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But he isn’t that technical and he isn’t a guitar genius. He’s just a pop punk guitarist who plays simple because that suits him and make his fans pick up also playing simple riffs
@@stantorren4400 I mean he has been playing all his life and can play a lot of complex stuff on his guitar. however I don't think just because most of his songs lack the complexity he's capable of, doesn't mean he's not a genius, anyone who can make music that can inspire people to make bands and relate to people across multiple generations with "tHrEe cHoRd pOp-pUnK" riffs has to be a genius to an extent.
The thing that impresses me the most about Billy Joe's playing is how fast and clean he changes chords. A lot of Green Day's songs have a ton of really fast chord changes with very syncopated rhythms and he nails them so cleanly that it just punches you in the gut. It's even more impressive that he does it while singing
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He is a great guitar player. What impresses me most about his playing is the coordination. He can play an entire show as the only guitar player, while doing all the lead vocal work. Adding a touring guitar player is not done because he needs him, and one reason is simply because touring is difficult, and tiring, thus it makes it easier. You don't often hear his guitar stop during the vocal parts, and while playing power chords and singing at the same time is pretty easy for simple and slow patterns, I've seen him play some incredibly involved rhythm guitar parts while simultaneously singing. You can't do that if you're not a good guitar player as well as a good musician in general. Also, it is virtually impossible to play guitar so often and for so long and not become proficient.
Shred guitar solos barely compliment anyone, thats why i dont like showoff guitar that much, hate me as much as you can, i cant get into EVH that much cuz of the complication, i mean its good, but not something im gonna listen a lot.
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I’m surprised you didn’t mention the fact he plays hard and fast while singing. He’s a showman. He does play power chords maybe 95% of the time, undeniably, but that’s the sound of pop punk. He doesn’t do it because it’s easy, he does it because it SOUNDS RIGHT. He’s not bad, but not exceptional either. He’s an exceptional song writer though.
@@brogan-guffey listen to the band germs or poison idea then you’ll understand what POPular punk is. Then I’ll show you the difference in punk and punk rock
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Good music is good music, simple or complex. Complex music can sound bad as well when done poorly. This notion of 'complex = better' is totally untrue - the question should be whether what you are playing or singing sounds good or not, regardless whether it is complex or simple.
I think it's an argument from metal fans, mainly, as in a genre that largely binned the idea of melody, complexity is the only deviation from the simple headbanging beat. I love a good solo, or a bit of tapping for variety, but it has to be there to complement the song, not just to be a "look at me! Aren't I great!" bit of twiddly nonsense.
"Billie Joe Armstrong sucks at guitar" - Teenager who just picked up guitar and only plays "Iron Man" and "Come as you are" and has never actually played at a gig.
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When I started playing guitar Green Day songs like "Welcome to Paradise" and "Longview" were among the first I learned among Nirvana and Ramones stuff. I have to say the older I get the more I respect and admire Green Day and Billie Joe. He is one of the most consistent players ever and just about as on point as one can be. He chooses not to shred as a stylistic choice not because he can't do it. And all those wannabe shredders who judge him could not write what he does even if their life depended on it.
As a professional player I can attest that Mr Armstrong is a beast of a player with nothing to prove anyone anymore. Green Day as a band are as tight as it gets, rock solid, and have been since practically day one.
@@cezerelecrucio9717 I mean, rolling stone gave it 4 stars and Rolling stone usually doesn’t give GD great reviews. When you have been making albums since 1987, you’re bound to recycle some lyrics here and there
Nah, do yourself a favor and watch the video. I'm a huge green day fan and i've never seen most of these clips. And i definitely wasn't expecting to see Steve Vai praising him.
@@dominiccollison7778 wrong, good guitar comes from technique and understanding music theory, because this will elevate your passion and make you compose better songs .
@@dominiccollison7778 That’s what you want to believe. That’s what a lot of people who don’t have the will want to believe. Passion is not just playing the pentatonic scale and bend the strings while you make faces(not talking about BJA) If you have real passion, you will practice for hours and make your technique better. You can find the biggest music lover ever, and give him a guitar for the first time he won’t do shit with it. Passion is not gonna play the notes for you. Passion is what makes you practice for hours everyday, and practice makes a perfect technique.
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Certainly he plays power chords. One of the things I've most admired about Green Day is their ability to write simple songs with power chords that everybody knows and turn them into hits. There's beauty in simplicity.
No one would confuse Billie with an expert guitarist, but it blows my mind that someone would consider him bad. He is a good guitar player and an even better producer of music. Funny to hear someone who shreds a bunch of covers mock a rock n roll hall of famer who has sold millions of records. I will say this, Green Day is one of the tightest live bands that exists. They may play a lot of power chords, but those damn chords are struck perfectly, and on time with the drums and bass. Also, I've seen them live over 7 times and no one has the energy and gives it their all like Billie does. That SoB is all over the stage and, I would say, one of the top 10 rock front men of all time.
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I think most of the bands my daughter plays ARE Green Day, such is the influence they have over others. People listen to him. I’d need to be paid to listen to shred
@limelight81 You must not play guitar nor understand music theory. You can be an expert at guitar in the same way you are an expert in many other things in life. I can listen to Billie play guitar, appreciate him for the art he creates, and still know he is not an expert guitar player.
I'd say he's an expert, not the best in the world but after playing for 45 years and being better than most people I'd say he's an expert, even if he doesn't play at an expert level for his music it doesn't mean he can't
Billie has a forceful punk energy that he utilizes while playing minor pentatonic classic hard rock style solos. The vibrato is pretty superb with that kind of energy. Severely underrated guitar player.
Mike Dirnt said in a documentary, that Billie never wanted to be a big or very good guitar Player or anything like that he just wanted to be a good Songwriter and he is until this day!
Shredding has nothing to do with whether someone is a good guitar player. You could only know how to play power chords, but if you can play those power chords the way Billie Joe does, you’re a great guitar player. He has such a consistent right hand with the perfect attack, dude is probably a dream to record in the studio. And clearly he can shred too.
Ah, someone who gets it. Yeah, his rhythm is always on point, even while singing. He plays back on guitar like you're listening to a recording. It's always that tight.
Dude I get so triggered when people say that my boy Billie is a bad guitar player, or that he sucks, because you can’t dis reality. ITS A FACT THAT HE IS AWESOME!!!
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I have 39 smooth and Kerplunk and there's a solo in almost every song. And some of the riffs on Kerplunk are the best he ever wrote. It's just one of those cases where somebody hears like 2 songs by an artist/band and decides that everything they do is just like that. People still say John Mayer sucks because his first 2 albums are mostly pretty boy pop.
He’s good. He’s not a virtuoso, but he doesn’t really need to be. He’s the perfect guitar player for the music he makes, and that by itself makes him an excellent musician, even if his songs don’t personally talk to you. He is the victim of envy from people that want his success from playing “simple chords”. I’m not a fan of Greenday, but I respect them as a band and their musicianship.
Nobody would ever say a bad thing about him or his skillset unless they were jealous - this is so idiotic. The fact is that if someone never displays something beyond a more beginner's repertoire, you would naturally assume that they don't know anything more than that and probably wonder why they don't know more if that were the case.
There is a skill in being a great rhythm guitarist that those who only focus on shredding or complex riffs will never understand. I remember one of my really technical guitar playing friends who loved complex metal saying to me that he tried to learn a Green Day song in a way actually fully emulating Billie Joe's style of playing, and he couldn't because it is actually very unique (much like Steve Vai was explaining). At the end of the day, most riffs that hold up as memorable (and even more so legendary), are actually pretty simple. It's how they are performed and how they are written into a song that end up making them riffs that stand the test of time.
