So, What's everyone think of Queen getting their first grammy?

"I WILL TAKE THE POWER CHORD ANY DAY OVER THE AUGMENTED TRITONE WHATSAMAHOOSEY IF THE POWER CHORD HAS SOUL!!!"

If I've interpreted this correctly, the whatsamahoosey can have just as much soul. Those who are stuck in the power chord world just don't realize that the faster and/or more musically intricate things can actually have soul as well. Those who really appreciate such things are leaps and bounds beyond power chords, and are no longer challenged by that level of music. And being as you mentioned augmented chords, these chords had a much nicer sound than a two note chord in a P5, simply stated. I'm never one to spout insults, but rating a power chord above an augmented chord was plain stupid.

"YOU DO NOT NEED TO PLAY IN 12/16 TIME AT TWO THOUSAND BEATS PER SECOND TO BE WORTHWHILE! REM IS NOT ALL ABOUT GUITAR SOLOS!"

Wow, way to put words in my mouth there. Get a hold of yourself, Geeks. We obviously have different opinions about these things. You're a rhythm guitarist, and I'm not. If you could play the Erotomania solo yourself, you'd laugh at the supposed talents of the 5-note solo by your buddy in REM. An experienced musician isn't going to take the word of a 14 year old here.

I didn't say REM was all about guitar solos, did I? No. But bands who aren't best-known for their guitar ability obviously aren't going to produce the technically best guitar-oriented music. REM knows they aren't technically a great band, but they still create great music. I didn't deny that. As I said above, once you've gotten to a certain point in educating yourself with music, bands like REM and U2 just don't challenge you anymore. You've moved on.

And for the record, since you used 12/16 time in your example, you obviously don't know that's not a possible time signature, as 3/4 is the proper equivilant. Look, I've got no problems with people who find musical inspiration from rhythm guitarists, but don't slam guitarists who are far better than any rhythm guitarist will ever be.

As far as I'm concerned, as a band, Dream Theater has created every piece of music that any rock-oriented band would ever want to create, minus a top ten hit. Anyone who is anywhere on the totem pole of rock-oriented music (excluding those in sheer ignorance) should recognize what DT have created, and what barriers they've crossed in creating their style of music. They have done what every rock band in the past has done, and more... except for that top 10 hit. Why? In today's society of sex and pop music, there is no room for above average musical talent because MTV has sucked the appreciation for musical talent out of its average viewer and progressively (and successfully) shifted to the focal point to the image. Fact.

"Peter Buck makes those five evenly picked notes sound incredible. Let's watch your virtuosos do something that has fewer than sixty-four chords played at 80 miles per hour in it."

That makes absolutely no sense. So you're saying that John Petrucci has never played a melodic solo in his life? Don't downtalk something you've obviously never researched into. JP's solos in The Spirit Carries On and Goodnight Kiss will put just about any guitar solos of all time in the pits, and guess what? They're his slowest and most melodic solos in the DT catalogue.

"now that i've got that off my chest...I'm sorry, but I just can't see how you can base evrything on technical ability alone."

I don't base everything on technical ability alone. You're putting those words in my mouth. Erotomania's solo is not based on only that. The brilliance is not only in the speed, but the choice of notes and where the breaks in the scales are on top of the chords being played. A rhythm guitarist simply cannot understand that; anything faster than Carlos Santana just sounds like a clutter of notes indiscernable to their ear.

Personally, I tend to focus more on the technical side of things, because as a musician who's constantly

You know, Im 26, ive played piano for 20 years, ive played guitar for 11 years and I didnt understand a work of that bollocks!

Well, that's a tad surprising to hear. What kind of stuff do you play on the piano? And why don't you know what an augmented chord is, and what the 7 modes are, after 20 years?

Don't go off calling something "bollocks" just because you don't understand it.

I don't listen to bands because of their technical ability. Like you said, I listen to them because they sound good.

The reason that I play a rhythm guitar is because I also sing, and there was no point in me playing lead. It doens't mean I can't experiment a little. I have tried to paly in locrian mode, and it's not all that hard. It's flashy, yes, but it's not impossible.

