About Music #1: Why Great Technique Doesn't Make For Great Music

It's been a while... You have to understand that this is typically me. I make this blog to post the small things, but once I have it, I neglect it. Let's try to change that someday.

What I want to talk about today is music. It's the first piece in a string of things I have to say about music. Today specifically, it's about techniques versus actual music.

Let me clarify on that.

A friend once showed me this video, of Yngwie Malmsteen. It's called Arpeggios from Hell. Why? Because it's probably the sickest, fastest sequence of guitar licks you've ever seen. I watched it, and was impressed, of course. But I didn't give a damn about it...

Yes, it is amazingly impressing. Yes, I wish my fingers could move as fast as his do. But this is not music. It's merely (dangerous word, I know) a feat. It's like juggling; if you practise very hard, you can attain an impressive level. But juggling doesn't move you, does it? You can look at a juggler for a few minutes, and be like "Whoa, that's awesome!", but after a few minutes you won't be interested anymore.

The same goes for these kinds of videos. Just type in a search term along the line of "insane guitar" on Youtube, and have fun zifting through the many, many videos.

"What's your point, Rémy? Get on with it!"

My point is that music is not a string of guitar techniques. It's so much more. It needs to have soul, it needs to have life.

Take Jimi Hendrix, for instance. Now, Jimi is one of the untouchable guitar gods. You cannot say anything negative about him, because everyone agrees on the fact that Jimi was the greatest guitar player of all time. Just like you cannot say anyone bad about Picasso. Personally, I don't agree, but that's for another time. What I mean is, that while he has amazing skills, it's not always good music. For instance, watch, or rather listen, to this video. Is that music you want on your iPod? No. But why not? Cause it's undeniably amazing... Because stringing together amazing guitar 'tricks' is not music.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying Jimi Hendrix is a bad musician, or a mere 'juggler'. Au contraire, he is amazing, and has beautiful songs, like The Wind Cries Mary. Note that this song is not as over-the-top as the previous video. It's still very impressive play, but the real power of this song comes not from the guitar licks... It comes from his own signature sound, combined with the relative simplicity of the actual notes. It's the notes you don't hear (and the muted strings) that complete this song. The most beautiful parts about songs like this are the moment of rest (like the riff during which he sings "The wind cries Mary..."), and the small, personal bends and curls.

Music doesn't have to be complex. It needs to have meaning.

I think a lot of my favourite songs are songs that are, in essence, pretty straight-forward. It's the way the musicians play it, that gives me the shivers (the good kind). The best possible combination, of course, is using these techniques to express yourself better, what I think they were meant for in the first place.

This Live version of Snow ((Hey Oh)), by the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a good example (The song begins at 1:30, but nothing is stopping you from watching the whole video ;)). If you watch John's fingers, you'll see how amazingly complex the riff is, but if you look at his face and body language you'll also see the love that's given to this complex riff, which really rises it above simply putting your fingers in the right place, at the right time. Also listen to the keyboard. It's the opposite. It's very simple, and I suppose anyone who hasn't touched a keyboard in his/her life could do it. But doesn't it add a beautiful emotional layer?

It's a philosophy, you could say. I follow it myself, or I try to most of the time. See the black, see the white, and try to pick the best way in between, utilizing the best of both worlds. In this case: Use the techniques to express yourself and make music, not to impress. Easier said than done, obviously.

Next time, on About Music #2, I'll talk about perfectly playing a song, versus having fun on stage. I hope you've enjoyed this bit, and please feel free to comment. I've got some new pieces in the pipeline, about games, the internet, relativity.

Lyric of the day: "The Mission. The Method. The Downfall. Arrested. Cause it's not the first time. Nor is it the last time." (Red Hot Chili Peppers - We Believe)" - Somewhat mysterious, isn't it?
Excited about: My new DVDs! I can't wait to absorb all this knowledge. I'm also looking forward to better structuring my guitar training schedule.
Pissed off about: How things on the internet get horribly twisted out of proportions, and why people can't just get along online. Watch for an article about this...
Looking forward to: Celebrating my birthday with my classmates. Going to see Watchmen with my best friend.
Listening to: Stadium Arcadium, which I've really rediscovered after studying the music. Robert Cray - Twenty, another great example for today, actually...