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Imagine thinking a musician that plays guitar for living only learned how to play power chords. Also as tight as Billie plays dude really cares for his craft.
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Billie is a genius because he knows what NOT to play. No one wants to hear someone play the same blues solo for the thousandth time in a row. He shredded alot on the first 2 albums but I remember him saying something like, it was what everyone was doing at that time so I went a different direction.
Mike once said in a documentary about their early years that he credits most of their success to Billie not trying to become the best guitar player like everyone else did back than, but instead concentrated on song writing and arrangement and try to be the best songwriter.
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Billie is the ultimate rebel. As a middle eastern, I really appericiate him when he did an album opposing to Iraq wars. How many of those "shredder" jackoffs did bother to care about people there? He has inspired more people than u can count P.S: nice video
Well Buckethead, who is a known shredder, donated money to disaster victims of a tsunami in Japan. That’s something at least, and he’s not even mainstream 🤷♂️
@@dgsta8914 It’s normally his most popular song Soothsayer. That and his video playing Whitewash. He is known but definitely not mainstream or popular. Most people would tell you “ah yeah he’s the guy that was in Guns N Roses” or “he’s the guy that made Jordan from Guitar Hero”.
@@leewhitworth9142 eddie did a whole lot more than tapping, almost everyone taps nowadays. installing the humbucker on an angle doesnt mean he plays like EVH
even if he just played powercords, have you ever played along with a band? in a gig? with steaming hot lights on your head running around, singing and performing to a 500.000+ audience? bro its not easy. powercords can be hard too.
not to mention just how tight the band is, listen to their pre-dookie shows. they sound identical to the album, if not better. their music is so heavily accented and all the instruments compliment each other and they have a strong "sound". you can play the same notes, at the same tempo, with the same instruments and still sound nothing like green day if you don't have that heavy accenting and intensity. a tight working unit is very important.
I absolutely love this video. BJA has heavily influenced my style of guitar playing and appreciation for the meat and potatoes of a rock n roll sound. His power chords are absolutely necessary to achieve the full, powerful sound Green Day is known for. His soloing abilities are based on the fact that Billie has a melody-focused songwriting style and ear. He plays pentatonic-based solos because they're tried-and-true. The Western-music ear is trained to want to hear solos that aren't too chromatic (using notes from other keys), so that's why pentatonic solos just work over so many songs. I personally wouldn't want to hear Steve Vai-like solos over Green Day's chords because it would disrupt the texture and straight-forward sound that I personally love and listen to GD for. Do I listen to Green Day for a trippy, experimental sound? No, I can listen to bands that specialize in that. Hetfield was right - the world needs Green Day! Stuck-up, pretentious metal-heads can honestly suck it.
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Billie inspired me to pick up a guitar and play. The first song I learned was Holiday. I feel like Billie makes his riffs easy so it's easier on him at live performances, and so that people aren't so intimidated by guitar. I was initially scared to pick up a guitar, but after learning how simple the Green Day riffs are, I decided to give it a shot. Now I play guitar!
Nah. He just plays what sounds good to him and what fits their style. He is DEFINITELY not writing something thinking about how little Johnny might be intimidated by it. C'mon bro
@limelight81 I remember the first time I heard Basket Case was on MTV...that guitar tone is awesome, it jumped out...it sounds like a vintage Recto chugging that riff under that extremely catchy vocal melody. A banger for sure. Better make this a little easier so that little Danny won't get discouraged. 😂
@limelight81 That's awesome....I was 17 when that came out. I started playing at 14 as well, except the guy who influenced me to pick up the instrument was that Slash character from the Guns. I got Appetite for my 14th birthday and that was it. I took piano when I was 9 and did sax for a few years as well...but I'm a guitar player, I just didn't know it at 12. Haha. Thirty years later and it's part of my identity. Hello, my name is Rick, and I am a guitar addict. I have no will to stop. You might even say I'm guitarded. I'm trying to grab one of those Music Man JP 20th anniversary models before the year is out. I needa.
Yeah, but it mostly depends on what you're playing. If you're just playing chords and singing then it's not too difficult once you get to the point of muscle memory. It's exactly the same mechanism as when people drive and change gear without having to look.
Even if he only plays power chords and dont play the solos for his own songs himself, there’s an art to rhythm playing. Best example i can think of would be malcolm young
above being a great guitar player, Billie Joe is an excellent songwriter. he has an ear for catchy melodies like none other past the 1990s. plus some of the stuff he wrote in the Kerplunk era is just mind bogglingly good for a teenager, especially in that time where there wasn't as much material to learn playing and songwriting as it is now
Great video. I've fallen into this trap before for other artists: that they're not "good" because the recorded music they play on doesn't have them doing crazy stuff. This happens a lot for drummers. Musicians play stuff because they like the way it sounds or that's what the song (or even band) call for. It doesn't mean that they can't play anything more technically challenging. If they're a professional musician, they're likely pretty darn good.
Agreed! Besides, even if they really cannot play crazy stuff on their instruments, it does not matter anyway. The point of music is to express and not to impress as well as to sound good. Guitarists like Billie Joe Armstrong or the late George Harrison do not shred like Yngwie Malmsteen or Joe Satriani, but that does not make them bad players - if anything they are fantastic musicians for having written iconic tunes, and their work should be celebrated!
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Billie Joe is an amazing player, tight rythm but with a loose feel. I'd say he's up there with Hettfield or Malcom Young when it comes to rythmplaying. He obviously plays lead aswell but does it tastefully instead of turning his leadplaying into a pointless shredfest. Live he takes a lead or 2 but lets Jason take most of them so he can interact with the crowd or just run around like a madman... though I've seen footage of him running across the stage while playing a Chuck Berry style leadlick, a lick most of us struggle with standing still trying to focus in just playing it alone. Sure he's most famous for powerchord riffs but many fail trying to copy his attitude, power and swagger. Also, remember Green Day performed as a 3 piece during their early Dookie era heyday. Jason joined as a touring member when Green Day went off the 'mainstream' radar, in the late 90's/early 00's, to get a fuller live sound on a couple of songs.
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Nobody can deny,Billie joe might not be playing complex super fasts solos but nobody can deny their Guitar sounds are soooo iconic they stay in the head.Not many Bands have that kind of iconic music.
Even if Billie Joe Armstrong only played power cords, the ability to play an entire show full of fast-paced power chord changes and not run out of steam is impressive all on its own.
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I had never heard this criticism before. The one I’ve always heard is “Why does a guy who lives in CA keep singing with the world’s worst faux-British accent?”
As a guitarist I can tell you he is not at all a bad guitar player. He’s just not always out there showing it off. He’s normally jumping around getting the audience going as a front man and leaves it to Jason White live however he does do solos he just shares them. In short by no means a bad player. He’s a great player
Billy Joe is a good guitar player. What a lot of people don't understand about guitar playing is that it is your picking and strumming hand that determines if you are good enough to play with others and sound good. All the timing and rhythm are in that hand. I haven't been to a Green Day show since the early 90s but back then I went to quite a few. They were an actual three-piece band back then and they were tighter than shit. Believe me, at those shows, there wasn't anybody saying Billie Joe was a bad guitar player.
