Stevie Ray "Slowhand" Van Townshend indeed

[lee wallace <sprockethome@yahoo.com>]

Hello all,
   I don't usually jump into these sort of debates,
but I have to say something about all this mess about
Townshend's guitar playing. I've played guitar for
many years in many bands, on records, I've taught
guitar, studied music with great teachers, etc., so I
feel that I can say this with some degree of
confidence; it is stupid to compare guitar players of
this league and say that any one is "better" than the
other.
   I've seen Vaughan, I've seen Eddie, I've seen Eric,
I've seen Pete, many times. All were thrilling
performances guitarwise. While some may seem to play
"faster" than others, we are not talking about
athletics here. We are talking about musical
expression and the technique and ability involved in
achieving the purest form of that expression possible.
I would dare say that if Pete could ever be bothered
to do so, he could probably replicate Van Halen licks
given the time to properly figure them out. Hell, I've
had STUDENTS that can do that. Pete, or any guitarist
in his league for that matter, is simply not
interested in being any guitar player other than
himself.
   This year, Townshend has been playing some of the
coolest slabs of guitar mayhem I've ever heard. Even
at this stage of his career he has managed to stretch
out his technique and experiment with totally new
harmonic and phrasing ideas and make it EXCITING. Not
only does he play "fast" and "tricky" shit up there,
but it MEANS SOMETHING in the context of the song.
That is what a great guitar player does. There aren't
many.
   Rants over. Thanks for reading.
                                     -LW
   

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