I've been into guitar electric since I was a child in the 1970's, and I think you nailed many points of the modern guitarist. Historically, guitarists have crossed genres for good playing, but weere stuck with what their record label saw them as selling. I knew L.A. metal players learning jazz, C&W pickin', Euro-centric, and of course blues. But players were still stuck as they toured with no youtube to learn other guys techniques. Genre was much of peoples identity: the music you listened to was the friends you had, the places you hung around, the drugs you did, and the fashion you wore. The 21st century leveled the boundaries as anyone could find music from anywhere without peer interference. The guitar was in sad shape through the 90's as hip hop was taking over and playing well and without horrible rage was out of style. Then the renaissance of the internet and it has become cool to be good and everyone is getting influences from everywhere. The guitar is alive and well. It is still the beautiful medium of imagination, hands, and technology. Great vid!
@alexanders562 The significance of an artist's genre, that you mentioned, tells an entire story alone. There's literally so much nuance behind the music itself that plays into the unravelling of where we are today. So many topics in there I wanna talk about HAHA Beautiful comment!
Interesting that Jimi Hendrix is on the thumbnail for this. Jimi was a complete artist who wrote innovative and soulful songs that connected with people. He was a singer, a lyricist, an innovative music producer, and a world class accompanist who mastered his craft working in other artist’s bands on the Chitlen circuit. Innovative guitar pyrotechnics were only a part of what he did. I haven’t seen all that stuff from any of these new young virtuosos.
@tomsandahl9450 The reasons you mentioned were exactly the reason he's on it. It wasn't intended to imply that he was anything short of innovative. Jimi and Tim are easily two super influential guitarists within their respective periods whether you love or hate them. What's so fascinating about Jimi Hendrix is the way he was able to reform the guitar landscape, to a significant degree, in such a short time. We could only imagine what his impact would've looked like if he had access to modern equipment.
@@monfloralTim has zero influence on music and guitar players i love music all genres styles languages and didnt know about him its just this stupid recommendations that feed somebody i give a shit for. Yes i did listen one of gis songs and damn 30 seconds on and i switched what a pretentious bunch of ultra technical crap
@@kydzsyea he’s really just someone who combined existing style into making really complex riffs and stuff Didn’t really create anything Doesn’t sing, doesn’t influence popular music He’s overall incredibly hidden to anyone modern day
@kydzs "He didn't influence anyone because I have never heard of him"; not an argument. You likely have never heard of hundreds of painters, illustrator, directors, producers, architects, etc. that had fundamentally changed the landscape of their given fields. The flex you're trying to make is "if they're so important why have I never heard if them", but in all reality it's just a spotlight that you clearly don't have your finger on the pulse of where guitar is, or headed. That's not something to brag about. Just comes off as bragging about being out of touch.
One blind spot I'm noticing.... no mention of Chet Atkins, Adrian Legg, Tommy Emmanuel, or Lenny Breau, (among many many others). These players did very technical and innovative things within their idioms, many of which were the forerunners to some of the techniques discussed here. They also tended to transcend genre in the standard (rather commercialized) sense. They also knew how to put on an entertaining show and not take themselves too seriously, which interplayed with their technique in interesting ways. But otherwise, super-interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing these thoughtful insights!
Today's guitarist are definitely more skilled in the way of technical skill and just overall song composition (David Maxim Micic is my go to for modern playing). My gripe with modern guitar is that it all just seems to blend together after 3 or 4 songs. At work my boss listens to plini almost every other day and while some fills catch my attention, most of the time it just sounds like one long song! I respect the technique but man does it get old quick.
I think the same could be said about shred guitar and jazz solos. Generally speaking they can all “sound the same” or be “annoying to listen to” (like favorite things by Miles Davis) but if your a fan of either genre you can pick out your favs easily. What’s really exciting about modern guitar is that it sets the foundation for future guitar songs that have the potential to become classics, while also being distinctly modern.
the big thing is guitar music becomes elevator music when ur like plini. its good background music but you're right. it all blends together. thats why you need vocals. its the balance between technical playing and vocals that ive been working on for my own ep
I wouldn’t say guitarist are more skilled, it’s that there is so many kids and people easily learning how to play off TH-cam and so now we’re seeing them all come to the forefront. Theres been so many insanely skilled guitar players of the 20th century. Jeff Beck being one of the more mainstream ones for example.
It just doesn’t have any groove. I don’t find myself feeling the rhythm, tapping my foot, or nodding my head. Innovating is great if you’re moving forward but to me it seems like the music is devolving, like all the soul has left. But hey to each his own.
I completely agree with you. We still don’t have anyone putting on bangers like in the 60s/70s/80/90s. There’s this particular emotion or element that is kinda of hard to put my finger on. I guess organic or soul might be the word I’m looking for. As you said though, to each their own.
@UhuruSasa85 This take seems to be quite common and is 1000% valid. Only thing I can argue is that this style is still relatively new (from a time period sense) and I would like to think that as it progresses, there will be artists that blend the innovative technicality with soulful rhythms. There are a few artists I see cracking that door open but it's difficult for them to grow as most of the attention from that audience is still aimed at the flashier styles
@@fastilafuska I don't get it, been a musician my whole life, listened to the classics enjoyed everything they had to offer, and moved on to other things for a long while, from jazz, classical, electronic music, hip hop etc... you name it. I understand music on a deep level (beyond music theory) having practiced and appreciated for decades now. if you can make abstraction of the "popular" and hype factors and just listen to the album "remember that you will die" from start to finish. this album brought me back to the times when you would have to buy a CD or a cassette and you'd be stuck listening to that for the next few months, and it would stand the test of time, to this day. back when albums carried a deeper meaning throughout. this album brought me back to that. up until the second to last track, it's as close a perfect album as I've heard. It grooves like crazy, it's deeply emotional at times, playful and silly at others, always musically inspiring in how they take simple formulas and chord progressions and express their art with them in a very accessible, yet technically impressive way. perfect transitions, near perfect track order, it's always fun, always groovy, always engaging. in opposition, the technical guitar stuff of old did sound stale and empty. now they made it sound fun and meaningful. modern guitar is what old guitar tried to be but never quite could.
Very interesting discussion. I am an old guy (about to turn 58) and primarily a fretless bassist but have always loved artists that blur genres and techniques in pursuit of the music they hear in their heads (even if I don';t really get it) so I love so many of the incredible musicians that you mentions especially Tosin Abasi but I have just two comments: Firstly, I have to think that you are remiss in not including Guthrie Govan in you list as I feel like he is more modern than neoclassical as perhaps a cursory investigation might imply. Secondly, While I agree that man of the most popular and well regarded guitarist of the last century are decidedly derrivitive in their style, tone, genre, and texture I must suggest that there are three examples that standout among their peers. Django Rheinhardt, Jimi Hendrix, and Jeff Beck were all so innovative as to be considered to have re-invented the instrument. Django played with a fluidity and precisionthat was unheard of on nearly any instrument other than piano previously and launched guitar out of the realm of harmonic/rythym instruments into an instrument with a voice and capable of providing all of the essential elements of musicality completely by itself. Before Jimi Hendrix, guitarist essentially played acoustic guitars but louder. Volume and almost accidentily, distortion arose out of a need to be heard above drummers. But Jimi truly played the electricness of the instrument, in gace many of the most popular guitar effects did not even exist until Jimi heard them in his head and then asked Dallas Arbiter and Roger Mayer to make them a reality. Now that's innovation!! Just listen to Jeff Beck's solo on Because we've ended as Lovers and tell me that sounds like a guitar. His use of tone, texture, and technique created a voice that was infintely more musical than just "gutarical". I have not included the genius of jaco Pastorius in this list, not because he was not the most innovative bassist in the history of the instrument but because what he did for the ekectric bass has a dirrect parllel to what Django did for guitar and so while unique to the electric bass, his contribution was in some way derrivitive. Overall, great discussion.
it really is changing in the coolest ways. theres so many unique ways to improve your guitar playing other than filling in the gaps with as many notes as possible. you really explained it in a succinct way
I think its undeniable that modern guitarists are more technically proficient than their older counterparts (due primarily to the internet giving players the ability to access nigh-infinite tutorials and guidance from their bedrooms). I do think a lot of the rest is genre dependent and/or just opinion. Richer tone is definitely an opinion. A lot of the innovation is just taking pre-existing techniques and mashing them together. And genre fluidity has always been a thing, people like to pretend Nu-Metal doesn't exist but it does. And while you may find less distortion in some modern bands, there are some genres that are seeing an increase in distortion. Metal is full of it. As far as them standing out from one another, I feel like this is actually less of the case than it was in the past (and that was already a problem before). As players continue to adopt techniques they see others use, the end result continues to get more and more homogenous. Used to be that Tosin was rather unique for his thumping technique but now more and more players are copying it. I believe this, and other comparable examples, are the result of the internet making it very easy for players to to adopt from one another. I don't consider this to be inherently bad, and I imagine as time goes on this will be distilled into a new more cohesive sound that actually manages to stand out from the rest and potentially form a new genre. Its just currently experiencing growing pains. And this is purely opinion, but I find a lot of modern guitarists end up blending together. I'm not saying you don't see this with previous guitarists, i'm just saying its a problem that hasn't gone away. A lot of modern guitar songs sound like someone wrote a bunch of different riffs (or had an arpeggiator do it) and just mashed them together.
