So would Mr Lukather call McCartney, Phil Collins, and a whole lot of other top musicians LAZY because they don't read music, I think not, I found many crap players who can read every note like reading a book and many of the the best players/musicians can't read a note, many think if you can't read notation you aren't you can't be a good player, that's bullshit.
For the average session you will be asked to improvise, play to a chart or both. Time is money & the guy that asks for playback after playback to get what the song is is the guy that aint gonna get asked to do another session. That's the reason why every gigging musician should read. BUT there is a big difference between that kind of reading & sight reading which is about being able to read complex stuff with only a few minutes to check it out first. We should all learn the first kind.
2 sides to the argument really, while lukather is unquestionably brilliant, to class all who don't have the ability to read music as 'lazy fuckers' is a touch extreme, some of the greatest musicians to ever have lived and bigger names than lukather too, couldn't read music so great and they did just fine
Steve Lukather and Jeff Porcaro are the guys that made that song. The track was a mess (the SMPTE code was all messed up) but Jeff being the pro that he was nailed the drum beat. Luke plays the guitar riff and the bass on that track. And Paul Jackson (one of the most recorded guitarists in history) played some guitar too.
theory is indeed needed, i did jazz improvisation and i would never have been able to do so without the help of theory and knowing scales, notes on the guitar etc.
This vid is very cool ,timely and noted. Yes musicians (esp Guitarists!)Learn harmony.It's necessary,hip and will get you farther up your musical path. I just transcribed this interlude a while back....very hip changes.
ice7string, i'm not sure what you mean by lukather playing on Beat It. The guitar solo on the album version of beat it is Eddie Van Halen. There's a whole story behind how it happened....Quincy Jones called him and Van Halen was relatively fresh at that time, having just graduated from the school that I went to recently. So Eddie offered to record it for free, simply to get the chance to work with Quincy Jones on a MJ album, and the solo you hear on the record was the first, and only, take..
@nigeldick I don't think Luke played the bass on "Beat It", but he did play the rhythm guitar part and the riff on that song. EVH only played the solo. Luke also played the guitar part of "Human Nature", and possibly other songs on the Thriller album.
@funkymonkey6string Steve Lukather plays the rhythm guitar and bass on Beat It. Eddie Van Halen only comes in for the solo. Everything else is Lukather, including the build up to the solo...
@funkymonkey6string Eddie ONLY played the solo. Steve lukather played all of the rhythm guitar parts. He also played on "the girl is mine" "human nature" and probably a few others by jackson.
@funkymonkey6string Van Halen released their first Album in 1978 I believe. Beat it was recorded in 1982 for the Thriller album. I wasnt aware that Eddie was in school at the time.. I do know that year they were in the studio recording Diver Down..
Respond to this video... LMAO....that was better than the Hot Licks Video bud... umm how did it go?? "Steve wants to thank all you suckers out there who bought this video"..."Just Kidding" LoLoLoL
@funkymonkey6string I Guess by now we're pretty clear on the "Beat It" history. Except for on thing: EVH didn't play for free. He recieved $ 1.000,- for his contribution to the song but NO royalties! And I seriously doubt Eddie had just graduated from school since he was already 27 y/o at the time and had been in bands for over ten years...
@funkymonkey6string Luke played all the guitars + bass, except for the solo. He suggested his buddy EVH to QJ and that's how Eddie ended up playing the solo which was - by the way - a series of takes pieced together in the final mix.
@funkymonkey6string luke played on the entire album... bass and guitar... EVH came in for the solo only... All the guys from Toto had a long standing studio relationship with Quincy Jones... He played with McCartney as well during that time frame... When you needed it done quickly and professionally during that era, Lukather was the man for studio work...
There's some great musos who don't read but they are far and few between...it's an effort getting theory down but Luke is right. Unless you wanna churn out the shit you hear on teen radio every day crack a book open and flick thru some theory...
