I was thinking the other day about some of the comments I've read here and on other forums about Keith's playing.It seems alot of people don't think of Keith as a great guitarist.He was over shadowed by Mick Taylor and has never gotton the full respect that he deserves.

Lets try to figure the meaning of the term "great guitarist":

To me,a great guitarist is someone who plays something that evokes a certain feeling that stirs the heart,and makes me want to hear it again and again.That would be Keith.

I am NOT impressed with a person who play 4 billion notes in a two minute solo.That would leave out guys like Satch and Steve Vai.They are worthless fretboard masterbaters who have zero heart in their music.They may could play Satisfaction,but they can't top Keith.They are NOT great guitarists.

Keith has written so many killer riffs.I think he is probably the worlds most recognized guitarist,yet the respect isn't there.Why?Has his image made people forget how good he is?

Stevie Ray:I may get into trouble here,but I don't like him.Too much of a Jimi Hendrix wannabe.Plus,terrible singing voice.Keith is an original,SRV isn't.

There are so many Keith riffs that I never tire of.I play guitar,not great but I know its hard to get the Keith "feel" on alot of those songs.No one can even come close to him,not in my book,anyway.

Mick Taylor could not write 1/10th of the riffs that Keith has written.Yes,MT is a good guitarist,but Keith is GREAT.Keith is a unique and highly talented guitarist and song-writer.MT is not.

Keith always seems to play just the right thing,what fits the song.He's not there to perform "The Keith Richards show",he just does what the song calls for.And that is the sign of a great guitarist.He is a member of a band,and doesn't try to be the leader.He has no ego that he has to feed by dominating the whole song.Impeccable taste.

I know certain folks will tell me how crazy I am for the MT comments.I don't care.Call me whatever you want,in your heart you know its all true.

Not trying to start yet another war with the MT folks.Just responding to alot of negative things that have been said about Keith.If Keith is a terrible player,I hope to be just as bad someday!

I agree!!!

Yap on, pay pay. I'm with ya.

"No Anchovies, Please"

Good points, pay pay

By just about any objective measure, KR is the greatest guitar player of all time. Consider these criteria:

. size of bank account
. what people will pay to hear him
. looks gap between the guitar player & his wife
. amount of crap guitar player gets away with

See what I mean?

Natlanta Wrote:
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> By just about any objective measure, KR is the
> greatest guitar player of all time. Consider
> these criteria:
>
> . size of bank account
> . what people will pay to hear him
> . looks gap between the guitar player & his wife
> . amount of crap guitar player gets away with
>
> See what I mean?

Hilarious!! Unfortunately this means that Richie Sambora is also a "great guitarist"

Karl

> Hilarious!! Unfortunately this means that Richie
> Sambora is also a "great guitarist"
>
> Karl


Karl,

You're right and this is very troubling, so I did some research. One thing I'm proud to say that I didn't know what band this Richie person plays with, but of course "Natlanta has heard of him" isn't on the list.

Anyway this Richie is divorced, so he has no wife at all. Plus, the crap he gets away with is in the "music", ie it's not "life crap" like falling out of trees and mumbling a lot... again, a flaw in the list.

Anyway thanks for the help.

NA

pay pay Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I was thinking the other day about some of the
> comments I've read here and on other forums about
> Keith's playing.It seems alot of people don't
> think of Keith as a great guitarist.He was over
> shadowed by Mick Taylor and has never gotton the
> full respect that he deserves.
>
> Lets try to figure the meaning of the term "great
> guitarist":
>
> To me,a great guitarist is someone who plays
> something that evokes a certain feeling that stirs
> the heart,and makes me want to hear it again and
> again.That would be Keith.
>
> I am NOT impressed with a person who play 4
> billion notes in a two minute solo.That would
> leave out guys like Satch and Steve Vai.They are
> worthless fretboard masterbaters who have zero
> heart in their music.They may could play
> Satisfaction,but they can't top Keith.They are NOT
> great guitarists.
>
> Keith has written so many killer riffs.I think he
> is probably the worlds most recognized
> guitarist,yet the respect isn't there.Why?Has his
> image made people forget how good he is?
>
> Stevie Ray:I may get into trouble here,but I don't
> like him.Too much of a Jimi Hendrix
> wannabe.Plus,terrible singing voice.Keith is an
> original,SRV isn't.
>
> There are so many Keith riffs that I never tire
> of.I play guitar,not great but I know its hard to
> get the Keith "feel" on alot of those songs.No one
> can even come close to him,not in my book,anyway.
>
> Mick Taylor could not write 1/10th of the riffs
> that Keith has written.Yes,MT is a good
> guitarist,but Keith is GREAT.Keith is a unique and
> highly talented guitarist and song-writer.MT is
> not.
>
> Keith always seems to play just the right
> thing,what fits the song.He's not there to perform
> "The Keith Richards show",he just does what the
> song calls for.And that is the sign of a great
> guitarist.He is a member of a band,and doesn't try
> to be the leader.He has no ego that he has to feed
> by dominating the whole song.Impeccable taste.
>
> I know certain folks will tell me how crazy I am
> for the MT comments.I don't care.Call me whatever
> you want,in your heart you know its all true.
>
> Not trying to start yet another war with the MT
> folks.Just responding to alot of negative things
> that have been said about Keith.If Keith is a
> terrible player,I hope to be just as bad someday!


