https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:48:26 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164938 Sun, 12 Mar 2006 18:19:01 +0000 emotion in my post with personality. Works for me.


I personally find this discussion self serving and corny. Everybody wants to think that what they're doing is the right way. Or rather, they do what they think is right (or both). And in these discussions one find him/herself having to play the devil's advocate and be pushed to either extreme. The truth is, in an analog world such as ours, nothing is really at either extreme. It's somewhere in the middle.

There's no spoon ! :)

oktay That computers only work on 0's and 1's is pretty much an extremist, simplistic and self-serving argument as well. There is lots of in betweens -- and it all depends on the algorithms used to approximate the analog world. 0's and 1's are what low level coders see passed among registers and gates. If I look at anything that closely, the composition looks deceptively simple -- just as western music in its elemental form looks like it's quantized into 12 steps per octave. It's not really that simple, is it?

There may be an infinite (ignoring quantum theory :wink: ) paths from Em to the next chord or note, but most of them are not interchangeable and most are not even close to good. It takes technique crafted out of a combination of technical abilities and imbued with personality to make it interesting. You are correct -- few things are extreme.]]> Guitar Players Discussion gnease https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164938 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164923 Sun, 12 Mar 2006 15:24:55 +0000
There's no spoon ! :)

oktay Good point (and good points with the other stuff as well). It's also worth noting that many discussions about a "right" way are in reality a discussion of "preferred" ways. "Preferences" are personal choices so (big surprise here) folks tend to get personal about them. Then the "discussion" becomes a clash of personalilties and the discussion itself is no longer the issue. Perhaps it rarely is, when it comes to these sorts of discussions, that is.

This is why word choices, especially on the Internet where you have only got words, you truly need to think about what you mean. And about how it reads and how other people will take things.

If the word "personality" had been used instead of "emotion," which may have been a lot closer to the mark, I doubt that this thread would have had so many extreme viewpoints. But I could easily be wrong about that!

Peace]]> Guitar Players Discussion David Hodge https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164923 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164911 Sun, 12 Mar 2006 11:19:12 +0000
You'll say "that's what I'm talking about, Emotion!" , but I think it's not that simple either. All humans are inviduals. We are unique. It would be incorrect to describe everything that makes a human being different than another as just "emotion".

Going back to what I said about computers. Computers are not a good example because they only know two possible explanations. 0 or 1. This or that. Yes or no. True or false. Black or white. Nothing in between. That's what "digital" is all about. We don't live in a digital world. The world we live in is "analog". Analog means, for the temperature to go from 50 to 51 degrees, it has to go through all possible values between 50 and 51 which is an infinite number of values.

So when I'm playing Em and switching to Am, I'm playing it with only one of an infinite number of possibilities. This cannot only have something to do with emotion. It has to do with an infinite amount of variables including emotion, technique, taste, hardware, mood, age, time of day, season, whether you're girlfriend is hot etc. The computer cannot have a hot girlfriend. It can't even have a hot 0 or 1. All zeros are the same and all ones are the same :)

Argue all you want about whether it's emotion or technique. You'll only be discussing a "model" of the real world with only two of an infinite number of possible influencing variables. Well. Still. Do it though. That's what science does and it seems to work to some extend.

I personally find this discussion self serving and corny. Everybody wants to think that what they're doing is the right way. Or rather, they do what they think is right (or both). And in these discussions one find him/herself having to play the devil's advocate and be pushed to either extreme. The truth is, in an analog world such as ours, nothing is really at either extreme. It's somewhere in the middle.

There's no spoon ! :)

oktay]]> Guitar Players Discussion oktay https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164911 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164908 Sun, 12 Mar 2006 09:53:18 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion Ginger https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164908 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164905 Sun, 12 Mar 2006 09:09:11 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion Manitou https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164905 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164797 Sun, 12 Mar 2006 00:35:05 +0000
Everybody is different. That's apparent in the performances we hear as well as the comments in the thread. Some feel they can through technique reasonably simulate emotional content. Others can't play if overwhelmed emotionally. Still others feel they are at their best when emotionally immersed in the music. And on the flip side, there are listeners that dig on the music and what's going on there, others that at times are totally isolated from what's going on, and still others that supply most of the 'emotion' in a piece all from within themselves. Does it really matter? It's up to each person to decide what (s)he wants, likes and needs. Me, I find even simply 'hitting the groove' is definitely a process that both requires and returns emotion. And in my experience the other players (at the very least) can tell the difference between a performance that is technically good -- and probably pleases 90% of the listeners -- and one that really snaps-to emotionally -- and gets that last 10% believing.

Faking it? Never as good as the real thing.

,]]> Guitar Players Discussion gnease https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164797 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164757 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 21:58:51 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion Phinnin https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164757 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164754 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 21:40:15 +0000
Come on, how can you say emotion is not important? It is everything. Ever listen to computer generated music? It is dead as a doorknob.

If all you know how to do is play in pentatonic and mixolydian scales, then every thing you play will sound like running up and down pentatonic and mixolydian scales. Time after time you see polls on the greatest electric guitarist. And who wins every single time? Jimi Hendrix.

Jimi Hendrix did not even read music. He didn't even know the names of chords. He described music in colors. His technique? He wrapped his thumb over the neck all the time. He rarely used his pinky. His technique has been described as poor many times.

But who could play with the emotion Hendrix had? Nobody. And this is what puts him at the top of polls every single time. Nobody could express emotions and feelings like him.

Ever listen to his version of Star Spangeled Banner at Woodstock? Man, you can hear the bombs and missles dropping. It is scary. He takes you right to the scene of a battle. You can imagine the death and destruction all around you.

I would like to hear one single song from any of these guitar virtuosos that can do that. Name the song, I'm all ears.

Hendrix almost always used the Minor Pentatonic. At the same time he was known as one of the most creative guitarists ever. Believe me, there is still plenty of music to be gotten from this scale.

Personally, I think these guitar virtosos are completely boring. Most of their music is stale and lifeless. It is just super-noodling. It is like listening to a computer. I know there are exceptions, and sometimes these guys play some truly meaningful music.

Neil Young is not a very technical guitar player. But I bet he has sold more records that all of these super-noodlers lumped together. But he knows something they don't. He knows how to communicate with people's feelings and emotions.]]> Guitar Players Discussion Wes Inman https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164754 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164753 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 21:36:56 +0000 Guitar Players Discussion Mike https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164753 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164750 Sat, 11 Mar 2006 21:25:56 +0000 The way you speak, the inflection in your voice, etc., conveys emotion - it's only your eyes that show whether it's genuine or not. You can't fake it without understanding the genuine emotion that you're faking - ask any confidence trickster.
So, in my opinion, there is no way to dissociate emotion from music.]]> Guitar Players Discussion greybeard https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/random-thoughts-on-playing-guitar/paged/3/#post-164750