@shadowknight132 While I can read music, and understand "adult chords" as Luke puts it, the primary reason most people can't SIGHTREAD well is because it takes a load of time! Sightreading is different from simply being able to read music, but is usually what professionals refer to when talking about the subject. It's pretty difficult to sightread for guitar, since the parts are usually not written in the right octave, and there are multiple choices in the same position for every note.
Theory is always useful, but unless you're playing something like classical music then reading music of the worst things that you can do as a musician. You start relying on that and that is BAD!!! Learning things by ear is the way that you develop your songwriting and really develop your own style. Reading music can turn you into a robot. Even Guthrie Govan agrees with this.
Of course, but I think that everybody has seen people who start learning tabs and then rely on them too much. It's much better to start off without them. Notice how I said "as a musician" and what I meant by that was songwriting. In my mind a musician is a songwriter first and foremost. I was responding to him saying that you NEED to learn to read music and that there is no reason not to. That's ridiculous.
Yes, but once you get to a certain point tabs are useless. I don't see the point of learning how to read music when you can figure out just about anything by ear. Anybody can read generic tabs too. The formal guitar sheet music is annoying and pointless when you have good tabs. Good tabs become pointless when you can figure most everything out by ear.
"What if you have to play something you haven't heard yet?" I was speaking in terms of songwriting, I didn't really make that clear enough. I don't like being a puppet. If you have to play something you haven't heard then you are either playing something symphonic or classical, or you're improvising at a jazz gig and reading music is useless in an improv situation. "What if you want to write down your own songs?" That's what recording systems are for.
Why would one of the great guitar players in the history of Rock and Pop, want to play with JM or LG.. That's just stepping backwards.. BTW.. Luke is Playing in the States..
With his money and name, he can and does go where ever he wants..
If the man is sick of hold the line, he has that right, no matter what the fans think.
Toto, has more music out than that.. I mean really..Would you want to be reminded day in day out, year after year about something that you have surpassed?
@coversolo Hold the Line was written when Luke was just 18... and he was already an established session player by then. Also, harmony is not all in the guitar playing - it's a result of ALL the instruments playing together. Luke can play really complex chords when needed, but he can also play very sparingly to gel with the other instruments... for example in Africa, he plays mostly tiny chord voicings and discrete licks but the interplay with the keys, bass and vocals create a huge arrangement.
@coversolo Furthermore, Luke has played on over 1500 records... popular records. Most of Michael Jackson's records. He's played and written parts for hundreds of hit songs outside of Toto. I'm sure John Mayer would jump at the chance to play with Luke. In fact, John Mayer played guitar on a cover of Beat It, which was originally recorded by, you guessed it, Steve Lukather.
@coversolo...How long ago was "Hold The Line" anyway? 30 years maybe? I think it's possible for people to evolve creatively during that time. And hasn't Steve gone on record saying he can't bear to play "Hold The Line" anymore? Lukather wouldn't be the first musician to say that about their most enduring hit.
@coversolo I think Mr. Lukather was referring to "adult chords" like those he's sight-read in any of the -- what, 20,000 or so session gigs he's done, starting at the age of 17 or so? He's recorded with everybody from practically every genre, from rock to r&b to legit jazz. As a teenager he was sitting next to the likes of Lee Ritenour, who reads music the way the rest of us (certain YouTube commentators excepted, perhaps) read rudimentary English. So Luke's got standing to speak here.
@coversolo LOL Hold the Line is a famous song cause it is pop... and therefore the masses who have no understanding of music can relate to it... cause it is simple... hence it is one of toto's most famous songs... the very word pop means it will be shite in terms of musical complexity... :) it is merely a catchy song :P
Yeah Steve! Hey is Carlitos old enough to play adult chords? I thought you had to get your "adult chord permit" (age 25+) first! Looking forward the new CD!
Notice how Carlitos can completely rip up and down the neck when he's warming up, but when he's actually recording he locks into the groove and plays simple. That's called good taste.
