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Posts: 1851
Location: Newington, CT | Not on an Ovation, but he could play a cinder block and make it sound good.
This song, played with some top-flight musicians, including Katia LaBecque -- rumored to have been one of his wives -- is just wonderful.
I believe he's flat-picking a nylon string, and, of course, it's great!
Happy listening!
Click here .
(Not quite sure why this is a "Funny Video" as seems to be the web site's theme.) |
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April 2008
Posts: 1851
Location: Newington, CT | Hmmmm...no reactions? I'm surprised! This is just gorgeous! And, I love the instrument combinations! |
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March 2002
Posts: 15682
Location: SoCal | While there's no denying McLaughlin's ability (he's a great player), and lots of his videos have been posted on the board over the years, IMHO, he gets boring after a while. You've got to be "in to" this kind of music.
I saw Al DeMiola 30 years ago in Austin Texas. I was looking forward to it because I had read so much about him in Guitar Player magazine. Most boring 2 hours of my life. He's a great player for about 20 minutes then everything starts to sound the same.... just a lot of notes.
It's probably more a reflection of my taste in music.... |
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May 2008
Posts: 4996
Location: Phoenix AZ | John is obviously talented, as are many others in the instrumental genre. But, I like to SING ALONG! So unfortunately instrumental music doesn't captivate and hold my interest too long. Sorta like watching a movie that doesn't have any actors, just scenery. Might be great scenery, but not sure I could sit through the whole movie. In my opinion instrumental music is better suited for background music than for in-your-face entertainment. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | I'm with Dave and Paul, probably just in deference to their age. I have really enjoyed two instrumental concerts, though, one by Adrian Legg and the other by Preston Reed. Adrian told funny stories between songs. Preston warmed up to the audience after a little bit. Perhaps I enjoyed the instrumental concerts so much because they were both in very small venues. I could actually watch what they were doing as well as listen. When I listen to their CDs, they don't hold my interest as well. |
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Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | ....same here. I'd much rather listen to BB voice a full paragraph with only one note properly carressed than listen to 1000 notes by others that say nothing..... |
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March 2008
Posts: 2683
Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Ahh, I'm just the opposite. I would rather listen to instrumental music. In fact, to me the voice is just another instrument and I hear the sound of it more than the actual meaning of the words. There are songs I've listened to and loved all my life, and a lot of them, I don't even know what they are about. And when I write a song, heaven help me if the music comes out before the words. I can't come up with words because I've already said everything I wanted to say with the music. |
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September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Originally posted by AlanM:
Hmmmm...no reactions? I'm surprised! This is just gorgeous! And, I love the instrument combinations! Yeah... But it's Jazz :o |
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August 2006
Posts: 3145
Location: Marlton, NJ | Alan - I'm pretty much hooked on the stuff now - Guitar Trio, McLaughlin, Mahavishnu, Return to Forever, GUITARS of FIRE!, etc. etc...
I love listening to it while I'm working, reading, driving (or at OFC gatherings ;) ) and also just for the pleasure of it. There is no shortage of good vocal music, but good complex instrumentals like these are few and far between. For a compromise, there's always bands like YES. |
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January 2009
Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | I like instrumentals, but I really don't enjoy listening to someone try to cram as many notes as possible into every second of a song, just for the sake of showing how fast they can play. Play the friggin melody, would you please. I would much rather listen to Tommy Emmanuel |
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April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | i agree with most sentiments so far. I'd add one more. Not only does he cram notes in -- the rhythm is always the same: badadabam rest badadabam rest badadabambadadabambadadabam.
I don't know what's gotten in to him but his playing on Extrapolation is still, for me, his best. And some of his work with Miles Davis.
Snooze.
_____
gh1 |
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April 2008
Posts: 1851
Location: Newington, CT | GREAT perspectives, all!
My reactions: I LOVE instrumentals the most, with great vocals a not distant -- but distinctly second -- place.
Sometimes I forget that the gymnastics that people like John and Al and Paco do are not as thrilling to others as they are to me.
OMA: LOL! (Turns out: I love jazz;
I think as much for the pyrotechnics of it as for the sound(s).)
Crimson: My feelings exactly!
Darkbar: Tommy Emmanuel IS spectacular!
Moody: Thanks for the perspective. Though I STILL just love the sheer pyrotechnics (or did I mention that above?). For me, it's like a spectacular fireworks show. Do I prefer the 90 minute show over the 45 minutes show? Heck yeah! But, the 120 minute show? Probably the fireworks would get old at that point. But, I'd want to come right back tomorrow and see ANOTHER 90 minute show. I guess there IS a tolerance for guitar gymnastics.
At the same time, I love Joe Pass, Chet Atkins, Tal Farlow...
And, at the same time, there's Phil Keaggy: just gorgeous melody! March of the Clouds (Youtube it --it's just beautiful) is wonderful, and has only one fast part that lasts about a second. The rest of it is just brain-caressingly, beautiful melody. No words, though.
So, bottom line; I can't get enough of John McLaughlin, Larry Coryell, Al DiMeola and Tommy Emmanuel, but they are not the entire guitar world, by a long shot.
On the other hand, John McLaughlin has pretty much COVERED most of the guitar world!
Bottom-bottom line: It's all just a matter or taste.
Apologies, all, for taking THAT much time and that many words to state little more than the obvious!
Thanks, all, for contributing/venting/straightening me out a bit/letting it all out.
Alan |
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March 2002
Posts: 15682
Location: SoCal | Well said.... |
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October 2005
Posts: 5332
Location: Bluffton, SC | Genres are very much like guitars - if there were only one, what a boring world it would be. |
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GREAT performance by John McLaughlin