Interesting read re a primary rock'n'roll instrument.

[www.washingtonpost.com]

Sure would like to see some digital gizmo bring this on:

[www.youtube.com]

[www.youtube.com]

[www.youtube.com]

[www.youtube.com]

"There was a certain investment in time and resources"

That's probably the main problem. Nowadays it's more about instant gratification.

Learning an instrument like the guitar takes a few years. Learning to be good at video games takes a few weeks. Choice is easy for (male) kids who wants to impress other (female) kids.

Oh well... it'll keep the price of vintage stuff from going up again over the next ten years.

Said differently : some might say the electric guitar "age" (1950's-1980's) was a byproduct of the industrial age. Now that we're in the post-industrial age it seems quitr normal that the guitar age is fading.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-06-24 18:28 by dcba.

The guitar is an instrument older than many centuries,in one direct form or another. And will survive the Apocalypse.

Two reactions:

1) I love that the Fender CEO calls Taylor Swift "the most influential guitarist of recent years"--true dat!

2) I am reminded of the 'period instruments' movement in the classical music world. During most of the 20th century most Baroque music, for example, was played on instruments that did not exist at the time of its composition. The music was also written with a system of notation that was no longer in use in modern times. Then in the 1970's, conductors and orchestras began performing these pieces with techniques and even physical instruments that were more in keeping with the original intentions of the score. Perhaps this will happen with the electric guitar in the next couple of centuries. Beatles and Stones tunes may be played on synths for a 100 years or so, then someone in the 22nd century will come along and, say, "hey, let's play this stuff with these old things called 'guitars'!"

"Guitar groups are on their way out".

Not in my neck of the woods .The Marshall reverberates off my walls and outward ,making a glorious sound coming from my Les Paul.

It'll never die ... man has been fu .... plucking something since the beginning of time ...



ROCKMAN

Rockman, I love your plucking comment. Isn't that what many Stones (and others) songs are about?

.... yep dmay that's what most Stones songs drip from ....



ROCKMAN

Since 'electric guitar' has had such an incredible literal and symbolical status in the culture during the latter part of last century, I guess it is natural that its status will decrease sooner or later. And seemingly among the younger generations that has now happened. Yeah, it could be that since it having such a holy status for elder generations, it is natural that the kids find it 'old-fashionable'. Of course, it will never die, but probably will be treated just another instrument to make noise from now on...

But for thoughts that the youngsters are now less musically talented than before - didn't that was one of the accusqtions against the early rock and roll performers back in the day by the people who were brought up with older paradigmas of music. You know, if your idea of singing is Sinatra or Caruso, it could be hard to stomach Bob Dylan... or get used to the big swing orchestras, full of A-class musicians - then pops up some long-hairs with raw and simply-arranged songs presented mostly via a loud volume with skills not needing much musical training...

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2017-06-29 02:44 by Doxa.

Very interesting, from the Washington Post, on the current state of guitars, and how music is (in my mind, unfortunately) changing, especially with teenagers.


[www.washingtonpost.com]


I think the author also needs to explore the current state of local bands playing gigs in their hometowns. Unless you are pretty much doing it for fun (which I'm doing with my bands here in Atlanta), you are in for a rough ride more than ever these days.

You spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars for equipment, recording time in the studio, days of rehearsing, etc. Your "live" product becomes a "yeah, you can play on Tuesday afternoon on the patio for a Tip Jar," or your recorded product gets a handful of streams here and there (netting you maybe about 50 bucks).

We have spent decades curious about the next generations of rock bands, but do the younger kids care? With a million TV channels to watch, video games, electronic gadgets, etc., how long will it be before people say "go hear a band? What's a band?"

Why spend 5 years learning the guitar when you can download a bunch of applications to your laptop and become a "DJ", with no more skill required than pressing CTRL-C and CTRL-V?

Sad, but true.

When I was in bands in the 70s (I'm starting to sound like one of those "in my day, we had to walk through five feet of snow, barefoot, to get to school" kind of guys!), if we had set up equipment in the front yard on a Saturday afternoon, every kid within a mile would have been there in a heartbeat to listen or to dance.

Now? The kids next door would come over to complain that they couldn't concentrate on their phones, or their video games, etc.

"Buncha young whippersnappers! No respect for their elders!!!"

I teach art history at a college and my students overwhelmingly dislike guitar-based music. It's all EDM (electronic dance music) with them.

"Nice bit of silk, Em."

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Voodookitten76
I teach art history at a college and my students overwhelmingly dislike guitar-based music. It's all EDM (electronic dance music) with them.

I'd be fascinated to learn what they very specifically dislike about guitar-based music. I understand being in EDM (Las Vegas, where I happen to live these days is huge in EDM), and I personally have little judgment one way or another what younger people prefer, but am interested in knowing what they "hear," or associate with, guitar-based music.

Can you ask, somehow? Weave the inquiry into a lesson plan about the nature of shifting periods of art, perhaps?

- swiss

Although I feel sorry for the hard working people who build the guitars and the implications that the changes in sales may imply to them, the fall of mass production of anything which often result in the product been not used, just collecting dust doesn't worry me at all. Buying a guitar is easy but dedicate your life to learn to play it is something else.There are still lots of people who love to play and actually do it on regular basis and that's what matters.
Rockandroll,
Mops

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swiss

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Voodookitten76
I teach art history at a college and my students overwhelmingly dislike guitar-based music. It's all EDM (electronic dance music) with them.

