3 ms·

I got the same feeling as brtkdotse when Chris Cornell of Soundgarden died. "They aren't making them like that anymore". And if they are, I haven't found any.

I got the same feeling as brtkdotse when Chris Cornell of Soundgarden died. "They aren't making them like that anymore". And if they are, I haven't found any. Can you give us an example (like a YouTube link) of a modern guitarist (from the past 15 or so years) that approaches Eddie Van Halen's level of talent or innovation? An uplifting thought is that, like Cornell, although we have lost him, we still have his music. Another "hacker's guitarist" is Tom Sholz of Boston. If the younger generation has never heard of him, his story is amazing too (an MIT trained engineer; rock star; built his own gear; wrote, played, recorded and produced his own work): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Scholz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Scholz While his style is a little different than EVH, he has a similar innovative spirit.

dlivingston 6y ago
My impression is that rock and roll is...well, dead. Genres wax and wane in popularity, and so does the talent in that genre, as talent becomes attracted to other genres (you ask who the modern day Van Halen is: who is the modern day B.B. King? Or Frank Sinatra? Or Mozart? On some level, it's a silly question, because those genres have become somewhat passé). A few years ago, garage band rock n' roll was topping the charts: The Black Keys, The White Stripes, The Arctic Monkeys, etc. Now, not so much - or at all. But as much as my soul is warmed by a tasty guitar lick, I'm okay with that, because the seasons change and all we can do is watch as they do.
- beaugunderson 6y ago
  finding new (to me) bands that sound like the old bands I like is much easier given tools like everynoise.com, which I highly recommend (though it works best if you also have a Spotify account because of the playlists). my current heavy rotation playlist of EVH-style guitar shredding is here, if anyone is interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6iCImsdr0rrYHStbFpOi2h?si=ibMXqPPWSt-Y2GCrr-ASgw https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6iCImsdr0rrYHStbFpOi2h?si=... vastly different sound but the technical mastery is apparent.
  - ateng 6y ago
    Allow me to chip in my guitar riff playlist as well https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5q2zcb4xCWviTlAPfk0M8z?si=nS8AZhFZTPeeMJz6hKkGYw https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5q2zcb4xCWviTlAPfk0M8z?si=...
    - beaugunderson 6y ago
      great playlist, it was largely Satriani/Vai/Johnson who were responsible for my love of guitar wankery :)
- PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago
  I would encourage listening to Joe Satriani's answer to this question from Rick Beato: https://youtu.be/AYdmelm9ADM?t=2143 https://youtu.be/AYdmelm9ADM?t=2143
daviddaviddavid 6y ago
Both Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes from Animals as Leaders are amazing guitarists who are pushing the boundaries while making really kickass music.
siltpotato 6y ago
Not in a rude way: if you don't like what's out there, make it yourself. I love vocoders and hate that there are extremely few albums dedicated to them, so I bought one and am making music right now, soon (about a year, depending on the schedules of my band) to have recordings online.
PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago
My immediate go-to answer for that question would be Guthrie Govan. He can shred with anyone, but also can do incredibly delicate picking work, and can play in the context of almost any genre you could name - blues, folk, jazz. His blending of techniques goes way beyond EVH (but undoubtedly bears some debt too). This is probably Govan's most famous single-take solo, but he has oodles of other work at this level (though not necessarily in this style); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaH2C2Qe97Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaH2C2Qe97Y Before him, Shawn Lane (RIP) was technically far beyond EVH, but ditched the southern speed metal he came up playing and got interested in indian classical music. Lane died young in 2003, but leaves behind an interesting legacy of work for those us interested in something far outside of "rock", but ultimately strongly indebted to it. You can find old videos of him shredding in the late 1990s when he was often said to be the fastest ever. This is from his work with Jonas Hellborg and two indian percussionists. The first link is to one of his more melodic sections, the second is more virtuosic and microtonal: https://youtu.be/8gTSCXur8rA?t=68 https://youtu.be/8gTSCXur8rA?t=68 https://youtu.be/8gTSCXur8rA?t=377 https://youtu.be/8gTSCXur8rA?t=377 Also, shout out to Tosin Abasi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTi9y2-VnNY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTi9y2-VnNY he's definitely more directly indebted to EVH, but more modern and arguably more technique, technology and maybe just a shade more jazz. Further, or maybe differently, outside the of "rock" scope, and on acoustic guitar, people like Kaki King have taken the "extended technique" approach of Michael Hedges and run with it. She is off-the scale talented, although to be fair a lot of her music doesn't connect with me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os6-0_uYAq8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os6-0_uYAq8
- glouwbug 6y ago
  Shawn Lane is my absolute favorite. No one has mastered melody, phrasing, tone, and humbleness as much as Shawn Lane. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VzrzREBYbao https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VzrzREBYbao
- ipiz0618 6y ago
  Apart from the solo you suggested, I always suggest the Drive Home (also with Steven Wilson) solo. Easily one of the best solos I've ever heard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycYewhiaVBk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycYewhiaVBk Also +1 Tosin Abasi. The new generation of guitar heroes is here, although traditional rock n roll isn't as popular anymore.
NikolaeVarius 6y ago
This is absolutely insane. Modern metal has been pushing so many boundaries since its such a hard genre to get into. Some obscenely amazing guitarists have emerged in the last decade. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y275DyRjfjE&list=PLThcv0otcWAky-ARCy7xbfhgt1f4o3qhz&index=65 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y275DyRjfjE&list=PLThcv0otcW... And 15 years? Dream Theater has been around for 20 years (with modern lineup), and nobody in their right minds would not put John Petrucci at the top of any guitarist list https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGFuOFenVbk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGFuOFenVbk
- ct-1111 6y ago
  > This is absolutely insane. So you counter with utter inanity. Touche! My opinion has not changed a whit, of modern people or their music. Eddie Van Halen 4eva!
  - NikolaeVarius 6y ago
    So your response to the guitarists who are known for being obscenely technical, and for DT currently owns the world record for most time signature changes in a song is "inanity". A person who has been lead guitarist, main producer, writer and singer for multiple bands and current/longest lasting member of G3? Modern metal has become insanely competitive with young bands competing against each other to be sky high technical, since that's the main differentiation these days. What does a modern guitarist need to do? Be the literal re-incarnation?
lsllc 6y ago
> "They aren't making them like that anymore" You should check out Muse and Matthew Bellamy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nefBNhrKl8k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nefBNhrKl8k
Demiurge 6y ago
Tosin Abasi of Animals as Leaders Plini Aaron Marshall of Intervals Misha Mansoor of Periphery
annnoo 6y ago
One of the most innovative guitarrists of the current era is (for me at least) Tim Henson of Polyphia. Modern, innovative guitar playing has changed a lot in the last few decades. You probably won't find the most innovative players in classic Hard Rock or Metal Bands. You can find them instead in different sub-genres which have a deep focus on the "newer" style of playing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkHD4OVjS4E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkHD4OVjS4E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_gkpYORQLU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_gkpYORQLU
audiometry 6y ago
That fellow from Animals as Leaders is pretty insane and cutting edge. I’m not really a fan of the music but he is undeniably a beast. And thoughtful. See his interview on Rick Beato