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BJ Armstrong makes riffs that are easy, but very very beautiful to listen to, the music is simple and efficient, I don't think it's wrong if he plays a lot of power chords because that's why punk rock music is not only about melody but more rhythm. just my opinion 👍
I always thought billie was kind of average but I didnt really care because i liked the music he made. Then i saw them live and him and Jason white did a guitar duel and billie was absolutely shredding. Hes a great guitar player his music just doesnt really call for crazy solos
I've seen GD live a few times - the skills, talent and energy that Billy Joe brings to the stage is epic - as a guitarist myself - I wish I could play as good as Billy Joe - and his songwriting ability - the guy is gifted to say the least
JUST NO! BJA is one of the best guitar players ever! He just doesn’t want to be a cocky show off like or some musicians🤦🏽♀️. He’s actually really good considering the fact that he’s self taught. Not to mention he’s inspired countless artists like Billie Eillish that girl y’all are OBSESSED WITH. Even Metallica played one of their songs at the beginning of their concert. They also I Inspired blink-182 and Fall Out Boy.So don’t be stupid.
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The solos on the first 2 lookout albums were my favorite. He’s got this habit of punctuating his solos with little palm muted riffs that just sound so crunchy and aggressive.
FINALLY SOMEONE MADE A VIDEO ABOUT THIS!! Just because someone can shred, play behind their head, sweep pick, it doesn't make them " automatically good ". Who knows, the people that do that maybe can't even play a simple rhythm. And just because someone DOESN'T shred or tap or play a million miles and hour, it doesn't make them bad. Love / hate him or his band, look at their career. Traveling the world playing sold out shows in stadiums while just playing simple chords for so many years, all those hits, the fans. If that isn't considered successful I don't know what is. While some prodigy is still playing to a bar with only 5 people in it.
@@Johnnysmithy24 But you can sure live a good life from it. No point being a master at guitar when the music doesn't call for it. Imagine complex guitar solos and odd time signatures in a green day song, nah totally not necessary.
@@JawJX I agree it’s not necessary in Green Day songs. I’m just saying that just because one is successful doesn’t make him a good musician. Just look at all these mumble rappers today The same way it doesn’t mean because someone isn’t mainstream or famous or rich, he is a bad musician.
I feel that he wrote these songs to be able to play 40, or even 50 years after they were written. He played it smart. You have bands like Motley Crue who wrote really impressive songs, but if you have seen recent videos of them trying to play these songs live, it just doesn’t come together quite right. Bille Joe wrote Green Day songs to last, and hey, they’re always catchy.
I think you're out of your mind. He just wrote what sounded good for his style. I don't think there is a musician on the planet that specifically writes music thinking about will I still be able to do this decades later? Look at Liquid Tension Experiment...they just dropped their 3rd album. Tony Levin is like 75, Jordan is only ten years younger. They are AMAZING live and their newest record is phenomenal.
@limelight81 Look at Dream Theater. The band is firing on all cylinders, but LaBrie is struggling. They are even running a half step flat just for him. They never used to do that. Sadly, most vocalists only get a short while. Dave Gilmour still sounds incredible live though. That old timer and his soft hands. It will be a sad day when we lose that dumplin.
He can write the shit out of a pop song though. Smells like teen spirit is mainly power chords, but it doesn't make it a bad song. As far as I know, he never claimed to be Steve Vai. I think it's obvious I'm a fan, but a lot of that is because of his ability to write a catchy song, not his guitar ability. I wouldn't call the clash 'shredders' either.. or most punk guitarists for that matter. But again, I'm not a fan of punk for rippers on guitar, I'm a fan because the music hits me in a particular way. Edit.. I swear I didn't know Steve Vai was in this video haha I wrote my comment while watching the video but had not gotten to that part in the video.
I picked up a guitar because of him, hands down.. The energy he projects out of his music is the best thing about his work. He is my favourite musicians because he is the most relatable one.
I've never heard anyone say that Billie Joe Armstrong was a bad guitar player, I've only heard them say that he's "too political." Billie is one of my favorite guitar players ever, I've been playing for almost 6 and a half years now and Green Day is the band I listen to the most
I saw green day live for the first time in 98, they are the reason I started a band, went on to be a DJ and ultimately did countless live shows. BJ is an AMAZING songwriter, the guitar is just a tool.
BJ is more known for being an extremely talented song writer, not really for being a skilled Guitar Player. His Guitar playing skills are satisfactory, but he’s not a guitar god or anything. I mean it’s Punk Rock, how good does he have to be?
Something I'd like to point out is that Billie Joe does have a reputation for being a great guitar player, but in the audio recording industry. It takes a lot of skill to layer different tracks of guitar on top of each other and have them line up. Most modern Green Day tracks have layers upon layers of guitar takes run through different amps. Given how rhythmic Green Day's songs are, any slip-ups there would be super obvious. If you watch Andrew Scheps' video on mixing one of their songs, he points out that Billie's playing makes his job way easier. Put a shredder in a studio with a metronome and ask them to do several takes of the same thing, they will struggle with consistency. Not saying they're better or worse than other bands out there, but there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes of *any* band that the average critic doesn't realize.
Did you watch the video? Apparently not. Your conclusion is pretty moronic IMO. Oh, before I forget, what tour have you been on?????? (that's what I thought)
Listen to Guns n Roses version of New Rose, then listen to The Damned's version. The punk band's version if far better because it has feeling, rather than just "playing notes" which is what the GnR version sounds like. The Damned's drummer Rat Scabies said that people always said the music they played was easy...until they tried to play it themselves. There obviously were a huge number of basic three-chord punk bands back in the day, but none of them really had any success.
Another argument that further proves he’s a good guitarist is that Green Day is known for and constantly praised for being very tight sounding and great live. Granted that takes all members of the band to achieve that but he’s the vocalist and guitarist, it’s hard enough to just play guitar so well live but also singing on top of it, you have to be very comfortable on your instrument to be able to do both and do both well.
Thank you for this video. I wholeheartedly agree and its great to finally see someone put it into context and show the world. He inspired me to start playing guitar, he's absolutely incredible live.
Anyone who has tried to sing and play guitar at the same time should know that it's difficult, there is a reason why lead singers almost always play rhythm because it's not easy to play guitar and sing at the same time.
Not every song needs a guitar solo, much less a shred solo. What makes Billie a GREAT guitar player in my opinion is that he serves the song, not his ego.
it's ironic, most people still can't even play the Green Day stuff like "Basket Case" correctly or get his perfect rhythmic inflections - BJ uses WAY more open chords than people realize. It's not just power chords at all, it opens up the song so much more and fills out the sound. He transitions well between them. Dookie is FILLED with open chord voicings throughout - just listen to "Pulling Teeth" - not a single power chord in there, but there are barre chords.
Playing "simple" music to a really high standard is what professionals do. His tone is great, his timing is impeccable, listen to how locked in he is with Mike and tre. Also he's doing this whilst singing and running around a stage. The other important factor people miss is originality and he has a unique sound and feel.
10 years ago he purchased 75 acres of land beside my house on sidling hill mountain in western Maryland he purchased the land and built a house him his family and friends stay here a few weekends every year. Until 3 years ago I had no idea he's a singer. When he first purchased the property he introduced himself to me and my wife he seemed like a normal guy he didn't mention what he does for a living. Every time we see him in town at save alot grocery or at ac&t convenience store he's always by himself. He doesn't act like a rock star he drives a ford f-250 4x4 diesel truck when he stays at the vacation property next to my home. He's a down to earth guy.
