Re: 14 year-olds and guitar virtuosity

["Anthony J. Rzepela" <rzepela@cvi.hahnemann.edu>]

"Kevin Winn" <kwinn@chrome.com> writes:

> But the interesting thing is this - PT certainly is a
> famous guitar player, and I think has contributed to rock guitar playing and
> had an influence. But how come when a 14 y.o. with his first electric guitar
> decides who he "wants to be", it ends up being Page et al. Those are the guys
> who seem to be the fantasy models. 

There is, believe it or not, a sociological explanation. :)

If you encounter a book called "On Record" (various authors)
published in (I believe) 1992, check it out.  It is a collection
of essays on the sociology of rock and roll. 

Amongst the essays on, among other things, being both an 
Elvis fan and a lesbian, there is an essay on what the author
refers to as a "cult of virtuosity" which manifests in just
the crowd Kevin refers to (14 year-old males) here. And the
context (sheesh!) is Heavy Metal, although prog-rock gets 
a nod or two.

> Now the fact that Page et al is a model that is jumped to, and that young kids
> manage to grasp what is happening and imitate it to a fashion, is an indicator
> to me of the lack of style in the playing that they are copying. It's too
> accessible, because there's not much really there. 

I disagree. Less is more.

:)

> Why does PT get left out? 

He's not a speed demon, which is what 14 year olds think of
as virtuosity. It is, IMHO, a totally separate issue from whether
the music which is accessible lacks style, or that something
must be useless or juvenile because young people happen to like it.

(If it is young people exclusively, then I suppose you 
can start making your case, but I digress....)

ObWho: Where did the name "Led Zeppelin" come from anyway? 


++Tony, ducking