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Guitar Greats
by Univideit Gauitin
http://www.guitarsuniverse.com
No two guitar aficionados will be able to agree on the list
of guitar greats, but like so many lists, it can be fun to
try to make. What each considers greatness will vary too -
is it technical ability or some hard-to-define quality like
'soul'?
Many connoisseurs consider Robert Johnson, the blues
guitarist, great. He started as an average guitarist but
became great in a period of just one year. Many legends
thrived to explain such sudden burst of talent. Some gave a
Dr Faustus like theory that he had made a pact with the
Devil. His rivals and common people disbelieved his
explanation of practice and hard work for his newfound
talent.
The deal had been done, so the story goes, at a crossroads
somewhere in the Deep South. Johnson himself immortalized
the meetings, probably ironically, in songs like Crossroad
Blues and Me And The Devil Blues. These were some of the few
tracks he was able to record before his death in 1938 at the
tender age of 27. To this day no one knows if he was stabbed
or poisoned or if the devil himself came to claim what he
was owed.
It is a coincidence that the other great guitarist after
Johnson also had an early death. This great was Jimi
Hendrix, considered by many as the greatest guitarist to
ever grace the Earth and the man who revolutionized the art
of playing guitar. However, he was popular for his other
activities also,which included playing solos behind his back
or with histeeth and famously setting his guitar on fire.
It is believed that he was oblivious of the fact that what a
great musician he was.
Hendrix played in blues, rock and jazz, playing his most
famous live concerts with only a bassist and drummer for
support - he made all that sound! He was from the beginning
an innovator, and as a beginner decided not to learn to play
the conventional way but, since he was naturally left
handed, he re strung his guitar upside down. You can see on
some pictures that the pick guard is the wrong way up on his
Fender Strat!
There are many stories about Hendrix. He acquired fame for
covering other bands songs in his concert. Sometimes he
performed his cover of a track live before the others were
able to do so. His rendering of Beatles 'Sergeant Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band' being a case in point. He was
illiterate in musical notations, but would play any music
after listening to it just once. He was even approved of by
Miles Davis, music's hardest man to please.
The guitar players are not just limited to rock or blue.
Guitar is such a versatile musical instrument that it is
played in all sorts of concerts and shows. Therefore, there
are innumerable guitar greats worldwide. The other great
and popular guitar players are Django Rheinhardt (jazz)
John Williams (classic), Paco de Lucia (flamenco). They
have been immortalized by their inimitable style and
mind-blowing music.
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