Define “bad”, I’ve seen him live and sure he’s not Van Halen up there but he’s not some beginner who can’t improv solo or anything. Punk genres isn’t necessarily a difficult style to play by default and he sings 98% of the time. So I guess if you’re grading him up against SRV, EVH, the Jimmy’s and clapton, then yeah, he’s not great. But in terms of his fit and sound with the band? It’s perfect and the success reflects that.
Billie Joe is one of the best lyricist of this and the last couple generations. Green Day is one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. They sound better live than recorded
“It’s not about what you play, it’s how you play” is the most applicable statement to Billie Joe. Is he the best guitarist in the world? Nah. But he sure as fuck knows how to play and how to get the crowd into it.
The Judge’s Daughter is one of his most impressive solos because it’s just nuts. It’s pretty fast and he does it so cleanly. Same with pretty much anything he plays.
People who say that generally never listened to Green Day apart from two songs on the radio, and probably followed the trend that says he is bad. You clearly showed he isn't bad, but most importantly, you don't have to be the greatest player to be a great musician (he isn't Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix but who is ? We can argue over his guitar skills but can't argue about the talent he has for songwriting), and also, just because you can shred or do a riff at 15616bpm doesn't mean you should. That's what people that bash BJA seem to forget I play guitar, I love to play complicated things and stuff, within my skill range, but I have as much (if not more) fun playing Green Day songs, because it's fun, it's easy, you can let yourself go (pun intended), and it sounds damn good. That's why they are my favorite band, people usually freak out when I say that as far as my tastes go, I love them as much as I love the Beatles or Led Zeppelin, but the truth is I enjoy them as much as those legends, they are legends themselves. And my god do they kick ass on stage. Your video was spot on with great examples, and the comments at the end from legends just say it all. By the way, about the solos on the trilogy, about Jason White, a precision : I remember an interview from 2012 when it came out, BJA said that as part of the band for those three records, Jason White played one solo, if I remember correctly it was X-Kid from Tré. So not some played by Jason, only one. All the other solos are played by BJA, and same goes for the other records, although he doesn't play them on stage (he is a showman, hence Jason), he still plays them on the records, and they are pretty damn good. Great video again dude !
Awesome comment! Really appreciate you taking the time to reach out and give me your thoughts. Always great to see eye to eye. And that’s cool I remember that interview too. I haven’t been able to find it though... otherwise I would have included it. Thanks again! ☺️😊
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As a #1 fan anyone who says Billie Joe sucks on guitar is a idiot!!!
Bedroom guitarist :”his riffs are so easy”
yes, but he wrote it. You used tabs and TH-cam to learn how to play it.
But he isn’t that technical and he isn’t a guitar genius. He’s just a pop punk guitarist who plays simple because that suits him and make his fans pick up also playing simple riffs
@@stantorren4400 nobody was saying he was a genius tho lol
@@kurtisbased183 I do
Of course he is not the best guitar player but he is definitely an incredible musician, maybe even a genius
@@mikehazard3945 cool, I love the band
@@stantorren4400 I mean he has been playing all his life and can play a lot of complex stuff on his guitar. however I don't think just because most of his songs lack the complexity he's capable of, doesn't mean he's not a genius, anyone who can make music that can inspire people to make bands and relate to people across multiple generations with "tHrEe cHoRd pOp-pUnK" riffs has to be a genius to an extent.
The thing that impresses me the most about Billy Joe's playing is how fast and clean he changes chords. A lot of Green Day's songs have a ton of really fast chord changes with very syncopated rhythms and he nails them so cleanly that it just punches you in the gut. It's even more impressive that he does it while singing
The power behind is strumming is wild
not to mention, the millions of people he has inspired to pick up a guitar and get interested in music.
me , myself is one of them :)
Yes me included. I picked up guitar because I wanted to know how they were making such amazing songs
thats me!
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that's true cuz im also one of those people who was inspired to pick up a guitar because of him
He is a great guitar player. What impresses me most about his playing is the coordination. He can play an entire show as the only guitar player, while doing all the lead vocal work. Adding a touring guitar player is not done because he needs him, and one reason is simply because touring is difficult, and tiring, thus it makes it easier. You don't often hear his guitar stop during the vocal parts, and while playing power chords and singing at the same time is pretty easy for simple and slow patterns, I've seen him play some incredibly involved rhythm guitar parts while simultaneously singing. You can't do that if you're not a good guitar player as well as a good musician in general. Also, it is virtually impossible to play guitar so often and for so long and not become proficient.
Also, even to only play power chords, the guitar player needs to know the neck of guitar to play and sing along.
Jason White is there, remember but I do get your point
@@rohakdevkurran5446Jason joined the band in 1999 so his point still stands
Shred guitar solos don’t really compliment a lot of green day music. He knows what he writes and he does it very well
Yes, he is a great songwriter
That’s true. Imo, shred solos rarely compliment any song, unless you’re EVH or Randy Rhoads. Feeling > million notes per second
@@hyvajytaharasoo 100% agree. I actually think slash is the best at that balance how he’ll switch lots from 10000 notes to just a good blues lick
Shred guitar solos barely compliment anyone, thats why i dont like showoff guitar that much, hate me as much as you can, i cant get into EVH that much cuz of the complication, i mean its good, but not something im gonna listen a lot.
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I’m surprised you didn’t mention the fact he plays hard and fast while singing. He’s a showman. He does play power chords maybe 95% of the time, undeniably, but that’s the sound of pop punk. He doesn’t do it because it’s easy, he does it because it SOUNDS RIGHT. He’s not bad, but not exceptional either. He’s an exceptional song writer though.
billie busts out the fancy chords any time he's not playing power chords
@@andrewgarcia3136 He knows all the fancy chords. He doesn't have a daytime job, but I bet he's doing alright.
You meant to say punk rock not pop punk and Billie said he is punk and punk rock
@@brogan-guffey listen to the band germs or poison idea then you’ll understand what POPular punk is. Then I’ll show you the difference in punk and punk rock
Well I couldn’t agree more
Never understood the argument that a band or musicians music has to be “complex” to be good.
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Exactly. Some of my favorite songs r simple af
Good music is good music, simple or complex. Complex music can sound bad as well when done poorly.
This notion of 'complex = better' is totally untrue - the question should be whether what you are playing or singing sounds good or not, regardless whether it is complex or simple.
I think it's an argument from metal fans, mainly, as in a genre that largely binned the idea of melody, complexity is the only deviation from the simple headbanging beat. I love a good solo, or a bit of tapping for variety, but it has to be there to complement the song, not just to be a "look at me! Aren't I great!" bit of twiddly nonsense.
@@RevStickleback Yeah The Strokes are great at adding their solos in to they’re songs so they sound in sync with the melody
John Lennon once said something to the effect of, "sure I'd love to be able to play like BB King, but I dont think I fucking need to"
can't argue that! lol
that would be a nice quote without the curse word
Ben Parsons what’s the matter?
@@benparsons4979 its what he said, don't be a pussy taking away free speech.
@@Joshcheyka how on earth did I take away free speech?
"Billie Joe Armstrong sucks at guitar" - Teenager who just picked up guitar and only plays "Iron Man" and "Come as you are" and has never actually played at a gig.
how many hits have u released
the fact this is the songs that i learned starting out is absolutely hilarious
@@deletascnow5508 you?
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@@deletascnow5508 none. In the same sense I’m just saying that the people who talk trash about accomplished people for no reason look foolish.
