stevie ray vaughn or jimi hendrix

[NL5]

Did you know that when someone once asked Jimi who his favorite guitar player was, it was Billy Gibbons (ZZ Top)?

Maybe I'm missing something, but didn't ZZ top form right about the time of Jimi's death? Was Billy Gibbons known before ZZ Top? Your quote looks like Jimi referred to ZZ. Hmmm.....

 

[acorec]

personally after hearing both i think that stevie ray vaughn is a better overall guitarist. I mean sure, jimi hendrix is incredible but i think that he and stevie should switch places. Stevie be #1 and hendrix#2 but thats just me.

Jimi was not a great guitar player anymore than John Lennon was. They both were great writers of music. Hendrix was "first" in his field. His ideas (executed by Stevie Ray later on) were brilliant. His playing was sloppy as hell like Jimi Page. He was the first, but certainly not as good a "player" as Stevie Ray. In the context of history, all the great modern players took what Hendrix *tried* to do and perfected it. In the context of only Hendrix as a guitar player, he was not very good.

 

[stonepiano]

...The fact that so many people pick Stevie Ray Vaughan is a clear indication of the problem with all music these days.

The fact that so many people picked Hendrix is a clear indication of people blinded by an inflated legacy.

More and more, we equate speed and technique with musicianship.

If speed and execution came into the picture, shouldn't we be praying to the golden idols of EVH and Yngvie? It is my belief that voters were indeed considering musicianship. I know I was and I'll stick to my vote,, thank you very much.

SRV.

Quick sidenote; people who can't engage in frivilous discussions comparing popular artists are missing half the fun of being a fan of music. It's okay to argue about who's better and to make lists a la High Fidelity. As long as all intelligent parties always maintain the underlying assumption that all music is subjective!

 

[Middleman]

Hendrix created sounds and tones not prior heard, also new chord structures and ways of playing a guitar.

SRV, while technically proficient generally had the same sound, on everything. Not as creative as Hendrix or as varied in his tones and phrasing. I don't think he took things to a new paradigm like Hendrix.

Hendrix was not about speed, which SRV exceled at, he was about melodic and harmonic approaches to music. He built songs around unique tones and layers of sound.

SRV kept his sound pretty much the same and hung around 12 tone scales and was probably one of the best in this genre.

These two are really hard to put head to head, completely different approaches to the instrument.

Jimi Page was closer to Hendrix than to SRV. He was all about sonic layers and melody. Although he could/can step out on the scales but as acorec points out, would sometimes come off slighly sloppy.

Overall I would rather listen to Hendrix and Page, more interesting and expressive in my book.

 

[boingoman]

Jimi was not a great guitar player anymore than John Lennon was. They both were great writers of music. Hendrix was "first" in his field. His ideas (executed by Stevie Ray later on) were brilliant. His playing was sloppy as hell like Jimi Page. He was the first, but certainly not as good a "player" as Stevie Ray. In the context of history, all the great modern players took what Hendrix *tried* to do and perfected it. In the context of only Hendrix as a guitar player, he was not very good.

Balogna. Anyone who says this has obviously never listened to any of his playing. And I would question his knowledge of the Beatles, also. His studio work shows a player with complete command and knowledge of his instrument. Fast? Give me a break. The guy wailed. Live, especially in the middle of his career, he was definitely sloppy. On Band of Gypsies, though, he just cranked.

I love Jimi. and I love Stevie, but I'll bet you that Stevie would have given his left nut to play Little Wing, Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) or Come On anything like Jimi did.

 

[johnnymegabyte]

Jimi was THE innovator of rock guitar --- SRV was a mere copy cat. He used a lot of Jimi's techniques. Where would he be without the Jimi covers ?
Both are prime examples of the self-destruction caused by drugs.

 

[boingoman]

Yes, but SRV was clean and sober for the last few years of his life, making a comeback and playing better than ever. Also a prime example of recovery. The prime cause of his death was bad helicopter piloting.

 

[bubbleboy]

he would have died of exhaustion from playing voodoo child over and over sooner or later anyways

 

[jalbert]

It is my belief that voters were indeed considering musicianship. I know I was and I'll stick to my vote,, thank you very much.

SRV.

you're right the most of the voters were considering musicianship, so take another look and see who's leading the poll.

Quick sidenote; people who can't engage in frivilous discussions comparing popular artists are missing half the fun of being a fan of music.

I'm not a "fan" of music. I'm a musician, thank you very much.

It's okay to argue about who's better and to make lists a la High Fidelity. As long as all intelligent parties always maintain the underlying assumption that all music is subjective!

I'm nothing if not intelligent and of course you're right, all music is subjective. And anyone who thinks Stevie Ray Vaughan is better than Jimi Hendrix is an idiot.

