Meanwhile, over in Europe

[Norm]

give this guy a look... he has several vids

I've got rhythm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lvfyx7ut ... re=related

Tico tico (fabulous)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__k3AOC3 ... re=related
Really hard to get attention if you're an instrumentalist. I don't know why this is, but people just won't spend money on instrumentals.

Paul Yandell grumbled about it once...

"It is very hard to make a living nowadays playing guitar. It sometimes seems like the only people interested in guitarists are other guitar players." __Paul Yandell cgp

[bill raymond]

Norm, when I try to follow the links you posted I get a page not found error from youtube.

[Norm]

'got m' nose fixed now m' mouth don't work'

Fixed the links, Try again

[RandeDager]

Norm, I know what you mean that it seems that only other guitar players appreciate guitarists any more. I used to interest people of all types with my guitar playing. That's no longer true. Society has become "dumbed down" over the years in many ways. I began teaching in the mid 70's and my students seemed to be able to handle more difficult problems in those days than they can now. The administration tells us to accommodate them. And yes, I'm accounting for the fact that they are easier for me than they once were.

I KNOW that my next statement isn't just a matter of taste, but the complexity of the music that attracts the majority of people today has only been diluted over time . I don't even care if someone likes it more or less than someone else. but when it is analyzed, there is much less to it than there used to be. Count the chords, listen to the harmonies, etc., and compare. I believe that this is all tied in with the dwindling interest in good guitar playing.

There was a time when I thought it would only become more sophisticated.

[synchro]

Norm, I know what you mean that it seems that only other guitar players appreciate guitarists any more. I used to interest people of all types with my guitar playing. That's no longer true. Society has become "dumbed down" over the years in many ways. I began teaching in the mid 70's and my students seemed to be able to handle more difficult problems in those days than they can now. The administration tells us to accommodate them. And yes, I'm accounting for the fact that they are easier for me than they once were.

I KNOW that my next statement isn't just a matter of taste, but the complexity of the music that attracts the majority of people today has only been diluted over time . I don't even care if someone likes it more or less than someone else. but when it is analyzed, there is much less to it than there used to be. Count the chords, listen to the harmonies, etc., and compare. I believe that this is all tied in with the dwindling interest in good guitar playing.

There was a time when I thought it would only become more sophisticated.

You said a mouthful. A lot of youngsters today haven't really been exposed to music that broadens their horizons. The Pop music I've heard the last couple of decades strikes me as the sonic equivalent of junk food. There's no substance, just a series of gimmicks scientifically proven to make twelve year old girls pay attention. Add in some boy-toy singers genetically engineered to be non-threatening to girls of the same demographic and you have the recipe for success.

It's an amazing and disappointing turn of events viewed by those of us that grew up in the era of the guitar hero. I've wondered what sort of indignities Chet would have to suffer had he come along in our day instead of in the post war years. He . . . would have been just as brilliant but would any major segment of the population been savvy enough to appreciate his abilities?

[MitchC]

Someone needs to invent the flux-capacitor... quickly !

[synchro]

Someone needs to invent the flux-capacitor... quickly !

I've got one but I'm using it to prop a door open for the cats.

[RonBloor]

Someone needs to invent the flux-capacitor... quickly !

I've got one but I'm using it to prop a door open for the cats.

You guys crack me up .. but seriously... I think we are sounding a bit like old folks talking about the "young people of today"!!! There are some really amazing young younger players that are not just "3 chord Charlies"!! Just think of people like Brooks Robertson and many others. However, I know what you are saying Rande... In general is seems that the bulk of upcoming players are just not interested in anything but that screeching noise that you hear at the music stores on a Saturday afternoon!!!

[Norm]

... git those kids offa my lawn!

[RandeDager]

Ron, I never meant to discredit the young guitarists and musicians who play music with depth and substance. They just don't seem to be easy to find and I don't run into any of them in any natural way. Back in the 60's and 70's I could walk into any music store anywhere in the country any time of the day and pick up a guitar and start playing and at least one customer or the store personnel would show an interest. That's how I met musicians back in those days. Of course, I would also purchase merchandise so as not to take advantage of the store.

Regarding my last post, I was just thinking in general. Our grandparents used to complain about the music of our parents and our parents complained about our music BUT when you think back or research the songs of those eras, they still had substance! I'm including even some of the older songs that I don't care for very much, but they still had melodies and a good assortment of chords and harmonies. To be "boring" is a whole different topic than to lack intricacy in the components making up the music. When our grandparents or parents talked about the current music being "too wild", that's a whole different topic and not even what I was getting at. I'm just talking about putting all personal preference aside and just getting into the mechanics and the components comprising the music. I think of the old song "Bluesette". It goes all over the place and takes quite a path from beginning to ending, so I wouldn't say that it lacks depth or intricacy, but I've never really cared for it other than as a nice practice exercise. Notice that my rejection of that song has nothing to do with it's lack of musicality. THAT's the difference!

When I say that I don't care for so much of the music today it has nothing to do with being too wild or with me being of a different generation, for me it has to do simply with lacking the substantial components that I've referred to. There is NO music that everyone likes, but at least for those who don't care for Chet's music, they may have found it to be boring or "not cool", but they can't fault it for being too shallow!