Who hates the Blues???

[tanpsi]

Well, not the music, but all that crazy mysticism around it? You know the guy that was worried (for good reason) that his band or audience might be turned off by his Dinky

It's like you have to live a certain way, play a certain guitar, make certain faces, even talk a certain way just to play blues licks.

I used to go to Blues Jams in Boston and all the Massholes (no offense) would say "y'all" when they were on the mic!?!?!?!?

Oh yeah and John Mayer: There was this skit on Chappel show about how different ethinic groups responded to different instruments, it was the first time I say John Mayer and I thought it was a studio musician they hired and said "Ok: bust out some really over the top blues cliches, make the faces and everything"

[Ben Johnson]

It's like you have to live a certain way, play a certain guitar, make certain faces, even talk a certain way just to play blues licks.

Maybe because the greatest blues music was written/played by people who really did have the "right" to play the blues, and they want to emulate their heroes (who doesn't?) even though their emotions are contrived. It's one thing if you're going off to the gig to play some blues funk-fusion-shred-or something, but if you're going to play classic, passion-filled blues, it just wouldn't look right to be wailing away on a flashy or expensive guitar. It probably wouldn't sound right either.

My 50 cents.

[thetroy]

uh every kind of music is like that... look at metal players or classical players

[catsize]

Middle-aged white guys (MAWGs) playing the blues has been a pet peeve of mine for quite a while. The sea of hawaiian shirts, bad fedoras, and truly offensive mimicking of black vocal styles is enough to make one wonder if MAWGs playing the blues isn't sad at best, racist at worst.

I'm the guy who was worried playing a Dinky at my blues gig. I am a member of the house band for a local blues jam (great gig, by the way - two songs to open the night, two songs in the middle, and two songs to close - collect money and go home!). Most, if not all, of the folks who show up for this jam are white guys in their forties and fifties who probably couldn't play anything that had more than three chords and twelve bars.

Imagine spending the entire night listening to the same guitar solo over and over again. Sometimes played well, sometimes played horribly, but the same nonetheless. That's the essence of this gig.

The people who come to play seem to enjoy themselves, so I will not take that away from them. But, and it's a big "but," for the most part, every one of them sucks in his own unique way. There is no passion, no real meaning to the music they are playing.

They are merely copping Albert King licks and calling it music.

I think that's the real problem -- These people aren't playing music that is true to who they are. Most of these players grew up in the 60s and 70s, listenting to white English musicians playing an already watered down version of the blues. Now, we have a copy of a copy of a copy.

Just like with a Xerox machine, each generation of copies becomes less and less true to the original. I think that's why these people and the music play suck so badly. It's not lack of talent -- Some of the players are very proficient. It's lack of depth and connectedness to the music they play.

I'm a rock 'n roll guitar player. I play the blues gig because I get paid. But, even when I play the blues, there's a lot of rock 'n roll in my approach to the songs and my instrument. I don't try to be B.B., Albert, or Freddie King. I just try to be myself and let my experience speak through the parts that I play.

Most of the guys who show up at blues jams spend way too much time trying to play like their heroes, rather than being true to themselves and playing with their own identity and style. It's pretty sad, actually.

And, flashy and expensive guitars are fine for the blues, as are any others. I played my Dinky and kicked ass, turning a few heads in the process. That felt pretty damn good.

B.B. King plays one of the most expensive guitars in Gibson's lineup. It looks and sounds right for what he does...

It's not the guitar -- It's the player.

And, that's the whole point, isn't it?

[mm2002]

Middle-aged white guys (MAWGs) playing the blues has been a pet peeve of mine for quite a while. The sea of hawaiian shirts, bad fedoras, and truly offensive mimicking of black vocal styles is enough to make one wonder if MAWGs playing the blues isn't sad at best, racist at worst.

I'm the guy who was worried playing a Dinky at my blues gig. I am a member of the house band for a local blues jam (great gig, by the way - two songs to open the night, two songs in the middle, and two songs to close - collect money and go home!). Most, if not all, of the folks who show up for this jam are white guys in their forties and fifties who probably couldn't play anything that had more than three chords and twelve bars.