@RecliningWhale Everything you mentioned certainly exists and is pretty accurate throughout the "genre." Just as something to say, every now and then I'll come across a small artist that has a fairly original sound which pushes me to believe there's always room to introduce some unique angle despite how difficult it may be to find. Your second paragraph is a topic I'd love to explore, in depth, in the future. There's a lot that can be said about that claim and I think "growing pains" is a wonderful way to describe the current guitar scene. Thanks for the comment!
The problem with modern guitar is the lack of things to say. So many guitarists today try to be weird and 'different' but fail to say anything relevant to our current era. You can tell a LOT of guitarists today just stack random riffs in front of the others in Ableton with a weird beat. Polyphia being the first example in mind lmao. Classic Rock, as people call it had a lot more to say than 'Modern guitar'. Tosin Abasin, Tim Henson, Yvette Young, Plini all sound the same from a certain point of view. Maybe some of them do pinch harmonics at different places and some use Lydian more while the other prefers Phrygian, but they're still veeeery similar. Like the guitarists and musicians of the other eras. Most people follow the zeitgeist. Again, the problem here is the lack of things to say. It's lot of flash. There is something so cold about modern music sound today that is hard to explain.
@antswillrise1931 I couldn't agree with you more with the notion that classic rock artists had "more to say." Thing is, so much was said that contemporary artists had to find new ways to convey their message without repetition. And I think we're at a moment where everything ornate and "different "has to be exploited before the soulful music revolution takes place. And I think that time is sure to come It certainly is a lot of flash happening at the moment but I think there's gonna be a ton of gripping sounds and styles that emerge once the flashy curtain is pulled back.
@@monfloral It's probably true. As long as young people keep getting interested in music and we keep remembering those who came before, I'll say that all of this is part of evolution.
People spend so much of their time on the internet bow that they miss out on the kind of life experience that great songwriters had that gave them something to write about. Also people read a lot more books back then which i think is crucial for people who to expand their inds and develop an imagination
@@TheGiantMidget You're right. I asked Bing AI to tell me which were the most popular musical themes of the 2020's. I think this say a lot. 😅 - Nostalgia and Escapism - Social and Political Commentary - Mental Health and Personal Struggles - Empowerment and Positivity - Viral Trends and TikTok Influence. - Technology and Digital Life: - Globalization and Cultural Fusion
@@antswillrise1931 meanwhile in the 1970s Frank Zappa was writing songs about dog pee and Pancake Breakfasts and made millions of Dollars doing that 😂 that is almost incomprehensible nowadays
I agree with a lot of this but disagree with it being more creative. The notion of less is more is, well true. Technical guitar playing is great and all but there’s a whole area of music missing in modern guitar music. How many of these tunes are actually going to be classics. I believe we still haven’t had a guitarist as groundbreaking as Hendrix, Duane Allman, Jimmy page and Jeff Beck. Who’s knows if we will. Where these guys might have lacked in the “technical aspect” of music they were absolutely geniuses when it came to composition. We’re lacking that in modern music. Yes a bunch of virtuosity in modern guitar players but I haven’t heard a single one that blows my mind when it comes to something that’s going to be a classic.
I agree, with a lot of modern guitar compositions I’m absolutely blown away by its technical nature but am often overwhelmed by sound that I don’t really know what I’m listening to if that makes sense. Like I don’t really feel anything from it or sense a direction, just ambiguity. One thing I vastly disagree with in the video is the oversimplification of guitarists of the past, sure there is a point to be made about rock bands of the 80s to the 90s sounding the same but a lot of the 60s and 70s players most certainly have distinguishable tone and style, but that is just my opinion.
@flippiehippie9740 As I was doing research for this video, I would find myself getting lost in the atmosphere and presence that some of those classic rock bands and guitarists possessed. So there's certainly something that can be said about how today's guitar music holds up in that regard. The idea of new "classics" being created will simply be a test of time as what people deem as "a classic" is usually correlated to a sense of nostalgia from their formative years. I doubt much of today's modern music will achieve that, but I'm sure more artists will arise who merge the gap between modern inspirations and tasteful soul-altering guitar playing
I think that was a good overview! I'm older and have to make an effort to listen to new stuff, I think changes are sometimes hard to get hold of, how many people's grand parents hate modern music, I also see a trend in generations moving forward and doing things that weren't done before, I rode dirt bikes in the 70s, never imagined the crazy jumps etc. they can do today, the same in music, no boundaries, constantly pushing forward,thanks for peaking my interest even more!!
@cliveburgess4128 That continuous progression is really the focus. I don't necessarily believe that the modern guitar music we have now will be what lives on, but the way it inspires artists to experiment while applying their personal flair is where the magic lies
Django Reinhart Joe Pass Wes Montgomery Paco de Lucia Lenny Breau Pat Metheny Bireli Lagrene Allan Holdsworth Danny Gatton Michael Hedges Robert Frip Kazuhito Yamashita Frank Gambale Stanley Jordan Eric Johnson Tommy Emmanuel Ben Euson Kurt Rossenwinkel Greg Koch Tori Slusher Derek Trucks Guthrie Govan etc, etc etc ... Not 'Modern Guitar' is not just Popular Mainstream Hair metal Rock Guitar ... Once you check the 'Old Virtuosos Improvisation skills' , you realize that what you call 'modern guitar' are just the kids recycling old techniques, using technology and over-prepared/over -rehearsed/over-edited/not spontaneous performances ... most of them can not even improvise with taste over an old jazz standard ...
Before I watch the video, the way that I would describe it is post romanticism with jazz harmony applied to modern guitar techniques. I’ve thought about it a lot and I do think this description makes sense. I think a lot of people are very great at intuiting music when it’s a derivative of blues (which is what the majority of guitar riffs/solos were based off of) so when it deviates from that (dissonance and extended harmony derived from jazz) a lot of people come out confused. The expectation of a more blues derived harmony clashes with what people end up hearing.
@VanHalensApprentice Post romanticism is a pretty good summation and I feel like it explains our point in history after the rebellious, counter-culture rock era. I just responded to a comment where I stated exactly what you described -- the applied dissonance of a lot of today's guitar music merged with modern technique. I think the term I used was "arrhythmic noise" as jazz already appeals more to a refined palate and modern techniques can come across as overbearing when used extensively. As I'm thinking about it more, I like the term. It encapsulates a ton of the essence of modern guitar
@@monfloral Yes. It’s also a satisfactory explanation as to why the previous generation doesn’t quite “get” modern guitar music. To them, music’s sole purpose is to be an expression of subjective emotion. It’s the same reason that the majority of modern people can’t grasp, say, baroque or classical music. It’s an inevitable change that was bound to happen. Once you exhaust a premise (romanticism), creatives naturally begin to look for another lens to look at their art through in hopes of creating something unique and novel. I think that’s what’s happening now and I find it really exciting. Also good point about the historical context of the guitar. It started off as the rebel’s choice of instrument, it’s no surprise that in a way, whether unconscious or not, they’re trying to move away from romanticism. And cool, so I’m not the only one who thinks about it like that! Arrhythmic noise is perfect lol. Probably why all my friends perceive all the music that I like as “noise”. It sucks that I don’t really have anyone else to enjoy it with, but it is what it is
In the 1870s people thought that the victorian electic bit-of-everything-from-eras-past approach was cheesy but it eventually became well loved. That's the class I would put guitarists like Mk.Gee in. Its kinda cringy how hard he tries to pretend to be 80s dude. But at the end of the day I can appreciate what he's doing
Well done video with some excellent takes! 1v1 I would say the biggest difference would be that all the artists you mentioned are either instrumental bands or instrumental solo artists. The previous era players you showed in the video worked inside a framework that mainly has a focus on vocals and lyrics as the emphasis of the song. That difference I think really affects the function of the guitar and its role in the two contexts. The instrumental based groups/artists have a lot more room to explore technique tone etc. because the music is centered around the guitar and musicianship as the focus of the song. The other is focused on lyric based song writing with riffs and one or two solo sections for the guitar, maybe none. Did guitarists evolve and do something new? Absolutely! However I'm not sure its quite comparable. It would be closer to comparing the Notre Dame Cathedral to the Burj Khalifa. One is absolutely more advanced in terms of engineering and definitely more modern in design but they serve different functions even though they are both considered buildings and used architecture to create them. Nice to see a great video on the current state of guitar playing and looking forward to more!
@JamesMaurer The absence of vocals is, for sure, something to make note of and I actually agree. Love the architectural comparison also! The understanding of the function of the guitar does make a ton of sense and is definitely significant when it comes to the shaping of how the guitar is utilized now vs. then. Only thing I can say is that, it's arguable that the room to explore was still present but most guitarists may not have been aware of just how much room there was. There's plenty of artists today building some pretty complex rhythms behind vocal leads. I agree with what you're saying and while I know it's true, it's hard for me to affirm that the presence of vocals was the ONLY factor. Today, many guitarists continue to play complex solos and shred regardless of the presence of lyrics. This is me quickly laying out my thoughts, but I think there's a lot underlying in that comment that can be explored! Appreciate ya!
