I saw him at the Grog and Tankard in DC about around 1988. I was a newb guitarist then and he BLEW me away. (not surprisingly). I went up to him after his set and he signed a matchbook for me and I axed him why he used the tiny fender jazz picks and he said it was cuz it forced him to play more accurately. I immediately started using those pics lol only just recently switched to an in-between size. He was amazing. RIP
Nothing but a clean guitar sound, and a man who knows what the instrument is capable of. Danny Gatton was Delivered to us, then taken away. His style and playing skills will be sought after forever! God rest your soul Danny!
dude ,danny learned this song 20 years before this was made. His choices are from 20 years of playing a tune and hearing it played a 100 ways by others.....music and guitar are not some esoteric secret .....it takes doing and the will to do so...he could most likely play 1500 tunes......that kinds of ends the old music mystery when youve taken on that as your focus for life..
Hendrix, Segovia, Tuck Andress, DiMeola, Pass, Van Halen, Shawn Lane... Wow... this list could go on for a while, but I think my point is Gatton is on the list of guitar greats that will stand the test of time. p.s. feel free to add to the list if you wish. hehe
Why to dislike this genious here ? You don't like guitar.I Didn't know Danny Gatton until today, I know now who he is. Well is human being able to play guitar like he does ? He's the best magician of guitar i've ever listened to ! Meola, Albert Lee, well o well.But DG is very very TALL !!!!
I was just listening to Crusin' Deuces this morning. Talk about bad craziness (in a good way!).
My regret about Danny, other than his far too early passing, was that while I had heard of him in the late 1980's, I didn't actually get a chance to hear him until the Elmira Street album came out. Of course, then I tried to get everything I could with his name on it, including the Joey deFrancesco cd he plays on (nice album, btw).
I think its really cool that this has been viewed almost 300,000 times. Bottom line this right here is timeless,righteous and very true. Danny Gatton should definetly be remembered as the world's greatest guitar player that nobody hardly knew about. thanks to Youtube he'll live on
@jrms999 Danny, in my book one of the greatest of all time, is sad to say not for mass consumption. He's a guitar player's guitarist. So there are a lot of people who just don't get it, or as you say..."stupid."
This is classic Danny Gatton... wow. There ain't no tabs, sheet music...or anything else that could capture what Danny is doing here.. it's straight from Danny's soul. He was a rare, unique individual... a GIANT amoung guitarists. I miss you Danny.... you were the absolute best.
@bohtzsah2002 With your comments I totally concur. If he played this solo the following week, it would be way different and just as brilliant. His loss is such a tragedy. I miss him as well. Still learning from him though, to this day.
Oh my God, Danny Gatton was fucking amazing. As far as the tuning thing, he's playing a funk/blues in F, so in the moment he tunes that low E up a 1/2 step -- this seems in the moment, not planned, though I'm sure he'd done it before. I love when he is barring the 5th and 6th strings to get those parallel 3rds moving up and down. Genius.
His pocket is just SICK SICK SICK, his subdued aggression, just gnarly, like a hungry dog sinking his teeth into some fresh meat... and his blues flair...his FLAIR!!! Wow, this guy is just a monster, a man's man of the blues guitar and the tele!
His pocket is just SICK SICK SICK, is subdued aggression, just gnarly, like a hungry dog sinking his teeth into some fresh meat... and his blues flair...his FLAIR!!! Wow, this guy is just a monster, a man's man of the blues guitar and the tele!
Wow....the whole TAB/standard notation thing here is pretty silly. What DG is doing here had NOTHING to do with reading ANYTHING. And I promise you....if DG was here....playing this tune....he couldn't play all the "right notes" (ie....note for note) . The only thing session players really read anyways....are chord charts.....and not even any rhythms usually. This tune is just a great country/rock-a-billy....with GREAT chops played over it. Chops are always in a state of motion and growth.
@WarBeer Indeed, it has nothing to do with him reading anything and everything about feel and intuition. Someone just asked which would be better for transcribing what he's playing - in order for you to study his note choices in depth which, I think, was a good question. Each systems have their pros and cons but I think a thorough scholar would use both.
@fodera6 ....although both systems certainly have merit....an accurate transcription could be given in standard notation....if both modern symbols and position markers were used. That would be the most accurate and thorough way of transcribing the guitar in a single stave. But with something like this....the rhythm really isn't the issue here....it's his note choice. There is an advanced level of harmonic analyses required to figure out what a player's doing, how he's thinking and how it works.
reminds me of an old John coltrane story....supposedly, a fan of his in his hey day, recorded him playing a club gig, and showed up the next night and on the break, let john coltrane listen to the recording...to which JC was supposed to have replied "who is that?....he's good"...lol
@WarBeer@WarBeer Talking of a speaker,a preacher , it would make no sense to say their words had nothing to do with reading,or what was said could not be written. Plenty of jazz musicians could notate what Gatton is playing.This takes nothing away from his genius as an improviser,any more than writing down the words of a Beatles or Motown song takes anything away. Writing is a useful tool ,it is not music or speech.Very few master theory this well without reading music.
@Cometsamba ....I really have no idea what you're trying to say here? I said nothing about peoples words not having anything to do with reading. My statement was directed towards the notion that reading music was some magical "end all be all" answer to being an advanced player. I've taught guitar and theory for over 20 years....and know for a FACT that of all the skills required to play like DG....reading is probably near the bottom.
@WarBeer ...I do think that a transcription of this sort of thing is beneficial. However, knowing the lines and spaces and where the notes are on your guitar...is not reading, in-and-of-itself. Reading is a "real-time" event and interpreting the rhythm in-time is probably the most challenging part. Chord/scale knowledge, knowing where the notes lie....and a good ear (memory), are really the most useful skills when dealing with improvisational laden music. Of course reading skills never hurt ;)
Tab is cool for notating what guitarists and bassists play, i.e. fingerings, positions, etc. - but if you want to interact with other musicians, especially in a non-pop music environment (jazz, classical, studio, film scoring) you need serious music reading chops. Without them, you aren't even in the game much of the time. Even the Nashville cats use their numbering system to indicate chords.
Guitar is a bitch of an instrument on which to learn to notation, but you need it sometimes.
It doesn't matter what ANYBODY plays from this moment on...haha!! Danny already proved what can be done with a guitar...so EVERYBODY else can just relax, get a groove on and play on!! There is nothing left to prove, Danny Gatton already did that,.....play on y'all!!............oh, yeah, almost forgot....now Danny's left this mortal coil...R.I.P. Danny!!....Scotty Anderson is still hear to guide us........long live Scotty!!......
@simojames: DG was amazing, I was lucky-enough to catch him live a couple of times before he left us. Scotty is just as amazing, but in his own way. Too late to see DG in the flesh for those who missed him, but Scotty Anderson is alive and well and doing gigs in the Southern Ohio area. If you haven't seen/heard Scotty live, please take the time to see him - there's no one in the world like him. I feel blessed to have seen both men play, but I also resent the heck out of them for being so good!
It doesn't matter what ANYBODY plays from this moment on...haha!! Danny already proved what can be done with a guitar...so EVERYBODY else can just relax, get a groove on and play on!! There is nothing left to prove, Danny Gatton already did that,.....play on y'all!!............
Knowing nothing about tab or notation, etc., I merely listened to Danny, got a "feel" for what he was doing and picked up a few of his unique chord forms. I studied how certain phrases led to the next ones. Played solos in the "wrong" key. (i.e. D instead of G). And since a lot of my influences were the same as Danny's, it all worked. So the overall quality of my playing improved tremendously without necessarily "copying" him. Gatton rules forever!