Imagine spending the entire night listening to the same guitar solo over and over again. Sometimes played well, sometimes played horribly, but the same nonetheless. That's the essence of this gig.

The people who come to play seem to enjoy themselves, so I will not take that away from them. But, and it's a big "but," for the most part, every one of them sucks in his own unique way. There is no passion, no real meaning to the music they are playing.

They are merely copping Albert King licks and calling it music.

I think that's the real problem -- These people aren't playing music that is true to who they are. Most of these players grew up in the 60s and 70s, listenting to white English musicians playing an already watered down version of the blues. Now, we have a copy of a copy of a copy.

Just like with a Xerox machine, each generation of copies becomes less and less true to the original. I think that's why these people and the music play suck so badly. It's not lack of talent -- Some of the players are very proficient. It's lack of depth and connectedness to the music they play.

I'm a rock 'n roll guitar player. I play the blues gig because I get paid. But, even when I play the blues, there's a lot of rock 'n roll in my approach to the songs and my instrument. I don't try to be B.B., Albert, or Freddie King. I just try to be myself and let my experience speak through the parts that I play.

Most of the guys who show up at blues jams spend way too much time trying to play like their heroes, rather than being true to themselves and playing with their own identity and style. It's pretty sad, actually.

And, flashy and expensive guitars are fine for the blues, as are any others. I played my Dinky and kicked ass, turning a few heads in the process. That felt pretty damn good.

B.B. King plays one of the most expensive guitars in Gibson's lineup. It looks and sounds right for what he does...

It's not the guitar -- It's the player.

And, that's the whole point, isn't it?

See the post above yours. Yes, it's the same in all types of music...not just the blues.

[Newc]

It's like you have to live a certain way, play a certain guitar, make certain faces, even talk a certain way just to play blues licks.

Yeah, I know. "Hey, you can't play Slayer unless you shave your head and get all kinds of tattoos" or "Hey, you can't play Iron Maiden because you have a shaved head and all those tattoos" or "Hey, you can't play Gawth Metal because you've got CLEAN long natural brown wavy hair instead of crappy-looking dyed black dirty straight hair and silver jewelry impaled onto your face and black eyeliner with corpsepaint" or "Hey you can't play Gnu Metal because you're wearing Levis that fit instead of Tommys that are too baggy" or "Hey you can't play Black Metal because you don't act like a Ritalin baby with a homocidal/suicidal streak" or......

Well, you get the idea. There's retards in every genre, unfortunately.

Contrived emotion is the physical embodiment of hilarity. I love to see people trying to "get into" what they're playing that way.
I dunnow what's funnier - a middle-class white guy channeling a mix of Joe Cocker and Howlin Wolf and calling it Blues or anyone trying to be "all evil and stuff" playing pseudo metal and doing the "Grr, I'm evil" routine :ROTF:

Why is it that the one thing stupid people always succeed at is making more stupid people? Or do stupid people come from smart people and smart people come from stupid people, thus maintaining the cosmic balance?

[shredmonster]

I don't hate them I just get bored after about 2 songs.

[TommyD]

Who hates the Blues???

> I have no problems with the blues. I don't have a problem with someone playing blues on a Dinky if they "feel" it,and other people like it. Don't let it get you down that you didn't "come up hard or spent time on the P-farm". If it makes you feel good,or pays the bills,have at it. Even if it's older white men that are diggin' on what you play,so be it. Just do us all a favor and don't get up there to play the blues with a big ass chain around your neck that hangs down to your waist and got a grille in your mouth,talkin' bout how "the man holdin' me down and shit". Blues has always been about making people feel what you are going thru to me,and making others and yourself feel better about it,so just let it flow,regardless of what instrument people see you playing it on. On the other hand,the last guy I heard really get off on the blues,where you knew he "felt" it and made others feel it was SRV. John Mayer would have been better off fading away after his Chappelle Show appearance,that single he has out is more Emo than blues,and a shining example of how mainstream music these days is made for kids with a 4 minute attention span. Even the hip-hop out now is better than that. Tommy D.