@@monfloral Definitely a conversation and thought worth exploring. Very true, it’s nuanced for sure. It’s so challenging to compare things in different eras for any topic. I definitely know what you mean though. Maybe im just unfamiliar with the vocal based songs vs instrumental music. I know I write differently for both. Looking forward to more videos. Take care man!
Before I comment, I am old, hahahah. The technical ability is amazing now coming from "The Modern Guitar Player" and the envelope is definitely being pushed. There are so many styles being melded together. I really like that aspect of it. I would have to agree with Uhuru, the songs and raw emotion just isn't there. There is something missing. This is just a theory. A lot of music is being created on the computer to a perfect drum track that is aligned to the grid in the bedroom. People are just not getting together in the same room playing and woodshedding songs. My kids hang out with their friends either online or maybe in the same room on their phones. It is super weird to me. People aren't experiencing life in the analogue world. Many people see and experience the world online. In my opinion, those missed experiences through the real world is a big part of why I think music now is a bit sterile. I love all the new technology that is available now. The guitar sounds you can get now are amazing, especially when you have experienced playing through an old CRATE solid state amp from the 80's. Art is expressing an idea, feeling, a thought, pain, etc through a medium. If the art is not making me feel anything then I just can't get into it. Music to me isn't just background noise or a cool musical acrobatic show of fast guitar lines, it is human communication of love, hate, anger, a moment in life, etc through vibrations in the air. A long rant that no one will probably read. I wish I could play like some of these guys. I am very jealous but I don't know if I can sit through more than a couple of songs. Great video by the way. I think you did a great job on articulating your opinion.
@battyfang4701 'Mark as read' - So many thought provoking takes in these comments! The phenomenon you mentioned, is a theory I touched on "Is this THE END of Guitar Music" video and I think it's more meaningful than most realize. Of course it's difficult to directly attribute a perceived staleness of today's art to the lack of in-person interactions, but I have no doubt there's a strong correlation. There are a ton of modern guitarists that exist mainly to showcase technique (and there's tremendous value in that) but there are more artists emerging who are using these techniques to express true emotion. They're few and far between at the moment but there are surely more on the way. Might have to touch on that topic in the future!
Just wish these 'modern guitarists' would write a proper song for once. They are basically guitar geeks with zero feeling and musical creativity. You look and listen but feel cold inside. The exception is Mansur Brown
My idea is to TRIPLE down on boomerisms to a point where it’s ridiculous I want to transcend the boomer style AND the modern style I don’t let my solos breathe at all, I bend to sheer redundancy, I’ll overindulge and just stop playing and stare at people, I’ll obnoxiously shred with NO virtuosity, I’ll EXCLUSIVELY alternate pick, when the band is straight I swing, i can Chuck berry a whole song that doesn’t call for it, I could care so much less about TONE, I’ll zip the pentatonic like it’s a zipper and then zip arpeggios like I know jazz, I hit the stick like it’s guitar hero 3
A lot of "modern" features sound like what I did (and sometimes still do) with my nylon classic. I mean, right now I'm learning a transcription of Bachs Prelude No 1 that fulfills every criteria you mentioned about burying the "solo" in the arpeggios / chords. Getting all sorts of sound a likes out of a nylon also has driven up my versatility a lot. While just playing a trash metal riff without distortion doens't sound very metal-ish, jus ta little palm muting goes a long way. But if I reduce myself to that single simple guitar and I want to play recognizable songs I have to get creative anyway which circles back to the initial thing and what you touched on when you mentioned modern common solo recording. All this I basically said to say a simple thing; nothing of this does sound very new to me. Good and enjoyable, yes. But not innovative - I fear that part of guitar is over.
I get the technical ability part, but that's why I say that it is music for guitar snobs rather than music for people in general. I feel like if I listen to 30 seconds of Tim Henson I heard it all. It's generally the same type of technical fuccery. Like, I hate boomers with the intensity of a thousand burning suns, but I gotta give it to them, their guitar music did reach absolute perfection in terms of both soulfulness or intensity. If you're more technical than say Randy Rhoads, it becomes detrimental to the music itself. That's why I'm personally content playing stuff that could've easily come out 30 years ago.
Ive grown to respect modern guitarists more and more. Everyone seems to chase the classic era but may fail to innovate. We have heard a 59 PAF les paul through a plexi marshall a hundred times, it sounds good but lets move forward. Stop chasing vintage shit, bring something new in. Modern players are at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of guitars and even if i dont like the music per se, they are the ones who arent stuck in the same route of what we have been doing for ages. They are the ones who are looking for new sounds, just as the guitar legends of the classic era did in their youth.
Hello Mon, nice video I would add just overatching point. Every point that you made actually stands for any guitar era, since it was at that point concidered "modern" (pop). Ill pick 1 example but it can be any of the 4. Lets say genre fluidity. You can say now, looking back, metalica is metal or what not, but at the time when concieved, think of how undefined these bands were - Jimi Hendix ex, Cream, Kansas, dire straits.. just to name a few from what you concider classic rock. If you are not familiar with when they startet, what was populat at the time and most importantly extenxive repertoar, you might put them in a single "classic rock" basket. But do these 3 things for any of those, or other popular bands, and you will see just how different and "modern" they were. So this era is not much diferent in philosophy. It follows a clear lineage in pop guitar progresion. You can imidiatly date a current song like you can a song from any guitar era. It would be cool if you took that aproach and maby devote a video comparing your reveletions. Anyways, love seeing people hyped about guitar again. All the best my friend. Keep on going
@kostaVHjovanovic Thank for the comment! Philosophically, you're right, this music period is no different from any other and that's irrefutable. Metallica, Pink Floyd, Queen were all modern for their time but they were modern by different standards. Ideally, my aim was to illustrate the ways in which today's version of modern guitar may be considered "modern" but to properly dig into your claim, I would have to make an entire video addressing that concept alone. That'd be a fun topic to get into, so maybe.. Appreciate you! :D
While modern playing is totally AMAZEballs....there will always be a "Cobain" type out there that will show us all that they can capture our attention just as much and albeit soulfully without the glitz and glam of showing off technical skill. Not bashing any ideas here, just stating reality. I would like to see more modern stuff incorporate singers into their stuff. Its time to find singers that are as dynamic and creative as the instruments. (They do exist)
@@BoKstaRi mean it's more complicated than nirvana for sure but in terms of listening, its a lot easier to listen to compared to all the noodly stuff. plus it's probably easier to play too
You and I are the complete opposite. I disagree with so many on your topics. I personally hate “modern guitar”. Didn’t even know that’s what it was called makes sense cause most modern mainstream music sucks. You’re lumping so many diverse guitarist of the 20th century together. You say that their tone all sounds the same. Couldn’t be farther from the truth. I think you can make a better argument that modern guitar all sounds very similar to each other.
@tradertom4843 I'm aware my overview of classic rock guitarists is flawed as it does package an entire era into a box. Personally, I find that there's attributes from both time periods that are immensely beneficial to the progression of guitar music. The main point here is the difference in the meta of guitar players. I do think most of their tones did sound similar (though articulated differently) which isn't a wild claim since most of them did play through comparable rigs but there are plenty of guitarists of that time who were exceptionally different. And the same can be said for now. You said "modern mainstream music sucks" and while I'm well aware of it's insufficiencies I'm sure there's a couple "modern" artists who you feel merge the gap in a more appealing manner. I would just argue this means we're moving forward. Great points though, might have to be addressed in a future video
you know what is really weird? why ibanez? why modern guitarist always have some sort of an ibanez? Its like all of the other guitar brands vanished out of existance
I am very biased when I say that, because I am just a huge fan of 50s-90s music. What Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Angus Young, BB King, Eddie Van Halen and the almighty Jimi have in common is that they had a great feel for composition and ,for a lack of better word, the raw input of their soul integrated into their songs. You just FEEL the emotions that they put in there! Modern guitar players are without a doubt more technical than the old guard. However, if you compromise your compsition and it´s lack of soul so you can put more guitar wanking into your song, there is only so much you can do until it sounds all the same, and quite frankly that is boring and very unoriginal. Look at AC/DC for example. They did 18 albums and basically use the same damn chords everytime since 1975´s High Voltage! Angus made even a joke about it in an interview when the 12th album "Razor's Edge" came out: th-cam.com/video/ouWC1fWH7Ws/w-d-xo.html Anyways, what I want to say is that even after using similar chord structures and progressions for nearly 50 years, every song of them still has this electric energy flowing. Not because of technical virtuoisity, but because Angus has his no bullshit-groove, authenticity, and soul, which a majority of modern guitarists don´t have. They don´t have to re-invent the wheel, but just put their own spin to it.