When I started playing guitar Green Day songs like "Welcome to Paradise" and "Longview" were among the first I learned among Nirvana and Ramones stuff. I have to say the older I get the more I respect and admire Green Day and Billie Joe. He is one of the most consistent players ever and just about as on point as one can be. He chooses not to shred as a stylistic choice not because he can't do it. And all those wannabe shredders who judge him could not write what he does even if their life depended on it.
As a professional player I can attest that Mr Armstrong is a beast of a player with nothing to prove anyone anymore. Green Day as a band are as tight as it gets, rock solid, and have been since practically day one.
Agreed!
Most consistent band in existence
"Green Day doesn't have good hard solos"
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Even if he isnt the best player, his song writting is undeniable.
Yeah Rebel Radio was really bad. He just remashed old lyrics into vaguely familiar songs.
He is a great player.
@@cezerelecrucio9717 Revolution radio was a terrific album. UDT and FOAM weren’t great
@@mildchaos6037
Revolution Radio literally reused lines from older songs. It was lazy and objectively their worst album.
@@cezerelecrucio9717 I mean, rolling stone gave it 4 stars and Rolling stone usually doesn’t give GD great reviews. When you have been making albums since 1987, you’re bound to recycle some lyrics here and there
save yourself 9 minutes: Is Billie Joe Armstrong a bad guitar player? No.
Nah, do yourself a favor and watch the video. I'm a huge green day fan and i've never seen most of these clips. And i definitely wasn't expecting to see Steve Vai praising him.
Ok but why?
For reals lol
I have seen Green Day live 5 times and Billie Joe Armstrong is nowhere near a bad guitar player, lead or rhythm!
Oh man i wish I could go too 😔
Rock on
good guitar comes from passion not technique
@@dominiccollison7778 wrong, good guitar comes from technique and understanding music theory, because this will elevate your passion and make you compose better songs .
@@dominiccollison7778 That’s what you want to believe. That’s what a lot of people who don’t have the will want to believe. Passion is not just playing the pentatonic scale and bend the strings while you make faces(not talking about BJA) If you have real passion, you will practice for hours and make your technique better. You can find the biggest music lover ever, and give him a guitar for the first time he won’t do shit with it. Passion is not gonna play the notes for you. Passion is what makes you practice for hours everyday, and practice makes a perfect technique.
Eddie Van Halen said Billie Joe was one of his favorite guitar players.
Did he actually?
Say where he said it
Really?
It's the other way around bro
BJA is one of the world's musical treasures.
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@@thedebbies9514 no
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@@losephjibby5852 NOOO THEIR REPLY 💀
@@losephjibby5852 YOOOOOO HAHAHAHAHA
Certainly he plays power chords. One of the things I've most admired about Green Day is their ability to write simple songs with power chords that everybody knows and turn them into hits. There's beauty in simplicity.
No one would confuse Billie with an expert guitarist, but it blows my mind that someone would consider him bad. He is a good guitar player and an even better producer of music. Funny to hear someone who shreds a bunch of covers mock a rock n roll hall of famer who has sold millions of records.
I will say this, Green Day is one of the tightest live bands that exists. They may play a lot of power chords, but those damn chords are struck perfectly, and on time with the drums and bass.
Also, I've seen them live over 7 times and no one has the energy and gives it their all like Billie does. That SoB is all over the stage and, I would say, one of the top 10 rock front men of all time.
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I think most of the bands my daughter plays ARE Green Day, such is the influence they have over others. People listen to him. I’d need to be paid to listen to shred
@limelight81 "Professional" and "Expert" are two completely different things.
@limelight81 You must not play guitar nor understand music theory. You can be an expert at guitar in the same way you are an expert in many other things in life.
I can listen to Billie play guitar, appreciate him for the art he creates, and still know he is not an expert guitar player.
I'd say he's an expert, not the best in the world but after playing for 45 years and being better than most people I'd say he's an expert, even if he doesn't play at an expert level for his music it doesn't mean he can't
Billie has a forceful punk energy that he utilizes while playing minor pentatonic classic hard rock style solos. The vibrato is pretty superb with that kind of energy. Severely underrated guitar player.
Mike Dirnt said in a documentary, that Billie never wanted to be a big or very good guitar Player or anything like that he just wanted to be a good Songwriter and he is until this day!
Shredding has nothing to do with whether someone is a good guitar player. You could only know how to play power chords, but if you can play those power chords the way Billie Joe does, you’re a great guitar player. He has such a consistent right hand with the perfect attack, dude is probably a dream to record in the studio. And clearly he can shred too.
Ah, someone who gets it. Yeah, his rhythm is always on point, even while singing. He plays back on guitar like you're listening to a recording. It's always that tight.
Dude I get so triggered when people say that my boy Billie is a bad guitar player, or that he sucks, because you can’t dis reality. ITS A FACT THAT HE IS AWESOME!!!
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I have 39 smooth and Kerplunk and there's a solo in almost every song. And some of the riffs on Kerplunk are the best he ever wrote. It's just one of those cases where somebody hears like 2 songs by an artist/band and decides that everything they do is just like that. People still say John Mayer sucks because his first 2 albums are mostly pretty boy pop.
@@dylandenney3980 hard agree one for the razorbacks solo is sick!
He doesn't suck but he's not great either. Too bad he's a complete douchebag too.
@@dr.bunterhidenbrobruh5502 How?
He’s good. He’s not a virtuoso, but he doesn’t really need to be. He’s the perfect guitar player for the music he makes, and that by itself makes him an excellent musician, even if his songs don’t personally talk to you.
He is the victim of envy from people that want his success from playing “simple chords”.
I’m not a fan of Greenday, but I respect them as a band and their musicianship.
Nobody would ever say a bad thing about him or his skillset unless they were jealous - this is so idiotic. The fact is that if someone never displays something beyond a more beginner's repertoire, you would naturally assume that they don't know anything more than that and probably wonder why they don't know more if that were the case.
Steve vai literally called his guitar playing “hard to do”. There’s really no argument at that point.
There is a skill in being a great rhythm guitarist that those who only focus on shredding or complex riffs will never understand.
I remember one of my really technical guitar playing friends who loved complex metal saying to me that he tried to learn a Green Day song in a way actually fully emulating Billie Joe's style of playing, and he couldn't because it is actually very unique (much like Steve Vai was explaining).
At the end of the day, most riffs that hold up as memorable (and even more so legendary), are actually pretty simple. It's how they are performed and how they are written into a song that end up making them riffs that stand the test of time.
There is much argument, what was the context? Did he mean to play that badly is hard? We may never know.
There is am argument, because his songs are not hard to play at all
@@Doctorgoatboy Tf do you mean to play badly, you obviously know what he meant.
@@tomwhiteside1779 then id like to see you do it exactly the same way and sound the exact same since you think its so easy.
Not playing solos and only knowing power chords is one of the most punk rock things IMO
To the point that if someone types dada-da-DA-da-da-da da da you hear like, one of three Ramones songs, lol.
if only they know how hard it is to play solos that low..
for fucking real!! Tough as shit
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@@thedebbies9514 why are you copy and pasting the same reply?
@@yusefluger3730 I was just showing people that liked my Billie Joe video my music on my channel.
@@yusefluger3730 Because it's his channel and he fucking decides what he puts on the replies to his videos, you asshole.
Imagine thinking a musician that plays guitar for living only learned how to play power chords. Also as tight as Billie plays dude really cares for his craft.