@penn4644: Your post has some truth in it. I've done the play-by-ear approach, and the schooled, theory, read music thing - and for most American popular music, the former is better. It's how all the great blues, jazz, R&B, country, folk and rock musicians learned to play. Wes Montgomery did the same thing you mentioned - playing in the "wrong key" or transposing scales and arpeggios to create tension and release. It's very effective; all the top players use it.
With notation you can 'hear' the music just by looking at the score, it gives you an immediate understanding of the structure, phrasing harmony and rhythm.
TAB shows you where other people like to place their fingers ;)
With notation you can 'hear' the music just by looking at the score, it gives you an immediate understanding of the structure, phrasing harmony and rhythm.
TAB shows you where other people like to place their fingers ;)
I do believe that Danny was from another planet - I can follow Roy Buchanan's thought process - I can't even begin to follow what Gatton was thinking - forget about playing. Larry Campbell suggested Gatton to me back around the 80s. I never thought I could ever call someone the greatest living guitarist - but he was it, with no doubt in my mind. I almost fell over (literally) when I read he had taken his own life.
I left out so many of Danny's influences but one that deserves special mention is Roy Buchanan. There's some funny stories I read about Roy, wearing disguises to watch Danny play to see if Danny played differently not knowing he was in the audiance.Roy was a monster player as well. Oh I believe I heard Danny mention Jimmy Nolan as an influence.Anybody that funks out on a seventh or a 9th chord was influenced by Jimmy Nolan.
I totally dig the single note blues players ,the rock guys, in fact every genre of great guitar metal, flamenco ,country ,rockabilly you name it and then there's Danny Gatton, the thing that most impressed me about Danny was that as great as he was he was equally gracious I saw him hand off his tele to another player at an allstar jam at the Town Pump in Vancouver B.C. in March or April of 92.Fuck he made it look so easy and he was doing what had never been done!!!
@lecheface94 Gatton probably knew how to read the Nashville numbers system but I'm quite sure he didn't fuck around with written music.Gatton was a prodigy who continued to evolve.He was a big fan of James Burton,Les Paul ,Jimmy Bryant,you name it fom the country tradition but also from the jazz spectrum, Charlie Christian,Django Rienhart ,Kenny Burrel,Wes Montgomeryl.Danny infused these elements and more threw them in a blender and one fuck of a musician was created the great Danny Gatton!!!
Back after an extended absence, and this video still floors me every time I watch it. This is one of my favorite DG performances; just amazing and so musical. I don't think I've heard anyone cover "What I'd Say" by Ray Charles any better than this, especially instrumentally. Sure do miss you Danny!
@GeorgiaBoy1961 Hi GeorgiaBoy your old friend Gattonmaster how are you; yeah definately Gallaghers is one of the great Gatton shows ever; i have about 20 I would put together all different years that are killer but 87-88 DG was on fire especially at Gallaghers..., see you soon buddy!
I can read music, I find tab ok for simple stuff, but frustrating with "complex" stuff. At the end of the day, it's what happens after you're "read" it that matters.
The tihing that makes Tablature superior to standard notation (and also harder to read fast) is that in contains more information. It not only tells you what pitch to play but what fret to play it on. On any fretted instrument, there is always more than one place to play any given notes. Often you can guess the right place, but tablature makes it clear
I admit that I am poor at sightreading, but I can work thru notation with some effort. My only grievance, one I feel TimeLordGuitar is trying to illustrate, is that typically musical notation does not indicate the preferred fingerings for certain passages. It just means I have to experiment and find what's best for me.
What about the Nashville system? I mean, just having an understanding of theory, improvisational chops, and a fakebook can get you far in learning new songs.
@TimeLordGuitar "...Tablature is a more practical and logical notation method for ALL guitarists..."
Not ALL, just those who thing that notation is hard, or for formally taught (classical) musicians. Notation isn't nearly as hard as people think, it's more logical than people think and it does a FAR better job of telling the reader how a song should be played rhythmically that TAB ever can because it does a better job of showing how long each note should be played.
I am totally blown away everytime I watch this footage, and I've watched about 80 times over the past 4 years. Danny was on the BEST guitarist... period, his phasing, knowledge of the fretboard, and rhythm technique is mind blowing..
Just WoW! Wow! Have mercy Ms Percy.. that ole boy could damn sure play..
So the Tab argument. How do know what the value of the note with TAB? You have to go with your ear, I don't always trust mine. Notation is far superior, although more difficult.
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Personally I think that if you could play 70% of these ideas, your time would be better spent creating your own ideas incorporating said techniques and not bother playing somebody elses ideas at all. How you choose to transcribe that would be irrelevant because people would just be happy to hear it!
Take your silver mod tubescreamer, your dr. z, your nocaster, put them in a pile and burn them. if god gave you a thousand years, you still couldn't touch this. you can't fucking keep time to this.
@ErikDRed1 Yeah, but before he did that he took delivery of a batch of Fender Custom Shop Danny Gatton telecasters based on this '53 model. He must have thought a lot of them!!!! I have an early one and I agree with Danny - they're great ! :-)
I'd heard Danny Gatton's name a few times and am embarrassed to say I never took the time to look him up. I just watched this and was completely floored. I think i stopped breathing at times. The guy is unreal! I agree with the National Treasure comments!
Apart from the fact danny was a brilliant guitarist i know little of his career so wont comment on that.Yet from what i read he didnt live the life style that of a guitar hero and wondered if this was by choice or just bad marketing. As how can anyone possibly miss the talent he showed when you see some of todays guitarists nowhere near his level living the lives of luxury.
@kd4jvg I think transcribing it in notation wouldn't be out of the question. Creating TAB is actually another step that must be taken in order to make it "easier" for the masses, ie. those that haven't yet learned or are too lazy to learn how to read notation. Either will require special notation for some of his techniques. Some transcribing (slowing) software, a good ear and a healthy dose of patience will get you most of the way there.
The "masses" (I.e.- guitar players) primarily read tablature instead of standard music notation because it is an easier notation method for guitarists to comprehend. Tablature is a more practical and logical notation method for ALL guitarists. The downside is that it is not universal like music notation. For fretted instruments,tab is superior...there is no arguement. Who in the hell is going to sight read an Edward Van Halen solo?! Or a Danny Gatton solo?!
@TimeLordGuitar Masses = non-well-rounded musician. Whether or not TAB is superior depends greatly on who you ask. I don't think anyone can assume one method is easier for ALL guitarists. You're speaking for a lot of people. Being comfortable with both, I actually find TAB to be slightly more work to read since the pitches and rhythms are separate whereas with notation they're together. No one reads notation of "hard" guitar solos? Uh. Zappa-philes? Classical guitarists? The list goes on...
Tab is absolutely fine for modern guitarists. Most western musics (rock,blues,jazz, country,classical,fusion,etc.) are in now in tab format with all of the appropriate rhythms and techniques indicated. A common fallacy is that guitarists that know how to sight-read music well are “better” creative musicians than those that don’t know how to read music. This is not true. I would argue that basic music theory, which requires no knowledge of notation reading, is far more important.
@TimeLordGuitar It becomes really important if you have to communicate ideas to people who play other instruments. I have a jazz background, so standard notation is more practical for me.
I agree with you on that...standard notation is important to know when communicating with other instrumentalists. For transcribing guitar parts and communicating with guitarists,however,tab is far more precise. Both notation methods serve the same purpose- to give a reference for pitch and proper time values. Tab adds exact fret positioning which is of course not an issue on piano which the standardized system of notation was originally developed for.
My initial comment was more directed towards the asinine idea that tablature is the notation method of the "masses of non-well rounded musicians" (I.e.- all non jazz players...at least according to bitter jazz elitists.) A solo such at this one by Danny Gatton would be a nightmare to read in standard notation - Frank Zappa's most difficult compositions would be simple to read in comparison. The exact strings and fingerings are vital for playing the banjo runs,etc. correctly.