@svenproglhof1768 There's a ton of value in the outline you've drawn. I really like the phrase "raw input" as it summarizes both the absence of intense sound modulation and the increased emphasis they placed on the guitar playing itself. The fact that artists of that time were able to repackage similar progressions like you mentioned is a clear indicator of their pure musical abilities. While there are a handful of modern guitar players that are able create that emotional tension in their music, the meta as a whole seems to be more geared towards expression through complexity (which is a bit paradoxical). There are more and more artists adding that soulful spin to the modern sound but I think it'll take some for them to be appreciated at the proper capacity
Well ... I am a boomer, meaning I am 60 y/o and play guitar since decades ... Your video is great and I am in agreement with mostly all your thoughts, but 😉. Modern guitarists, let's say Tim Henson or Guthrie Govan or Ikita Nicho or Tosin Abasi etc. are incredible guitarists and musicians but they play a music genre that talks mostly to ... guitarists ... I never saw a concert of any of these guys in a big arena, a stadium, a castle's parc nor eard their music played for a global event ... And Poliphya isn't really a young band anymore, they exist since over 10 years. That music genre is not "accessible" to most people . When I make people, who are not playing an instrument, of age between 35 to 75 y/o to listen to Poliphya's music they, almost all of them, don't like it or they mention they wouldn't put them in their music playlist and when they listen to Ego Death (as an example) they kind of like the part played by ... Steve Vai who is a " dinosaure". The main issue with modern guitarists/bands is that they do not really play songs, they don't write lyrics, they don't have a singer and they are quite repetitive too , when you've eard one Poliphya's tune you've eard them all ... They play instrumental music mainly but the vast majority of the listeners are expecting songs or electronic basic repetitive samples to dance on ... Modern guitar is never going to reach the level of success of bands or artists such as the Pink Floyd, The Stones, the Beatles, Elvis, Lady Gaga, Taah Sultana, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Dire Straits, Jimi Hendrix, the Queen ... There is no movie biopic made on these musicians, music biopic that had a global success where mostly made on artist from the ... 60s' 70s' or 80s' ...Just check Poliphya and the modern guitarists' position ins Spotify's global music ranking ... They are most often, invisible ...
i don't think anyone has ever described polyphia has either rock or rock fusion lol even though math rock isn't really good genre to describe them, most people call it that. i'd say the best genre to describe this stuff is just "modern prog" because of how suitably vauge that term is.
@@whereismysonicantfindhim1816 There are people who describe anybody at a certain level of technical proficiency on guitar as math rock. You can find them all over TH-cam comment sections and it annoys me ineffably
@jamesstent "Rock fusion" definitely isn't the most common term but I tried to not open the can of modern prog or math rock. Those genres have ever changing definitions and as you said are pretty vague (sure it is suitable). I would've needed another 5 minutes to define modern prog in this video but across new age guitar music, that's really the best overarching description at the moment
@felipedomaul Honestly that's not far off. I just think now, there's a lot of new techniques and styles being introduced that will become the staple of acclaimed artists in the future. But I think that next wave of artists will be the ones who bring a sense of groove back into the equation
when you speak about texture halfway through the video you mentioned that modern guitarist's melody have a "richer" sound.?? ok you mentioned Polyphia a lot of times so I try to compare their music to (lets say) "tender surrender" by Vai, or "if I could fly" by Satch or "wishful thinking" by JP or maybe "cliffs of Dover" even the more technical stuff like "acid rain or paradigm shift" by LTE...really?? modern guitarists have richer melody?? even the stuff Paul Gilbert did in the 80's with racer X, I can't think of anything that rivals in today's scene. there's that Japanese guy with Ibanez that does that technical showcase of licks and tricks in short form content and really that's all there is its a "Technical showcase" something to awe as we watch it and forget about it after a while it gets old pretty quick as some of the commenters would say that for me is modern guitarist. dad rock guitarist is WAAY MORE melodic then math rock (modern) guitarist, I hate to put it to you but people got bored with Tool's latest album as it was a mathematical equation confined to the textbooks under the book shelf gathering dust
@charvlim5159 Keep in mind, I was attempting to compare modern guitarists to a very broad scope of classic rock guitarists and of the few you mentioned (Satch, Vai, JP) they were 100% on par, by today's standards, when it came to technique diversity. There was a point where I used "richer" when denser would've been more appropriate but overall there are more artists utilizing dissonance on top of complexity which really can end up sounding like arrhythmic noise but there will eventually come a time where those calculated compositions blend with great emotional expression. Honestly, a fair take!
So what you’re saying is that guitar playing is mostly technical clout? Cause I don’t give a sh!t how technical or “talented” some of this new generation is, it’s all just f!cking clout: NO EMOTION🤣what the f!ck am I supposed to feel from these “blender” styles? Everything is just thrown in and blended for clout. Only a couple actually elicit true emotions!✌🏽
Polyphia boy was smart. Rock guitar has been developing throughout the years, taking influences from blues, jazz, that created fusion altogether, also took influences from reggea, obviously classical asweell, it went all the way with sofisticated compositions with prog, than the complete opposite with punk, which influenced thrash that added some more elaborated compositions with both dissionances... well, the list goes on and on But polyphia hoy had a dream, he wanted to be remembered, he wanted to compose somthing unique, that noone has ever done before. When he was about to give up, thinking everything had already been created and that he would ultimately end up copying people too, something clicked inside of him... he tol himself: "I know! I will do something noone has ever tried, I will compose something never done before... I'm gonna think of the worst ideas, that sound very bad, goofy, strange, kinda childish at times, really fast, using all the neck of guitar, abusing of slides and harmonics because this will impress the casuals. And I will boost my popularity creating also some additional awkward baby metal rippoff stuff And then there was polyphia
Modern guitar players are so boring and i dont mean the aesthethics or the looks its the soullessness of their music. One may think so much technicianship would play on his favor but it just adds on the never ending amount of information and so little ideas to build on that knowledge. Just listen maggot brain a basic song but man it pierces your soul, takes you to space back and forrh without all that billion changes and techniques. I feel modern players lack something you dont make up with all the technique and musical knowledge in the universe which is .... Humanity and all it comes with it sheer brutality, unleashed passion, mistakes, being flawed all this things give you music you can connect with because you see yourself reflected on it. This got long i give a shit about this topic eventough im a musician songwriter myself its just TH-cam keeps pushing this polypophia tipe of music down peoples throat eventhough we couldnt care less about it
I label modern guitar as "overly pretentious gayness". If someone had tried to enaged in it when I was a kid they had been greeted with a punch in the stomach while being told to "shuddup" by some "Darryl Dimebag-looking" dude. 😅 I think modern guitar is the consequence of classic bullying going extinct and therefor has been turned into a circus freakshow. And not in a good way really because the music haven't become "better" with time. Quite the opposit in most regards. Musicality wise it's often quite medicore with a lot of "lets make this sounding hard to play in an overly complicated manner to get more clicks". It's not so much about musicality anymore. I know the "cool" thing to do is to pretend you enjoy this new meta. Just to signal you yourself is still relevant and not some obsolete relic from the past. But I'm not gonna pretend. I don't have to since I'm not trying to be some internet persona. I think this would've been OK if this was some sub genre for the nerdiest of nerds... we have always had that. Like "math core". It's not something new really. But it's not for the nerds. It's the mainstream now with no alternatives if you want to hear something new.
The 'Soul Of Music' is being replaced by technical acrobatics. Music is not a Sport where athletes complete, unless we're now COMPLETELY soulless and insane. Are we?
I've been into guitar electric since I was a child in the 1970's, and I think you nailed many points of the modern guitarist. Historically, guitarists have crossed genres for good playing, but weere stuck with what their record label saw them as selling. I knew L.A. metal players learning jazz, C&W pickin', Euro-centric, and of course blues. But players were still stuck as they toured with no youtube to learn other guys techniques. Genre was much of peoples identity: the music you listened to was the friends you had, the places you hung around, the drugs you did, and the fashion you wore. The 21st century leveled the boundaries as anyone could find music from anywhere without peer interference. The guitar was in sad shape through the 90's as hip hop was taking over and playing well and without horrible rage was out of style. Then the renaissance of the internet and it has become cool to be good and everyone is getting influences from everywhere. The guitar is alive and well. It is still the beautiful medium of imagination, hands, and technology. Great vid!
@alexanders562 The significance of an artist's genre, that you mentioned, tells an entire story alone. There's literally so much nuance behind the music itself that plays into the unravelling of where we are today. So many topics in there I wanna talk about HAHA
Beautiful comment!
You never talked about the modern guitarist before the modern guitar was a thing: Jeff Beck
yoo thanks for featuring my song dude love watching your video essays when i eat LOL
u really do got some impressive ass production, keep it up homie
@novander Nah the pleasure mine, I have nothing but respect for your style! Hoping it made decent eating content
@@monfloralbrother i tell u i spit out my morning cereal
Interesting that Jimi Hendrix is on the thumbnail for this. Jimi was a complete artist who wrote innovative and soulful songs that connected with people. He was a singer, a lyricist, an innovative music producer, and a world class accompanist who mastered his craft working in other artist’s bands on the Chitlen circuit. Innovative guitar pyrotechnics were only a part of what he did. I haven’t seen all that stuff from any of these new young virtuosos.
@tomsandahl9450 The reasons you mentioned were exactly the reason he's on it. It wasn't intended to imply that he was anything short of innovative. Jimi and Tim are easily two super influential guitarists within their respective periods whether you love or hate them.
What's so fascinating about Jimi Hendrix is the way he was able to reform the guitar landscape, to a significant degree, in such a short time. We could only imagine what his impact would've looked like if he had access to modern equipment.
