Guitar Hero: Pat Metheny

Dude,

You might be thinking that the first post of Guitar Hero is either Eric Johnson or Eric Clapton. As you can see now, this is not the case.

The very first guitar hero I encountered should be Yngwie Malmsteen and Kurt Cobain (getting old, can’t clearly establish the timeline). While Kurt may not be your typical “guitar hero”, he does have something we can learn from, especially, when half the world’s population picked up acoustic guitars after the Unplugged in New York session.

Then there is Malmsteen and around the same time, Kirk Hammett. That was in 1995, (although Clapton is much earlier, I didn’t really start appreciating him until later when I went seriously into blues).

But one of the most interesting discovery was Pat Metheny.

Somewhere in 1996, I saw a review of Pat Metheny’s Quartet album in an issue of Guitar World. I was quite curious about it so I ran to that little CD store and ordered it. Do remember that I had to wait for a week or two before the CD arrives, as at that time, I trust no one in my hometown knows who Pat Metheny is.

I was expecting some jazz shredding.

And boy…. Was I surprised.

I shall describe how I felt when I first inserted the CD.

The opening was piano with some guitar lines and it was dumb. Dumb as in stupid. Stupid as in NOT the way we say stupid. I was expecting some guitar acrobatics remember?

I was rather pissed (but not for long). Track two, changed my life. It was a very dark tune with very gloomy and slow rhythm. I thought it will be another stupid track and boom, came that warm and big tone. And what went on for the next 3 to 5 minutes was a sheer pleasure and that made me decide I shall love jazz from then on.

His lines were chromatic but yet melodic. Melody seems out off place but the phrasing was flawless – in the sense that if I were to put the melody and rhythm together, they would have been like lock and key – perfectly fit in perfect harmony. And that tone……

TO cut the story short I spent the rest of my life (so far) grabbing every CDs and DVDs with his name on it (Pat Metheny, Pat Metheny Trio, Pat Metheny Group, Pat Metheny with John Scofield, etc.)

His playing, until today, is still beyond my understanding.

It wasn’t until a recent email on your encounter that I decided to re-visit Pat Metheny again. Well done on dissecting his style and I believe your experience was almost the same as mine when I caught him in Singapore. Listening and watching videos of him is one thing. Experiencing the man live, it’s another.

One of the thing that really caught me is the way he compose his music. The progression is unorthodox and once again, I guess only he himself can fit a melody or phrase within the progression.

I once read that he works non-stop and many times, he composed his songs on his MacBook during flight. And you are right. Some his solo album, most notably One Quiet Night was like what you described – going into basement and just let his creativity take over.

I have always put this guy on another level – musically, together with people like Vai or Zappa and maybe Syd Berrett.

But from what I have read, this is a guy who tries to make time for his wife and sending his kids to school and picking them up…..Sounds like your average Joe hiding in a mad scientist body (or the other way ‘round)

Pat Metheny is music himself.

Distortion, sweep picking arpeggios, drugs, sex and rock and roll? Not needed if you are Pat Metheny.

Try google Pat Metheny vs Kenny G. Pat is a true defender of jazz.