Considering he's the most important "no-nonsense rock" rhythm guitarist of all time, I'd venture to say he's real good... and perhaps the most irreplaceable member of the band, Mick included.

It's kind of a bigger question - Keith has dreamed up out of thin air some of the greatest guitar riffs you will hear, and crafted them in to songs. Its the "invention' that counts. That is the unique guitar ability that your hired gun experts can't get near. Coming up with the satisfaction riff was technically easy, but I haven't heard any other guitarist come up with anything like it. Or SMU - yep, its easy now we can play along to it, but had anyone else previously come up with a chord riff like that.

As far as coming-up with the most great R&R riffs- he is in his own class. As far as Chuck Berry leads, again, he is in owns owns class (better than Chuck). As a rhythm player- he is the best. About the only area he is not "great" in is long fluid (MT-type solos).

I will say he is THE GREATEST R&R guitarist of all time.

Here's why- subtract Keef from music. Say he became just another regular guy- a teacher or bus driver or whatever. The impact to R&R would be beyond belief. Greater than any other guitarist by a million miles.

don't give me that ole one two, one two three four

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-05 21:01 by Beelyboy.

I think he's underrated. He can fake it pretty well, too, as in "Hail, Hail Rock 'n' Roll," where he impresses Chuck Berry with pseudo-jazz noodling, which isn't really a style he's associated with. He's a good student of the styles of music he chose to apply himself to, and he obviously had a good work and practice ethic or he wouldn't have been nearly as good. Now, he has the arthritis problem, which obviously cramps his style. He's still darn good in spite of that limitation.

He has obviously an outstanding talent to play around with silence.

ChelseaDrugstore Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To answer Lady Sssoul, I think by "technical"
> people mean "schooled", "fast". "Having learned
> the PROPER accepted manner in which to express
> oneself on the guitar as taught in Berkeley". Vai,
> Satriani all those cats. To many people that is
> it. That is the way a good guitarrist is measured.
> They also are the ones who think the guy from Rush
> is the ultimate drummer and Charlie Watts is a
> poof. They are the people who don't know.
> Keith is not the fastest player in solos. He (and
> especially Ronnie) don't even use the pinky of
> left hand when solo-ing. Yet everywhere Keith goes
> and plays he fills up a stadium with 75,000 people
> and gets them dancing, and puts a big smile on
> their face. So maybe "technical" means "dull,
> "boring", "non-danceable" but still "very very
> fast!"


yeah but if keith was not playing a gig with the stones only 3,000 people or so would show up. everyone here needs to get off of people who play fast as being boring crap. i've seen clapton play fast as hell and slow as hell. it just depends. keith is a grea rhythm guitar playing who writes the best riffs. nothing more nothing less. keith is not clapton, page, rossington, vai, satriani, malmsteen, van halen,slash or any of those guitar players who can play fast or slow or whatever they want to

He is better than Brian was but not as good as Ronnie?
He's KEEF! The one and only. Enjoy him while he lasts.

I need to say that this is one of the questions I have many times asked for myself (and others): how great Keith is as a guitarist? The problem seems to that one can not distinguish Keith the guitarist from Keith the composer/inventor or Keith the performer (with the looks and all). That 'technical' point of view is the tricky one. Mostly Keith does not deliver much 'wonders' in that sense. He is not any Eric Clapton or Stevie Ray Vaughan, etc. And not even that: sometimes his playing is SO sloppy and mediocre that one really can wonder how on earth this guy is treated as a 'guitar god' (horrible expression, by the way), when almost every third guy in a local joint can deliver more sophisticated and complex stuff than him.

Because we all know that Keith truely IS wonderful, perhaps we should set the question slight differently: what is the thing that makes Keith great guitarist, and distingishues him from the others? Why does he make the difference? I think the thing that makes Keith a genious, and an artist is that he has set his own rules as a player - and don't give damn what the others think. With Keith the instrument is literally an instrument, not any value of its own: it is used solely to express the things - the music, the songs - the things the man wants to express. There is no bullshitting at all in the sense of showing some extraordinary skills, solos, riffs, etc. that do not somehow serve the purpose - VERY rare feature of a rock guitarist. He seems to have a sensitive ear for 'wholeness' of song or a performance. That is his talk about "silence being musicians' best friend". He really means that; he totally seem to understand the dynamics and dramatics of music. In this sense I have think him as a guitarist in analogy to Bob Dylan as a singer; their instruments are just the visonable thing of much bigger cake. With (seemingly) minimal efforts both of them deliver huge goods. They bloody hell express something that is essential in creativity and originality; in both cases one can not distinguish the means from the aims, the singers from the songs, the products from the inventors. When Keith plays the guitar, he plays the licks and riffs he has invented, wit a style he has invented. I could add that also the songs he has written, but that is not necessary: he can make ANY song of his own by playing his own way, with his own trademark licks. All of that is something - with Dylan and with Keef - that no one can teach you. ANYONE can teach you play like the guy in the local bar, or even any lick Keith has ever played, but NO ONE to be an artist like Dylan or Keith.