@@monfloralTim has zero influence on music and guitar players i love music all genres styles languages and didnt know about him its just this stupid recommendations that feed somebody i give a shit for. Yes i did listen one of gis songs and damn 30 seconds on and i switched what a pretentious bunch of ultra technical crap
@@kydzsyea he’s really just someone who combined existing style into making really complex riffs and stuff
Didn’t really create anything
Doesn’t sing, doesn’t influence popular music
He’s overall incredibly hidden to anyone modern day
@@kydzs he's influenced a lot more people then you ever will🤡
@kydzs "He didn't influence anyone because I have never heard of him"; not an argument. You likely have never heard of hundreds of painters, illustrator, directors, producers, architects, etc. that had fundamentally changed the landscape of their given fields.
The flex you're trying to make is "if they're so important why have I never heard if them", but in all reality it's just a spotlight that you clearly don't have your finger on the pulse of where guitar is, or headed. That's not something to brag about.
Just comes off as bragging about being out of touch.
One blind spot I'm noticing.... no mention of Chet Atkins, Adrian Legg, Tommy Emmanuel, or Lenny Breau, (among many many others). These players did very technical and innovative things within their idioms, many of which were the forerunners to some of the techniques discussed here. They also tended to transcend genre in the standard (rather commercialized) sense. They also knew how to put on an entertaining show and not take themselves too seriously, which interplayed with their technique in interesting ways.
But otherwise, super-interesting perspective. Thanks for sharing these thoughtful insights!
Today's guitarist are definitely more skilled in the way of technical skill and just overall song composition (David Maxim Micic is my go to for modern playing). My gripe with modern guitar is that it all just seems to blend together after 3 or 4 songs. At work my boss listens to plini almost every other day and while some fills catch my attention, most of the time it just sounds like one long song! I respect the technique but man does it get old quick.
I think the same could be said about shred guitar and jazz solos. Generally speaking they can all “sound the same” or be “annoying to listen to” (like favorite things by Miles Davis) but if your a fan of either genre you can pick out your favs easily.
What’s really exciting about modern guitar is that it sets the foundation for future guitar songs that have the potential to become classics, while also being distinctly modern.
DMM is really good, i love his work.
the big thing is guitar music becomes elevator music when ur like plini. its good background music but you're right. it all blends together. thats why you need vocals. its the balance between technical playing and vocals that ive been working on for my own ep
I wouldn’t say guitarist are more skilled, it’s that there is so many kids and people easily learning how to play off TH-cam and so now we’re seeing them all come to the forefront. Theres been so many insanely skilled guitar players of the 20th century. Jeff Beck being one of the more mainstream ones for example.
I think this is the case for an every day listener. The way my professor puts it is it’s virtuosic music for virtuosos
Mon Floral the GOAT. One of the true guitar enthusiasts within this space! Love your work!
@Grace-to3nq Appreciate you!
It just doesn’t have any groove. I don’t find myself feeling the rhythm, tapping my foot, or nodding my head. Innovating is great if you’re moving forward but to me it seems like the music is devolving, like all the soul has left. But hey to each his own.
I completely agree with you. We still don’t have anyone putting on bangers like in the 60s/70s/80/90s. There’s this particular emotion or element that is kinda of hard to put my finger on. I guess organic or soul might be the word I’m looking for. As you said though, to each their own.
I agree with you.
@UhuruSasa85 This take seems to be quite common and is 1000% valid. Only thing I can argue is that this style is still relatively new (from a time period sense) and I would like to think that as it progresses, there will be artists that blend the innovative technicality with soulful rhythms. There are a few artists I see cracking that door open but it's difficult for them to grow as most of the attention from that audience is still aimed at the flashier styles
ah yes, the "modern guitar is soulless" argument
@@fastilafuska I don't get it, been a musician my whole life, listened to the classics enjoyed everything they had to offer, and moved on to other things for a long while, from jazz, classical, electronic music, hip hop etc... you name it. I understand music on a deep level (beyond music theory) having practiced and appreciated for decades now.
if you can make abstraction of the "popular" and hype factors and just listen to the album "remember that you will die" from start to finish.
this album brought me back to the times when you would have to buy a CD or a cassette and you'd be stuck listening to that for the next few months, and it would stand the test of time, to this day.
back when albums carried a deeper meaning throughout.
this album brought me back to that.
up until the second to last track, it's as close a perfect album as I've heard. It grooves like crazy, it's deeply emotional at times, playful and silly at others, always musically inspiring in how they take simple formulas and chord progressions and express their art with them in a very accessible, yet technically impressive way.
perfect transitions, near perfect track order, it's always fun, always groovy, always engaging.
in opposition, the technical guitar stuff of old did sound stale and empty.
now they made it sound fun and meaningful.
modern guitar is what old guitar tried to be but never quite could.
Robert Fripp. Godfather of the "modern guitar". Ahead of his time, and is being forgotten because of it.
one reason I'm a bassist is that I can fill in for anyone. a jazz big band, a metal band, a pop group, etc. good video btw
Very interesting discussion. I am an old guy (about to turn 58) and primarily a fretless bassist but have always loved artists that blur genres and techniques in pursuit of the music they hear in their heads (even if I don';t really get it) so I love so many of the incredible musicians that you mentions especially Tosin Abasi but I have just two comments:
Firstly, I have to think that you are remiss in not including Guthrie Govan in you list as I feel like he is more modern than neoclassical as perhaps a cursory investigation might imply.
Secondly, While I agree that man of the most popular and well regarded guitarist of the last century are decidedly derrivitive in their style, tone, genre, and texture I must suggest that there are three examples that standout among their peers.
Django Rheinhardt, Jimi Hendrix, and Jeff Beck were all so innovative as to be considered to have re-invented the instrument.
Django played with a fluidity and precisionthat was unheard of on nearly any instrument other than piano previously and launched guitar out of the realm of harmonic/rythym instruments into an instrument with a voice and capable of providing all of the essential elements of musicality completely by itself.
Before Jimi Hendrix, guitarist essentially played acoustic guitars but louder. Volume and almost accidentily, distortion arose out of a need to be heard above drummers. But Jimi truly played the electricness of the instrument, in gace many of the most popular guitar effects did not even exist until Jimi heard them in his head and then asked Dallas Arbiter and Roger Mayer to make them a reality. Now that's innovation!!
Just listen to Jeff Beck's solo on Because we've ended as Lovers and tell me that sounds like a guitar. His use of tone, texture, and technique created a voice that was infintely more musical than just "gutarical".
I have not included the genius of jaco Pastorius in this list, not because he was not the most innovative bassist in the history of the instrument but because what he did for the ekectric bass has a dirrect parllel to what Django did for guitar and so while unique to the electric bass, his contribution was in some way derrivitive.
Overall, great discussion.
it really is changing in the coolest ways. theres so many unique ways to improve your guitar playing other than filling in the gaps with as many notes as possible. you really explained it in a succinct way
I think its undeniable that modern guitarists are more technically proficient than their older counterparts (due primarily to the internet giving players the ability to access nigh-infinite tutorials and guidance from their bedrooms). I do think a lot of the rest is genre dependent and/or just opinion. Richer tone is definitely an opinion. A lot of the innovation is just taking pre-existing techniques and mashing them together. And genre fluidity has always been a thing, people like to pretend Nu-Metal doesn't exist but it does. And while you may find less distortion in some modern bands, there are some genres that are seeing an increase in distortion. Metal is full of it.
As far as them standing out from one another, I feel like this is actually less of the case than it was in the past (and that was already a problem before). As players continue to adopt techniques they see others use, the end result continues to get more and more homogenous. Used to be that Tosin was rather unique for his thumping technique but now more and more players are copying it. I believe this, and other comparable examples, are the result of the internet making it very easy for players to to adopt from one another. I don't consider this to be inherently bad, and I imagine as time goes on this will be distilled into a new more cohesive sound that actually manages to stand out from the rest and potentially form a new genre. Its just currently experiencing growing pains.
And this is purely opinion, but I find a lot of modern guitarists end up blending together. I'm not saying you don't see this with previous guitarists, i'm just saying its a problem that hasn't gone away. A lot of modern guitar songs sound like someone wrote a bunch of different riffs (or had an arpeggiator do it) and just mashed them together.
@RecliningWhale Everything you mentioned certainly exists and is pretty accurate throughout the "genre." Just as something to say, every now and then I'll come across a small artist that has a fairly original sound which pushes me to believe there's always room to introduce some unique angle despite how difficult it may be to find.
Your second paragraph is a topic I'd love to explore, in depth, in the future. There's a lot that can be said about that claim and I think "growing pains" is a wonderful way to describe the current guitar scene.
Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for the Crue clip bro, killer song🤘
i dont even play guitar and i love this breakdown! nice work!
The problem with modern guitar is the lack of things to say. So many guitarists today try to be weird and 'different' but fail to say anything relevant to our current era.
You can tell a LOT of guitarists today just stack random riffs in front of the others in Ableton with a weird beat. Polyphia being the first example in mind lmao. Classic Rock, as people call it had a lot more to say than 'Modern guitar'.
Tosin Abasin, Tim Henson, Yvette Young, Plini all sound the same from a certain point of view. Maybe some of them do pinch harmonics at different places and some use Lydian more while the other prefers Phrygian, but they're still veeeery similar. Like the guitarists and musicians of the other eras. Most people follow the zeitgeist. Again, the problem here is the lack of things to say. It's lot of flash. There is something so cold about modern music sound today that is hard to explain.