dlivingston 6y ago

My impression is that rock and roll is...well, dead. Genres wax and wane in popularity, and so does the talent in that genre, as talent becomes attracted to other genres (you ask who the modern day Van Halen is: who is the modern day B.B. King? Or Frank Sinatra? Or Mozart? On some level, it's a silly question, because those genres have become somewhat passé). A few years ago, garage band rock n' roll was topping the charts: The Black Keys, The White Stripes, The Arctic Monkeys, etc. Now, not so much - or at all. But as much as my soul is warmed by a tasty guitar lick, I'm okay with that, because the seasons change and all we can do is watch as they do.

beaugunderson 6y ago
finding new (to me) bands that sound like the old bands I like is much easier given tools like everynoise.com, which I highly recommend (though it works best if you also have a Spotify account because of the playlists). my current heavy rotation playlist of EVH-style guitar shredding is here, if anyone is interested: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6iCImsdr0rrYHStbFpOi2h?si=ibMXqPPWSt-Y2GCrr-ASgw https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6iCImsdr0rrYHStbFpOi2h?si=... vastly different sound but the technical mastery is apparent.
- ateng 6y ago
  Allow me to chip in my guitar riff playlist as well https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5q2zcb4xCWviTlAPfk0M8z?si=nS8AZhFZTPeeMJz6hKkGYw https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5q2zcb4xCWviTlAPfk0M8z?si=...
  - beaugunderson 6y ago
    great playlist, it was largely Satriani/Vai/Johnson who were responsible for my love of guitar wankery :)
PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago
I would encourage listening to Joe Satriani's answer to this question from Rick Beato: https://youtu.be/AYdmelm9ADM?t=2143 https://youtu.be/AYdmelm9ADM?t=2143

daviddaviddavid 6y ago

Both Tosin Abasi and Javier Reyes from Animals as Leaders are amazing guitarists who are pushing the boundaries while making really kickass music.

siltpotato 6y ago

Not in a rude way: if you don't like what's out there, make it yourself. I love vocoders and hate that there are extremely few albums dedicated to them, so I bought one and am making music right now, soon (about a year, depending on the schedules of my band) to have recordings online.