@fodera6 I think there are two good sides to this, because I know plenty of amazing guitarists who can't read notation well enough to depend on it, and they are some of the more expressive people I know. I myself can read notation, but I still choose not to because tablature is just more accessible, plus I don't wanna learn whole songs most of the time so I just figure out how certain licks are played out. Also, not to flout the mans name, but Stevie Ray Vaughan couldn't read music...and well...
@fodera6 yeah Zappa was famous when Steve Vai was in his band for inviting anyone in the audience to bring up any piece of sheet music and have Steve sightread and play it. sightreading is very important to your growth as a musician, mostly because very few people bother to tab things like classical pieces or jazz lead sheets because their vernacular assumes you know how to read. you're actually shooting yourself in the foot by not learning to read music and declaring tab superior.
@fodera6 hell yea, look at zappa! he wrote just about everything on staff paper before playing it. he was a true musical genius, not an average garage buster. shit, look in the LP cover book of uncle meat, you will see some real notation. BUT, tabs are easy to get with out any real understanding of music, helping the average joe play his fav songs with out 10 yrs. of music courses to get page's 64 note runs and hendrix's chord progressions.
@fodera6 But it can also go both ways...I know tons of people that can't read tabs, but can read notation. Does that still make them "well rounded" even though they can't read a certain medium of music?
@fodera6 I play classical guitar and I sometimes will put a piece into tab, the lute relied on tablature. In fact tablature was considered a better ground for composition for lutenists then the music notation of their time. So its not just convenient its also historically appropriate for a guitarist to use tab for many classical pieces. I can read both but I don't like coming back to a difficult piece and working out the positions again, a guitar is not a piano why pretend it is?
@VitreousCut Whoa, whoa. Where did I ever compare the guitar to the piano? I'm not pretending anything. I know full well that tablature was used for lute music but we're not talking about the lute are we? We're not talking about the vihuela nor the gittern either. We're comparing the two modern notation methods for modern guitars, ie. Torres classicals through electrics.
@fodera6 Oh I am just saying tab has been the preffered method for notating music on fretted instruments for over 500 years. You said earlier that tab was for people who were not well rounded or lazy. Personally I disagree.
@fodera6 Tab is simply better suited to the demands of playing a stringed instrument, there are many nuances that standard notation doesn't even take into account
@fodera6 Tab is perfect if you know how the song goes already. If you can hear the whole song in your head, Tab is all you need. However, if you're playing something you've never played before, or you CAN'T hear the whole song/solo, every part, in your head, you're going to need some notation. Neither is better or worse. They both give you different information. For my money, I prefer something like GuitarPro or PowerTab which combines notation and tab.
@TimeLordGuitar The problem with tabs is that you cannot express how long a note should be played. Thats a big downside. And for classical guitar, its just traditional using sheet music. Its like usingcrutches when youre healthy.
The tabs in Guitar World are perfect....they have all the rhythms notated with just the tab. If ALL tabs were done like that,then the general opinion of tab among jazz and classical players would be a bit different. I am a big advocate of reading standard notation...it opens up the doors to a vast catalog of music. Of course- when I get "my" arrangement of a piece perfected,it is transcribed into tab...that's the only way to indicate the best fingerings for a given piece.
@TimeLordGuitar No tabs are perfect -- what a silly statement. You're entitled to your own opinions, but no1 is entitled to their own facts. There are other ways to indicate fingering.
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@TimeLordGuitar You should check out my web site for killer relic telecasters and stratocasters...they are the best relic tele's in existense! But don't take my word for it...go to the review section and see what everyone from Vince Gill, Johnny Hiland, Robben Ford to Keith Urban have to say about them! Thanks folks.
@TimeLordGuitar "...Tablature is a more practical and logical notation method for ALL guitarists..."
Not ALL, just those who thing that notation is hard, or for formally taught (classical) musicians. Notation isn't nearly as hard as people think, it's more logical than people think and it does a FAR better job of telling the reader how a song should be played rhythmically that TAB ever can because it does a better job of showing how long each note should be played.
@TimeLordGuitar you are straight up wrong. tablature is inferior in several ways. just because you can't sight read don't knock it. Play a song from tab that you have never heard? Right you can't.
You are obviously thinking of online tabs. I am talking about Guitar World-type tablature with the rhythms clearly indicated and all implied chords above the tablature in a la fakebook-style. The aforementioned method of tablature is just as effective a musical notation for learning songs that you are not familiar with. What else do you need other than the positioning,rhythm,implied harmony and ornamentation (I.e.- bends,vibrato,etc.)? The fact is- you are wrong..not me.
@Time:Tab's good as a fingering / position 'how-to' for fretted instruments, but it only works for music the reader has already heard, as it doesn't show rhythm. Ideally, tab has standard notation above it for reference.
Not true- check out a more recent Guitar World magazine. The transcriptions have no music notation,although the tab has all the rhythms notated. I agree that musical notation is superior universal format simply because it opens up a huge "library" of music that is not available in TAB format. You can,however,indicate rhythms in tablature very easily...your statement that "tablature shows no rhythms" is simply not true. Regards.
@TimeLordGuitar HEY GATTON FANS GIVE ME YOUR TOP 10 GATTON LIVE SHOWS EVER? THEN GIVE ME YOUR TOP ALL TIME GUITAR PLAYERS.HERES MINE; DANNY GATTON, LENNY BREAU, SCOTTY ANDERSON, WES MONTGOMERY, JOHNY SMITH, JIMMY BRYANT, JEFF BECK HANK GARLAND, STEVIE RAY VAUGHN, STEVE MORSE, TAL FARLOWE, JOE PASS, CHET ATKINS, BRENT MASON, JOHN WILLIAMS, JULIAN BREAM, ANDRES SEGOVIA, DJANGO REINHARDT, ERIC JOHNSON, JOHNY WINTER, YNGWIW MALMSTEEN, BOLA SETE, MICHEAL HEDGES, ALLAN HOLDSWSORTH,
@gattonmaster forgot mason hedges richard smith tommy emanuel joscho stephan pierre ben susan rhodes collins guy tbone albert bb freddie alvin lee benson gallup reed remler roberts martino kessell ellis byrd szabo
Im sorry to butt in, but youre talking absolute nonsense about "Tablature is a more practical and logical notation method for ALL guitarists." If you ask me TAB is a waste of time. Infact, its only needed for picking songs like Enter Sandman or like you said, an EVH solo BUT its definitely not a "practical and logical notation method." If you dont have any musical notation at all and only TABs, youre gonna have a damn hard time figuring how to play the piece or song as NOTE VALUES are not shown.
I disagree. Tablature is an incredibly practical and logical notation method for fretted instruments. Please pick up an issue of Guitar World and see how the note values for the jazz/classical/rock lessons and song transcriptions are shown in tablature. The rhythms are written very precisely. Your comment is based on the ignorant assumption that tablature doesn't show rhythm. Standardized music notation opens many more musical doors. Tab,however,is more logical and practical.
@TimeLordGuitar Ok, look at it this way. If someone gave you a piece via TAB without any musical notation, you would be able to read it. But you would definitely not be able to play it as it should be because TAB is just numbers. It doesnt tell you how how long to hold that particular note for. All TAB does is make it easy (perhaps practical like you said) for people to read, but definitely NOT LOGICAL. It doesnt make sense if someone just gave you only TABs unless you play along with the record
Tablature is not just "numbers." Maybe the bad online tablature you are familiar with is only numbers,but in it's most accurate printed form rhythm notation is involved. Standard notation is fine if you don't mind seeing a massive jumble of notes and "guessing" where to start and end scale and arpeggio runs. Guitar is a very different instrument than the piano which the standardized notation system was designed around. The mechanics of the guitar favor the tablature system.