@antswillrise1931 I couldn't agree with you more with the notion that classic rock artists had "more to say." Thing is, so much was said that contemporary artists had to find new ways to convey their message without repetition. And I think we're at a moment where everything ornate and "different "has to be exploited before the soulful music revolution takes place. And I think that time is sure to come
It certainly is a lot of flash happening at the moment but I think there's gonna be a ton of gripping sounds and styles that emerge once the flashy curtain is pulled back.
@@monfloral It's probably true.
As long as young people keep getting interested in music and we keep remembering those who came before, I'll say that all of this is part of evolution.
People spend so much of their time on the internet bow that they miss out on the kind of life experience that great songwriters had that gave them something to write about. Also people read a lot more books back then which i think is crucial for people who to expand their inds and develop an imagination
@@TheGiantMidget You're right. I asked Bing AI to tell me which were the most popular musical themes of the 2020's. I think this say a lot. 😅
- Nostalgia and Escapism
- Social and Political Commentary
- Mental Health and Personal Struggles
- Empowerment and Positivity
- Viral Trends and TikTok Influence.
- Technology and Digital Life:
- Globalization and Cultural Fusion
@@antswillrise1931 meanwhile in the 1970s Frank Zappa was writing songs about dog pee and Pancake Breakfasts and made millions of Dollars doing that 😂 that is almost incomprehensible nowadays
You nailed it about all the diferent nuances in music genre, i would rathrr call it post-modern, with a progressive in musicality and posibilities
I agree with a lot of this but disagree with it being more creative. The notion of less is more is, well true. Technical guitar playing is great and all but there’s a whole area of music missing in modern guitar music. How many of these tunes are actually going to be classics. I believe we still haven’t had a guitarist as groundbreaking as Hendrix, Duane Allman, Jimmy page and Jeff Beck. Who’s knows if we will. Where these guys might have lacked in the “technical aspect” of music they were absolutely geniuses when it came to composition. We’re lacking that in modern music. Yes a bunch of virtuosity in modern guitar players but I haven’t heard a single one that blows my mind when it comes to something that’s going to be a classic.
I agree, with a lot of modern guitar compositions I’m absolutely blown away by its technical nature but am often overwhelmed by sound that I don’t really know what I’m listening to if that makes sense.
Like I don’t really feel anything from it or sense a direction, just ambiguity.
One thing I vastly disagree with in the video is the oversimplification of guitarists of the past, sure there is a point to be made about rock bands of the 80s to the 90s sounding the same but a lot of the 60s and 70s players most certainly have distinguishable tone and style, but that is just my opinion.
@flippiehippie9740 As I was doing research for this video, I would find myself getting lost in the atmosphere and presence that some of those classic rock bands and guitarists possessed. So there's certainly something that can be said about how today's guitar music holds up in that regard.
The idea of new "classics" being created will simply be a test of time as what people deem as "a classic" is usually correlated to a sense of nostalgia from their formative years. I doubt much of today's modern music will achieve that, but I'm sure more artists will arise who merge the gap between modern inspirations and tasteful soul-altering guitar playing
I think that was a good overview! I'm older and have to make an effort to listen to new stuff, I think changes are sometimes hard to get hold of, how many people's grand parents hate modern music, I also see a trend in generations moving forward and doing things that weren't done before, I rode dirt bikes in the 70s, never imagined the crazy jumps etc. they can do today, the same in music, no boundaries, constantly pushing forward,thanks for peaking my interest even more!!
@cliveburgess4128 That continuous progression is really the focus. I don't necessarily believe that the modern guitar music we have now will be what lives on, but the way it inspires artists to experiment while applying their personal flair is where the magic lies
@@monfloral Agreed! It is beginning to re inspire me after watching, thank you!!
HOLY SHIT NOVANDER
HI KAI
@novander Had to toss ya in there 😉
You are a very good content creator. Your channel will grow, just keep it up!
@exile9796 I appreciate that :D
Django Reinhart
Joe Pass
Wes Montgomery
Paco de Lucia
Lenny Breau
Pat Metheny
Bireli Lagrene
Allan Holdsworth
Danny Gatton
Michael Hedges
Robert Frip
Kazuhito Yamashita
Frank Gambale
Stanley Jordan
Eric Johnson
Tommy Emmanuel
Ben Euson
Kurt Rossenwinkel
Greg Koch
Tori Slusher
Derek Trucks
Guthrie Govan
etc, etc etc ...
Not 'Modern Guitar' is not just Popular Mainstream Hair metal Rock Guitar ...
Once you check the 'Old Virtuosos Improvisation skills' , you realize that what you call 'modern guitar' are just the kids recycling old techniques, using technology and over-prepared/over -rehearsed/over-edited/not spontaneous performances ... most of them can not even improvise with taste over an old jazz standard ...
Awesome video! Your editing skills are definitely 🔥! Keep bringing great quality videos!💜💜🤩
Genuinely good video essay. Thanks for the content ❤
Before I watch the video, the way that I would describe it is post romanticism with jazz harmony applied to modern guitar techniques. I’ve thought about it a lot and I do think this description makes sense. I think a lot of people are very great at intuiting music when it’s a derivative of blues (which is what the majority of guitar riffs/solos were based off of) so when it deviates from that (dissonance and extended harmony derived from jazz) a lot of people come out confused. The expectation of a more blues derived harmony clashes with what people end up hearing.
@VanHalensApprentice Post romanticism is a pretty good summation and I feel like it explains our point in history after the rebellious, counter-culture rock era.
I just responded to a comment where I stated exactly what you described -- the applied dissonance of a lot of today's guitar music merged with modern technique. I think the term I used was "arrhythmic noise" as jazz already appeals more to a refined palate and modern techniques can come across as overbearing when used extensively.
As I'm thinking about it more, I like the term. It encapsulates a ton of the essence of modern guitar
@@monfloral Yes. It’s also a satisfactory explanation as to why the previous generation doesn’t quite “get” modern guitar music. To them, music’s sole purpose is to be an expression of subjective emotion. It’s the same reason that the majority of modern people can’t grasp, say, baroque or classical music. It’s an inevitable change that was bound to happen.
Once you exhaust a premise (romanticism), creatives naturally begin to look for another lens to look at their art through in hopes of creating something unique and novel. I think that’s what’s happening now and I find it really exciting.
Also good point about the historical context of the guitar. It started off as the rebel’s choice of instrument, it’s no surprise that in a way, whether unconscious or not, they’re trying to move away from romanticism.
And cool, so I’m not the only one who thinks about it like that! Arrhythmic noise is perfect lol. Probably why all my friends perceive all the music that I like as “noise”. It sucks that I don’t really have anyone else to enjoy it with, but it is what it is
Great video
I miss CHON
@travvhunter Don't we all :(
In the 1870s people thought that the victorian electic bit-of-everything-from-eras-past approach was cheesy but it eventually became well loved. That's the class I would put guitarists like Mk.Gee in. Its kinda cringy how hard he tries to pretend to be 80s dude. But at the end of the day I can appreciate what he's doing
Well done video with some excellent takes! 1v1 I would say the biggest difference would be that all the artists you mentioned are either instrumental bands or instrumental solo artists. The previous era players you showed in the video worked inside a framework that mainly has a focus on vocals and lyrics as the emphasis of the song. That difference I think really affects the function of the guitar and its role in the two contexts. The instrumental based groups/artists have a lot more room to explore technique tone etc. because the music is centered around the guitar and musicianship as the focus of the song. The other is focused on lyric based song writing with riffs and one or two solo sections for the guitar, maybe none. Did guitarists evolve and do something new? Absolutely! However I'm not sure its quite comparable. It would be closer to comparing the Notre Dame Cathedral to the Burj Khalifa. One is absolutely more advanced in terms of engineering and definitely more modern in design but they serve different functions even though they are both considered buildings and used architecture to create them. Nice to see a great video on the current state of guitar playing and looking forward to more!
@JamesMaurer The absence of vocals is, for sure, something to make note of and I actually agree. Love the architectural comparison also!
The understanding of the function of the guitar does make a ton of sense and is definitely significant when it comes to the shaping of how the guitar is utilized now vs. then. Only thing I can say is that, it's arguable that the room to explore was still present but most guitarists may not have been aware of just how much room there was. There's plenty of artists today building some pretty complex rhythms behind vocal leads. I agree with what you're saying and while I know it's true, it's hard for me to affirm that the presence of vocals was the ONLY factor. Today, many guitarists continue to play complex solos and shred regardless of the presence of lyrics.
This is me quickly laying out my thoughts, but I think there's a lot underlying in that comment that can be explored!
Appreciate ya!
@@monfloral Definitely a conversation and thought worth exploring. Very true, it’s nuanced for sure. It’s so challenging to compare things in different eras for any topic. I definitely know what you mean though. Maybe im just unfamiliar with the vocal based songs vs instrumental music. I know I write differently for both. Looking forward to more videos. Take care man!
