Hackett or Petrucci?

My friend of lesser looks and musical tastes and I quarrel a lot.  Who, is the better guitarist, musician, and who had the better band?  Also, who makes the btter music? Hackett hands down for me.  Just my opinion.

Oh man. First of all, a warning to future posters: Please don't make make outlandish statements against Petrucci. I've seen enough of these to know the future!

As to the question at hand, I think Hackett is definitely the better songwriter, and Petrucci probably the bestter musician, but technical skill only means something is you can write engaging songs.

Hackett, more trascendental, skilled, complete and versatile.

^^^

why?


nostalgia ruling here once again

video vertigo wrote: Hackett is one of the best guitarists, Petrucci is..... Petrucci the two should never be mentioned in the same context

    Hackett defintly had a very strong influence on guitarists that cxame after him...but in the case of mere skill and overall talent i think Petrucci takes it away. He has all the skill Hackett has and more.. i think hackett may write a little bit better than Petrucci but again skill wise Petrucci wins in my eyes..

    Technically Petrucci is better, but hands down Hackett is miles ahead of Petrucci for me! Hackett knows how to make meaningful music, that you feel.

When Petrucci reaches HAckett's age and years of playing, then we can compare. For now, I'd have to go with Hackett even though the best solos and best moments for me are by Petrucci, but just the experience makes Hackett probably more versatile.

Of course, it would be good if everybody takes a lookn at Petrucci playing with Rudess acoustic...then call him what you want.

I'm being a complete farce. As much as I want to say Hackett is better, I really can't. They're on the same level.

I'll begin this post by saying that DT is not among my listening list, although I have heard some of their stuff (mostly Images & Words & A Change Of Seasons. Fine guitar player, Mikey is; but once more it comes down to feel, to talent & not just technique. Hackett was an "ensemble " player. And so he doesn't "stand" out as much. But his contribution (as regularly noted on these pages) was important to the Genesis sound. Another consideration is the level of technique among guitar players in his time. As some have noted, Steve Vai can outplay Jimmy Page, but poll your average music fan & Page's "memorable" tunes outnumber Vai's by a wide margin. I usually use Yingwie Malmsteen as an example, as he is generally considered technically better than his hero Blackmore, but you don't a have folks crying out for any of his compositions compared to Ritchie's songbook (Smoke on the Water, Burn, Child IN Time etc ...). And the final nail in the argument's coffin - folklore has it that Hackett "invented" tapping. Yes, big revelation, it was not Eddie Van Halen, but Mr Steve that was the first to do it, on record anyway, you can check out Supper's Ready for the proof ....

Edited by pantacruelgruel - January 19 2007 at 00:32

It's not a question of who is better - after all no-one can say one way or the other - it's all opinion. Unless you get the two to take some sort of test !
The things is...........why on earth would you want to?
What does it matter? If you like them both then enjoy them both. If you only like one then it becomes a mud slinging process against the other.