@TimeLordGuitar "Guitar is a very different instrument than the piano which the standardized notation system was designed around." The guitar came before the piano........and there were notes were used for guitar back then. So you're completely wrong.
Sorry. You've been misinformed. Guitar (I.e.- lute) music was written in tab or not written at all. Songs and stories were passed down via person-to-person interaction since many persons were uneducated and did not even have the ability to read. The fallacy is that in order to be a great musician you have to be know standard notation system. That is a crock of bullshit. It's akin to saying that in order to be a great storyteller you need to know how to read. More bullshit.
A) Most of the stuff you are saying is bullshit. Dont know where you got your info from...
B) "Masses = non-well-rounded musician. Whether or not TAB is superior depends greatly on who you ask. I don't think anyone can assume one method is easier for ALL guitarists. You're speaking for a lot of people. Being comfortable with both, I actually find TAB to be slightly more work to read since the pitches and rhythms are separate whereas with notation they're together." << This guy sums it up.
Please elaborate on what I've said that is "bullshit." Lute players employed tablature before the standardized notation system,which was designed around the piano,became common practice...that's a fact. Music,fine art and other folk arts such as storytelling were traditionally learned without written instruction...that's a fact as well. There is no clear definition of what a "well-rounded musician" is. Reading music isn't a factor in being a "well-rounded" musician to me.
And, if half of what youre talking is actually true, it doesnt mean just because its been around longer before notes came along means thats its the best form of "notation for the guitar" around..Over time, people perfect things, hence thats how notes came about. Actually, notes started out as dots, that were to help monks recite hyms. There were just mere indications. Probably early "TABs". Over time, it was perfected and was slowly made to indicate the whole song with dynamics. Hence notes.....
In my opinion, tablature (that indicate rhythm such as the tabs in Guitar World magazine) is a superior method for notating songs that feature specific or unusual electric guitar techniques and/or highly individualized fingerings. That's my basic viewpoint on the matter. You would have to be a glutton-for-punishment to sight read an Edward Van Halen solo or a solo like DannyGatton plays in this video in standard notation. That's just me though- feel free to think otherwise.
The man
nipperooney 1 week ago
I saw him at the Grog and Tankard in DC about around 1988. I was a newb guitarist then and he BLEW me away. (not surprisingly). I went up to him after his set and he signed a matchbook for me and I axed him why he used the tiny fender jazz picks and he said it was cuz it forced him to play more accurately. I immediately started using those pics lol only just recently switched to an in-between size. He was amazing. RIP
Coppulor1 3 weeks ago
Nothing but a clean guitar sound, and a man who knows what the instrument is capable of. Danny Gatton was Delivered to us, then taken away. His style and playing skills will be sought after forever! God rest your soul Danny!
Kingcrimsonite 1 month ago
Spectacular display of virtuosity.A terrible loss to the music world.
digital6string1 1 month ago
Incredible.
Kennymurraycampbell 1 month ago
johnney a is starting to hit this style of playn
baja615 1 month ago
RIP Danny. No one knows why he took his own life. Truly one of the Greats. Rare video. Thanks for posting!
ColonelFain 1 month ago
Looks like 18 Justin Bieber fans came here to look at this vid
jefftherealdrunk 2 months ago
Not of this world.
washit1st 2 months ago
La Classe le Gatton
guitarevibration 2 months ago
This is so freaking cool and smooth.
atomicV1sion 3 months ago
Danny played the whole guitar not just the strings.
johnnymanero1 3 months ago
Danny was THE Man !!
macleanstudio 4 months ago
@macleanstudio He certainly was!
johnnymanero1 3 months ago
so cool
max75016 4 months ago
all hail DG!!
synesthesia67 4 months ago
dude ,danny learned this song 20 years before this was made. His choices are from 20 years of playing a tune and hearing it played a 100 ways by others.....music and guitar are not some esoteric secret .....it takes doing and the will to do so...he could most likely play 1500 tunes......that kinds of ends the old music mystery when youve taken on that as your focus for life..
bLAStSuCaRTa 4 months ago
WOW!!!!
paul2010100 4 months ago
Been listening since nobody cared! thanx!!
DSTowerRat 4 months ago
Hendrix, Segovia, Tuck Andress, DiMeola, Pass, Van Halen, Shawn Lane... Wow... this list could go on for a while, but I think my point is Gatton is on the list of guitar greats that will stand the test of time. p.s. feel free to add to the list if you wish. hehe
Force666666 5 months ago 2
If, after watching this clip, you don't get why people were in awe of Danny Gatton, then there's no hope for you. Truly gifted.
mitscan 5 months ago 3
Sick.......the man is incomparable. Nobody can do that. It's not possible.
1967ax 5 months ago
makes you wanna grab your guitar and play, it surely does
homeworldmusic 6 months ago
@homeworldmusic Now, that's the spirit. Cheers, mate!
penn4644 6 months ago
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THis is so badass
metalliholic 6 months ago
Why to dislike this genious here ? You don't like guitar.I Didn't know Danny Gatton until today, I know now who he is. Well is human being able to play guitar like he does ? He's the best magician of guitar i've ever listened to ! Meola, Albert Lee, well o well.But DG is very very TALL !!!!
Mik19Kal 6 months ago
So, is this one of his songs, a medley of songs, or purely improv? I'd love to have this on an MP3 or something...
guinness138 6 months ago
Genius.
gjfanatique 6 months ago
I was just listening to Crusin' Deuces this morning. Talk about bad craziness (in a good way!).
My regret about Danny, other than his far too early passing, was that while I had heard of him in the late 1980's, I didn't actually get a chance to hear him until the Elmira Street album came out. Of course, then I tried to get everything I could with his name on it, including the Joey deFrancesco cd he plays on (nice album, btw).
robibm2003 7 months ago
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My oh my!
Sportpuppy 7 months ago
Thanks for posting this. This is such a great representation of the Man's work.
shuttledik 7 months ago
Is this a famous song of his or is he griffin
jimmyjamesblues 8 months ago
while were all sittin here commenting, danny would have been playing....long live danny!
nickamodeomusic 8 months ago
I saw Danny Gatton live in Madison, WI at a bar. He was on a triple bill with the Spanic Boys and Robben Ford. Really a great show!
mrgear100 8 months ago 3
fantastique anti-frime
max75016 8 months ago
I think its really cool that this has been viewed almost 300,000 times. Bottom line this right here is timeless,righteous and very true. Danny Gatton should definetly be remembered as the world's greatest guitar player that nobody hardly knew about. thanks to Youtube he'll live on
seth5654 9 months ago
The change at 4:50 is just mental...
fiddlerfart 9 months ago
I can't believe anyone is stupid enough to hit the dislike button
jrms999 9 months ago 23
@jrms999 sad to say...it's reflection of today's world... full of TOTAL IDIOTS now more than ANY TIME in the history of MAN !!!
cb3961 8 months ago
@jrms999 No kidding! And some people think Lady GaGa plays music. Ha!
Sportpuppy 7 months ago
@jrms999 Danny, in my book one of the greatest of all time, is sad to say not for mass consumption. He's a guitar player's guitarist. So there are a lot of people who just don't get it, or as you say..."stupid."
stilldreamin57 5 months ago 3
Much love to Danny`s family from Holland!