Billie Joe is a pretty good guitarist, its just that he holds back his skills in the studio
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ted cruz kidney hunter no its just he is also a vocalist so he has to focus on both
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He’s pretty good. Not a guitar god or anything, but his excellent writing compliments his playing style.
And knowing when to hold back and play to the song is a key aspect of a great guitar player!
Even "if" Billy Joe Armstrong couldn't play guitar does it matter?
At the end of the day GREEN DAY is a monumental success,and are living the dream.
Billie is a genius because he knows what NOT to play. No one wants to hear someone play the same blues solo for the thousandth time in a row. He shredded alot on the first 2 albums but I remember him saying something like, it was what everyone was doing at that time so I went a different direction.
Mike once said in a documentary about their early years that he credits most of their success to Billie not trying to become the best guitar player like everyone else did back than, but instead concentrated on song writing and arrangement and try to be the best songwriter.
he's probably the most talented guitarist from a punk band i've ever known
He is talented, along with other bands like Sum41 and Billy Talent
Punk requires Powercords
Punk is literally power chords and fat bass
@@ilostmyeggsinthemicrowave441 punk is powerchords, good punk is powerchords and fat bass
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Green Day is not punk
@@aquafresh3150 yes it is
Billie is the ultimate rebel. As a middle eastern, I really appericiate him when he did an album opposing to Iraq wars. How many of those "shredder" jackoffs did bother to care about people there? He has inspired more people than u can count
P.S: nice video
אתה ישראלי?
Well Buckethead, who is a known shredder, donated money to disaster victims of a tsunami in Japan. That’s something at least, and he’s not even mainstream 🤷♂️
@@Johnnysmithy24 buckethead’s music videos on TH-cam have around 10-20 million views lol, he is def popular and in mainstream consciousness
@@dgsta8914 It’s normally his most popular song Soothsayer. That and his video playing Whitewash. He is known but definitely not mainstream or popular. Most people would tell you “ah yeah he’s the guy that was in Guns N Roses” or “he’s the guy that made Jordan from Guitar Hero”.
Dave Mustaine?
Billie's two biggest guitar heroes are Eddie Van Halen and Chuck Berry, and he plays like those two combined.
Rip to two of the greatest guitarist who ever lived
@@mrcoconut3652 Amen to that, brother ❤🙌
how the hell does he play anything like EVH?
@@flolorm2349 Well he's done some tapping riffs before, and Eddie was the biggest factor in Billie having the humbucker in Blue installed on an angle
@@leewhitworth9142 eddie did a whole lot more than tapping, almost everyone taps nowadays. installing the humbucker on an angle doesnt mean he plays like EVH
even if he just played powercords, have you ever played along with a band? in a gig? with steaming hot lights on your head running around, singing and performing to a 500.000+ audience? bro its not easy. powercords can be hard too.
Very true. People who say Billie sucks are idiots.
not to mention just how tight the band is, listen to their pre-dookie shows. they sound identical to the album, if not better. their music is so heavily accented and all the instruments compliment each other and they have a strong "sound". you can play the same notes, at the same tempo, with the same instruments and still sound nothing like green day if you don't have that heavy accenting and intensity. a tight working unit is very important.
I absolutely love this video. BJA has heavily influenced my style of guitar playing and appreciation for the meat and potatoes of a rock n roll sound. His power chords are absolutely necessary to achieve the full, powerful sound Green Day is known for. His soloing abilities are based on the fact that Billie has a melody-focused songwriting style and ear. He plays pentatonic-based solos because they're tried-and-true. The Western-music ear is trained to want to hear solos that aren't too chromatic (using notes from other keys), so that's why pentatonic solos just work over so many songs. I personally wouldn't want to hear Steve Vai-like solos over Green Day's chords because it would disrupt the texture and straight-forward sound that I personally love and listen to GD for. Do I listen to Green Day for a trippy, experimental sound? No, I can listen to bands that specialize in that. Hetfield was right - the world needs Green Day! Stuck-up, pretentious metal-heads can honestly suck it.
Beautiful!!! You’re just simply beautiful!!!! Thank you for this AMAZING comment! My fave so far!!! SUBSCRIBED!
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Billie inspired me to pick up a guitar and play. The first song I learned was Holiday. I feel like Billie makes his riffs easy so it's easier on him at live performances, and so that people aren't so intimidated by guitar. I was initially scared to pick up a guitar, but after learning how simple the Green Day riffs are, I decided to give it a shot. Now I play guitar!
Nah. He just plays what sounds good to him and what fits their style. He is DEFINITELY not writing something thinking about how little Johnny might be intimidated by it.
C'mon bro
@limelight81 I remember the first time I heard Basket Case was on MTV...that guitar tone is awesome, it jumped out...it sounds like a vintage Recto chugging that riff under that extremely catchy vocal melody. A banger for sure.
Better make this a little easier so that little Danny won't get discouraged. 😂
@limelight81 That's awesome....I was 17 when that came out. I started playing at 14 as well, except the guy who influenced me to pick up the instrument was that Slash character from the Guns. I got Appetite for my 14th birthday and that was it.
I took piano when I was 9 and did sax for a few years as well...but I'm a guitar player, I just didn't know it at 12. Haha. Thirty years later and it's part of my identity.
Hello, my name is Rick, and I am a guitar addict. I have no will to stop. You might even say I'm guitarded. I'm trying to grab one of those Music Man JP 20th anniversary models before the year is out. I needa.
Steve Vai praised this man, so he can’t be that bad, can he?
Angry lars channel foto lol
@@notoriusdrifter40 ah you noticed. Did it as a joke.
I've never met someone under 50 with an acoustic guitar who didn't know Good Riddance. BJA gets into music history for that alone.
Songing and playing guitar at same time is hard
Songing is fun
Yeah, but it mostly depends on what you're playing. If you're just playing chords and singing then it's not too difficult once you get to the point of muscle memory. It's exactly the same mechanism as when people drive and change gear without having to look.
Ikr
Even if he only plays power chords and dont play the solos for his own songs himself, there’s an art to rhythm playing. Best example i can think of would be malcolm young
His melodic sense is unmatched
Tim henson once said:
"You dont need to be good in guitar to make good music"
You missed Billie’s epic solo in “Paper Lanterns”
above being a great guitar player, Billie Joe is an excellent songwriter. he has an ear for catchy melodies like none other past the 1990s. plus some of the stuff he wrote in the Kerplunk era is just mind bogglingly good for a teenager, especially in that time where there wasn't as much material to learn playing and songwriting as it is now
Great video. I've fallen into this trap before for other artists: that they're not "good" because the recorded music they play on doesn't have them doing crazy stuff. This happens a lot for drummers. Musicians play stuff because they like the way it sounds or that's what the song (or even band) call for. It doesn't mean that they can't play anything more technically challenging. If they're a professional musician, they're likely pretty darn good.
Agreed! Besides, even if they really cannot play crazy stuff on their instruments, it does not matter anyway. The point of music is to express and not to impress as well as to sound good.
Guitarists like Billie Joe Armstrong or the late George Harrison do not shred like Yngwie Malmsteen or Joe Satriani, but that does not make them bad players - if anything they are fantastic musicians for having written iconic tunes, and their work should be celebrated!
There's no such thing as a bad guitar player.... There is bad technique
And lil wayne
I have found a fellow Stevie T enjoyer.
@@rubberscuomoEnjoy is a strong word 🤣
Just listen to the dry ice guitar solo
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It isn’t even a hard solo
Oskar van der Steen b r u h s t f u
@TIGGY ZARS same
@@gabagool288 boi stfu
He's actually a decent guitar player. Singing and playing guitar at the same time, isn't as easy as people seem to think it is either.
