Virtuosity in songwriting

[interviewer02]

My mind drifted off at work tonight and I started thinking about all of my favorite musicians. Guys like Schuldiner, Hetfield, Akerfeldt, Suicemez(sp), Maynard & Carrey, Thordenal & Haake, Rienert, Hoglan, and the list goes on an on.

Anyways my point is that almost all of my favorite musicians aren't virtuosos, and many virtuoso musicians that I've tried to get into aren't very fun for me to listen to past the point of me saying "wow, I can't believe he actually played that"

Can being a virtuoso actually in some ways hinder your ability to write well because of the shift of focus from writing a pleasing song to showing off your ability at your instrument? I think its debatable, I know there are virtuosos out there who write amazing stuff, and others who I wouldn't like at all, but what do you guys think?

What virtuoso musicians out there do you guys like/dislike, and why?

[AA-12]

i'm basically the resident shawn lane fanboy. i'd go as far to say he was both the most talented musician in history and one of the best songwriters too.

Originally Posted by interviewer02

My mind drifted off at work tonight and I started thinking about all of my favorite musicians. Guys like Schuldiner, Hetfield, Akerfeldt, Suicemez(sp), Maynard & Carrey, Thordenal & Haake, Rienert, Hoglan, and the list goes on an on.

Anyways my point is that almost all of my favorite musicians aren't virtuosos, and many virtuoso musicians that I've tried to get into aren't very fun for me to listen to past the point of me saying "wow, I can't believe he actually played that"

Can being a virtuoso actually in some ways hinder your ability to write well because of the shift of focus from writing a pleasing song to showing off your ability at your instrument? I think its debatable, I know there are virtuosos out there who write amazing stuff, and others who I wouldn't like at all, but what do you guys think?

What virtuoso musicians out there do you guys like/dislike, and why?

This suggests to me that you don't like virtuoso music.

[Murdererer]

yea hetfield rulez baby yeaaaaaa

[interviewer02]

Originally Posted by badtaste

This suggests to me that you don't like virtuoso music.

I do if its written well. I like some Dream Theater and Malmsteen has some okay stuff.

[burtonbassist_102]

one thing that you have to realize is that in a lot of cases (dream theater being my example), the "virtuosos" aren't writing to show off. they're writing technical, advanced music because:

1) it's what they like to play.
2) they write music that challenges them as musicians, so they can keep progessing on their instruments.
3) it's just how they express themselves.

not to dog on you, but i'm getting sick of people saying that "dream theater can't write songs." then what do you call what they write? what makes a song?

just because when john petrucci it doesn't sound as "emotional" as when say, john frusciante does, that doesn't mean that john petrucci isn't feeling the same emotions as frusciante.

[ghettoeddo]

put up your flame shield for defending dream theater.

oh and i totally agree with you

[marcus_in_absentia]

petrucci has no soul in his playing? FWIW, Suspended Animation is one of the most inspired albums I've ever listened to, second (IMHO) only to Get Out Of My Yard.

[lak89]

^Get Out Of My Yard is excellent, Paul Gilbert is a really tasteful guitarist.

Suspended Animation is one of the best instrumental albums out there, of course not to mention inspired, it's got everything from straight out metal (Jaws Of Life, Damage Control), well written ballads (Wishful Thinking, Lost Without You), some Satriani influence (Curve), Techno influence (Tunnel Vision), Scottish influence lol (Glasgow Kiss) and IMO Arabic influence (Animate-Inanimate)

For what I know, sometimes being virtuosic can hinder ability for emotions, though not always, e.g Francesco Fareri (sp?), he's blindingly fast and but there's no real musical substance and his vibrato is terrible. I totally agree with the Dream Theater statement up there too

[Morumbar]

I'd say that Hetfield is totally a virtuoso. He may not be the fastest lead guitar player, but there are so many people trying to be able to play like him.. Same goes for Jon Schaffer for example. I mean, playing a song isn't the same as sounding really tight at it.

When it comes to lead guitarist virtuoso's, I have to admit that the extremely fast playing starts to bore me after a while (Yes, I'm looking at you, Yngwie, though I do like your music).
Dream Theater writes some intense stuff, though for me, the really prog-ish riffs they do sometimes (you guys know what kind of sound I mean) hold less emotional value.

[lak89]

^I agree, Hetfield is a virtuoso at rhythm guitar playing , one of the best out there, too many people bash Metallica too much to take note of this, or at least overlooked. Try playing Battery or Blackened or anything of that sort while singing

[RiceMonster]

People praise Hetfield because he's in Metallica. Same with Kirk Hammet.

[Morumbar]

Kirk is not really an interesting guitarist. Hetfield is good.

[ghettoeddo]

Originally Posted by RiceMonster

People praise Hetfield because he's in Metallica. Same with Kirk Hammet.

on these forums, people hate on hetfield b/c he's in metallica. same with kirk hammett

but kirk really is terrible.

[interviewer02]

Originally Posted by burtonbassist_101

one thing that you have to realize is that in a lot of cases (dream theater being my example), the "virtuosos" aren't writing to show off. they're writing technical, advanced music because:

1) it's what they like to play.
2) they write music that challenges them as musicians, so they can keep progessing on their instruments.
3) it's just how they express themselves.

not to dog on you, but i'm getting sick of people saying that "dream theater can't write songs." then what do you call what they write? what makes a song?

just because when john petrucci it doesn't sound as "emotional" as when say, john frusciante does, that doesn't mean that john petrucci isn't feeling the same emotions as frusciante.

Dream Theater is one of my favorite bands, I think a lot of the times they write great songs, and they are an example of a band of virtuoso's that actually write good music.

[interviewer02]

Originally Posted by Ceminon

Kirk is not really an interesting guitarist. Hetfield is good.

Kirk's work in the 80's was amazing, he wrote great solos back then. Now, hes terrible...but he was never a virtuoso anyways.

[McP3000]

Originally Posted by ghettoeddo

on these forums, people hate on hetfield b/c he's in metallica. same with kirk hammett

but kirk really is terrible.

i would agree with the sentiment for hammett if he hadn't written Fade To Black, which completely saved him in my book

[interviewer02]

Originally Posted by McP3000

i would agree with the sentiment for hammett if he hadn't written Fade To Black, which completely saved him in my book

wait, he wrote fade to Black? I thought Hetfield wrote almost all their songs. What else did hammet write?

[McP3000]

idk all i know is that he wrote the main riff to fade to black and the song's solo

[interviewer02]

Originally Posted by McP3000

idk all i know is that he wrote the main riff to fade to black and the song's solo

That makes sense, I bet Hetfield wrote the rest.