Dude,
Firstly, hope you are getting better from the food
poisoning. Funny title….but for 2 reasons:
- To pay tribute to the great meal we had last week,
- To pay
tribute to this great country of ours, hopefully, we will continue to
enjoy the peace and harmony as well as racial unity. Most of all, we hope
the Big Shop will continue to house
the cheapest Fenders and Ibanezes in the region. Happy 55th
Birthday
Had some reflections after you left and I still want to say,
it was great having you around. If not for that very abrupt schedule for the
business trip, I would have loved to spend more time with you. Nonetheless, we
still got many things accomplished (cos I wouldn’t have gotten down to polish
my guitars if it wasn’t for the trip to Big Shop).
I have gone on and on about your HUGE progress with your
shredding (since I last heard you doing the VMNTX sound file).
One thing is that I am impressed how much your right hand
resembles that of Zakk – practically shredding the hell out of the strings but
still clean and polished (I don’t hear you hitting other strings). That shows a
very good control of the picking hand and I am sure, this helps to enhance your
touch and playing dynamics as well…
On to the left hand. While I was busy taking out all the
guitars, and wiping them down afterwards, I felt rather excited listening
(feeling, rather) the brutality in your family. Fierce but at the same time
fluid. I think I can be very sure of that, since I didn’t get to see your
fingers flying although there were few times I had to stop what I was doing and
look at what the hell you were doing.
There is something interesting about your chops. The fact
that they sounded like some Zakk Wylde rip-off (I mean it in a good way), that
shows you actually, were able to fully understand your idol’s style and
successfully incorporated them into your playing, resulting in the assimilation
of style that is unique to you. The best part is that you also managed to
maintain the originality of your licks. You want to fight about it? Just listen
to all your recorded solos. They are highly original.
And lately, you took that to a higher level.
I guess being schooled in metal really helps that
development and the continuous progression and improvement. It is as if you
were compiling an encyclopedia of metal shredding through the years.
Then again, as versatile as you are, give you a Fireman and
you do something else.
A complete guitar player, regardless of the genre he
chooses, doesn’t touch the listeners with his licks or techniques. He
communicates via soul and feel. The agony of blues, elegance of jazz or in your
case, fury of heavy metal, is translated from the spirit that resonates through
you rplaying. BB King bends a note, and that means more than all the notes Joe
Bonamassa can play (with no disrespect) and when Mustaine shreds, it gives you
the courage to go murder your boss (if your boss is bad……).
Your playing and the RG has truly added some fuel to the
flickering metal flame inside me.
Maybe it’s time for me to re-visit Yngwie and Randy.
Dude, the next time
you are back, we have to revisit another national pride: Maggi Goreng tambah
telur mata kerbau.
Dude,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nice comments. These days I have been experimenting more on the fingerboard, and I have to say, while I still don't understand the theory of things sometimes, but instinctively I have learned where I can run on the fretboard. I still think I have a lot to learn though, and although I have gotten faster and cleaner, sometimes I do fall back into the typical "Zakk" pentatonic runs.
I can't say I hate them (cos I love em) but sometimes feel I lack the melody because of that and it sounds like doodles. That is why recently I've been listening to more Stratovarius, Angra, Edguy etc to try to get that Scandinavian melodic side going. I've also started listening to more 80s rock again, to listen to the melodic lines they play over jiwang-jiwang songs. Just trying to add those little fillers into my shred solos. A lot of Marillion again recently (Hogarth years) and trying to see how to manage to obtain the tone Rothary gets (clean, high sustain).
In any case, I think you still under-rate your playing way too much, and you are a lot better than what you make yourself to be - especially in metal. I think you've accepted you have some mean-assed blues chops, but metal, you need to accept that you shred really nicely too in your own way.
We should have our usual metal and blues jam when I return. This time, I will bring my amp over and a couple of guitars again for us to bang it out. Then we don't have to stare at each other all the time haha. Now the fun part, which guitar to bring over ...
.... or maybe we both just tapao the RGs home....