Billie Joe is an amazing player, tight rythm but with a loose feel. I'd say he's up there with Hettfield or Malcom Young when it comes to rythmplaying. He obviously plays lead aswell but does it tastefully instead of turning his leadplaying into a pointless shredfest. Live he takes a lead or 2 but lets Jason take most of them so he can interact with the crowd or just run around like a madman... though I've seen footage of him running across the stage while playing a Chuck Berry style leadlick, a lick most of us struggle with standing still trying to focus in just playing it alone.
Sure he's most famous for powerchord riffs but many fail trying to copy his attitude, power and swagger. Also, remember Green Day performed as a 3 piece during their early Dookie era heyday. Jason joined as a touring member when Green Day went off the 'mainstream' radar, in the late 90's/early 00's, to get a fuller live sound on a couple of songs.
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He's a modest guitar player but I've seen so many times what this guitar maniac can do
Nobody can deny,Billie joe might not be playing complex super fasts solos but nobody can deny their Guitar sounds are soooo iconic they stay in the head.Not many Bands have that kind of iconic music.
Even if Billie Joe Armstrong only played power cords, the ability to play an entire show full of fast-paced power chord changes and not run out of steam is impressive all on its own.
Just listen to Wake Me Up When September Ends and you'll know he's a good guitar player
Or Jesus of suburbia
@@brianwolf399 That too
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or know your enemy
The nimrod album has some cool moody melodies and good guitar.
I had never heard this criticism before. The one I’ve always heard is “Why does a guy who lives in CA keep singing with the world’s worst faux-British accent?”
As a guitarist I can tell you he is not at all a bad guitar player. He’s just not always out there showing it off. He’s normally jumping around getting the audience going as a front man and leaves it to Jason White live however he does do solos he just shares them. In short by no means a bad player. He’s a great player
He is an awesome guitarist but not a shredder I would say.
Billy Joe is a good guitar player. What a lot of people don't understand about guitar playing is that it is your picking and strumming hand that determines if you are good enough to play with others and sound good. All the timing and rhythm are in that hand. I haven't been to a Green Day show since the early 90s but back then I went to quite a few. They were an actual three-piece band back then and they were tighter than shit. Believe me, at those shows, there wasn't anybody saying Billie Joe was a bad guitar player.
This video was more than necesaary, and needed to be done.
This man said “buuuut you probably won’t do that so here they are”
Dude Billie Joe Armstrong is a goat undoubtedly it's just he has to balance both vocals and guitar try that before judging
Seriously. Playing Platypus is hard...playing Platypus while singing is almost impossible
Fast lyrics is harder to play than solos fr.
While playing guitar
Thanks so much for watching my Billie Joe video!! I also post my original music! Check out my bands newest song and music video:
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I feel like Billie still writes and plays all of green day’s solos, and always has, and Jason plays them on stage
Say what you will about the 'simplicity' of his riffs, but they pair perfectly with Dirnt's bass lines and the end product is awesome.
I was like "That kinda looks like MCR... Oh wait."
Steve and ringo really surprised me they came like out of nowhere and they are all some of my favorite at their instruments
BJ Armstrong makes riffs that are easy, but very very beautiful to listen to, the music is simple and efficient, I don't think it's wrong if he plays a lot of power chords because that's why punk rock music is not only about melody but more rhythm. just my opinion 👍
I always thought billie was kind of average but I didnt really care because i liked the music he made.
Then i saw them live and him and Jason white did a guitar duel and billie was absolutely shredding.
Hes a great guitar player his music just doesnt really call for crazy solos
Billy joe has ripped some face melting solos and his rhythm playing is brutal and can't be replicated
The simple answer is no
I've seen GD live a few times - the skills, talent and energy that Billy Joe brings to the stage is epic - as a guitarist myself - I wish I could play as good as Billy Joe - and his songwriting ability - the guy is gifted to say the least
JUST NO! BJA is one of the best guitar players ever! He just doesn’t want to be a cocky show off like or some musicians🤦🏽♀️. He’s actually really good considering the fact that he’s self taught. Not to mention he’s inspired countless artists like Billie Eillish that girl y’all are OBSESSED WITH. Even Metallica played one of their songs at the beginning of their concert. They also I Inspired blink-182 and Fall Out Boy.So don’t be stupid.
I agree. He’s a fantastic guitarist. He’s probably my biggest inspiration as a guitar player.
Same though. Green Days the reason I started playing guitar:)
Thanks so much for watching my Billie Joe video!! I also post my original music! Check out my bands newest song and music video:
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I cant believe you just said that....
@@user-vx9pw9ss6y said what?
The solos on the first 2 lookout albums were my favorite. He’s got this habit of punctuating his solos with little palm muted riffs that just sound so crunchy and aggressive.
FINALLY SOMEONE MADE A VIDEO ABOUT THIS!! Just because someone can shred, play behind their head, sweep pick, it doesn't make them " automatically good ". Who knows, the people that do that maybe can't even play a simple rhythm. And just because someone DOESN'T shred or tap or play a million miles and hour, it doesn't make them bad.
Love / hate him or his band, look at their career. Traveling the world playing sold out shows in stadiums while just playing simple chords for so many years, all those hits, the fans. If that isn't considered successful I don't know what is. While some prodigy is still playing to a bar with only 5 people in it.
Well Justin Bieber has been doing that as well. And yet some prodigy is still playing at some bar. Why is that cool exactly?
@@Johnnysmithy24 Even amateurs can be successful , depends on how you use it.
@@JawJX Being successful doesn’t mean you’re a good musician
@@Johnnysmithy24 But you can sure live a good life from it. No point being a master at guitar when the music doesn't call for it. Imagine complex guitar solos and odd time signatures in a green day song, nah totally not necessary.
@@JawJX I agree it’s not necessary in Green Day songs. I’m just saying that just because one is successful doesn’t make him a good musician. Just look at all these mumble rappers today
The same way it doesn’t mean because someone isn’t mainstream or famous or rich, he is a bad musician.
I feel that he wrote these songs to be able to play 40, or even 50 years after they were written. He played it smart. You have bands like Motley Crue who wrote really impressive songs, but if you have seen recent videos of them trying to play these songs live, it just doesn’t come together quite right. Bille Joe wrote Green Day songs to last, and hey, they’re always catchy.
I think you're out of your mind. He just wrote what sounded good for his style. I don't think there is a musician on the planet that specifically writes music thinking about will I still be able to do this decades later?
Look at Liquid Tension Experiment...they just dropped their 3rd album. Tony Levin is like 75, Jordan is only ten years younger. They are AMAZING live and their newest record is phenomenal.
@limelight81 Look at Dream Theater. The band is firing on all cylinders, but LaBrie is struggling. They are even running a half step flat just for him. They never used to do that.
Sadly, most vocalists only get a short while. Dave Gilmour still sounds incredible live though. That old timer and his soft hands. It will be a sad day when we lose that dumplin.
@@rickfeith6372 he literally said this in an interview lmao.
He can write the shit out of a pop song though. Smells like teen spirit is mainly power chords, but it doesn't make it a bad song. As far as I know, he never claimed to be Steve Vai.
I think it's obvious I'm a fan, but a lot of that is because of his ability to write a catchy song, not his guitar ability. I wouldn't call the clash 'shredders' either.. or most punk guitarists for that matter. But again, I'm not a fan of punk for rippers on guitar, I'm a fan because the music hits me in a particular way.