So would Mr Lukather call McCartney, Phil Collins, and a whole lot of other top musicians LAZY because they don't read music, I think not, I found many crap players who can read every note like reading a book and many of the the best players/musicians can't read a note, many think if you can't read notation you aren't you can't be a good player, that's bullshit.
RacManRhythm 1 week ago
Eddie Van Halen dont read no stinkin notes!
ZZUBZERO 2 weeks ago
Great Album but this Videos shows me that it would be VERY cool to hear the Album in a instrumental way !
Keksdiebchen 1 month ago
For the average session you will be asked to improvise, play to a chart or both. Time is money & the guy that asks for playback after playback to get what the song is is the guy that aint gonna get asked to do another session. That's the reason why every gigging musician should read. BUT there is a big difference between that kind of reading & sight reading which is about being able to read complex stuff with only a few minutes to check it out first. We should all learn the first kind.
vubear 1 month ago
2 sides to the argument really, while lukather is unquestionably brilliant, to class all who don't have the ability to read music as 'lazy fuckers' is a touch extreme, some of the greatest musicians to ever have lived and bigger names than lukather too, couldn't read music so great and they did just fine
TheBastions 1 month ago
Great stuff Lukather...
Hydrefyricon 1 month ago
0:50-1:01 Amen to that!!
minigovaray 1 month ago
bass player is amazing... me like
lydian77 1 month ago
What is the bass player setup?? I love that sound!!
julneojazz 2 months ago
That goes for drummers as well!!!
drummerboy69n 2 months ago
Proud to say I am a guitarist that reads notation! ;P
g1asseye 2 months ago
0:58 :--)
leventopoulos 3 months ago
the luke is awsome maaaan. lazt beoches!!
sleeplessingc 3 months ago
no steve played the main riff folks.
eddiecummings 6 months ago
My life /ears are all about adult chords ..separating the men from the boys.
bobbysbackingtracks 6 months ago
If your reading your not playing
FLCL2010 7 months ago
@FLCL2010 if your writing.. YOU'RE NOT SPELLING. Hihi.
Taisa0Naum 7 months ago
Comment removed
FLCL2010 7 months ago
Steve Lukather and Jeff Porcaro are the guys that made that song. The track was a mess (the SMPTE code was all messed up) but Jeff being the pro that he was nailed the drum beat. Luke plays the guitar riff and the bass on that track. And Paul Jackson (one of the most recorded guitarists in history) played some guitar too.
porcaro75 9 months ago
Comment removed
adilghanty 9 months ago
id like to see that charted with the nashville number system lol
65bluzman 9 months ago
thumbs up video
datingadult101 10 months ago
how does this song called (from the sheets?)
maty7976321 10 months ago
theory is indeed needed, i did jazz improvisation and i would never have been able to do so without the help of theory and knowing scales, notes on the guitar etc.
clarkied 11 months ago
Mama mia! That Carlitos Delpuerto is fantabulous!
Evieevebigcheeks 1 year ago
This vid is very cool ,timely and noted. Yes musicians (esp Guitarists!)Learn harmony.It's necessary,hip and will get you farther up your musical path. I just transcribed this interlude a while back....very hip changes.
bobbysbackingtracks 1 year ago
Don't have to be a SNOB about reading music.I can read, too. but, I'M not a SNOB.
pistache7 1 year ago
ice7string, i'm not sure what you mean by lukather playing on Beat It. The guitar solo on the album version of beat it is Eddie Van Halen. There's a whole story behind how it happened....Quincy Jones called him and Van Halen was relatively fresh at that time, having just graduated from the school that I went to recently. So Eddie offered to record it for free, simply to get the chance to work with Quincy Jones on a MJ album, and the solo you hear on the record was the first, and only, take..
funkymonkey6string 1 year ago
@funkymonkey6string ...Steve played bass on "Beat It" and, unless I'm very wrong, some other guitar tracks too. The solo was clearly EVH.
nigeldick 1 year ago 7
@nigeldick He played guitar on Beat It. But Eddie did play the solo
guitarsvolta 1 year ago
@nigeldick I don't think Luke played the bass on "Beat It", but he did play the rhythm guitar part and the riff on that song. EVH only played the solo. Luke also played the guitar part of "Human Nature", and possibly other songs on the Thriller album.
