GuitarBizarre

I never said it was bereft of merit, but its as perfect an example as I could find on short notice, of the sorts of technique and speed obsessed compositions that sprang from the influence of 80's shred and Yngwie's neoclassical influence features strongly. If criticism were to be levelled at it then that criticism would be most apt were it of the flavour that Yngwie's music often recieves. I was attempting to illustrate the dissimilarity between the two approaches while pointing out that the flaws most would claim of Yngwie's work, apply more fittingly to Fareri's, while simultaneously expanding on that to provide analytical insight into why I don't feel those same criticisms apply extensively if at all to Yngwie's work, hence the discussion of vibrato and rubato, and their use in controlling mood and providing contrast within a piece.

He says that in this interview, not the video linked. I just gave the video to give an example of Guthrie's playing for those who weren't familiar with him. If thats really what you heard in that vid, then I'd say I achieved what I wanted to - A video that shows guthrie's versatility regarding guitar styles.

But then again, if you're out to try and attack Guthrie's credibility by implying he's a copycat or in some way inferior as a musician, then I really don't think theres much point continuing this discussion. You can accuse Guthrie of a number of things, but his playing and musicality commands respect. I've shown his music to dozens of people, most of whom despise shred and jump to the soapbox shouting about pointless wankery, and none of them have had anything but nice things to say about Guthrie and his playing. If his defense of Yngwie is sufficiently offensive to you that you need to attack him with such needling as a single missed note in an informal demonstration, or by implying that his licks are unoriginal by way of listing his influences, then I don't really see the relevance of the contribution. If you're not trying to do that, then I don't understand why you made the list without continuing it with a point or explanation. Its worth bearing in mind Guthrie has a long history as a session musician and therefore is going to be fully aware of whose style he's taking influence from, or modifying to achieve effect when he improvises these 'colour' passages during the interview. It demonstrates his versatility, it has no bearing on his creativity, and in any case his versatility is what lends credence to his statements regarding other players and their styles, because it demonstrates he understands and is capable of emulating the elements he lauds or puts down, and as such his opinion is informed and well researched as a musician and guitarist.

For my 2 cents, Guthrie's opinion should be afforded consideration - He's one of the most versatile guitarists on the planet, his playing style is exemplary in terms of control, you never get the impression he's only just keeping it together, and even in his many improvisation vids on youtube he manages to put across a sense of absolute control combined with extensive melodic freedom, never constrained by memorised licks or shapes. And he's demonstrated in his books and interviews multiple times that he holds an appreciation for shred without being in awe of it, and isn't subject to genre blindness regarding the shred movements weaknesses and excesses. Quite the opposite, many of his interviews show a distaste for technique for techniques sake, which is rare in a player of his ability and style.

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