Edit.. I swear I didn't know Steve Vai was in this video haha I wrote my comment while watching the video but had not gotten to that part in the video.
I picked up a guitar because of him, hands down.. The energy he projects out of his music is the best thing about his work. He is my favourite musicians because he is the most relatable one.
I've never heard anyone say that Billie Joe Armstrong was a bad guitar player, I've only heard them say that he's "too political." Billie is one of my favorite guitar players ever, I've been playing for almost 6 and a half years now and Green Day is the band I listen to the most
Who listens to any music even remotely teetering on punk and complains about it being too political?
@@teamLeon928 you'd be surprised
I saw green day live for the first time in 98, they are the reason I started a band, went on to be a DJ and ultimately did countless live shows. BJ is an AMAZING songwriter, the guitar is just a tool.
BJ is more known for being an extremely talented song writer, not really for being a skilled Guitar Player. His Guitar playing skills are satisfactory, but he’s not a guitar god or anything. I mean it’s Punk Rock, how good does he have to be?
Yes but that’s what I love about him. He’s NO WHERE near a punk anymore. Never really was. He’s WAY too good to be just punk lol even mostly punk.
Something I'd like to point out is that Billie Joe does have a reputation for being a great guitar player, but in the audio recording industry. It takes a lot of skill to layer different tracks of guitar on top of each other and have them line up. Most modern Green Day tracks have layers upon layers of guitar takes run through different amps. Given how rhythmic Green Day's songs are, any slip-ups there would be super obvious. If you watch Andrew Scheps' video on mixing one of their songs, he points out that Billie's playing makes his job way easier. Put a shredder in a studio with a metronome and ask them to do several takes of the same thing, they will struggle with consistency.
Not saying they're better or worse than other bands out there, but there's a lot that goes on behind the scenes of *any* band that the average critic doesn't realize.
Did you watch the video? Apparently not. Your conclusion is pretty moronic IMO. Oh, before I forget, what tour have you been on?????? (that's what I thought)
@@jeffreyduus5440 huh? I have no clue what you’re talking about.
Listen to Guns n Roses version of New Rose, then listen to The Damned's version. The punk band's version if far better because it has feeling, rather than just "playing notes" which is what the GnR version sounds like. The Damned's drummer Rat Scabies said that people always said the music they played was easy...until they tried to play it themselves. There obviously were a huge number of basic three-chord punk bands back in the day, but none of them really had any success.
Another argument that further proves he’s a good guitarist is that Green Day is known for and constantly praised for being very tight sounding and great live. Granted that takes all members of the band to achieve that but he’s the vocalist and guitarist, it’s hard enough to just play guitar so well live but also singing on top of it, you have to be very comfortable on your instrument to be able to do both and do both well.
Watch heart like a handgranade. He does so many solos in that with extras.
Thank you for this video. I wholeheartedly agree and its great to finally see someone put it into context and show the world. He inspired me to start playing guitar, he's absolutely incredible live.
I don’t care how technically good someone is at guitar, it’s if they can play something that fits the song. That’s what’s hard man.
Billie Joe Armstrong is a great guitar player and Green Day is a great band. End of story
Anyone who has tried to sing and play guitar at the same time should know that it's difficult, there is a reason why lead singers almost always play rhythm because it's not easy to play guitar and sing at the same time.
I noticed I gained the ability to around the same time I learned to pat my head and run my belly at the same time.
Not every song needs a guitar solo, much less a shred solo. What makes Billie a GREAT guitar player in my opinion is that he serves the song, not his ego.
I think Steve Vai has settled this argument
it's ironic, most people still can't even play the Green Day stuff like "Basket Case" correctly or get his perfect rhythmic inflections - BJ uses WAY more open chords than people realize. It's not just power chords at all, it opens up the song so much more and fills out the sound. He transitions well between them. Dookie is FILLED with open chord voicings throughout - just listen to "Pulling Teeth" - not a single power chord in there, but there are barre chords.
Playing "simple" music to a really high standard is what professionals do. His tone is great, his timing is impeccable, listen to how locked in he is with Mike and tre. Also he's doing this whilst singing and running around a stage. The other important factor people miss is originality and he has a unique sound and feel.
10 years ago he purchased 75 acres of land beside my house on sidling hill mountain in western Maryland he purchased the land and built a house him his family and friends stay here a few weekends every year. Until 3 years ago I had no idea he's a singer. When he first purchased the property he introduced himself to me and my wife he seemed like a normal guy he didn't mention what he does for a living. Every time we see him in town at save alot grocery or at ac&t convenience store he's always by himself. He doesn't act like a rock star he drives a ford f-250 4x4 diesel truck when he stays at the vacation property next to my home. He's a down to earth guy.
Define “bad”, I’ve seen him live and sure he’s not Van Halen up there but he’s not some beginner who can’t improv solo or anything. Punk genres isn’t necessarily a difficult style to play by default and he sings 98% of the time. So I guess if you’re grading him up against SRV, EVH, the Jimmy’s and clapton, then yeah, he’s not great. But in terms of his fit and sound with the band? It’s perfect and the success reflects that.
I dont think he wants to be vanhalen
Billie Joe is one of the best lyricist of this and the last couple generations. Green Day is one of the best live bands I’ve ever seen. They sound better live than recorded
i agree! 100%
“It’s not about what you play, it’s how you play” is the most applicable statement to Billie Joe. Is he the best guitarist in the world? Nah. But he sure as fuck knows how to play and how to get the crowd into it.
Not to mention, he grew up idolizing Eddie Van Halen. He originally wanted to be a lead guitarist and never a frontman.
He can do a whole lot more than power cords
The Judge’s Daughter is one of his most impressive solos because it’s just nuts. It’s pretty fast and he does it so cleanly. Same with pretty much anything he plays.
thank you for your service and spreading the good word!
39 smooth is my favorite album. I love it so when I hear people saying that I just play songs like paper lanterns for them
People who say that generally never listened to Green Day apart from two songs on the radio, and probably followed the trend that says he is bad. You clearly showed he isn't bad, but most importantly, you don't have to be the greatest player to be a great musician (he isn't Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix but who is ? We can argue over his guitar skills but can't argue about the talent he has for songwriting), and also, just because you can shred or do a riff at 15616bpm doesn't mean you should. That's what people that bash BJA seem to forget
I play guitar, I love to play complicated things and stuff, within my skill range, but I have as much (if not more) fun playing Green Day songs, because it's fun, it's easy, you can let yourself go (pun intended), and it sounds damn good. That's why they are my favorite band, people usually freak out when I say that as far as my tastes go, I love them as much as I love the Beatles or Led Zeppelin, but the truth is I enjoy them as much as those legends, they are legends themselves. And my god do they kick ass on stage. Your video was spot on with great examples, and the comments at the end from legends just say it all.
By the way, about the solos on the trilogy, about Jason White, a precision : I remember an interview from 2012 when it came out, BJA said that as part of the band for those three records, Jason White played one solo, if I remember correctly it was X-Kid from Tré. So not some played by Jason, only one. All the other solos are played by BJA, and same goes for the other records, although he doesn't play them on stage (he is a showman, hence Jason), he still plays them on the records, and they are pretty damn good.
Great video again dude !
Awesome comment! Really appreciate you taking the time to reach out and give me your thoughts. Always great to see eye to eye. And that’s cool I remember that interview too. I haven’t been able to find it though... otherwise I would have included it. Thanks again! ☺️😊