Mackinasify 9 months ago
2:10-2:20??? what the fuck planet is this man from, godamn it
TheInboil 9 months ago
This is classic Danny Gatton... wow. There ain't no tabs, sheet music...or anything else that could capture what Danny is doing here.. it's straight from Danny's soul. He was a rare, unique individual... a GIANT amoung guitarists. I miss you Danny.... you were the absolute best.
bohtzsah2002 9 months ago
@bohtzsah2002 With your comments I totally concur. If he played this solo the following week, it would be way different and just as brilliant. His loss is such a tragedy. I miss him as well. Still learning from him though, to this day.
penn4644 9 months ago
@penn4644 Amen, brother..... "Amen.
bohtzsah2002 9 months ago
Oh my God, Danny Gatton was fucking amazing. As far as the tuning thing, he's playing a funk/blues in F, so in the moment he tunes that low E up a 1/2 step -- this seems in the moment, not planned, though I'm sure he'd done it before. I love when he is barring the 5th and 6th strings to get those parallel 3rds moving up and down. Genius.
VonNashman 9 months ago
I think he might be tuned a half step up. red label was a half step up on one of his records.
ValiRossi 9 months ago
amazing
laurentdelyon 10 months ago
He sounds like a jukebox just cranking out licks one after another
paintFive 10 months ago
@paintFive kill your parents right now.
TheInboil 9 months ago
hi im from planet earth, where are you from Mr. Gatton?
TheInboil 10 months ago
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His pocket is just SICK SICK SICK, his subdued aggression, just gnarly, like a hungry dog sinking his teeth into some fresh meat... and his blues flair...his FLAIR!!! Wow, this guy is just a monster, a man's man of the blues guitar and the tele!
GrooveWorshipper 10 months ago
His pocket is just SICK SICK SICK, is subdued aggression, just gnarly, like a hungry dog sinking his teeth into some fresh meat... and his blues flair...his FLAIR!!! Wow, this guy is just a monster, a man's man of the blues guitar and the tele!
GrooveWorshipper 10 months ago
Wow....the whole TAB/standard notation thing here is pretty silly. What DG is doing here had NOTHING to do with reading ANYTHING. And I promise you....if DG was here....playing this tune....he couldn't play all the "right notes" (ie....note for note) . The only thing session players really read anyways....are chord charts.....and not even any rhythms usually. This tune is just a great country/rock-a-billy....with GREAT chops played over it. Chops are always in a state of motion and growth.
WarBeer 10 months ago 15
@WarBeer Indeed, it has nothing to do with him reading anything and everything about feel and intuition. Someone just asked which would be better for transcribing what he's playing - in order for you to study his note choices in depth which, I think, was a good question. Each systems have their pros and cons but I think a thorough scholar would use both.
fodera6 10 months ago 9
@fodera6 ....although both systems certainly have merit....an accurate transcription could be given in standard notation....if both modern symbols and position markers were used. That would be the most accurate and thorough way of transcribing the guitar in a single stave. But with something like this....the rhythm really isn't the issue here....it's his note choice. There is an advanced level of harmonic analyses required to figure out what a player's doing, how he's thinking and how it works.
WarBeer 10 months ago
reminds me of an old John coltrane story....supposedly, a fan of his in his hey day, recorded him playing a club gig, and showed up the next night and on the break, let john coltrane listen to the recording...to which JC was supposed to have replied "who is that?....he's good"...lol
xis123 8 months ago 4
@WarBeer @WarBeer Talking of a speaker,a preacher , it would make no sense to say their words had nothing to do with reading,or what was said could not be written. Plenty of jazz musicians could notate what Gatton is playing.This takes nothing away from his genius as an improviser,any more than writing down the words of a Beatles or Motown song takes anything away. Writing is a useful tool ,it is not music or speech.Very few master theory this well without reading music.
Cometsamba 9 months ago
@Cometsamba ....I really have no idea what you're trying to say here? I said nothing about peoples words not having anything to do with reading. My statement was directed towards the notion that reading music was some magical "end all be all" answer to being an advanced player. I've taught guitar and theory for over 20 years....and know for a FACT that of all the skills required to play like DG....reading is probably near the bottom.
WarBeer 9 months ago
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WarBeer 9 months ago
@WarBeer ...I do think that a transcription of this sort of thing is beneficial. However, knowing the lines and spaces and where the notes are on your guitar...is not reading, in-and-of-itself. Reading is a "real-time" event and interpreting the rhythm in-time is probably the most challenging part. Chord/scale knowledge, knowing where the notes lie....and a good ear (memory), are really the most useful skills when dealing with improvisational laden music. Of course reading skills never hurt ;)
WarBeer 9 months ago
@WarBeer Well said. I thuink it actually maybe loosely based on "What I say" by Ray Charles.
InnerPeaceRecordings 5 months ago
@InnerPeaceRecordings .....good call! I can here it now that you mention it;)
WarBeer 5 months ago
What a mutha fukka!
fotha 11 months ago
@fotha You said it, mayn!
mortenschou 10 months ago
Tab is cool for notating what guitarists and bassists play, i.e. fingerings, positions, etc. - but if you want to interact with other musicians, especially in a non-pop music environment (jazz, classical, studio, film scoring) you need serious music reading chops. Without them, you aren't even in the game much of the time. Even the Nashville cats use their numbering system to indicate chords.
Guitar is a bitch of an instrument on which to learn to notation, but you need it sometimes.
GeorgiaBoy1961 11 months ago
Love the arpeggios at 4:59 !
RIP Danny.
cornolio69 11 months ago
It doesn't matter what ANYBODY plays from this moment on...haha!! Danny already proved what can be done with a guitar...so EVERYBODY else can just relax, get a groove on and play on!! There is nothing left to prove, Danny Gatton already did that,.....play on y'all!!............oh, yeah, almost forgot....now Danny's left this mortal coil...R.I.P. Danny!!....Scotty Anderson is still hear to guide us........long live Scotty!!......
simojames 11 months ago
@simojames: DG was amazing, I was lucky-enough to catch him live a couple of times before he left us. Scotty is just as amazing, but in his own way. Too late to see DG in the flesh for those who missed him, but Scotty Anderson is alive and well and doing gigs in the Southern Ohio area. If you haven't seen/heard Scotty live, please take the time to see him - there's no one in the world like him. I feel blessed to have seen both men play, but I also resent the heck out of them for being so good!
GeorgiaBoy1961 11 months ago
It doesn't matter what ANYBODY plays from this moment on...haha!! Danny already proved what can be done with a guitar...so EVERYBODY else can just relax, get a groove on and play on!! There is nothing left to prove, Danny Gatton already did that,.....play on y'all!!............
simojames 11 months ago
This guy kicks all the asses. Simultaneously. Then has a beer.
TheBitterWeed 11 months ago
Knowing nothing about tab or notation, etc., I merely listened to Danny, got a "feel" for what he was doing and picked up a few of his unique chord forms. I studied how certain phrases led to the next ones. Played solos in the "wrong" key. (i.e. D instead of G). And since a lot of my influences were the same as Danny's, it all worked. So the overall quality of my playing improved tremendously without necessarily "copying" him. Gatton rules forever!
penn4644 11 months ago
@penn4644: Your post has some truth in it. I've done the play-by-ear approach, and the schooled, theory, read music thing - and for most American popular music, the former is better. It's how all the great blues, jazz, R&B, country, folk and rock musicians learned to play. Wes Montgomery did the same thing you mentioned - playing in the "wrong key" or transposing scales and arpeggios to create tension and release. It's very effective; all the top players use it.
GeorgiaBoy1961 11 months ago
With notation you can 'hear' the music just by looking at the score, it gives you an immediate understanding of the structure, phrasing harmony and rhythm.
TAB shows you where other people like to place their fingers ;)
milesface 11 months ago
With notation you can 'hear' the music just by looking at the score, it gives you an immediate understanding of the structure, phrasing harmony and rhythm.