I know perfectly well that 12/16 is not a real time signature. I sing chamber music every day, pal, I know more about this stuff than you might think. I was giving an example of how stuff like this can make my head spin. I'm not impressed by Pete's guitar playing because he plays augmented fifths at 76 miles per minute, I know he doesn't. I'm impressed because one, he can play anything that has strings on it, and two, his guitar playing is gorgeous. If the Erotomania thing has soul, bully for it, that's great, I might like it. But I don't judge things on how technically difficult they are. That's part of the reason I don't like Metallica - they're all so busy trying to get in the front of the mix that their egos get in the way of the sound.

I can appreciate a GOOD metal solo just as much as the next person. I admire Brian May, Mike McCready, Duane Allman and Ace Frehley out the window. But the great thing about all of them is that they know when enough is enough.

"I was giving an example of how stuff like this can make my head spin."

*Your* head. Remember that. You've been busy throwing judgements all over proficient guitarists because they don't agree with *your* head. I just thought I'd make that clear.

"If the Erotomania thing has soul, bully for it, that's great, I might like it. But I don't judge things on how technically difficult they are."

With your prejudgements, I'm sure you won't like it. With no offence intended, if you're used to things like REM and Pearl Jam, most of Dream Theater's will just be too intricate for your ears. The average Dream Theater listener has been trained with things like Yes, Rush, Al DiMeola, and Frank Zappa; they can differentiate between a 'swarm of fast and uninspired notes' and 'musical brilliance'.

Dream Theater's target audience is musicians, and only musicians in a similar place to them truly understand them and their music. DT fans appreciate the band's vast array of styles and their superior technical ability. If you ignore their technical brilliance, of course much of their music will sound like a drivel of fast notes and nothing else. But if you look at how far ahead of everyone else they are and understand their songwriting techniques while listening, a piece of music like Erotomania makes you just sit in awe of how four human beings were able create such a masterpiece. Their catalogue is full of musical compositions that show purely how much music can speak without words, and for minutes at a time.

But with many of the things you've said, all I can say is that I wish you all the luck in the music world while you never consider technical ability. Honestly, as advice from a musician to a musician, provided that you strive forward with your musicianship, you're going to hit a point where you won't be challenged anymore, and you'll want to keep going. You'll have to start looking at things more technically if you'll want to expand your musical horizons. Melodic music can only take one so far. Trust me. Open yourself up a little. There's another world of music you're missing out on. :)

"That's part of the reason I don't like Metallica - they're all so busy trying to get in the front of the mix that their egos get in the way of the sound."

These things are all subject to opinion. In my opinion, much of their music is excellent. They paved the way for many on the path of metal music. They've got some great stuff in their catalogue, especially from before the Black album.

"I can appreciate a GOOD metal solo just as much as the next person. I admire Brian May, Mike McCready, Duane Allman and Ace Frehley out the window. But the great thing about all of them is that they know when enough is enough."

Again, what one defines as a "good" piece of guitar work is strictly one's own opinion. Otherwise, I agree with all that, except for Duane Allman. Have you ever heard an Allman Brothers concert? He definitely does not know when to stop. Some songs are an endless 10 minute guitar solo that goes absolutely nowhere. It's just aimless jamming. Bands like the Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin made on-stage jamming an art.

WARNING: The following is a 99% musically uneducated opinion.

On the one hand, a person with greater technically ability would be able to express themselves in a wider range, and be more musically interesting. This means that the more talented musician is able to more effectively communicate the message/ emotion/texture/whatever of the song. Whereas someone less technically adept would be restrained, and would need to express themselves more simply, restricted to a narrower range of expression. After a while their songs may start to all sound the same, and even the ignorant public will start to catch on and get bored.

On the other hand, popular music/rock and roll is about appealing to everyone, not just musicians. Ordinary folks should be able to listen to a song and enjoy it for what it is. Art should not be beyond the scope of the average person. It could be said that rock and roll goes straight to the core of music, stating its point simply and effectively so that anyone listening can understand. It doesn't NEED complicated chords, wacky time signatures, or special modes. One could argue that a person who is able to convey the feeling of a song without resorting to "frills" is the more talented (or at least more efficient) musician. That's one of the things that makes it more appealing to most people; it's more accessible.