AragornCF 1 year ago
@AragornCF Luke indeed played bass on "Beat It", as well as rhythm guitar.
mirzamarco 1 year ago
@nigeldick He can play bass guitar? Didn´t know...
blackpearl961963 1 year ago
@nigeldick steve played all bass and guitars on the track, apart from the solo
arcuz92 7 months ago
@nigeldick Eddie only did the solo, Steve did the rest including the riffs.
mysticdream28 6 months ago
@nigeldick And Steve also played the guitar riff. Eddie only contributed the guitar solo
RFMG567 2 months ago
@nigeldick He actually played all the rythm guitars and guitar riffs ;)
/watch?v=V4dqml9GK8Y&feature=relmfu at 1:16 :D
Cheers for uploading these videos!
LLLGuitar 1 day ago
@funkymonkey6string the rythm guitar was lukather. The solo is clearly van halen (:
serebiimrn 1 year ago
@funkymonkey6string The only thing Eddie played on Beat It was the solo. ALL bass and guitar (cept solo) was Lukather.
RobResource 1 year ago
@funkymonkey6string Steve Lukather plays the rhythm guitar and bass on Beat It. Eddie Van Halen only comes in for the solo. Everything else is Lukather, including the build up to the solo...
IbanezRoadstar335 1 year ago
@funkymonkey6string steve lukater did all the guitars except the solo for beat it he also did many other sessions fo MJ
kakashihatake1321 1 year ago
@funkymonkey6string Eddie ONLY played the solo. Steve lukather played all of the rhythm guitar parts. He also played on "the girl is mine" "human nature" and probably a few others by jackson.
shlokda 1 year ago 3
@funkymonkey6string Van Halen released their first Album in 1978 I believe. Beat it was recorded in 1982 for the Thriller album. I wasnt aware that Eddie was in school at the time.. I do know that year they were in the studio recording Diver Down..
rooseguitar64 8 months ago
Respond to this video... LMAO....that was better than the Hot Licks Video bud... umm how did it go?? "Steve wants to thank all you suckers out there who bought this video"..."Just Kidding" LoLoLoL
rooseguitar64 8 months ago
@funkymonkey6string Eddie played the solo in Beat It.... Luke played the rest of the guitar on the song
Totofan99 7 months ago
@funkymonkey6string I Guess by now we're pretty clear on the "Beat It" history. Except for on thing: EVH didn't play for free. He recieved $ 1.000,- for his contribution to the song but NO royalties! And I seriously doubt Eddie had just graduated from school since he was already 27 y/o at the time and had been in bands for over ten years...
HOOKSnKISSES 6 months ago
@funkymonkey6string Luke played all the guitars + bass, except for the solo. He suggested his buddy EVH to QJ and that's how Eddie ended up playing the solo which was - by the way - a series of takes pieced together in the final mix.
MilanPolak 6 months ago
@funkymonkey6string luke played on the entire album... bass and guitar... EVH came in for the solo only... All the guys from Toto had a long standing studio relationship with Quincy Jones... He played with McCartney as well during that time frame... When you needed it done quickly and professionally during that era, Lukather was the man for studio work...
lydian77 1 month ago
@funkymonkey6string Yep as far as i know Steve played the rythm guitar of beat it.
OrionNumya 1 month ago
@funkymonkey6string Steve played everything but the drums and the solo on beat it
ekd6285 1 month ago
LOL at 0:59 weed!
Damn right that's what makes me lazy to learn it.
