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Guitar Legends.
by Univideit Gauitin
http://www.guitarsuniverse.com
There have been numerous guitar greats in the world. It is
often debated as to who were the greatest exponents of
playing guitar. Every guitar enthusiast has his own list
of guitar greats. It is not easy to determine what makes
great guitar players.
Many connoisseurs consider Robert Johnson, the blues
guitarist, great. He started as an average guitarist but
became great in a period of just one year. Many legends
thrived to explain such sudden burst of talent. Some gave a
Dr Faustus like theory that he had made a pact with the
Devil. His rivals and common people disbelieved his
explanation of practice and hard work for his newfound
talent.
It is believed that the deal with the devil was done at a
crossroads somewhere in the Deep South. In songs such as
Crossroad Blues and Me And The Devil Blues, Johnson has
mentioned the meetings. Unfortunately, Johnson did not live
long and it was at the young age of 27 that he was able to
record some of his songs. His death remains as much as much
a mystery as his skills of playing guitar. Some believe he
was murdered, some think he was poisoned while some also
say he was the victim of the devil. There are a few other
arguments as well.
A tragically young death isn't essential to become a guitar
great, but another man who makes most lists also died aged
only 28. Jimi Hendrix took guitar playing to an entire new
level of showmanship. But sometimes people remember the
antics - playing solos behind his back or with his teeth,
setting his guitar on fire (an idea which owes a lot to
Jerry Lee Lewis) - and forget how fantastic he was as a
musician.
Hendrix played in blues, rock and jazz, playing his most
famous live concerts with only a bassist and drummer for
support - he made all that sound! He was from the beginning
an innovator, and as a beginner decided not to learn to play
the conventional way but, since he was naturally left
handed, he re strung his guitar upside down. You can see on
some pictures that the pick guard is the wrong way up on his
Fender Strat!
Like all legends, stories about Hedrix are legion. He was
famous for covering other bands songs in concert and on
record. Sometimes he would do his cover of a track before
the original band had managed to perform it live, as was the
case with the Beatles 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club
Band'. Though he couldn't read or write musical notation,
it's said that a single listen to a new song was enough for
him to be able to play it. He is also one of a very small
number of musicians who earned the approval of the hardest
man to please in the history of popular music, Miles Davis.
The guitar players are not just limited to rock or blue.
Guitar is such a versatile musical instrument that it is
played in all sorts of concerts and shows. Therefore, there
are innumerable guitar greats worldwide. The other great
and popular guitar players are Django Rheinhardt (jazz)
John Williams (classic), Paco de Lucia (flamenco). They
have been immortalized by their inimitable style and
mind-blowing music.
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