Who is the best guitarist with the worst technique?

[Rubbishplayer]

Lol just realised the picture is a wry comment on Pat's thumb position...

 

[migstopheles]

second vote for Willie Adler, oh my god his pick hand technique makes me queasy

 

[works0fheart]

First thought that came to my head.

Also shoutout to John Petrucci, dedicated pinky anchorer. Any time I hear someone on the internet say "don't anchor your pinky" I just think about how JP is better than them at guitar

It's crazy that this would be a point of criticism considering the dude has one of the most sought after techniques out there. How many instructional books/videos have been sold with his name on it? A staggering amount I'm certain.

My nominee would be Tosin. This mans thumb is bent backward at like a 90 degree angle on his picking hand. It's weird as shit looking. Also, even though he shreds hard as hell his vibrato has always been kinda butt. No one else is topping that Self-titled album by Animals As Leaders despite the droves of bands that popped up trying to sound like them. Hell, not even Tosin himself can top it.

 

[Screamingdaisy]

Players that reverse angle the pick angle kinda weird me out.

 

[technomancer]

Always love watching the laughable stuff in threads like this. Technique boils down to what works for a specific player and there are no hard and fast rules. If you can play like Petrucci or Friedman guess what, your technique is just fine

 

[StevenC]

It's crazy that this would be a point of criticism considering the dude has one of the most sought after techniques out there. How many instructional books/videos have been sold with his name on it? A staggering amount I'm certain.

My nominee would be Tosin. This mans thumb is bent backward at like a 90 degree angle on his picking hand. It's weird as shit looking. Also, even though he shreds hard as hell his vibrato has always been kinda butt. No one else is topping that Self-titled album by Animals As Leaders despite the droves of bands that popped up trying to sound like them. Hell, not even Tosin himself can top it.

Tosin has made at least 3 better records than self titled.

 

[tedtan]

Always love watching the laughable stuff in threads like this. Technique boils down to what works for a specific player and there are no hard and fast rules. If you can play like Petrucci or Friedman guess what, your technique is just fine

Yep, this right here.

 

[thorgan]

I remember seeing steve morse live and wondering how the hell he was so accurate when his alternate picking is such a wide motion, monster player though

 

[Robslalaina]

I'm not sure "weird looking" (e.g. Friedman/Morse) counts as bad technique, we need someone who fails to execute 50% of what they attempt but is still somehow compelling to listen to

This was also my understanding so I'll say good old Kirk Hammett. Vibrates out of tune, bends out of tune sometimes, hand coordination and muting can suck when soloing, but still plays kinda cool overall.

 

[Werecow]

Just found this about Friedman's picking hand. Turns out it does cause him some problems, especially when recording. Even to the point of him getting someone else to mute strings for him.

 

[Sermo Lupi]

I'm not sure "weird looking" (e.g. Friedman/Morse) counts as bad technique, we need someone who fails to execute 50% of what they attempt but is still somehow compelling to listen to

Marty's technique is not great in addition to looking odd. The exaggerated downward pickslanting isn't an awful technique on its own, it's how he mechanically does it by curling his wrist and swiping at the strings somewhat haphazardly. Sometimes his fretting hand looks a bit odd, too. It's the laboured look of his playing in general that really makes it appear as though he's struggling against himself while the notes leap out of the guitar.

Absolute beast of a player, obviously, but definitely not a guy that makes it look easy.

 

[Pingu]

Also shoutout to John Petrucci, dedicated pinky anchorer. Any time I hear someone on the internet say "don't anchor your pinky" I just think about how JP is better than them at guitar

I never understood the anchor hate. It's almost as if electric guitars don't all have some combination of body and hardware for you to be able to rest your pinky on...

 

[HeHasTheJazzHands]

Players that reverse angle the pick angle kinda weird me out.

I do that when I wanna make palm mutes sound extra nasty or when I need to dig in harder in general

 

[TedEH]

I never understood the anchor hate.

I know it's not quite the same, but if you're coming from bass, I'd think that anchoring to something is very natural. My thumb is always either on a pickup or on the next string over, or something.

 

[Seabeast2000]

Seizure response picking

Disclaimer, reposting that from some other SSO bloke.. I consider it high value.

 

[narad]

Lol @ Marty thinking a "secret" he doesn't want to tell anyone about is to employ an additional person to mute your strings.

 

[Sermo Lupi]

Lol @ Marty thinking a "secret" he doesn't want to tell anyone about is to employ an additional person to mute your strings.

That producers have done for guitarists pretty much since the days they recorded on wax

How sick would it be to be Marty's capo for a session, though? Imagine contributing 0.1% to the solos on Rust in Peace. Miles Davis would think you stole the show with your performance.

 

[JSanta]

Marty Friedman
Steve Morse
Django

I'd argue that Django perhaps had some of the finest technique we'd seen on the instrument up until that time, and it still stands today. This is the style of music I have been studying with many of the professional musicians in this genre, and Django is revered for his technical capacity on the instrument, and how his "limitation" of having only two working fingers on his left hand opened up the harmonic nuances this style of music is known for. His picking technique is still the gold standard for us.

 

[Captain Shoggoth]

the guy from Galneryus. Incredible guitarist but there are third world countries with better economy than his right hand

See I've always felt the exact opposite about Syu. I'm utterly mesmerised by how insanely hard he seems to be bashing the strings while still sounding super clean and articulate. I'd rather see that than any dime-a-dozen hyper economised Petrucci fanboy hands

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Always love watching the laughable stuff in threads like this. Technique boils down to what works for a specific player and there are no hard and fast rules. If you can play like Petrucci or Friedman guess what, your technique is just fine

Yeah, I think the guys who really over-obsess "right" or "wrong" technique are either trying to sell you something or it's just the one thing they can do.

But I like the idea of the thread because it's more of just like "how the heck is he holding the pick like that?" and stuff.