GibsonGuitarist666 1 year ago
@GibsonGuitarist666 (I think he says weak but...) ;-)
sm1le68 1 year ago
There's some great musos who don't read but they are far and few between...it's an effort getting theory down but Luke is right. Unless you wanna churn out the shit you hear on teen radio every day crack a book open and flick thru some theory...
HanDeckardJones 1 year ago
You're right. Every musician need to learn how to read music and learn theory. There's really no reason not to.
shadowknight132 1 year ago 19
@shadowknight132 While I can read music, and understand "adult chords" as Luke puts it, the primary reason most people can't SIGHTREAD well is because it takes a load of time! Sightreading is different from simply being able to read music, but is usually what professionals refer to when talking about the subject. It's pretty difficult to sightread for guitar, since the parts are usually not written in the right octave, and there are multiple choices in the same position for every note.
getupanddosomething 1 year ago 2
@shadowknight132
Unless you're Lennon or McCartney.
JensKristianDavidsen 11 months ago
@shadowknight132
Theory is always useful, but unless you're playing something like classical music then reading music of the worst things that you can do as a musician. You start relying on that and that is BAD!!! Learning things by ear is the way that you develop your songwriting and really develop your own style. Reading music can turn you into a robot. Even Guthrie Govan agrees with this.
Fluffypopcicle 7 months ago
@Fluffypopcicle
If you learn to do both you're better off than just knowing one approach.
If you are referring to the video about Govan I think you are, then I think you are taking his words to the extreme.
He said "Don't rely on tablature for *everything*" but didn't say that it was bad to learn how to read.
It's the same with people asking "Should I alternate pick or economy pick?"
The anwser is: Both!
Those are my opions anyways..
gitarmats 6 months ago
@gitarmats
Of course, but I think that everybody has seen people who start learning tabs and then rely on them too much. It's much better to start off without them. Notice how I said "as a musician" and what I meant by that was songwriting. In my mind a musician is a songwriter first and foremost. I was responding to him saying that you NEED to learn to read music and that there is no reason not to. That's ridiculous.
Fluffypopcicle 6 months ago
@Fluffypopcicle
Yeah. No one 'must' learn it, but you'll definitely get some benefits if you do.
gitarmats 6 months ago
@gitarmats
Yes, but once you get to a certain point tabs are useless. I don't see the point of learning how to read music when you can figure out just about anything by ear. Anybody can read generic tabs too. The formal guitar sheet music is annoying and pointless when you have good tabs. Good tabs become pointless when you can figure most everything out by ear.
Fluffypopcicle 6 months ago
@Fluffypopcicle
'Useless' is a strong word..
What if you have to play something you haven't heard yet?
What if you want to write down your own songs?
gitarmats 6 months ago
@gitarmats
"What if you have to play something you haven't heard yet?" I was speaking in terms of songwriting, I didn't really make that clear enough. I don't like being a puppet. If you have to play something you haven't heard then you are either playing something symphonic or classical, or you're improvising at a jazz gig and reading music is useless in an improv situation. "What if you want to write down your own songs?" That's what recording systems are for.
Fluffypopcicle 6 months ago
@Fluffypopcicle
I can see this discussion isn't going anywhere.
I propose we agree to disagree.
gitarmats 6 months ago
@gitarmats
Agreed.
Fluffypopcicle 6 months ago
Read to know! GO LUKE
RickvanDunn 1 year ago
Comment removed
arweiss100 1 year ago
Why would one of the great guitar players in the history of Rock and Pop, want to play with JM or LG.. That's just stepping backwards.. BTW.. Luke is Playing in the States..
With his money and name, he can and does go where ever he wants..
If the man is sick of hold the line, he has that right, no matter what the fans think.
Toto, has more music out than that.. I mean really..Would you want to be reminded day in day out, year after year about something that you have surpassed?
Dig the New...
6gpower 1 year ago
That makes sense .. After all he should be proud to have anything on the radio @ all
It will never haooen again these days thats for sure ..
He would be better off backing LADY GA GA , or John Mayer ...