For example, illiterate, uneducated peasants enjoyed Shakespeare's plays back in Victorian England. They enjoyed it without analyzing figures of speech, iambic pentameter, etc. to determine what makes it so effective – that’s an English professor's job. If his plays weren't popular with the masses in the first place, no one would know who Shakespeare is today!

Anyway, the bottom line is, if I have to get a degree in music to be able to enjoy a certain artist, I'll bloody well go listen to something else!!

And from a musician’s perspective, I think somehow you need to get the best of both worlds. Truly immortal artists like Shakespeare, Mozart, etc. have been shown to possess true artistic brilliance by academics. However, they were popular during their time, with people who had no idea what iambic or Locrian means.

Here ends my uneducated opinion. Completely ignore everything I’ve said and resume bickering amongst yourselves.

Erotomania is cool, but i still prefer Metheny's solos

"Art should not be beyond the scope of the average person."

You're trying to discuss a very difficult question there.
If art had never been beyond the scope of the average person, there would be no art today. If no-one ever exceeds the assessment basis for musical quality, there is no development.
You are more or less right with your Mozart statement, but he was an exception. Before Mozart appeared and was able to be popular among the average people as well as among the musical educated, there had to be others to prepare the ground for him, and those were not popular in their time and only were vastly adored long after their death. To name the most important: J.S. and C.P.E. Bach.
Back to rock music, we obviously need people who are not understood by everyone today but are progressive in what they do, otherwise we have to listen to things like Radio Ga Ga for the next 100 years. But new generations will want new music.

I'm going to school now,that's why I'll probably come later to continue.
" Let's watch your virtuosos do something that has fewer than sixty-four chords played at 80 miles per hour in it."-Heuh...Steve Vai,yea the genious behind 'For the love of god'.Also,Brian has a great admiration for virtuosos,even though he's not one.You're constantly bashing virtuosos,what the deal with that?

"Also,Brian has a great admiration for virtuosos,even though he's not one.

I wonder if Bri has ever heard of DT, and what he'd think of them...

"You're constantly bashing virtuosos,what the deal with that?"

Read my posts Sad Guy, and you'll see what it's about.

Btw, I've gotten a platinum seat for Dream Theater in Toronto in March, so that means I'll have a backstage pass and I'll meet the band. I think they're offering that for the Montreal show too. Are you gonna do it?

Brian probably have heard of them,I'm quite sure of it.And,I was actualy commenting about what Geeksandgeeks said,'cause I read your post before I posted mine.

Geeksandgeeks,why are you continually treating virtusos like if they were nothing?Is it because virtuosos are masters of the guitar who are genially talented(depends for some),technicaly ,and lots, melodically perfect.They usually improvise their guitar solos and a ton of them have the aptitude to right great songs.I think that a great quantity of guitar players are jealous of the virtuosos,bashing them by saying things like:"There's no emotion in their playing",etc.WTF!?!Yngwie was crying while playing a song during a concert dedicated to his deceased mother.People don't understand that it's not because you play fast it doesn't mean that there's no freaking emotions in it,come on,that's generalizing.I just don't find it comprehensible,you know,virtuosos are(and should be by some)considered to be great guitar players,not shreding bastard that don't know what they're doing.

Hey guitar Hero,look at this website,they are some pics of Brian with the Satriani,Malsmteen, and others.

http://membres.lycos.fr/metaltom/rencontres/rencontres.htm

Damn you are sooo lucky,I envy you.Well,you just informed me now about it and I'll certainly go,for sure.DT are one of my favorite bands(of the 90's,right behind Symphony X)and I'm not going to miss it.thx for the info.

Also,in that website,you can see Yngwie holding the Red Special,pretty cool.It's hard to get respect from Y. Malmsteen,but you know what,he has a lot of admiration for Brian and Queen is one of the bands he most likes.

Awesome link... thanks!

check out brians letter page - he was asked about DT and has heard of them, not more.

Alright, I shall do that.

By the way, for those here who still think virtuosos suck, here's an analogy I've just thought of.

Me connecting with bands like Dream Theater for my reasons is the equivilant of someone in their third year of English at a University picking up a Robert Munsch book seeking vocabulary enhancement. Now do you understand?