you know they're going to judge you, no matter what.

RicardoSmith

LOL...

Remember the signs there used to be in Music Maker with a top 20 of the the songs and bands that were banned. Maiden, Nirvana, Stairway, Eruption etc. Fret wa..ing is what this is. Its a shop. Join a band for pity sake. Personally if I was shopping for a quitar I'd go in early in the morning, early in the week when all the knob heads aren't around.

feylya

Yup, already in bands. Bloody guitarist and bassist always after me to play in the music shops. I usually play a tiny bit of Stairway though. Just enough to recognise the song but not enough to get thrown out. This thread is a bit too cocky isn't it. Not my intention.

RicardoSmith

If you are going to play a zep song, play something thats in a dropped tunning and that no one will have heard for a bit. I mean stairway is THEE worlds uncoolest song to play in a quitar shop.

feylya

Originally posted by dun_do_bheal
I hate the thought of trying out guitars with other people around, cause you know they're going to judge you, no matter what.

People know not to nudge me. They value unbroken bones. I honestly don't go into music shops to show off. I go in to try nice guitars, playing stuff that I find challenging. It's how I find the next guitar I want to buy. I don't go looking for challenges but I won't turn one down.

feylya

Originally posted by RicardoSmith
If you are going to play a zep song, play something thats in a dropped tunning and that no one will have heard for a bit. I mean stairway is THEE worlds uncoolest song to play in a quitar shop.

I know it's the uncoolest song. That's why I play it. It's like playing Enter Sandman bending the strings at the same time so that it sounds terrible. Also, I don't turn my the amps when I play. I play at a level I can hear and I honestly try not to annoy other people.

RicardoSmith

Originally posted by feylya
People know not to nudge me. The value unbroken bones.....

Lovely...

Giblet

I just try a range of styles, and a range of techniques, just to get a feel for the guitar.