@ Least that way he could tour in the USA , you know ?
coversolo 1 year ago
@coversolo Hold the Line was written when Luke was just 18... and he was already an established session player by then. Also, harmony is not all in the guitar playing - it's a result of ALL the instruments playing together. Luke can play really complex chords when needed, but he can also play very sparingly to gel with the other instruments... for example in Africa, he plays mostly tiny chord voicings and discrete licks but the interplay with the keys, bass and vocals create a huge arrangement.
Ice7String 1 year ago
@coversolo Furthermore, Luke has played on over 1500 records... popular records. Most of Michael Jackson's records. He's played and written parts for hundreds of hit songs outside of Toto. I'm sure John Mayer would jump at the chance to play with Luke. In fact, John Mayer played guitar on a cover of Beat It, which was originally recorded by, you guessed it, Steve Lukather.
Ice7String 1 year ago
Like the ones in Hold The line ???
WFT is wrong with you asshole
coversolo 1 year ago
@coversolo...How long ago was "Hold The Line" anyway? 30 years maybe? I think it's possible for people to evolve creatively during that time. And hasn't Steve gone on record saying he can't bear to play "Hold The Line" anymore? Lukather wouldn't be the first musician to say that about their most enduring hit.
nigeldick 1 year ago 8
@nigeldick Yes, Steve has said he hates playing that song...
ExtinctionBlues 1 year ago
@nigeldick
Your right ! So is Ice Ice Baby by Vanilla Ice .
coversolo 1 year ago
@nigeldick I've never heard Luke say he doesn't want to play "Hold The Line" anymore, but the song of which I know that he did say that was "99".
AragornCF 1 year ago
@coversolo I think Mr. Lukather was referring to "adult chords" like those he's sight-read in any of the -- what, 20,000 or so session gigs he's done, starting at the age of 17 or so? He's recorded with everybody from practically every genre, from rock to r&b to legit jazz. As a teenager he was sitting next to the likes of Lee Ritenour, who reads music the way the rest of us (certain YouTube commentators excepted, perhaps) read rudimentary English. So Luke's got standing to speak here.
FreedomZealot 1 year ago
@coversolo LOL Hold the Line is a famous song cause it is pop... and therefore the masses who have no understanding of music can relate to it... cause it is simple... hence it is one of toto's most famous songs... the very word pop means it will be shite in terms of musical complexity... :) it is merely a catchy song :P
ExtinctionBlues 1 year ago
Adult chords, Note reading, Harmony is were it's at, but with out practice, Tone, Tude and own voice on instrument, Nothing but rim shots!
therealnashvillerock 1 year ago
yeah steve, music man rocks
matthieu71 1 year ago
" LAZY. . .ALL of you!! " Read your notes and chords boys and girls!!
Jedizen07 1 year ago
Adult chords makes me SWEAT.........!!
nicke25 1 year ago
Yeah Steve! Hey is Carlitos old enough to play adult chords? I thought you had to get your "adult chord permit" (age 25+) first! Looking forward the new CD!
jonfinngroup 1 year ago
Notice how Carlitos can completely rip up and down the neck when he's warming up, but when he's actually recording he locks into the groove and plays simple. That's called good taste.
crimsondynamoo 1 year ago 3
YES! Learn to read music. Leave the tabs behind!!! Thank You!
zumazmusic 1 year ago
WOOHOO! Looking forward to the new album!!
christopherzberlin 1 year ago
Adult chords! That's where it's at!
drkev 1 year ago
Great , Thank's Steve for the extract of the next album ...
mathieufavazza 1 year ago
love luke's the comment at the end " read the note" haha.
tuurimunkki 1 year ago
Comment removed
arweiss100 1 year ago
Sounding great Luke! ....how can you play yer music if your dont know the adult chords LOL
Gearhound62 1 year ago
GREAT !! Thanks Luke for posting these COOL videos !! That's what i call REAL harmony ,haha, not for punks !!!!
lukePaulNorman 1 year ago