PaulDavisThe1st 6y ago

My immediate go-to answer for that question would be Guthrie Govan. He can shred with anyone, but also can do incredibly delicate picking work, and can play in the context of almost any genre you could name - blues, folk, jazz. His blending of techniques goes way beyond EVH (but undoubtedly bears some debt too). This is probably Govan's most famous single-take solo, but he has oodles of other work at this level (though not necessarily in this style); https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaH2C2Qe97Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaH2C2Qe97Y Before him, Shawn Lane (RIP) was technically far beyond EVH, but ditched the southern speed metal he came up playing and got interested in indian classical music. Lane died young in 2003, but leaves behind an interesting legacy of work for those us interested in something far outside of "rock", but ultimately strongly indebted to it. You can find old videos of him shredding in the late 1990s when he was often said to be the fastest ever. This is from his work with Jonas Hellborg and two indian percussionists. The first link is to one of his more melodic sections, the second is more virtuosic and microtonal: https://youtu.be/8gTSCXur8rA?t=68 https://youtu.be/8gTSCXur8rA?t=68 https://youtu.be/8gTSCXur8rA?t=377 https://youtu.be/8gTSCXur8rA?t=377 Also, shout out to Tosin Abasi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTi9y2-VnNY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTi9y2-VnNY he's definitely more directly indebted to EVH, but more modern and arguably more technique, technology and maybe just a shade more jazz. Further, or maybe differently, outside the of "rock" scope, and on acoustic guitar, people like Kaki King have taken the "extended technique" approach of Michael Hedges and run with it. She is off-the scale talented, although to be fair a lot of her music doesn't connect with me. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os6-0_uYAq8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os6-0_uYAq8

glouwbug 6y ago
Shawn Lane is my absolute favorite. No one has mastered melody, phrasing, tone, and humbleness as much as Shawn Lane. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VzrzREBYbao https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VzrzREBYbao
ipiz0618 6y ago
Apart from the solo you suggested, I always suggest the Drive Home (also with Steven Wilson) solo. Easily one of the best solos I've ever heard: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycYewhiaVBk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycYewhiaVBk Also +1 Tosin Abasi. The new generation of guitar heroes is here, although traditional rock n roll isn't as popular anymore.

NikolaeVarius 6y ago

This is absolutely insane. Modern metal has been pushing so many boundaries since its such a hard genre to get into. Some obscenely amazing guitarists have emerged in the last decade. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y275DyRjfjE&list=PLThcv0otcWAky-ARCy7xbfhgt1f4o3qhz&index=65 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y275DyRjfjE&list=PLThcv0otcW... And 15 years? Dream Theater has been around for 20 years (with modern lineup), and nobody in their right minds would not put John Petrucci at the top of any guitarist list https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGFuOFenVbk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGFuOFenVbk

ct-1111 6y ago
> This is absolutely insane. So you counter with utter inanity. Touche! My opinion has not changed a whit, of modern people or their music. Eddie Van Halen 4eva!
- NikolaeVarius 6y ago
  So your response to the guitarists who are known for being obscenely technical, and for DT currently owns the world record for most time signature changes in a song is "inanity". A person who has been lead guitarist, main producer, writer and singer for multiple bands and current/longest lasting member of G3? Modern metal has become insanely competitive with young bands competing against each other to be sky high technical, since that's the main differentiation these days. What does a modern guitarist need to do? Be the literal re-incarnation?

lsllc 6y ago

> "They aren't making them like that anymore" You should check out Muse and Matthew Bellamy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nefBNhrKl8k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nefBNhrKl8k

Demiurge 6y ago

Tosin Abasi of Animals as Leaders Plini Aaron Marshall of Intervals Misha Mansoor of Periphery

annnoo 6y ago

One of the most innovative guitarrists of the current era is (for me at least) Tim Henson of Polyphia. Modern, innovative guitar playing has changed a lot in the last few decades. You probably won't find the most innovative players in classic Hard Rock or Metal Bands. You can find them instead in different sub-genres which have a deep focus on the "newer" style of playing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkHD4OVjS4E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkHD4OVjS4E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_gkpYORQLU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_gkpYORQLU

audiometry 6y ago

That fellow from Animals as Leaders is pretty insane and cutting edge. I’m not really a fan of the music but he is undeniably a beast. And thoughtful. See his interview on Rick Beato