You're either going to kill me or agree with me on this one....

[Yeshuasdaughter]

First of all, I can barely barely play guitar. Therefore I am absolutely no expert at all. I stumble and struggle through the most basic songs. Six year olds play hot cross buns like virtuosos, compared to my clumsy attempts at "music".

So take this with a grain of salt.


Lately I have been listening to a band I used to like a lot as a kid- Guns and Roses.

But this time around, I'm really focusing in on the musical quality.

And... well... I'm scared to say this, I know I'll be sacrificed for even suggesting it. And fourteen year old me would maybe hate my guts for it, if she were here now.

But I'll just say it anyway:

Although he's a great musician, and his solos are really clean, and he has crazy energy for technical riffs, and I can recognize him on most songs, even if I didn't know beforehand that he was a set musician for whatever band....

um... well...

Um... compared to some other famous rock guitarists...

Slash isn't as impressive.

Yes, he does absolutely shred. Listen to "Mr. Brownstone", "Rocket Queen", "Paradise City", or "You're Crazy" off their first album. He is incredibly talented. The whole band on "Appetite for Destruction" was just so clean.

But his compositions by comparison with other guitarists considered to be "Rock Gods" are more simplistic. Kind of bluesy, but more punk rock than the symphonic lead guitar of some of the other well known names. (However, Punk Rock is not a bad thing at all).

It's a hard thing to say any criticism of him, because he is very talented. And as a kid, I absolutely idolized him. I'm female, but I wanted to grow up to be just like him. I loved watching his hands on the music videos. I would watch and listen and spend so much time trying to emulate him.

So, what's the verdict? All I can say is that I am glad I'm not posting this on reddit. I'd be flayed alive.

Spoiler

One more thing, MUCH more true than the above essay.

For the two Use Your Illusion albums being so freaking legendary- nearly every song absolute gold, I really can't say one good thing about the drums on either of the Use Your Illusions. Why does the drumming suck so bad? Was the band so drunk that they hired a deaf, cross eyed squid soaked to the fingertips with Benadryl and novocaine?

 

[FayetheAspie]

I don't know who you're talking about nor do I know what his music sounds like therefore I am not angry neither am I agreeing nor disagreeing.

 

[FilterFreq]

Don't worry -- I feel that way about Buckethead, too. I know I'll get some pushback for saying that, but I honestly have always felt like, "Huh, not my thing".

I've been playing electric guitar for 20+ years and I still haven't figured out what about him I don't like, but sometimes we just groove a little differently than others and that's not a bad thing! Actually, having an opinion just means you've got your own unique taste and that's becoming a rarity in today's world.

 

[Jumpinbare]

I don't know who you're talking about nor do I know what his music sounds like therefore I am not angry neither am I agreeing nor disagreeing.

Same.

 

[Outdated]

I think I might be a few years older than you, I liked a lot of Guns & Roses music but I can't say I was a big fan. I always loved guitar but there's so many different styles that it's impossible to pick a favourite. From the smooth cruising feel of Carlos Santana to the truly out there Jimmy Hendrix and so many others in between.

When I was growing up Australia had a huge pub rock scene and I loved a lot of Aussie bands too, most of which are largely unheard of in the US. There's an American blues guitarist that really impressed me not so long ago - Joe Bonamassa. In the clip below he's playing for one of our old rock legends - Jimmy Barnes. And I've added another clip below that of an iconic Aussie band, Cold Chisel, in this clip they're doing a reunion concert 20 years after they broke up and went their separate ways.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

I'm no musician, but I agree shredding is over rated technical ability impresses me more. Not a big fan of Jimmy Hendrix. To me his music was noise.

 

[AndyFBlues]

I get where you're coming from. There have been performers that lots of people thought were the greatest but I didn't care for. I could recognize their talent, but didn't have much interest in their music. We all have different tastes in many things; music, food, arts, fashion, et cetera. Just go with what works for you.

I've long believed that we cannot judge music in the moment. Sometimes when I hear a song that I used to liked from ten or fifteen years ago, I find that I don't like it anymore. Back in the day, I thought it was fantastic. Now it sounds completely stale to me. On the other hand, I've heard songs that are forty or fifty years old and I find myself turning up the radio. Some songs stand the test of time while others don't.

Having said that, I like Slash's guitar playing. I certainly understand if it doesn't work for you anymore. Cheers.

 

[Raggamuffin]

I was big into rock and metal growing up. Slowly I started to feel that so many guitar solos are merely showboating and little more than musical diarrhea. Some do add value to a song, but if every song follows a similar pattern - it gets pretty stale.

Ed