G3

[Lucifers_Ghost]

This is for all the music lovers out there .. haters too I suppose :P

I just finished watching the 3 released dvd's of G3 - Satriani, Vai and either Johnson, Malmsteen, Petrucci, depending on the year.

Seriously ... is it not disgusting at how talented these men are. I have been playing guitar for about 15 years and I never had a prayer of being that good.

However, is it just me or did Malmsteen just NOT fit in at all?

Any other musicians out there who want to discuss? I looked for some G3 message boards but couldnt find any. Id like to get a sense of what others think or feel about these concerts.

Discuss ....

LG

[adam]

I haven't seen this but I'm familiar with all of their work. I've been playing guitar for about 15 years or so as well.

In what way did Yngwie not fit in?

The guy is probably the best technical player ever, but I just find nothing musical or melodic about his work at all. Its non-stop notes. He plays them because he can, not because they sound good. Satriani and Vai are extremely melodic. You could take out the guitar and just hum the melody and it would still be a song. If you tried that with Malmsteen's stuff you'd sound like a machine gun.

[Lucifers_Ghost]

Man, if you are a fan of their work, particularly Vai and Satriani, you have to check these out. They are wonderful.

Precisely my thoughts on Malmsteen.

Technically the dude is great. But, like you said, he plays the notes .. as fast as he possibly can .. just because he can. There is no form to it.

My thoughts go a bit further, in that, just his "style/image" on stage just seems so .. I dont know .. out of place with the likes of Vai and Satriani. They both do their thing and let the guitar do the talking. Malmsteen is jumping around, doing that "swinging guitar" move, etc. It just doesnt seem to fit. Not saying I dont like the guy .. just saying he is out of place.

[adam]

Well I'll say it, I don't like the guy. If you read any of his interviews he is a pompous ass. All he ever does is insult other guitarists and say that their music lacks meaning because its not complicated enough. As far as how he fits in compared to Vai or Satriani, who are classy and constantly evolving, Malmsteen is clearly stuck in the 80's in every way from his hair down to his pelvic thrusts.

I think his musical problem is that he's playing the wrong instrument, and he kinda admits it himself. His main influences are all classical but he of course likes to write a brand of technical heavy metal which really could only appeal to other technical guitarists I think. The guy really needs to be playing a classical instrument like violin. Someone like Randy Rhodes found a way to merge classical musical with heavy metal guitar seamlessly and melodically. Malmsteen just does it because it allows him to show off.

[träskmannen]

I can only agree. I found the early works of Malmsteen quite interesting when they were released (first album, maybe the second) since it was something new, or at least something I had never encountered before. After that he has more or less got stuck. It all sounds the same and it's all quite... boring. Technically it is fantastic but that's as far as it goes.

I think I will have to look up the G3, it looks interesting and promising!

[smearbrick1]

The only song I ever half-liked by Malmsteen was "Dreaming", and that was a stretch. There are so many things that are bad about his music, it is unreal.

I agree, Adam. He appears to be a pompous, arrogant ass. They had a column in Guitar (used to be Guitar for the Practicing Musician - a great magazine ruined) where he would listen to popular guitar-oriented songs and give his "expert" opinion on them. His comments were mostly "poor note choices", "poor execution"....etc, etc. I thought music was all about expression, theory be damned!

It's funny, I've seen pictures of Yngwie from a recent performance at a local club. Man that guy didn't age well. At some point you have to let go of the past and evolve (both musically and image-wise). He seems stuck; a one trick pony. Several other guitarist have embraced evolution and are moving forward. Example: Alex Skolnick (former guitarist for Testament), Reb Beach (Winger), even Ted Nugent embraced change (not necessarily for the better).

[Lucifers_Ghost]

I personally never really "liked" Malmsteen but didnt mind listening to him.

Its funny how all our thoughts are exactly the same on him though. I remember hearing him for the first time thinking "good lord, this guy is quick." At that point, I had only been playing for about a year and was rather green. The more I learnt and the more I listened, I realize he was primarly just that. Fast and technical. There is no feeling. No emotion. Nothing in his music.

I used to love Testament. Skolnick was pretty decent as well. If I am not mistaken, he had his own column in Guitar World or something for awhile. As did Kirk Hammett, Dimebag, and a few others I think?

[smearbrick1]

Yes, Skolnick did have a column in Guitar (for the practicing musician) I think. His columns went from solid metal guitar to exploring jazz.

I'm not a big Petrucci fan anymore. I really dug Dream Theater up until "Awake", but after that, the point was just lost in a mess of "look how good I am." I didn't mind his bit with Liquid Tension Experiment. It was pretty good.

Satriani, to me, plays second fiddle to Steve Vai. While Joe's leads and guitar melodies are quite melodic, his rhythm guitar sounds somewhat limited. It's not like I don't think he can't play rhythm, it just sounds as though the rhythm guitar is not very well thought out on his abums. Take "Summer Song" or "Surfing With The Alien". "Summer Song" has a great guitar melody going on over a really lackluster rhythm guitar that sort of just chunks along. The same is true with "Surfing With The Alien".

Steve Vai on the other hand, seems to have a firm grasp on both. It sounds like he really makes an attempt to feature, not only the leads, but the rhythms also. This, to me, gives his playing alot more depth. Check out "Bad Horsie" for a great example of this.

[hech54]

I saw G3 MANY years ago...Satriani, Vai and Eric Johnson I believe. I've been playing guitar all of my life but never got into Satriani or Vai....Eric Johnson was/is a unique and tasteful guitarist. Satriani and Vai on the other hand?...how many harmonic tremolo bar "dive bombs" can you fit in a song?
Not my "cup of tea"...sorry.
Malmsteen?....to me he makes noise and scallops his fretboard(if I'm not mistaken)...again not my cup of tea. He is very fast but his songs give me a headache. He has NO right to criticize anyone based on their lack of touch, feel or expression since in my opinion he has none of the above.
I'll listen to my Robben Ford, Larry Carlton, Steve Lukather and old Ozzy with Randy Rhoads over and over thank you...because I am old and set in my ways....