Is Steve Hackett's guitar work... Weird?

purplepiper wrote: yeah, there is something strange about his style.

I remember someone saying, earlier on in this thread, that Hackett often sounds like a synth, and Ivan agreeing that it was typical of his Hackett's style. I have to agree that this sometimes bothers me too. I just bought the 4-CD "Live Archive", and some of the music is really exciting, but sometimes the guitar sounds so... well... 'plastic' or 'synthetic'; I don't have a better word for it.

Personally, I couldn't care less if Hackett invented tapping or not. He may be less of a virtuoso than certain fusion players, but why should this matter? All musicians have their limitations. Some people have tried to use this thread for bashing Genesis - a completely useless exercise. I certainly admire Hackett for the things he does best.

When I was eighteen, I was in an amateur symphonic rock band led by a guitarist and an organist, both of whom were classically trained. (Don't laugh. I was the lead vocalist.) These guys could certainly play a decent solo or two, but the problem was their playing was usually perfunctory, i.e. young as they were, they didn't dare to put a lot of passion in their playing. If you listen to Hackett's lead guitar solos on GENESIS LIVE, SELLING ENGLAND or THE LAMB, there's lots and lots of passion. He always carries me away. How can you like prog, and not admire an artist like that?

About Hackett's solo albums I've got mixed feelings (apart from LIVE ARCHIVE, I must have heard five or six of them), but one thing's for sure: he's very adventurous, he keeps trying out new things. And he's capable of writing the most ravishing melodies (be it for flute, lead guitar, or the human voice), which he often accompanies by the most delicate acoustic playing.

Norm Cash wrote: [QUOTE=Ivan_Melgar_M]   Hmmmm.....on that thought. in this day and age of digital wizardry, I wonder if we'll ever see a music format which allows us - the listener - to regulate the volume of individual tracks within a recording? Wouldn't it be great to be listening to a piece and think "Hey...that guitar part sounded pretty cool...I wonder what he did there?", and be able to go back and crank up the volume a bit on the guitar track only?

There are myriad albums I wish I could "spice up" the keyboard and bass tracks on!

yeah, there is something strange about his style. I never thought he was that good personally (oops..did I say that?) whatever he is, good or not, he fits genesis perfectly and I like his work!

Yes Atomic I agree about Randy Resnick, but he developed the style while performing Blues act, that is also credited, the fact he also played Rock sometimes has no relation if he implemented a style for another genre

Atomic_Rooster wrote: Ok, its official, the first two-handed tapper in rock was Harry DeArmond, the pickup innovator, who used the same style as Van Halen 7-10 years earlier, well before Hackett's 1970-71 use of it. DeArmond actually retired before most people had even heard of the technique in 1975.

hehe I didn't mean to imply hammer-ons and pull-offs were the ONLY way to achieve legato. For instance when you play the 32nd notes in La Alborada, you use the fleshy parts of your picking fingers to soften the attack.
I'm actually going to start asking around some of my more informed friends and see if we can't try and nail something down. :rockon:

Interesting sidebar about tapping but...
For all your video posting, left (assuming left=frettinghand) handed tapping has been around as long as there's been fretted instruments. It's called legato.
HOWEVER, I'd be very interested in seeing the earliest example of TWO handed tapping. IMO that's what really revolutionized guitar sound. I know this may not be the proper place or time, but for anyone interested in virtuoso guitar with the utmost consideration to melody, check out a youtube playlist I started a few months ago.
I've never ever (yes, never ever) been discouraged or disgusted with my abilities but these guys come close...
Guitarists click at own risk...

Edited by King Mango - April 24 2007 at 07:11

I trawled a few sites to try to link Clapton to tapping - as it does seem somewhat remarkable that Hackett was first to use this technique - and there were some references to "Crossroads" - but, as this video ("Crossroads") and this video ("Tales of Brave Ulysses") demonstrate (at 3:00, you could be forgiven for thinking you were listening to two-handed tapping), the playing is quick, but the technique is not used - in fact, it's not even tapping - it's string-bending combined with alternate picking.

Edited by Certif1ed - April 24 2007 at 04:28

Fareed Haque for versatility

Hackett is one of those guys who goes "solo-less" in my mind. (Like Lindsey Buckingham for example) A weaver of great melodies, but no solo at all stands out as making me stop and give over to it status as a "masterpiece" of technical execution. His is more emotion and expression over self indulgence perhaps?

But admittedly I don't listen to much Genesis and none of his solo work except for a tune here or there heard at a friend's house. My buddy Glen was ALWAYS trying to convert me at an early age into a Genesis legionnaire but I was too busy trying to get the timing down for Jacob's Ladder back then. ><

Any guitarists out there want to toss a suggestion for me to pay attention to?

To whoever it was that hailed Steve Howe as the fastest guitarist, I have a list for you ;)