Pete's blazing guitar work

["O'Neal, Kevin W." <Kevin.ONeal@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

	>From: "Schrade, Scott"
	>Subject: Re: Pete's blazing guitar work 
>
>He's not *that* slow of a guitar player!  You're probably not implying
>that directly, 

No, definitely not trying to imply he's like a turtle.  But, when you compare him to say Eddie VH, or Stevie Ray, or the late guitar player for Ozzie (name escapes me at the moment), there is a difference.
I'm not saying that's bad, just a fact.
And, It's obvious, even with this difference, who's guitar work I think is more sophisticated and  I prefer.

>Pete can play fast when he wants to.  When I say fast I mean, finger-
>rolls, 16th (or even 32nd) notes, etc.

Yep.  I'm with ya.

>And since his bike accident he's learned to do the quick little noodly
>thig-a-muh-jigs, similar to metal guitarists.  That's fast playing.

Yeah, I've noticed that.  Not sure I'm into it though.  When he starts, I kind of think "ok Pete, just know when to cut it off before your fingers start to trip over the frets."

>You're learning to play guitar, right, Cousin?  You should know that 
>there are two ways to play fast.  

"Fast" is no where near my guitar playing vocabulary at this point.  ;-)

>You can use a pick to play fast while your fret fingers do limited work.

Pete's right hand is one of the fastest around.
His finger picking is priceless and unmatched, and his acoustic strumming and pick work is phenomenal.

>Or you can let your fret fingers move quickly while your pick hand does
>limited work.  (I guess there's a third way, by using the pick to play fast
>*and* moving your fret fingers quickly also.)

Here's Pete's weakness (relatively speaking!).

>The difference, when compared to someone like Eddie Van Halen, is that Pete
>uses the quick playing only at certain times, not constantly like a metal
>guitarist.  Pete saves his quickness for the proper moments & doesn't over-
>use the technique.  And thank God for that.

Thank God indeed!

As I'm reading and writing about this, I'm thinking we need to address the connection between the fingers and the mind when venturing into "noodly thig-a-muh-jigs"-land.  Some describe it as a mental "flow".  People like SRV are highly acclaimed for their inherent flow.  It just unconsciously flows from their mind to their fingers.  No effort.
I don't believe Pete has the level of flow (as described above) that he himself wishes he had.  He can go "noodly", but is seems scripted, worked out ahead of time.  Once at the end of the script, if he dares to continue on a flow, he can find himself in trouble.
That said, his "noodle flow" <snicker> has vastly improved over time.
Now, his flow for feedback, power shhhhlashing chords intertwined with subtle banjo type picking in unparalleled.

Just...to...be...clear.
I LOVE PETE'S GUITAR WORK.
IT'S UNMATCHED!

LONG LIVE THE WHO!

Kevin in VT