[Grandturk]

I like the blues, and I have no problem with anyone playing in that style. My problem with the blues is that its an insular culture that seeks to exclude a lot of players. Everyone's allowed to play rock n' roll, but you have to "pay your dues" to play the blues. That's a load of crap, IMO. You're either good or you're bad - judge the playing not the person playing.

[Soap]

When you get older and seasoned with some wisdom all of that "useless external nonsense stuff" doesn't matter, it the music that matters.
I sit in my underwear or sweats and play metal, punk, blues/pentatonic stuff, rock and even some country.

I don't do the dress up thing (use to in the 80's and it got old real quick) according to the music played scenario. When performing (rarely do any more but when I do), jeans and a tee shirt of some sort works best for me. I want to be as comfortable as possible cause I sweat puddles when I perform.

The Chili Peppers had the right idea awhile back.
Came out and played naked with only a sock hanging and cover their member.
As far as comfort is concerned, thats comfort.

[Shawn Lutz]

Anyone can play the blues and I have no beef with anyone playing it. I do think to do it right you have to feel the blues, you have to have had the blues in order for it to be true, honest worthwhile.

I don't hate the blues at all, I appreciate a great blues player but as a player myself, I can hang perfectly fine in a blues environment but my heart isn't entirely into it. My heart lies in classical music and 80-90's metal

[Fragle]

"I don't do the dress up thing (use to in the 80's and it got old real quick) according to the music played scenario. When performing (rarely do any more but when I do), jeans and a tee shirt of some sort works best for me. I want to be as comfortable as possible cause I sweat puddles when I perform."

+1 i don't even wear "metal" clothes 90% of the time. i used to, though, but after a while i started to wonder wtf i'm doing this?! i'm no less metal wearing non-black clothes or tracksuits than i am wearing chains and leather. when i started gigging i did the whole boots, leather pants, spikes etc shit....and sweated like mad doing so right now i'm not gigging, but last time i was on stage it was all shorts, tshirt, and sneakers for me

[Endrik]

I started with the blues and still play it regulary. I was pretty heavy rocker when I started to play, long ass hair, black jeans, band t-shirts, rings and chains with skulls and shit, but I had to get the blues down. When I play it, my heart is totally into it. I've listened to all kinds of players, old delta slide players, texas, modern whiteboy, alternative etc. blues. I've picked up ideas from all those different blue styles. I'm pretty good with the slide, I usually play wery rhythmically to go along with the groove. Sometimes I sound too much like a Billy Gibbons rip-off.
I don't sing the blues, but If I try to sing I really don't imitate black blues singers, but I do sound like a high pitched black soul singer
Anyway, blues is simple but I learn something new all the time. I've played all kinds of music but blues is always the number 1 in my book.

I'm cool with that if people play it, but it can sound very boring, because most people suck ass in music anyway. If playing it, even using the most common cliches, makes the person feel better then I wont stop him.

But I will never follow the rules, fuck that, I go on the stage with my colored and punky hair, trendy jeans, basketball sneakers and floyded jackson. And I like to use a lot of gain too.
And no fucking way I will do the blues "moves" I'm doing a salto on the stage and seeking if there are any chicks to make out with

But cliched blues playing is still better than no blues at all, I've noticed that players who haven't played the blues are lacking something very much.

[Soap]

But cliched blues playing is still better than no blues at all, I've noticed that players who haven't played the blues are lacking something very much.

+1
It's called soul.
Got all the skill and tech under the sun, but no soul, its empty.
The pentatonic (all positions) is the starting block, yes indeed.

[atomic charvel guy]

if you have a problem with the blues you have a problem with rock and roll. I'm a MAWG,I guess, because i'm 41. bet I look as young as you, and I know i certainly don't act as mature as you-lol, and I love the fukkin' blues. What do you think warren De Martini's or EVH's playing is? it's supercharged blues, without it, we have none of the hero's we emulate or learn from. I'm a MAWG
motherfukker baby!!!! and I get a good dose of YAHB.