I suppose it is the inner power of visionary, determinacy, and passion - something that can not clearly analyzed by technical terms - that makes people Keith or Dylan so effective and extra-ordinary. I have always enjoyed reading other people's (musicians, producers, etc) impressions of playing with Keith or working with him - for example, of Tom Waits recalling their Rain Dogs sessions (usually these are very praising; forget some sissy and jealous Ry Cooder). There is not cake-icing with - straight to the essentials, no bullshitting. Keith seems to be very strong character, who seems trust in his instincts (I love the story of him throwing Slash out of the studio). I suppose Keith must be a nightmare to most 'ordinary', skillfull studio musicians, who could outshine Keith technically any day (and I think they might day-dream that). But in most cases these people are smart enough to not rise any childish criticism, nor more than some 'pro' back up singers are about to make about Dylan's voice. There are bloody much technicians around, but not too many geniouses.

- Doxa



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-11-18 10:09 by Doxa.

marianna Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I think he's underrated.


This is very true. Whenever great guitarists are brought up, usually everybody mentions Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Eddie Van Halen, etc. Almost nobody who isn't a Stones fan ever mentions Keith. I also think Keith's style of playing also alienates many rock fans who want to fawn over a guitarist's ability to play 121 notes in 4 seconds rather than listen to and enjoy music, which is a shame.

its all about the 'feel'

and thats the ONE thing Keef has more than any other guitarist

Feel On Baby !

Deathgod Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> its all about the 'feel'
>
> and thats the ONE thing Keef has more than any
> other guitarist
>
> Feel On Baby !


Yes it's about the feeling. Just listen to Can't You Hear Me Knocking, no other guitarplayer in the world except Keith could play that intro with that feeling. It's so intense and laidback at the same time, listen to the timing he's got - the way he utilizes air.

Keith Richards is certainly not a viruoso, but considering the fact that technics do not play a big role in Rock`n`Roll he is the best Rockguitarist ever. His groove is unique and his licks are sexy, he knows exactly what to play, and he also knows when he should not play. Of course one has to see that Keith can rely on his band, this is a good support. In classical music and in Jazz you simply need techniques, but not in R`nR. No one in the Stones is a virtuoso, it is the mixture. Jlo and Sakira are much sexier to me than the Stones,but the Stones play the sexiest Rock´n´Roll, and Keith´s guitarplaying is one of the main reasons for the that.

hm. my dictionary defines "virtuoso" as "a person highly skilled in music or other artistic pursuit".
Keith and the rest of the Stones absolutely fit that definition.
if we mean "displaying a style based largely on flamboyantly fast/tricky playing",
i wonder why we don't say that.

anyone at ac last night will tell you,there is not one thats better.

john scialfa

with sssoul Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hm. my dictionary defines "virtuoso" as "a person
> highly skilled in music or other artistic
> pursuit".
> Keith and the rest of the Stones absolutely fit
> that definition.
> if we mean "displaying a style based largely on
> flamboyantly fast/tricky playing",
> i wonder why we don't say that.


As I wrote Keith is skilled with music, he just does not have an extroadinary technique. Of course he is a fantastic musician, I tried to point this out in my post.

... see, to me when people say Keith doesn't have "extraordinary technique"
it sounds to me like they think it's just a fluke that he's able to do what he does,
as if it's just some kind of accident, or something anyone could do. which it isn't.
as i said before, i have no (0) reason to think Keith is anything but a master of the techniques/technicalities that go into doing what he does.
(okay, so i reckon he is not a master of *every* technique - but who is? and why would they be?)

i understand that it's popular to call what Keith has "feel" instead of "virtuosity",
but (as i guess i've already made clear) it kinda ... puzzles me.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2006-11-18 20:00 by with sssoul.

hard to believe this is a question on a Stones site...........you gotta be kidding?..........was Picasso a good painter?........was Pele a good futbol player?.............really



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-11-18 19:58 by Leonard Keringer.

Doxa, once again you slay me. Your mind is tops.

"...no longer shall you trudge 'cross my peaceful mind."

x



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2006-12-05 21:26 by Beelyboy.

He's more of a cartoon character nowadays, but EXTREMELY entertaining!
Long LIVE Keef!!

NUMERO UNO. 1. He's THE man. Greatest riffmeister of all time and the BEST rhythm player to ever grace mother earth. He can play the blues, country, and reggae successfully. 44 years of constant employment and his band packs football stadiums of live audiences at the age of 62. Need I say any more??

Can someone tell the story with Slash?