TAB shows you where other people like to place their fingers ;)
milesface 11 months ago
Reading things like "there are many nuances that standard notation doesn't even take into account" is painful like hell. Ignorance is bliss ...
inhalingsounds 1 year ago
@inhalingsounds haha
joshua9312 10 months ago
While you morons were arguing about tab vs standard notation, Danny played some bad ass guitar. This video is why he's the TELEMASTER.
clovis2012 1 year ago 3
The Humbler strikes again. Amazing chops...
ElevenBravo 1 year ago
this is what a telecaster supposed to sound like!
Racemaniacable 1 year ago
tell me what'd I say?
TruthSurge 1 year ago
this gave me a serious earrection
smokedaddyo 1 year ago
i shed a tear at 2:11...... and the when he gets it rockin in the mud at 2:24
twirlyboggs 1 year ago
I do believe that Danny was from another planet - I can follow Roy Buchanan's thought process - I can't even begin to follow what Gatton was thinking - forget about playing. Larry Campbell suggested Gatton to me back around the 80s. I never thought I could ever call someone the greatest living guitarist - but he was it, with no doubt in my mind. I almost fell over (literally) when I read he had taken his own life.
Guitariswithnohead 1 year ago
I left out so many of Danny's influences but one that deserves special mention is Roy Buchanan. There's some funny stories I read about Roy, wearing disguises to watch Danny play to see if Danny played differently not knowing he was in the audiance.Roy was a monster player as well. Oh I believe I heard Danny mention Jimmy Nolan as an influence.Anybody that funks out on a seventh or a 9th chord was influenced by Jimmy Nolan.
kevindlinc 1 year ago
I totally dig the single note blues players ,the rock guys, in fact every genre of great guitar metal, flamenco ,country ,rockabilly you name it and then there's Danny Gatton, the thing that most impressed me about Danny was that as great as he was he was equally gracious I saw him hand off his tele to another player at an allstar jam at the Town Pump in Vancouver B.C. in March or April of 92.Fuck he made it look so easy and he was doing what had never been done!!!
kevindlinc 1 year ago
This is totally badass.
76Soco 1 year ago
did gatton know how to read sheet music?
lecheface94 1 year ago
@lecheface94 Gatton probably knew how to read the Nashville numbers system but I'm quite sure he didn't fuck around with written music.Gatton was a prodigy who continued to evolve.He was a big fan of James Burton,Les Paul ,Jimmy Bryant,you name it fom the country tradition but also from the jazz spectrum, Charlie Christian,Django Rienhart ,Kenny Burrel,Wes Montgomeryl.Danny infused these elements and more threw them in a blender and one fuck of a musician was created the great Danny Gatton!!!
kevindlinc 1 year ago
O great, why did I have to be the 666th to like this LOL :(
FriggnDiggn 1 year ago
Thanks Mr Music
dingoswamphead 1 year ago
Back after an extended absence, and this video still floors me every time I watch it. This is one of my favorite DG performances; just amazing and so musical. I don't think I've heard anyone cover "What I'd Say" by Ray Charles any better than this, especially instrumentally. Sure do miss you Danny!
GeorgiaBoy1961 1 year ago
@GeorgiaBoy1961 Hi GeorgiaBoy your old friend Gattonmaster how are you; yeah definately Gallaghers is one of the great Gatton shows ever; i have about 20 I would put together all different years that are killer but 87-88 DG was on fire especially at Gallaghers..., see you soon buddy!
gattonmaster 1 year ago
holy shredness....
synesthesia67 1 year ago
Pretty sweet.
rkolts 1 year ago
I can read music, I find tab ok for simple stuff, but frustrating with "complex" stuff. At the end of the day, it's what happens after you're "read" it that matters.
mikieg990 1 year ago
i don't know which i envy more -
his playing, or his hair? - he hee
bluelibra65 1 year ago
LOVE that lick from 2:53 -2:56, magical!!
ClassicalRay 1 year ago
Such a shame to have lost Danny.
What an incredible talent!
R.I.P. DG
mpnickisher 1 year ago
didn't repeat himself once.
hummarstra 1 year ago
Its a shame I cant say it in person but..Happy Birthday Danny.See ya on the flip side.
MrMudclub 1 year ago
Now thats the way to spend a sunday eve. Great footage.
mowaxbro 1 year ago
The tihing that makes Tablature superior to standard notation (and also harder to read fast) is that in contains more information. It not only tells you what pitch to play but what fret to play it on. On any fretted instrument, there is always more than one place to play any given notes. Often you can guess the right place, but tablature makes it clear
TeedRock 1 year ago
I love how the rest of band just gives up at 4:30
miamigroove 1 year ago
Oops, I have to pick my head up from the floor because it's been cut off! This guy,...................what else can you say but wow!
soupedguit369 1 year ago
I admit that I am poor at sightreading, but I can work thru notation with some effort. My only grievance, one I feel TimeLordGuitar is trying to illustrate, is that typically musical notation does not indicate the preferred fingerings for certain passages. It just means I have to experiment and find what's best for me.
What about the Nashville system? I mean, just having an understanding of theory, improvisational chops, and a fakebook can get you far in learning new songs.
xeroxsuesforcopy 1 year ago
makes me swich to the clean channel of my amp, put my ibanez aside, take the tele and PRACTICE THIS!
musicbymax 1 year ago
OMG 2:10
PeteyCrack1265 1 year ago
I'll have what he's havin'
skeymoson 1 year ago
No matter what do you play, jazz, country or rock, this guy keep kicking asses even after death.
cucarachavengadora 1 year ago 17
@cucarachavengadora In the clubs he was referred to as The Humbler.
Pontoonian 1 year ago
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@TimeLordGuitar "...Tablature is a more practical and logical notation method for ALL guitarists..."
Not ALL, just those who thing that notation is hard, or for formally taught (classical) musicians. Notation isn't nearly as hard as people think, it's more logical than people think and it does a FAR better job of telling the reader how a song should be played rhythmically that TAB ever can because it does a better job of showing how long each note should be played.
jpjeffery 1 year ago
I am totally blown away everytime I watch this footage, and I've watched about 80 times over the past 4 years. Danny was on the BEST guitarist... period, his phasing, knowledge of the fretboard, and rhythm technique is mind blowing..
Just WoW! Wow! Have mercy Ms Percy.. that ole boy could damn sure play..
ClassicalRay 1 year ago
Guit-box slingers... riddle me this if yer up late.....
chumpman4 1 year ago
So the Tab argument. How do know what the value of the note with TAB? You have to go with your ear, I don't always trust mine. Notation is far superior, although more difficult.
bassdrumbone64 1 year ago
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You should check out my web site for killer relic telecasters and stratocasters...they are the best relic tele's in existense! But don't take my word for it...go to the review section and see what everyone from Vince Gill, Johnny Hiland, Robben Ford to Keith Urban have to say about them! Thanks folks.
KeltonSwade 1 year ago
I loved Danny. I am from Northern Virginia, so I got to see him a few times. He is missed.
GRobb62 1 year ago
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Might as well quit. I josh.
jjkcharlie 1 year ago
Personally I think that if you could play 70% of these ideas, your time would be better spent creating your own ideas incorporating said techniques and not bother playing somebody elses ideas at all. How you choose to transcribe that would be irrelevant because people would just be happy to hear it!
vhfgtiuoiu 1 year ago
Take your silver mod tubescreamer, your dr. z, your nocaster, put them in a pile and burn them. if god gave you a thousand years, you still couldn't touch this. you can't fucking keep time to this.
blueshabit 1 year ago
Did you know he traded that guitar for an old beat up pick up truck,and swore that he'd got the better deal.