 

[Middleman]

And anyone who thinks Stevie Ray Vaughan is better than Jimi Hendrix is an idiot.

TWYB

 

[stonepiano]

I'm nothing if not intelligent...

And anyone who thinks Stevie Ray Vaughan is better than Jimi Hendrix is an idiot.

Oh yeah. You come off as inescapably bright. Your insightful judgement of intelligence speaks for itself!

 

[stonepiano]

I'm not a "fan" of music. I'm a musician, thank you very much.

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a valuable musician anywhere who doesn't consider themselves a "fan" of music. We're usually the biggest fans of all.

For your sake, I hope you're 15 and you outgrow this blatant immaturity.


BTW, you're not from LA, are you? I was engaged to an Albert in LA...

 

[jalbert]

Oh yeah. You come off as inescapably bright. Your insightful judgement of intelligence speaks for itself!

Sorry, Stonepiano, I was just trying to put it into terms a Stevie Ray Vaughan fan would be able to understand.

 

[jalbert]

I think you'd be hard pressed to find a valuable musician anywhere who doesn't consider themselves a "fan" of music. We're usually the biggest fans of all.

I don't know what a valuable musician is but if involves liking bad music you can count me out.

 

[fretmeister]

I don't understand why Keith Richards is so underrated here. If Jimi or SRV had lived half as long and consumed half the Jack Daniels, heroin, and cocaine as Keith Richards, neither one would rock half as much as Keith would now if only he had consumed half the Jack Daniels, heroin and cocaine for even half his life.

 

[boingoman]

I don't understand why Keith Richards is so underrated here. If Jimi or SRV had lived half as long and consumed half the Jack Daniels, heroin, and cocaine as Keith Richards, neither one would rock half as much as Keith would now if only he had consumed half the Jack Daniels, heroin and cocaine for even half his life.

No math, please. I'm confused. Keith rocks.

He's so pickled he'll be able to play gigs five years after he's dead.

 

[lpdeluxe]

I have forborne posting here but there are a couple of simple truths:

Imitation is easier than innovation.

Jimi would have existed without Stevie but not vice versa.

 

[acorec]

Balogna. Anyone who says this has obviously never listened to any of his playing. And I would question his knowledge of the Beatles, also. His studio work shows a player with complete command and knowledge of his instrument. Fast? Give me a break. The guy wailed. Live, especially in the middle of his career, he was definitely sloppy. On Band of Gypsies, though, he just cranked.

I love Jimi. and I love Stevie, but I'll bet you that Stevie would have given his left nut to play Little Wing, Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) or Come On anything like Jimi did.

I grew up with both Hendrix and the Beatles. I started at 5 years old and played with their albums everyday. I know Hendrix and the Beatle sand can certainly play both so well, even Paul McCartney would be proud.

Hendrix was *innovative* but *not* a good *musician*. Hendrix deserves respect for inventing, but people tend to go way overboard in respect to his technical ability.

 

[mshilarious]

Hendrix was *innovative* but *not* a good *musician*. Hendrix deserves respect for inventing, but people tend to go way overboard in respect to his technical ability.

I believe that technique is irrelevant, but let's analyze that for a minute. By modern standards, there were NO rock guitarists with good technique in the '60s. Page, Beck, Clapton; all these guys were sloppy as hell back then. Alvin Lee was the fastest guy on the block, and I think he missed half his notes live. It just wasn't important to them, the sound was more important. Not to mention that they were stoned out of their gourds all the time. Does anybody here believe that Hendrix couldn't have taken a couple of months and sounded just like Yngwie (or more likely, McLaughlin)? Fortunately for us, he didn't bother.

Any modern professional classical violinist can play Paganini without breaking a sweat, but nobody could before the 19th century. Does that make the concertmaster of the your local orchestra a better musician that J.S. Bach? Of course not.

 

[fretmeister]

I believe that technique is irrelevant, but let's analyze that for a minute. By modern standards, there were NO rock guitarists with good technique in the '60s. Page, Beck, Clapton; all these guys were sloppy as hell back then. Alvin Lee was the fastest guy on the block, and I think he missed half his notes live. It just wasn't important to them, the sound was more important. Not to mention that they were stoned out of their gourds all the time. Does anybody here believe that Hendrix couldn't have taken a couple of months and sounded just like Yngwie (or more likely, McLaughlin)? Fortunately for us, he didn't bother.
.

This is my point in throwing in Keith Richards (you thought I was just nuts). Keith is technically the sloppiest guitarist ever, has had a forty year career and made zillions of dollars. That's because he has invented more recognizable guitar riffs than anyone and the Stones still rock.