In the latest issue of Guitar World, Neil Young was quoted saying (when it comes to his guitar playing), “I suck. I’ve heard myself!” That made me laugh when I read this, but it also got me thinking. From a purely technical standpoint, I will agree 100% with him. But despite that, I still love the way he plays, and have always loved his sound, and for the very simple reason that his playing is completely honest.
It’s clear to me every time I listen to a Neil Young song that he is clear with how he uses his guitar; and that is to express his musical message. You listen to his solos, and if you’re a technique snob, you’ll most probably say, “Yikes! What is he doing.” But try to put any other guitarist in the lead role, and the solo just wouldn’t work. Bad technique or good, Neil Young’s playing is integral with his music. It’s simply an extension of who he is, and while on the surface you might be lead to believe that his playing is simple, and you’d be right, but place his playing within the context of the whole song, and you realize that what he is doing with his guitar is meant to be simple. It’s meant to fit with the song. It’s not meant to show off his chops or showcase tricks that he can perform. It’s meant to act as a color on his palette as he paints the picture of his song.
From that perspective, I’ve always believed that he was a true genius at guitar. He may not rip it up, but even he says that his guitar playing is secondary to the song and the band. It’s only a part of the presentation. But it’s an integral part of Neil’s music that fits in perfectly with his musical vision.
you think he sucks in guitar…you should hear him sing 🙂
Believe it or not, I actually like how he sings. I just love his music, and it’s nothing without him both singing and playing. 🙂
[…] Lennon, Paul Simon, Joe Satriani, Santana, Journey, Sarah McLachlan, U2 and, of course, Neil Young, whom I wrote about yesterday. I know, it’s kind of an eclectic mix of musicians, but that’s the beauty of it! Each […]
[…] I got inspired to write this entry from none other than Neil Young yet again. Back in July, I wrote another post about how much I love Neil Young’s playing. It’s raw, it’s untrained, and it’s absolutely in your face. It’s not very […]
He is great on acoustic, but his lead guitar is…. (I don’t have the words for it)…. beyond terrible!! I love his music, though!
Neil Young……3 note solo’s, heavy on the whammy bar. Ya gotta love it.
Yes, and Crazy Horse is just another bar band (j/k.
It’s also ironice that Neil can play a 10-minute solo on something like “Cortez the Killer” or “Like a Hurricane” that blow away anything Yngwe Malmsteen has ever played.
Neil is proves how far passion, originality, and vision can get you. I’ll take his raw style any day over some technical perfectionist with no soul in his playing.
listen to cortez the killer on the weld album-cant play you dont know what youre talking aboyt
Why don’t you read the f-in’ article, moron.
Neil Young is example A, B, and C why technicality can be so overrated. He is easily one of my top 5 lead guitarists of all time. His playing has a raw emotional power, originality and freedom that most “technical” guitarists don’t approach. And yes, the raw, noisy, spontaneous nature of his playing just adds to that. Just listen to any great Crazy Horse live jam. Transcendent in a way that few other than Hendrix are
Absolutely agree! It’s why I also love Peter Green. Not flashy or fast, just soulful and in the moment. These guys are in direct contrast to players like Herman Li of Dragonforce who play stupid fast, but it all sounds the same! I can listen to Neil and Peter all day long. But can only take maybe 30 seconds of that super-fast playing. There’s no soul in it!