ErikDRed1 1 year ago
@ErikDRed1 Yeah, but before he did that he took delivery of a batch of Fender Custom Shop Danny Gatton telecasters based on this '53 model. He must have thought a lot of them!!!! I have an early one and I agree with Danny - they're great ! :-)
twangbarfly 1 year ago
I'd heard Danny Gatton's name a few times and am embarrassed to say I never took the time to look him up. I just watched this and was completely floored. I think i stopped breathing at times. The guy is unreal! I agree with the National Treasure comments!
jplamb71 1 year ago
Is this the most extraordinary guitarist that has ever lived?
jmsbk12345 1 year ago
@jmsbk12345 if words could describe the unbelievable magnitude of his talent, yes, one might be inclined to say that.
existentialcwby 1 year ago
Apart from the fact danny was a brilliant guitarist i know little of his career so wont comment on that.Yet from what i read he didnt live the life style that of a guitar hero and wondered if this was by choice or just bad marketing. As how can anyone possibly miss the talent he showed when you see some of todays guitarists nowhere near his level living the lives of luxury.
strumfellow 1 year ago
Nice....
Strongarm5791 1 year ago
So who would like to atempt to write the TAB for this? LOL
kd4jvg 1 year ago 6
@kd4jvg I think transcribing it in notation wouldn't be out of the question. Creating TAB is actually another step that must be taken in order to make it "easier" for the masses, ie. those that haven't yet learned or are too lazy to learn how to read notation. Either will require special notation for some of his techniques. Some transcribing (slowing) software, a good ear and a healthy dose of patience will get you most of the way there.
fodera6 1 year ago
@fodera6
The "masses" (I.e.- guitar players) primarily read tablature instead of standard music notation because it is an easier notation method for guitarists to comprehend. Tablature is a more practical and logical notation method for ALL guitarists. The downside is that it is not universal like music notation. For fretted instruments,tab is superior...there is no arguement. Who in the hell is going to sight read an Edward Van Halen solo?! Or a Danny Gatton solo?!
No one- that's who.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago
@TimeLordGuitar Masses = non-well-rounded musician. Whether or not TAB is superior depends greatly on who you ask. I don't think anyone can assume one method is easier for ALL guitarists. You're speaking for a lot of people. Being comfortable with both, I actually find TAB to be slightly more work to read since the pitches and rhythms are separate whereas with notation they're together. No one reads notation of "hard" guitar solos? Uh. Zappa-philes? Classical guitarists? The list goes on...
fodera6 1 year ago 17
@fodera6
Tab is absolutely fine for modern guitarists. Most western musics (rock,blues,jazz, country,classical,fusion,etc.) are in now in tab format with all of the appropriate rhythms and techniques indicated. A common fallacy is that guitarists that know how to sight-read music well are “better” creative musicians than those that don’t know how to read music. This is not true. I would argue that basic music theory, which requires no knowledge of notation reading, is far more important.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago
@TimeLordGuitar It becomes really important if you have to communicate ideas to people who play other instruments. I have a jazz background, so standard notation is more practical for me.
Modes9 1 year ago
@Modes9
I agree with you on that...standard notation is important to know when communicating with other instrumentalists. For transcribing guitar parts and communicating with guitarists,however,tab is far more precise. Both notation methods serve the same purpose- to give a reference for pitch and proper time values. Tab adds exact fret positioning which is of course not an issue on piano which the standardized system of notation was originally developed for.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago
@Modes9
My initial comment was more directed towards the asinine idea that tablature is the notation method of the "masses of non-well rounded musicians" (I.e.- all non jazz players...at least according to bitter jazz elitists.) A solo such at this one by Danny Gatton would be a nightmare to read in standard notation - Frank Zappa's most difficult compositions would be simple to read in comparison. The exact strings and fingerings are vital for playing the banjo runs,etc. correctly.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago
@fodera6 I think there are two good sides to this, because I know plenty of amazing guitarists who can't read notation well enough to depend on it, and they are some of the more expressive people I know. I myself can read notation, but I still choose not to because tablature is just more accessible, plus I don't wanna learn whole songs most of the time so I just figure out how certain licks are played out. Also, not to flout the mans name, but Stevie Ray Vaughan couldn't read music...and well...
Blackoutwalkin 1 year ago
@fodera6 yeah Zappa was famous when Steve Vai was in his band for inviting anyone in the audience to bring up any piece of sheet music and have Steve sightread and play it. sightreading is very important to your growth as a musician, mostly because very few people bother to tab things like classical pieces or jazz lead sheets because their vernacular assumes you know how to read. you're actually shooting yourself in the foot by not learning to read music and declaring tab superior.
wankatronic 1 year ago
@fodera6 hell yea, look at zappa! he wrote just about everything on staff paper before playing it. he was a true musical genius, not an average garage buster. shit, look in the LP cover book of uncle meat, you will see some real notation. BUT, tabs are easy to get with out any real understanding of music, helping the average joe play his fav songs with out 10 yrs. of music courses to get page's 64 note runs and hendrix's chord progressions.
2boredfortv 1 year ago
@fodera6 But it can also go both ways...I know tons of people that can't read tabs, but can read notation. Does that still make them "well rounded" even though they can't read a certain medium of music?
emphaticleech 1 year ago
@fodera6 I play classical guitar and I sometimes will put a piece into tab, the lute relied on tablature. In fact tablature was considered a better ground for composition for lutenists then the music notation of their time. So its not just convenient its also historically appropriate for a guitarist to use tab for many classical pieces. I can read both but I don't like coming back to a difficult piece and working out the positions again, a guitar is not a piano why pretend it is?
VitreousCut 1 year ago
@VitreousCut Whoa, whoa. Where did I ever compare the guitar to the piano? I'm not pretending anything. I know full well that tablature was used for lute music but we're not talking about the lute are we? We're not talking about the vihuela nor the gittern either. We're comparing the two modern notation methods for modern guitars, ie. Torres classicals through electrics.
fodera6 1 year ago
@fodera6 Oh I am just saying tab has been the preffered method for notating music on fretted instruments for over 500 years. You said earlier that tab was for people who were not well rounded or lazy. Personally I disagree.
VitreousCut 1 year ago
@fodera6 Man you know what youre talking about ;)
joshua9312 1 year ago
@fodera6 Tab is simply better suited to the demands of playing a stringed instrument, there are many nuances that standard notation doesn't even take into account
SunbeltRyders 1 year ago
@fodera6 i agree
d4nzig4life 1 year ago
@fodera6 Tab is perfect if you know how the song goes already. If you can hear the whole song in your head, Tab is all you need. However, if you're playing something you've never played before, or you CAN'T hear the whole song/solo, every part, in your head, you're going to need some notation. Neither is better or worse. They both give you different information. For my money, I prefer something like GuitarPro or PowerTab which combines notation and tab.
yoshemitzu47 1 year ago
@fodera6, I read the notation for the "hard" guitar solos. I don't need no stinking TAB!
guitarslim56 11 months ago
@TimeLordGuitar The problem with tabs is that you cannot express how long a note should be played. Thats a big downside. And for classical guitar, its just traditional using sheet music. Its like usingcrutches when youre healthy.
InsaneClownBitch 1 year ago
@InsaneClownBitch
The tabs in Guitar World are perfect....they have all the rhythms notated with just the tab. If ALL tabs were done like that,then the general opinion of tab among jazz and classical players would be a bit different. I am a big advocate of reading standard notation...it opens up the doors to a vast catalog of music. Of course- when I get "my" arrangement of a piece perfected,it is transcribed into tab...that's the only way to indicate the best fingerings for a given piece.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago
@TimeLordGuitar You know, in the end its just a matter of personal preference, isnt it? ;) ?