Before I comment, I am old, hahahah. The technical ability is amazing now coming from "The Modern Guitar Player" and the envelope is definitely being pushed. There are so many styles being melded together. I really like that aspect of it. I would have to agree with Uhuru, the songs and raw emotion just isn't there. There is something missing. This is just a theory. A lot of music is being created on the computer to a perfect drum track that is aligned to the grid in the bedroom. People are just not getting together in the same room playing and woodshedding songs. My kids hang out with their friends either online or maybe in the same room on their phones. It is super weird to me. People aren't experiencing life in the analogue world. Many people see and experience the world online. In my opinion, those missed experiences through the real world is a big part of why I think music now is a bit sterile. I love all the new technology that is available now. The guitar sounds you can get now are amazing, especially when you have experienced playing through an old CRATE solid state amp from the 80's. Art is expressing an idea, feeling, a thought, pain, etc through a medium. If the art is not making me feel anything then I just can't get into it. Music to me isn't just background noise or a cool musical acrobatic show of fast guitar lines, it is human communication of love, hate, anger, a moment in life, etc through vibrations in the air. A long rant that no one will probably read. I wish I could play like some of these guys. I am very jealous but I don't know if I can sit through more than a couple of songs. Great video by the way. I think you did a great job on articulating your opinion.
@battyfang4701 'Mark as read' - So many thought provoking takes in these comments! The phenomenon you mentioned, is a theory I touched on "Is this THE END of Guitar Music" video and I think it's more meaningful than most realize.
Of course it's difficult to directly attribute a perceived staleness of today's art to the lack of in-person interactions, but I have no doubt there's a strong correlation. There are a ton of modern guitarists that exist mainly to showcase technique (and there's tremendous value in that) but there are more artists emerging who are using these techniques to express true emotion. They're few and far between at the moment but there are surely more on the way.
Might have to touch on that topic in the future!
@@monfloral I will check out your video. Thank you for suggesting it.
Just wish these 'modern guitarists' would write a proper song for once. They are basically guitar geeks with zero feeling and musical creativity. You look and listen but feel cold inside.
The exception is Mansur Brown
Talent is just as important as having soul. However, having soul must be complemented by talent as well.
Check out every little piece matters by plini. You’d be plain daft to imply it’s lacking in soul lmao
Mansur Brown>>>>
If you don’t think modern guitarists are musically creative then I don’t think you even watched or understood this video
Amazing essay!
Great video as always!
Modern gitar composishon,is the evalewshon of classical playing,❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉
Thank you for breaking it all down and analyzing all the reasons I hate modern guitar music.
Great video 🔥🔥
My idea is to TRIPLE down on boomerisms to a point where it’s ridiculous
I want to transcend the boomer style AND the modern style
I don’t let my solos breathe at all, I bend to sheer redundancy, I’ll overindulge and just stop playing and stare at people, I’ll obnoxiously shred with NO virtuosity, I’ll EXCLUSIVELY alternate pick, when the band is straight I swing, i can Chuck berry a whole song that doesn’t call for it, I could care so much less about TONE, I’ll zip the pentatonic like it’s a zipper and then zip arpeggios like I know jazz, I hit the stick like it’s guitar hero 3
@jacksonelmore6227 You writing a poem or a comment? 🔥
@@monfloral 😂🙏keep up the good content 💪🏼
A lot of "modern" features sound like what I did (and sometimes still do) with my nylon classic. I mean, right now I'm learning a transcription of Bachs Prelude No 1 that fulfills every criteria you mentioned about burying the "solo" in the arpeggios / chords. Getting all sorts of sound a likes out of a nylon also has driven up my versatility a lot. While just playing a trash metal riff without distortion doens't sound very metal-ish, jus ta little palm muting goes a long way.
But if I reduce myself to that single simple guitar and I want to play recognizable songs I have to get creative anyway which circles back to the initial thing and what you touched on when you mentioned modern common solo recording.
All this I basically said to say a simple thing; nothing of this does sound very new to me. Good and enjoyable, yes. But not innovative - I fear that part of guitar is over.
@SarahAndreaRoycesChannel Transcribing Bach to a nylon is an impressive feat! And who knows, the innovation may come from a direction we least expect
Bro literally talks just like me in the shower when I finally get my thoughts together
I think this is already a musical genre
I get the technical ability part, but that's why I say that it is music for guitar snobs rather than music for people in general. I feel like if I listen to 30 seconds of Tim Henson I heard it all. It's generally the same type of technical fuccery.
Like, I hate boomers with the intensity of a thousand burning suns, but I gotta give it to them, their guitar music did reach absolute perfection in terms of both soulfulness or intensity. If you're more technical than say Randy Rhoads, it becomes detrimental to the music itself. That's why I'm personally content playing stuff that could've easily come out 30 years ago.
Ive grown to respect modern guitarists more and more. Everyone seems to chase the classic era but may fail to innovate. We have heard a 59 PAF les paul through a plexi marshall a hundred times, it sounds good but lets move forward. Stop chasing vintage shit, bring something new in.
Modern players are at the forefront of pushing the boundaries of guitars and even if i dont like the music per se, they are the ones who arent stuck in the same route of what we have been doing for ages.
They are the ones who are looking for new sounds, just as the guitar legends of the classic era did in their youth.
No one can remember a single riff or melody from Tim Henson without having to replay it over at slow speed with notations.
@FreddyFuFu If we were referring to 2018 Polyphia, I could MAYBE say otherwise but honestly, I can't disagree
As talented as polyphia and Tim Henson are, a lot of the songs I’ve heard seem to blend…not sure why
Hello Mon, nice video
I would add just overatching point. Every point that you made actually stands for any guitar era, since it was at that point concidered "modern" (pop). Ill pick 1 example but it can be any of the 4. Lets say genre fluidity. You can say now, looking back, metalica is metal or what not, but at the time when concieved, think of how undefined these bands were - Jimi Hendix ex, Cream, Kansas, dire straits.. just to name a few from what you concider classic rock. If you are not familiar with when they startet, what was populat at the time and most importantly extenxive repertoar, you might put them in a single "classic rock" basket. But do these 3 things for any of those, or other popular bands, and you will see just how different and "modern" they were. So this era is not much diferent in philosophy. It follows a clear lineage in pop guitar progresion. You can imidiatly date a current song like you can a song from any guitar era.
It would be cool if you took that aproach and maby devote a video comparing your reveletions. Anyways, love seeing people hyped about guitar again. All the best my friend. Keep on going
@kostaVHjovanovic Thank for the comment! Philosophically, you're right, this music period is no different from any other and that's irrefutable. Metallica, Pink Floyd, Queen were all modern for their time but they were modern by different standards. Ideally, my aim was to illustrate the ways in which today's version of modern guitar may be considered "modern" but to properly dig into your claim, I would have to make an entire video addressing that concept alone. That'd be a fun topic to get into, so maybe..
Appreciate you! :D
@@monfloral chiers bro.
What you are describing is not modernism it is postmodernism, sometimes called meta-modernism
While modern playing is totally AMAZEballs....there will always be a "Cobain" type out there that will show us all that they can capture our attention just as much and albeit soulfully without the glitz and glam of showing off technical skill. Not bashing any ideas here, just stating reality. I would like to see more modern stuff incorporate singers into their stuff. Its time to find singers that are as dynamic and creative as the instruments. (They do exist)
i think this is who mk.gee is in the scene
@@novander Not even close to what Im talking about. Mk.Gee's music is far more complicated than a Cobain song. Im thinking way more simplistic.
@@BoKstaRi mean it's more complicated than nirvana for sure but in terms of listening, its a lot easier to listen to compared to all the noodly stuff. plus it's probably easier to play too
You and I are the complete opposite. I disagree with so many on your topics. I personally hate “modern guitar”. Didn’t even know that’s what it was called makes sense cause most modern mainstream music sucks. You’re lumping so many diverse guitarist of the 20th century together. You say that their tone all sounds the same. Couldn’t be farther from the truth. I think you can make a better argument that modern guitar all sounds very similar to each other.
@tradertom4843 I'm aware my overview of classic rock guitarists is flawed as it does package an entire era into a box. Personally, I find that there's attributes from both time periods that are immensely beneficial to the progression of guitar music.
The main point here is the difference in the meta of guitar players. I do think most of their tones did sound similar (though articulated differently) which isn't a wild claim since most of them did play through comparable rigs but there are plenty of guitarists of that time who were exceptionally different. And the same can be said for now. You said "modern mainstream music sucks" and while I'm well aware of it's insufficiencies I'm sure there's a couple "modern" artists who you feel merge the gap in a more appealing manner.
I would just argue this means we're moving forward. Great points though, might have to be addressed in a future video
you know what is really weird? why ibanez? why modern guitarist always have some sort of an ibanez? Its like all of the other guitar brands vanished out of existance
I am very biased when I say that, because I am just a huge fan of 50s-90s music.
What Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Angus Young, BB King, Eddie Van Halen and the almighty Jimi have in common is that they had a great feel for composition and ,for a lack of better word, the raw input of their soul integrated into their songs. You just FEEL the emotions that they put in there!
Modern guitar players are without a doubt more technical than the old guard. However, if you compromise your compsition and it´s lack of soul so you can put more guitar wanking into your song, there is only so much you can do until it sounds all the same, and quite frankly that is boring and very unoriginal.