I'd be fascinated to learn what they very specifically dislike about guitar-based music. I understand being in EDM (Las Vegas, where I happen to live these days is huge in EDM), and I personally have little judgment one way or another what younger people prefer, but am interested in knowing what they "hear," or associate with, guitar-based music.

Can you ask, somehow? Weave the inquiry into a lesson plan about the nature of shifting periods of art, perhaps?

- swiss

To a certain extent, I think it's seen as old-fashioned. I have two daughters who are big EDM fans and I think they just associate 'guitar-based' music with the past. It's kind of like how I might have viewed big-band stuff in the 70's. Just a changing of the guard. Time passes ... and every generation needs its own thing.

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LongBeachArena72

Quote
swiss

Quote
Voodookitten76
I teach art history at a college and my students overwhelmingly dislike guitar-based music. It's all EDM (electronic dance music) with them.

I'd be fascinated to learn what they very specifically dislike about guitar-based music. I understand being in EDM (Las Vegas, where I happen to live these days is huge in EDM), and I personally have little judgment one way or another what younger people prefer, but am interested in knowing what they "hear," or associate with, guitar-based music.

Can you ask, somehow? Weave the inquiry into a lesson plan about the nature of shifting periods of art, perhaps?

- swiss

To a certain extent, I think it's seen as old-fashioned. I have two daughters who are big EDM fans and I think they just associate 'guitar-based' music with the past. It's kind of like how I might have viewed big-band stuff in the 70's. Just a changing of the guard. Time passes ... and every generation needs its own thing.

Yeah, I work at an elementary school. When I happen to mention something to the kids about "my band is playing a show tonight," I get the same reaction as if I said "I'm planning on flossing my teeth tonight...."

I don't know if they find guitar-based music boring so much as a challenging listen. Kinda like when my husband has me listen to some early electronic stuff (like Silver Apples of the Moon). When I teach Warhol, we talk about the convergence of art and music in the '60s and '70s. I once put on Velvet Underground & Nico ("Heroin") for them during a lecture and a couple students actually grabbed their ears and complained at me. "OMG, that's so noisy and grating!" "Turn it off!"

Fun fact: A Warhol portrait of Mick was on their slide identification quiz this spring. While most students correctly answered "pop art" for style and "Warhol" for artist, more than half of the students wrote the title as "McJagger" rather than "Mick Jagger." They thought I'd been saying "McJagger."

So yeah, most college students have no idea about rock music other than it's too noisy in an unpleasant way (unlike EDM, which can be noisy, but in a cool way). The one exception I know of is David Bowie. They LOVE David Bowie. But only since he died.

"Nice bit of silk, Em."

[iorr.org]

Young millenials need to be educated in what real talent and real music is.
The present state of music uses less talented musicians and more and more electronics. Anyone with a good ear and is semi-literate in computers can produce music these days.
But to actually learn an instrument and have the talent to perform with it is a dying craft.
What a shame.

That guy is young, very popular and he knows how to play; could he save the guitar industry?
Rockandroll,
Mops

[youtu.be]

Bruno Mars doing a cover of a Price song ain't gonna save anything. I go to listen to radio here in Phoenix and find myself going, "What in the hell is worth listening to on the radio these days?" Nothing is really good, most is noise, even including a number of the Latino stations. What's amazing, Arizona State University, located here in the Valley, 70000 students plus, many of them millennials, doesn't even have a college radio station. You'd think they would.

Regarding what younger people listen to these days, its what corporate radio wants to present. It's why you don't hear things such as Americana, old style country, folk or other except on public radio or low watt stations here in the U-S-of A. Music is geared these days toward making the Benjamins. I know, I sound like a curmudgeon or Neil Young, but it's my opinion. I'll leave it on this note. Maybe one day this is what people will rediscover.

[www.youtube.com]

I like to take my battery operated amp and an electric guitar to a nearby park or along the Narrows where I live in Brooklyn, just to soak in the sun and water. I never fail to attract audiences of all ethnic and age ranges. People still love the guitar.

my son who is 4 years old

loves AC/DC and Airbourne and The Rolling Stones

Feel The Fear
And Do It Anyway

In this day of instant gratification from all the smart (there is a pun all in itself ) devices (where the individual is not required to actually use his or here head or brain or cranium )this generation of mindless drones (and trust me it is even people in my age bracket (baby boomers ) do not have to think .Ponder that or imagine that for a second ? So how will this mindless drone even contemplate picking up an instrument ,any instrument and try to create and be creative to actually make music ? Therein lies the rub ,and to me the CHALLENGE. To actually string notes together and dare I say make MUSIC .When that happens it's like an epiphany straight from the heavens and the angels and gives me joy to no end .

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rollmops
That guy is young, very popular and he knows how to play; could he save the guitar industry?
Rockandroll,
Mops

[youtu.be]

Thanks for posting ,I totally loved this on the Grammy's

Guitar bands drift in & out of fashion ...but they aren't going away any time soon.

I'd invite you all people from this forum to the funeral of my dear guitars, pedals and amps. I thought they sounded fine and healthy, but it seems that there is no cure
I'll play them while they sound good to me.
DEP

<OT: R.I.P. six string electric guitar?>

Easy! Switch to five string open G...