InsaneClownBitch 1 year ago
@TimeLordGuitar No tabs are perfect -- what a silly statement. You're entitled to your own opinions, but no1 is entitled to their own facts. There are other ways to indicate fingering.
killXcore101 1 year ago
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@TimeLordGuitar You should check out my web site for killer relic telecasters and stratocasters...they are the best relic tele's in existense! But don't take my word for it...go to the review section and see what everyone from Vince Gill, Johnny Hiland, Robben Ford to Keith Urban have to say about them! Thanks folks.
KeltonSwade 1 year ago
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@TimeLordGuitar You should check out my web site for killer relic telecasters and stratocasters...they are the best relic tele's in existense! But don't take my word for it...go to the review section and see what everyone from Vince Gill, Johnny Hiland, Robben Ford to Keith Urban have to say about them! Thanks folks.
KeltonSwade 1 year ago
@TimeLordGuitar "...Tablature is a more practical and logical notation method for ALL guitarists..."
Not ALL, just those who thing that notation is hard, or for formally taught (classical) musicians. Notation isn't nearly as hard as people think, it's more logical than people think and it does a FAR better job of telling the reader how a song should be played rhythmically that TAB ever can because it does a better job of showing how long each note should be played.
jpjeffery 1 year ago
@TimeLordGuitar you are straight up wrong. tablature is inferior in several ways. just because you can't sight read don't knock it. Play a song from tab that you have never heard? Right you can't.
SuperNickAnthony 1 year ago
@SuperNickAnthony
You are obviously thinking of online tabs. I am talking about Guitar World-type tablature with the rhythms clearly indicated and all implied chords above the tablature in a la fakebook-style. The aforementioned method of tablature is just as effective a musical notation for learning songs that you are not familiar with. What else do you need other than the positioning,rhythm,implied harmony and ornamentation (I.e.- bends,vibrato,etc.)? The fact is- you are wrong..not me.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago
@TimeLordGuitar GATTONMASTER IS BACK ON YOUTUBE DOES ANYBODY REMEMBER ME?????
gattonmaster 1 year ago
@Time:Tab's good as a fingering / position 'how-to' for fretted instruments, but it only works for music the reader has already heard, as it doesn't show rhythm. Ideally, tab has standard notation above it for reference.
lazur1 1 year ago
@lazur1
Not true- check out a more recent Guitar World magazine. The transcriptions have no music notation,although the tab has all the rhythms notated. I agree that musical notation is superior universal format simply because it opens up a huge "library" of music that is not available in TAB format. You can,however,indicate rhythms in tablature very easily...your statement that "tablature shows no rhythms" is simply not true. Regards.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago
@TimeLordGuitar I'll check.
lazur1 1 year ago
@TimeLordGuitar HEY GATTON FANS GIVE ME YOUR TOP 10 GATTON LIVE SHOWS EVER? THEN GIVE ME YOUR TOP ALL TIME GUITAR PLAYERS.HERES MINE; DANNY GATTON, LENNY BREAU, SCOTTY ANDERSON, WES MONTGOMERY, JOHNY SMITH, JIMMY BRYANT, JEFF BECK HANK GARLAND, STEVIE RAY VAUGHN, STEVE MORSE, TAL FARLOWE, JOE PASS, CHET ATKINS, BRENT MASON, JOHN WILLIAMS, JULIAN BREAM, ANDRES SEGOVIA, DJANGO REINHARDT, ERIC JOHNSON, JOHNY WINTER, YNGWIW MALMSTEEN, BOLA SETE, MICHEAL HEDGES, ALLAN HOLDSWSORTH,
gattonmaster 1 year ago
@gattonmaster forgot mason hedges richard smith tommy emanuel joscho stephan pierre ben susan rhodes collins guy tbone albert bb freddie alvin lee benson gallup reed remler roberts martino kessell ellis byrd szabo
gattonmaster 1 year ago
Im sorry to butt in, but youre talking absolute nonsense about "Tablature is a more practical and logical notation method for ALL guitarists." If you ask me TAB is a waste of time. Infact, its only needed for picking songs like Enter Sandman or like you said, an EVH solo BUT its definitely not a "practical and logical notation method." If you dont have any musical notation at all and only TABs, youre gonna have a damn hard time figuring how to play the piece or song as NOTE VALUES are not shown.
joshua9312 1 year ago
@joshua9312
I disagree. Tablature is an incredibly practical and logical notation method for fretted instruments. Please pick up an issue of Guitar World and see how the note values for the jazz/classical/rock lessons and song transcriptions are shown in tablature. The rhythms are written very precisely. Your comment is based on the ignorant assumption that tablature doesn't show rhythm. Standardized music notation opens many more musical doors. Tab,however,is more logical and practical.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago
@TimeLordGuitar Ok, look at it this way. If someone gave you a piece via TAB without any musical notation, you would be able to read it. But you would definitely not be able to play it as it should be because TAB is just numbers. It doesnt tell you how how long to hold that particular note for. All TAB does is make it easy (perhaps practical like you said) for people to read, but definitely NOT LOGICAL. It doesnt make sense if someone just gave you only TABs unless you play along with the record
joshua9312 1 year ago
@joshua9312
Tablature is not just "numbers." Maybe the bad online tablature you are familiar with is only numbers,but in it's most accurate printed form rhythm notation is involved. Standard notation is fine if you don't mind seeing a massive jumble of notes and "guessing" where to start and end scale and arpeggio runs. Guitar is a very different instrument than the piano which the standardized notation system was designed around. The mechanics of the guitar favor the tablature system.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago
@TimeLordGuitar "Guitar is a very different instrument than the piano which the standardized notation system was designed around." The guitar came before the piano........and there were notes were used for guitar back then. So you're completely wrong.
joshua9312 1 year ago
@joshua9312
Sorry. You've been misinformed. Guitar (I.e.- lute) music was written in tab or not written at all. Songs and stories were passed down via person-to-person interaction since many persons were uneducated and did not even have the ability to read. The fallacy is that in order to be a great musician you have to be know standard notation system. That is a crock of bullshit. It's akin to saying that in order to be a great storyteller you need to know how to read. More bullshit.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago
A) Most of the stuff you are saying is bullshit. Dont know where you got your info from...
B) "Masses = non-well-rounded musician. Whether or not TAB is superior depends greatly on who you ask. I don't think anyone can assume one method is easier for ALL guitarists. You're speaking for a lot of people. Being comfortable with both, I actually find TAB to be slightly more work to read since the pitches and rhythms are separate whereas with notation they're together." << This guy sums it up.
joshua9312 1 year ago
@joshua9312
Please elaborate on what I've said that is "bullshit." Lute players employed tablature before the standardized notation system,which was designed around the piano,became common practice...that's a fact. Music,fine art and other folk arts such as storytelling were traditionally learned without written instruction...that's a fact as well. There is no clear definition of what a "well-rounded musician" is. Reading music isn't a factor in being a "well-rounded" musician to me.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago
And, if half of what youre talking is actually true, it doesnt mean just because its been around longer before notes came along means thats its the best form of "notation for the guitar" around..Over time, people perfect things, hence thats how notes came about. Actually, notes started out as dots, that were to help monks recite hyms. There were just mere indications. Probably early "TABs". Over time, it was perfected and was slowly made to indicate the whole song with dynamics. Hence notes.....
joshua9312 1 year ago
@joshua9312
In my opinion, tablature (that indicate rhythm such as the tabs in Guitar World magazine) is a superior method for notating songs that feature specific or unusual electric guitar techniques and/or highly individualized fingerings. That's my basic viewpoint on the matter. You would have to be a glutton-for-punishment to sight read an Edward Van Halen solo or a solo like DannyGatton plays in this video in standard notation. That's just me though- feel free to think otherwise.
TimeLordGuitar 1 year ago