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Chops VS Vibe in Guitar Magic

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Chops VS Vibe in Guitar Magic - In the past 40 something years, I hate to say it but I have seen a lot. A lot of great GREAT guitar players, I am almost embaressed to say I grew up in a town 1 mile by 1 mile and two of the most famous greatest guitar players ever went to HS with me - Satch/Vai. So from early on I have been blessed to see some good players. Over the years I have also seen guys with just tremendous chops, the music school guys, but I hate to be a snob, but they couldn't play out of their heads. They where to IN THEIR HEADS ! You want a arpeggio on a flat 5 chord man they could rip that right off, sit in their rooms and rip every scale you ever heard. But get in a small room and jam, mmmm the phrasing, the free thinking, the vibe, the groove, mmmm sorry just not there. 

Now take your older artist before all the chop schools, let's take Neil Young. OMG not him, he plays penatonic A, over and over, maybe modulates to E. But yes Neil Young, you want a guy who pure musical, raw, RnR, and plays with emotion he is in the rare class of VIBE ! Click on the Picture of him, he plays 6 notes, they all kill ! 

So am I totally shitting on our musicians, our college boys, our technicians. NO ! Knowledge is power ! The more power the more expression. But they are a rare breed who a technique monsters, chops out the ass, who can humanize it to touch us. Satch, Vai, Johnson, Lifeson, Zappa (Sr/Jr), on and on are guys with CHOPS but who still phrase it, emoticon it, touch us with their fretboard wonders ! 

The point ? Get knowledge ! It will never be a mistake to keep learning, it will inspire, and keep you playing. But don't forget the raw roots that got you playing guitar in the first place ! FUZZZZZZZZ ON !