I'm with you in every single word.
Malmsteen or Steve Vai or Morello toghether don't make one single keith. Every people that understand what music is about knows that.

OK, Natlanta, appreciate the clarification. Maybe we can change the last item to "amount of dysfunction guitar player gets away with"?

I don't think he needs any support, the music speaks for itself!

KSIE,

You're welcome, but I think it's good to keep "crap" in there. People like to say "crap". How about:

. amount of non-music-related crap guitar player gets away with

That would at least exclude most of Richie's crap.

By the way I think the crap one really sets KR apart. I mean, how many guys can say they made worldwide headlines for a) falling out of a little tree and having to cancel multiple sold-out Spanish rock concerts, or b) saying they snorted their father? He is a true guitar legend.

Your list, so I'm Ok with keeping in the crap.

But, I think the looks-gap is the most important. I mean why does somebody play guitar? To increase the looks-gap, no?


Karl

OK so we keep the crap in there.

The looks gap is very important, yes. Money for nothing, chicks for free, that sort of thing. And don't let anyone tell you that this particular looks gap isn't related to the guitar-playing. It wasn't the singing, my friend. Mind you, I like the singing sometimes, but he's no Aretha Franklin, OK?

He's been responsible (with Mick) for every single released stones song, enough said!

Keith is just the greatest musician on the planet earth. past or present. and one of the 2 best singers.

Lots of guitarists are technically perfect. Keith is - something else. What he plays (or sings) isn't perfect, and often doesn't even sound difficult - until you realise that what he does IS perfect for the song he's playing, and copying him isn't just difficult, it's impossible.

I think that Keith is a true great musician, one of the greatest.

Of course he has expressed himself mostly through guitars, but not only. Keith is always himself even with the bass, piano and vocals.

His knowledge of music, of its dynamics, is deep.

That said, he is not the only one. The world is beautiful because it is has many faces.

I don't buy the argument that fast and technical players cannot be deep or don't have feeling: Jimi, Mick Taylor, Alvin Lee, Blackmore, Jeff Beck, Page were all FAST but their guitar playing had great feeling and taste (only to name some contemporaries of Keith).

C

p.s. SRV was not "Just" a Jimi wannabe ...

He even plays guitar in comic strips. It´s from a Swedish newspaper today. The little boy is always surrounded by monsters when it´s bedtime. Here he says:
"Very pathetic tonight, but the guy with the guitar is rather scary".

>> I think that Keith is a true great musician, one of the greatest.
Of course he has expressed himself mostly through guitars, but not only.
Keith is always himself even with the bass, piano and vocals. <<


the cat has music for blood

Green Lady Wrote:
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> Lots of guitarists are technically perfect. Keith
> is - something else. What he plays (or sings)
> isn't perfect, and often doesn't even sound
> difficult - until you realise that what he does IS
> perfect for the song he's playing, and copying him
> isn't just difficult, it's impossible.

Well put. I'm not a guitar player (some piano and keyboards) but I've heard a lot of guitar players can do a good imitation of Clapton. I haven't heard anyone who can "play Keith". Keith's playing is sweet, elegant, deceivingly simple and always but hits you right in the gut.

kEITH, AT HIS BEST, IS FUELED BY HIS LOVE OF BEING A ROCK AND ROLL GUITARIST, WITH THE BLUES THROWN IN FOR GOOD MEASURE.

MICK TAYLOR IS A FINE PLAYER BUT DOESN'T NECESSARILY HAVE THE HEART FOR ROCK AND ROLL.

on any great guitarist list i have seen, they usually rank keith at 9 or 10.. anyone can take lessons and play tons of notes, but only a precious few can actually play and WRITE MUSIC at the same time like keith can. in terms of rhythm guitar, he is undoubtedly the best ever. the reason why people frown at him is b/c he is not a pure, clean lead solo guitar player, like a jimmy page, or eric claption, or hendrix. he has his own style, but that style has never been recreated and no one has ever been able to match his sound. and for that reason, he is one of the best.

jjsteve Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> he has his own
> style, but that style has never been recreated and
> no one has ever been able to match his sound. and
> for that reason, he is one of the best.

So I guess I am one of the best too, because no-one plays like me

keith is not an original guitarist. He owes just as much to the music of jimmy reed and many other as he does chuck berry. Keith like any great musician appreciates the space between the notes; that's why he's in love with charlie. Anyone who doubts keith's musical ability need only listen to "still a fool" off sumlin's recent album, about them shoes, and they'll see.

Keith's interest for the record, is the roll, NOT the rock.

OLDKR

Keith Richards is a better guitarist than Mick taylor, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Steve vai & Joe Satriani????

Jesus, the hero worship of Keith Richards by some people knows no bounds...

Yes he is.

Well, at the risk of being blasphemous, he often looks and sounds like he has just been taken down off the cross.

terraplane Wrote:
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> Well, at the risk of being blasphemous, he often
> looks and sounds like he has just been taken down
> off the cross.


Jeeesus...

Shezeboss Wrote:
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> Keith is just the greatest musician on the planet
> earth. past or present. and one of the 2 best
> singers.


I 100% agree!!!!!!!

terraplane Wrote:
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> Well, at the risk of being blasphemous, he often
> looks and sounds like he has just been taken down
> off the cross.


And I was round when jesus christ
Had his moment of doubt and pain
Made damn sure that pilate
Washed his hands and sealed his fate