is slash a slouch?

fourmations

hi all

i regularly hear slash-bashing on youtube, guitar forums etc

is he a crap guitarist? i always though he was passable!
bearing in mind I'm all about style over substance!!
(yngwie fans need not reply!!!)

rgds

4

Blackhorse Slim

I wouldn't put him in a 'top 5 guitar players of all time', but the solo from Sweet Child o' Mine is a modern classic. Probably one of the best rock guitarists of his generation, IMO. And yes, his style is more feel than technique.

-=al=-

slash is slash thats all

He was in one of the biggest bands ever and was part of some amazing music, he's not the fastest or most technical but who cares he's slash! any slash bashing is unnecessary - really

I love him

Dord

I think he's a pretty good guitarist. I like his stuff

Gaspode

I like Slash to, so I dont care if he's a slouch. The great thing about electric guitar as an instrument is that it can be very expressive, and solos can really set the tone of a song. They therefore dont need to be superfast or technically difficult, some of the most famous solos are very simple. Shredding out notes at 200mph is fine in its place but IMO doesnt always add to the song - its often just there to prove how fast the guitarist is rather than enhance the song.

Karl Hungus

fourmations wrote:

i regularly hear slash-bashing on youtube

Everyone gets bashed on youtube. It's rife with trolling tbh, and you can go into any video about a musician, and there'll be 50 comments from numb****s who've no clue what they're talking about, bashing some of the most talented musicians there are. It's just the way it happens.

For the record, I think Slash is a damn good guitarist.

Neo#

Hes a great guitarist. Just listen to Appetite for Destruction!

Shane_C

He gets a bashing because he is hugely overrated by those who don't play guitar. Personally I don't like him because I find him a bit boring and predictable. Solo's aside there isn't much substance to his music (with 1 or 2 obvious exceptions).

JC 2K3

He's done very little of worth since GNR.

I fúckin' love his work in GNR, but what has he done since then? Slash's Snakepit was awful, and VR isn't much better.

Jack Vegas

Speaking purely in technical terms, Slash is an amazing guitarist, anyone who doubts his shredding chops should take a look at the end solo of "Paradise City"..madness!

ChainFireMetal

Slash was a good guitarist, but by no means deserves all the acclaim he gets. Good style, technically just meh

nyarlothothep

slash is a great guitarist, its not all about technique and imo its what suits the song that maketh the solo, not how many notes are in it or how difficult it is. Not saying guitar playing should be dumbed down, theres enough of that already but the fixation with uber precise shredding is meaningless for me. I prefer guitarists like Jimi Page, Brian May or Slash over Steve Vai or Malmsteen any day. While music involves much more than just technique it is about preference ultimately. And imo theres a stage where someone gets to a certain level on guitar and its just the style they want to take it in, so they can either concentrate on shredding or do something else whatever, or adopt different elements from different styles, but I don't see why shredding should be held as the ultimate standard in guitar playing like its some fact.

But in relation to the youtube thing, unless you play with robot like efficiency you get slated (unfairly imo), and even the android guitar players get slagged off too for not putting enough feeling into the solos. You never see said commentators putting up examples of their own work.

Jack Vegas

Chainfiremetal, Slash is NOT "technically meh". Seriously, just because the man CHOOSES not to shred more often than not doesn't mean he can't, and the outro solo to "Paradise City" confirms his technical ability. Even Zakk Wylde has gone on record as saying "Slash has ****ing chops, he can shred all over the place".

I agree with nyarlothothep to an extent, but don't forget that Brian May and Jimmy Page are both accomplished technical guitarists themselves. (The "Heartbreaker" solo being a notable exception...:o "

JC 2K3

Technical complexity is often stylistically meh.

A Primal Nut

I can't believe people are critisizing him because of technique - kinda missing the point. Of course he can play fast, (Paradise City, November Rain and Serial Killer), he just chooses not to. The guitar playing in Estranged is just incredible and so unique. He just has so many great moments. Even in weak songs like Bad Apples he manages to pull out something amazing. Double Talkin' Jive is so unique. His sense of structure in a solo is unmatched by anyone. There are so many examples of great solos, particularly on Use Your Illusion and he has some great riffs too (Slither, Don't Damn Me, Coma, etc.).

Would you call Hendrix a slouch too?

Paolo_M

In Slashs defence Don't Damn Me is at 180bpm and he rips some 16th note licks during the solo which is no shredding record by any means but it's right up there with Megadeth, Pantera and Slayer.

