Steve Howe v.s Steve Hackett poll

There must be some multiple voting here.

Howe is the better by far, and possibly the greatest guitarist of all time. His versatility and ecclectism are unrivaled.

Howe is in my avatar right now so I'll vote for him.. but Hackett is definitely better :)

Progger wrote: I have spoken to artists to have played with both and they all said the same thing, 'Howe is the far better player'. Howe's awards in the field are unrivalled. I like Hackett but he was only a 'bit' part player in Genesis with too much inactivity!

A bit partof Genesis?

The atmospheric sound that was trademark of Genesis was created and developed by Hackett, Genesis resisted the departure of their lyricist and most charismatic figure (Peter Gabriel) but the quality went down when Steve left.

Which Howe awards? Howe made 90% of his career in Yes, Hackett has played with almost every Prog' musician and has probably the most solid solo career in Prog.

Iván

Deliriumist wrote: I like Hackett more than Howe - Hackett's technique is better and he seems to be far more educated in the field of music. Howe just plays well and it looks like he's more into that country and rag and jazz thing.

..........What's wrong with the country/ jazz/ rag thing?????????????????

...oh you also forgot that he plays CLASSICAL guitar, BLUES, guitar, ROCK guitar.... he also uses a larger assortment of guitars than Hackett does.

I don't buy the idea that Steve Hackett is a more emotional player than Steve Howe.... like I said, Steve Howe is one of the most emotive guitar players I have ever heard. There are FEW rock guitarists who play with more emotion than Mr. Howe.

And ladies and gentlemen lets get another thing straight...It is possible to be technically sound AND emotionally fluent.... technique and emotion DO NOT need to be separate!!

Here's a quote from Steve...Hackett that is  taken from an article in Classical Guitar (June 2005)

"I find the older I get, the more capable I am of playing quickly, but it's an important gear to avoid. It's important not to keep proving to people that you can play quickly and there is so [much] purely fast playing in rock music nowadays. I prefer the slow, legato line. It's important to learn all the properties of the guitar and an excess of technique doesn't really help you to write a simple tune. I'd rather be a composer than a virtuoso."

In other words, perhaps the two Steve's are not that far apart technique-wise, they just have a slightly different approach to the guitar in general...

Though I do think that Howe very often managed to incorporate virtuosity AND atmospheric musicality in an admirable way during the golden era of Yes (Drama included)

Still, I voted for Mr. Hackett -if only  because he is so far the only guitar player that has managed to reduce me to tears (Firth of Fifth and Hairless Heart)

ivan_2068 wrote: Proglover wrote: ivan_2068 wrote: Progger wrote: I have spoken to artists to have played with both and they all said the same thing, 'Howe is the far better player'. Howe's awards in the field are unrivalled. I like Hackett but he was only a 'bit' part player in Genesis with too much inactivity! A bit partof Genesis? The atmospheric sound that was trademark of Genesis was created and developed by Hackett, Genesis resisted the departure of their lyricist and most charismatic figure (Peter Gabriel) but the quality went down when Steve left. Which Howe awards? Howe made 90% of his career in Yes, Hackett has played with almost every Prog' musician and has probably the most solid solo career in Prog. Iván Ummm lets get something straight....THE Genesis sound WAS TONY BANKS.... NOT STEVE HACKETT!! NO way, The Genesis sound was the blending of Steve's gitar with Tony's keyboards. Listen Firth of Fifth, the guitar sounds almost as a second keyboard, something hard to achieve in the 70's when there was no MIDI guitar. And I insist, I see no versatility in Steve Howe, just listen Midsummer Night Dream by Hackett and tell me who is versatile and who's not. By the way, I never judge the quality of the musician for how hard to play are his parts, I judge the quality of the music on the beauty of his work. Iván

Ahhhh yes, and you must not forget that BOTH TONY BANKS and MIKE RUTHERFORD doubled and tripled on guitars!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, what a poll!!

My two favorite guitarist as of late, and choosing between them is like pulling hairs.

I love Howe's mastery of the instrument, his incredible technique, and so on.

And Hackett for his style and finesse.

I selected Hackett in the poll, but I will forever love them both the same.