Look at AC/DC for example. They did 18 albums and basically use the same damn chords everytime since 1975´s High Voltage! Angus made even a joke about it in an interview when the 12th album "Razor's Edge" came out: th-cam.com/video/ouWC1fWH7Ws/w-d-xo.html
Anyways, what I want to say is that even after using similar chord structures and progressions for nearly 50 years, every song of them still has this electric energy flowing. Not because of technical virtuoisity, but because Angus has his no bullshit-groove, authenticity, and soul, which a majority of modern guitarists don´t have. They don´t have to re-invent the wheel, but just put their own spin to it.
@svenproglhof1768 There's a ton of value in the outline you've drawn. I really like the phrase "raw input" as it summarizes both the absence of intense sound modulation and the increased emphasis they placed on the guitar playing itself. The fact that artists of that time were able to repackage similar progressions like you mentioned is a clear indicator of their pure musical abilities.
While there are a handful of modern guitar players that are able create that emotional tension in their music, the meta as a whole seems to be more geared towards expression through complexity (which is a bit paradoxical). There are more and more artists adding that soulful spin to the modern sound but I think it'll take some for them to be appreciated at the proper capacity
Well ... I am a boomer, meaning I am 60 y/o and play guitar since decades ... Your video is great and I am in agreement with mostly all your thoughts, but 😉. Modern guitarists, let's say Tim Henson or Guthrie Govan or Ikita Nicho or Tosin Abasi etc. are incredible guitarists and musicians but they play a music genre that talks mostly to ... guitarists ... I never saw a concert of any of these guys in a big arena, a stadium, a castle's parc nor eard their music played for a global event ... And Poliphya isn't really a young band anymore, they exist since over 10 years. That music genre is not "accessible" to most people . When I make people, who are not playing an instrument, of age between 35 to 75 y/o to listen to Poliphya's music they, almost all of them, don't like it or they mention they wouldn't put them in their music playlist and when they listen to Ego Death (as an example) they kind of like the part played by ... Steve Vai who is a " dinosaure". The main issue with modern guitarists/bands is that they do not really play songs, they don't write lyrics, they don't have a singer and they are quite repetitive too , when you've eard one Poliphya's tune you've eard them all ... They play instrumental music mainly but the vast majority of the listeners are expecting songs or electronic basic repetitive samples to dance on ... Modern guitar is never going to reach the level of success of bands or artists such as the Pink Floyd, The Stones, the Beatles, Elvis, Lady Gaga, Taah Sultana, Michael Jackson, Elton John, Dire Straits, Jimi Hendrix, the Queen ... There is no movie biopic made on these musicians, music biopic that had a global success where mostly made on artist from the ... 60s' 70s' or 80s' ...Just check Poliphya and the modern guitarists' position ins Spotify's global music ranking ... They are most often, invisible ...
Ikita Nicho LOOOOOL
i don't think anyone has ever described polyphia has either rock or rock fusion lol
even though math rock isn't really good genre to describe them, most people call it that.
i'd say the best genre to describe this stuff is just "modern prog" because of how suitably vauge that term is.
I absolutely hate Polyphia being described as Math Rock
I have never heard anyone describe polyphia as math rock
@@whereismysonicantfindhim1816 There are people who describe anybody at a certain level of technical proficiency on guitar as math rock. You can find them all over TH-cam comment sections and it annoys me ineffably
@jamesstent "Rock fusion" definitely isn't the most common term but I tried to not open the can of modern prog or math rock. Those genres have ever changing definitions and as you said are pretty vague (sure it is suitable). I would've needed another 5 minutes to define modern prog in this video but across new age guitar music, that's really the best overarching description at the moment
@MrAFK495 damn that's unfortunate bc you don't even have to be technically proficient to play math rock. You just have to know how to count
CHON > that other shit
lol agree
"modern" is fluffy, hehehe
So modern guitar is just prog rock, again
War never changes
@felipedomaul Honestly that's not far off. I just think now, there's a lot of new techniques and styles being introduced that will become the staple of acclaimed artists in the future. But I think that next wave of artists will be the ones who bring a sense of groove back into the equation
when you speak about texture halfway through the video you mentioned that modern guitarist's melody have a "richer" sound.?? ok you mentioned Polyphia a lot of times so I try to compare their music to (lets say) "tender surrender" by Vai, or "if I could fly" by Satch or "wishful thinking" by JP or maybe "cliffs of Dover" even the more technical stuff like "acid rain or paradigm shift" by LTE...really?? modern guitarists have richer melody?? even the stuff Paul Gilbert did in the 80's with racer X, I can't think of anything that rivals in today's scene. there's that Japanese guy with Ibanez that does that technical showcase of licks and tricks in short form content and really that's all there is its a "Technical showcase" something to awe as we watch it and forget about it after a while it gets old pretty quick as some of the commenters would say that for me is modern guitarist. dad rock guitarist is WAAY MORE melodic then math rock (modern) guitarist, I hate to put it to you but people got bored with Tool's latest album as it was a mathematical equation confined to the textbooks under the book shelf gathering dust
@charvlim5159 Keep in mind, I was attempting to compare modern guitarists to a very broad scope of classic rock guitarists and of the few you mentioned (Satch, Vai, JP) they were 100% on par, by today's standards, when it came to technique diversity.
There was a point where I used "richer" when denser would've been more appropriate but overall there are more artists utilizing dissonance on top of complexity which really can end up sounding like arrhythmic noise but there will eventually come a time where those calculated compositions blend with great emotional expression.
Honestly, a fair take!
So what you’re saying is that guitar playing is mostly technical clout? Cause I don’t give a sh!t how technical or “talented” some of this new generation is, it’s all just f!cking clout: NO EMOTION🤣what the f!ck am I supposed to feel from these “blender” styles? Everything is just thrown in and blended for clout. Only a couple actually elicit true emotions!✌🏽
i refuse to watch a video with someone wearing their hat like that... it seems like a cool video but i guess ill never know
I love TH-cam
im not going to lie, i preffer the clean version of master of puppets thab the original, high gain version.
guitars still being shaped in the same form though... lolll
Dude. Aside from a certain number of online nerds, nobody likes this stuff. It's unlistenable for most people. That ain't shaping history.
you're in your boring 9-5 job and polyphia's touring the world dude lol
Polyphia boy was smart. Rock guitar has been developing throughout the years, taking influences from blues, jazz, that created fusion altogether, also took influences from reggea, obviously classical asweell, it went all the way with sofisticated compositions with prog, than the complete opposite with punk, which influenced thrash that added some more elaborated compositions with both dissionances... well, the list goes on and on
But polyphia hoy had a dream, he wanted to be remembered, he wanted to compose somthing unique, that noone has ever done before. When he was about to give up, thinking everything had already been created and that he would ultimately end up copying people too, something clicked inside of him... he tol himself: "I know! I will do something noone has ever tried, I will compose something never done before... I'm gonna think of the worst ideas, that sound very bad, goofy, strange, kinda childish at times, really fast, using all the neck of guitar, abusing of slides and harmonics because this will impress the casuals. And I will boost my popularity creating also some additional awkward baby metal rippoff stuff
And then there was polyphia
this is weird man
Why is this weirdly unsettling
😊😊😊
Modern guitar players are so boring and i dont mean the aesthethics or the looks its the soullessness of their music. One may think so much technicianship would play on his favor but it just adds on the never ending amount of information and so little ideas to build on that knowledge. Just listen maggot brain a basic song but man it pierces your soul, takes you to space back and forrh without all that billion changes and techniques. I feel modern players lack something you dont make up with all the technique and musical knowledge in the universe which is .... Humanity and all it comes with it sheer brutality, unleashed passion, mistakes, being flawed all this things give you music you can connect with because you see yourself reflected on it. This got long i give a shit about this topic eventough im a musician songwriter myself its just TH-cam keeps pushing this polypophia tipe of music down peoples throat eventhough we couldnt care less about it
I label modern guitar as "overly pretentious gayness".
If someone had tried to enaged in it when I was a kid they had been greeted with a punch in the stomach while being told to "shuddup" by some "Darryl Dimebag-looking" dude. 😅
I think modern guitar is the consequence of classic bullying going extinct and therefor has been turned into a circus freakshow. And not in a good way really because the music haven't become "better" with time. Quite the opposit in most regards. Musicality wise it's often quite medicore with a lot of "lets make this sounding hard to play in an overly complicated manner to get more clicks". It's not so much about musicality anymore.
I know the "cool" thing to do is to pretend you enjoy this new meta. Just to signal you yourself is still relevant and not some obsolete relic from the past. But I'm not gonna pretend. I don't have to since I'm not trying to be some internet persona. I think this would've been OK if this was some sub genre for the nerdiest of nerds... we have always had that. Like "math core". It's not something new really. But it's not for the nerds. It's the mainstream now with no alternatives if you want to hear something new.
dude this could be like a thesis presentation
@anthonyem1989 My kind of compliment, thank you!
Tosin abasi is the unbearable
Tim Henson would be good if he SLOWED down.
Hes too busy trying to play fast intricate stuff it sounds lile souless bullshit
The 'Soul Of Music' is being replaced by technical acrobatics. Music is not a Sport where athletes complete, unless we're now COMPLETELY soulless and insane. Are we?