Playing robotic-ally accurate sweeps and arpeggio's would take all the aggressiveness and drive away from the GNR tunes, and conversely, Slash playing with Dream Theater, for example, would sound pretty awful too.
In the end it's a matter of taste and my personal preference is for Slash or Zakk Wylde over Vai or Petrucci any day.

On You-Tube, I agree with Karl Hungus, everyone gets slagged on there. People seem to see someone way better than them and try and knock them back a peg or two for the hell of it, so it's no real gauge.

Giblet

Slash rocks. He is a slouch when it comes to his song writing nowadays, but he has done some of the best guitar rock ever ;>

He needs a push, and not from Scott Weiland.

nij

Yeah I have to say that most of the time, 'shredders' bore me to tears. It's like when you watch a crap film and the obligatory action scene comes on - you just switch off. Guitar solos have to catch your attention, and Slash can definitely do that!

Malice

Personally I think Slash is one of the most talented guitarists I've ever had the pleasure to see and hear. The lead lines on songs like Estranged, November Rain, Don't Cry and many, many more are just beautiful. Sure they're not particularly fast or difficult to play (in most cases) but they've got feeling which is something most of the speed-shredding class of guitarists lack (in my opinion). Sure you can admire Vai or Malmsteem as they charge through another riff but you can't walk away with that riff in your head ready for you to start humming without realising.

As for whether he's a slouch, I'm sure at his age his chiropractor has him well warned to sit up straight

It wasn't me!

malice_ wrote:

Personally I think Slash is one of the most talented guitarists I've ever had the pleasure to see and hear. The lead lines on songs like Estranged, November Rain, Don't Cry and many, many more are just beautiful. Sure they're not particularly fast or difficult to play (in most cases) but they've got feeling which is something most of the speed-shredding class of guitarists lack (in my opinion). Sure you can admire Vai or Malmsteem as they charge through another riff but you can't walk away with that riff in your head ready for you to start humming without realising.

As for whether he's a slouch, I'm sure at his age his chiropractor has him well warned to sit up straight

To be fair now, Vai's got some cracking riffs. And one shredder I'll give the nod to for being great to listen to is Paul Gilbert. Man's got skills and feel, all-round player.

Malice

It wasn't me! wrote:

To be fair now, Vai's got some cracking riffs. And one shredder I'll give the nod to for being great to listen to is Paul Gilbert.

Have you got some recommendations for Vai or Gilbert?

It wasn't me!

As regards Vai, the whole Passion and Warfare album is class. Gilbert, I don't actually have any albums, but here are some links to his stuff.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPGA3vjMLgE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1MQFhVkc_I

Paligulus

I think most of us have got the ol' cliched speech from the hardened world weary older rocker as we sang the praises of Slash, only to be told of the error of our ways due to your youthful enthusiasm.

As much as i love Slash, I'm glad I got into those arguments because it made me search out these guitarists and make my own mind up, even if my original intention was to prove them wrong!!! It made me hunt down CD's by Petrucci, Vai, Pat Methany, George Benson, Wes Montgomery, Paul gilbert, Satriani.

Bottom line, people who just slag musicians for the sake of it/to boost their own ego are just to be ignored. But its alway nice to hear someone who is passionate about a certain musician - Especially if you get a good recommendation out of it!!!

Paligulus

It wasn't me! wrote:

As regards Vai, the whole Passion and Warfare album is class. Gilbert....

I think Gilbert is a great all rounder too. dosn't take himself too seriously either. not hugely familiar with his back catalogue but I think his latest album "Get out of my Yard" is really good. Obviously, if your not into the whole instrumental guitar album thing then it'll be one to avoid...

It wasn't me!

Paligulus wrote:

I think Gilbert is a great all rounder too. dosn't take himself too seriously either. not hugely familiar with his back catalogue but I think his latest album "Get out of my Yard" is really good. Obviously, if your not into the whole instrumental guitar album thing then it'll be one to avoid...

Yeah, he's got a great attitude to life. I loved his Terrifying Guitar Trip DVD, lot of insight into how he got where he is now, and he seems like a really cool guy.

Froot

Karl Hungus wrote:

Everyone gets bashed on youtube. It's rife with trolling tbh, and you can go into any video about a musician, and there'll be 50 comments from numb****s who've no clue what they're talking about, bashing some of the most talented musicians there are. It's just the way it happens.

For the record, I think Slash is a damn good guitarist.

Morning Karl.

Slash is grand.

Slash's Snakepit have some really good songs. I think he is an easy target being honest.