Post by laobi on Jun 12, 2014 13:27:36 GMT -6
I have listened to a great many guitar gods, but to my shame, you have only recently joined my pantheon. For many years I was simply doing the same old thing and figured I had reached my limit technique wise, and that limit was very limited. About a year ago I stumbled across one of your tracks on Youtube and purchased Hands Without Shadows quickly followed by Intermezzo on Amazon download. I was totally blown away.
Shortly after that I discovered Speed Kills on Metal Method and I still practice the exercises from that every day, it has had a phenomenal impact on my playing and more importantly my love of playing. I'm not there yet, but I feel a sense of continuous improvement and accomplishment which I haven't felt since I started playing 20 years ago. I will be buying more of your instructional videos in the near future, I tend to pull every last technique from a video until I feel I own it before moving on to the next. However, I have to add that the only videos that have really delivered on what they promise to teach are yours and those by some of the instructors on Lick Library.
I also think your business model is excellent and it pleases me to know when I buy your work that it's going directly to the artist and not to fund a boardroom hookerthon for some cynical music executives. I think this is a big part of the issue with piracy, if a lot more artists did what you are doing the prevalence of piracy would decrease as it's easier to equate it with stealing when there are no middlemen involved.
From a few interviews, clinics etc., that I have seen it's also apparent that you are a thoroughly decent human being, this is also quite refreshing. Anyway the point of all this was to say thank you for the inspiration, the lessons and the music. You're doing a great job when it would be so easy to feel disenchanted by all the negativity, particularly on the web. It sometimes seems like the bad old days of the "anti-talent" movement from the mid 90s have not quite disappeared as a certain minority of each new generation decides that it is much easier to vent their frustrations on those who have worked hard to acquire their skills than to actually sit down and practice. I do think you deserve lot more recognotion and a lot more attention from the music world in general and the guitar world in particular for your outstanding contributions, perhaps it's time for a collaboration with some up and coming pop star or rap artist.
I have never written a comment to any of my influences, so please excuse the long windedness of this one, but to be honest I have only ever seen that combination of skill, enthusiasm, humility and generosity in two people, you and Jason Becker. So, thank you again and if you're ever back in Ireland I will drag a few music fans along. If you're even playing in the UK at any point give us some notice here too, it would certainly be worth the trip for the live show.
Cheers,
Laobi
Shortly after that I discovered Speed Kills on Metal Method and I still practice the exercises from that every day, it has had a phenomenal impact on my playing and more importantly my love of playing. I'm not there yet, but I feel a sense of continuous improvement and accomplishment which I haven't felt since I started playing 20 years ago. I will be buying more of your instructional videos in the near future, I tend to pull every last technique from a video until I feel I own it before moving on to the next. However, I have to add that the only videos that have really delivered on what they promise to teach are yours and those by some of the instructors on Lick Library.
I also think your business model is excellent and it pleases me to know when I buy your work that it's going directly to the artist and not to fund a boardroom hookerthon for some cynical music executives. I think this is a big part of the issue with piracy, if a lot more artists did what you are doing the prevalence of piracy would decrease as it's easier to equate it with stealing when there are no middlemen involved.
From a few interviews, clinics etc., that I have seen it's also apparent that you are a thoroughly decent human being, this is also quite refreshing. Anyway the point of all this was to say thank you for the inspiration, the lessons and the music. You're doing a great job when it would be so easy to feel disenchanted by all the negativity, particularly on the web. It sometimes seems like the bad old days of the "anti-talent" movement from the mid 90s have not quite disappeared as a certain minority of each new generation decides that it is much easier to vent their frustrations on those who have worked hard to acquire their skills than to actually sit down and practice. I do think you deserve lot more recognotion and a lot more attention from the music world in general and the guitar world in particular for your outstanding contributions, perhaps it's time for a collaboration with some up and coming pop star or rap artist.
I have never written a comment to any of my influences, so please excuse the long windedness of this one, but to be honest I have only ever seen that combination of skill, enthusiasm, humility and generosity in two people, you and Jason Becker. So, thank you again and if you're ever back in Ireland I will drag a few music fans along. If you're even playing in the UK at any point give us some notice here too, it would certainly be worth the trip for the live show.
Cheers,
Laobi