Zer0

Whenever I hear one of these virtuoso guitarists like Malmsteen or Satriani they remind me of going down the road to the shop for a pack of cigarettes, in a Ferrari, while taking a detour around half the country to get there. Some people might enjoy driving around half the country but no I just want the pack of cigarettes please, and maybe enjoy the walk as well.

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GuitarBizarre

I can understand your point in principle, but these people aren't trying to make a point WITH music as much as the point IS the music. To use a bicycle analogy, they're not bike commuting on one of these, they're going trail riding on one of these.

Thats the difference between the assumption and the actuality. To refer back to the Fire and Ice analysis I made earlier, nothing is wasted. Every action has a point. The song might not be about evoking imagery or telling a story like a Queen song or Pink Floyd song, or disseminating an ideology like a Sex Pistols song or Bikini Kill, it might simply be full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, but that doesn't mean it can't be enjoyed for what it is. The introductory elements outline a chord progression that has its own aesthetic value purely for the way its been done. It isn't done to be wasteful, its done for the value of the outcome itself, rather than to make an outcome that references outside ideas. Yes that outcome is derived from something, so you could call that a reference, but its referenced for the love of the thing, not what it represents.


FaSho, one video cannot determine an acts entire reputation is accurate. Mozart wrote music entitled Leck mich im Arsch (literally "Lick me in the arse"), but that doesn't devalue his other works, aesthetically, culturally, or otherwise, and certainly to some people he had a reputation as being boorish and rude, and even, much like Ynwgie and many shredders, self-indulgent. Indeed, according to this article that was the prevailing opinion, self-indulgent! Too many notes!. A detractor couldn't point to that one informal work and reputation of boorishness, and rationalise that his other music was devoid of value on the basis of one piece that was peurile and lowbrow, he was still a wonderful composer. In the same sense, Yngwie wrote Black Star and all manner of other wonderful songs that prove he's capable of composing works, and frequently does compose works that don't fit your pigeonhole. The discovery of something like that video doesn't devalue those works and as I noted above without even going through a quarter of his back catalogue, there are no shortage of songs a person can point to as evidence of that.

And no, I am in no way implying Yngwie should be compared to Mozart. The two have some parallels that are relevant, but Yngwie cannot compare to Amadeus in terms of talent, importance, skill, or indeed personality, given his legendary arrogance. I am merely illustrating a parallel. Nothing more, nothing less.

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