Guitar Player Magazine

Hi,

I like reading these things ... though, in the end, they scare me ... and the reason why is that it continues the idea that only the "best", or "known" and above all ACCEPTED by a magazine, are worth of the discussion, and no one else has a chance ... and of course the top ten social media group, will immediately think this is heavenly ... it maybe for those folks, but in the end, it is very bad for the music itself.

I find it strange ... there are gueetar pickers in the streets and parks in Madrid that can easily make almost all of these look weak and not able to do much past one thing or two or a couple of tricks and bits in their hands and minds! Not to mention around the world for that matter ... 

I would buy it, if it was more about the music ... but it is about the "star" a lot more than it is about the music, in my book ... 

I said the same thing about the Bass Player magazine that was highlighting some 2nd rate metal players, and ignored everyone else, because the band was well known and famous, and it would help the magazine sell a few more ... well, at least I stopped buying it more than 2 or 3 years ago ... I really was not interested in one more interview or discussion about RW, MR, CS and so on ... although I would have a softer spot for Chris than the others ... and he shows in one nice interview what made him so valuable ... he had the ability and the talent to help the song better ... a sort of trait that we remember in JP (Pastorius) that almost no one else has ... a freedom to "move" that is uncanny and almost always ... really beautiful and well done!

But to me, I don't think the folks mentioned can stand up to a John Weinzierl, the late Michael Karoli, or even Jan Akkerman, that were playing far more difficult music and making it work! Sadly, I do not feel that everyone is listening to the music ... just the gods of something or other!

I was a regular reader of Guitar Player since high school (early 1970s), and they were always generous to prog guitarists and bassists.  Their interviews with Chris Squire and Bob Fripp were classics of that era, long before the music magazines like Circus were turned onto their unique styles.  They also shone a bright spotlight on a young genius named Al Dimeola!