Who is the best guitarist with the worst technique?

[jahosy]

Left handed guitarists who play strings upside down, doesn't get worse than that Or really weird while it still seems to work for some players. How do you even learn to play like that and what are the reasons? Is this even considered as "bad" playing technique?

Similar to Dan Swano. Have always thought playing left handed with upside down strings made he's song writing unique.

Check out his main band Edge of Sanity (Unorthodox + Crimson) and specifically Moontower.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

Johnny Ramone. I can't for the life of me understand how he did all that aggressive chainsaw shit with his guitar slung that low. I feel like I have no leverage at all when it's below my belly button.

Similar to Dan Swano. Have always thought playing left handed with upside down strings made he's song writing unique.

Check out his main band Edge of Sanity (Unorthodox + Crimson) and specifically Moontower.

I didn't know this, always adored Crimson though, what a masterpiece of an album.

 

[ArtDecade]

I feel like I have no leverage at all when it's below my belly button.

Kinky.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

Kinky.

to be clear I was talking about my penis

 

[ArtDecade]

to be clear I was talking about my penis

Of course. That's all I ever talk about.

 

[Seabeast2000]

Of course. That's all I ever talk about.

F bombs Penis? The path less traveled .

 

[Rubbishplayer]

F bombs Penis? The path less traveled .

You could see it coming....erm, the joke, that is...

 

[kamello]

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

Ohh I definitely agree that it's more fun to watch. My right hand economy is terrible, I think for riffing it's no issue, but for fast lead playing it's definitely a hindrance so I still don't know how Syu makes it work

 

[Sermo Lupi]

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.

Loads of valid ways to play the guitar. I think the perception of right and wrong is what it is because there's also loads of players who are completely self-taught and are years or decades invested into objectively poor playing techniques.

Maybe if someone is neck deep in the Troy Grady forums and convinces themselves that Van Halen was a hack because he didn't pick like Paul Gilbert, then yeah, go get your head checked. Otherwise, anyone who's played a while has seen some really baffling shit.

Let's not forget all the other bizarre things guitarists believe. Some guitarists will string their guitar backwards and complain about tuning issues while blaming anything and everything but themselves. Then argue with you about the right way to do it because it improves the tone when the string takes a left turn to Albuquerque after it exits the nut slot.

Or how about the guys who clearly never figured out their technique in their teens when they had the time to put the practice hours in, yet will swear up and down there's a genetic component to playing certain things, as if you need to be Lebron James to summit the insurmountable task of 16th notes at 80bpm. It's probably how we get those weirdos who argue until blue in the face that the bottom three strings should only be fretted with their thumb because Blues Bumblefuck did it in 1930s when men were men and music was chaste and pure.

Obviously these discussions can get out of hand (a la Youtube comment sections), but bad technique is definitely a thing. Good musicians can get pretty far despite it...thus this thread, I guess.

 

[wheresthefbomb]

You could see it coming....erm, the joke, that is...

You'll have to subscribe to my OnlyFans for that

 

[couverdure]

Left handed guitarists who play strings upside down, doesn't get worse than that Or really weird while it still seems to work for some players. How do you even learn to play like that and what are the reasons? Is this even considered as "bad" playing technique?

Check out Eric Gales for another guitarist who plays with reversed string order.


Baby J from Darko US also plays like that.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

How do you even learn to play like that and what are the reasons?

Because for some whacky reason we (people) decided that being different handed matters on guitar. There are practically no other instruments that follow this convention as closely.

So folks who have never picked up a guitar ever, but are left handed, are told they need to play a certain way, and because until very, very recently "reversed" as in lefty, guitars were basically impossible to find, especially for beginners, they just figure "fuck it" and flip it over.

There are some folks who just feel more comfortable that way, and even fewer with unique anatomy/injuries that means that playing with the hands swapped is better, but I think that's definitely a minority.

 

[JimF]

I always wonder why left handed people choose to become left handed guitarists, when we don't have a natural propensity towards guitar playing with either hand. Using a pen, swinging an bat - sure; but playing the guitar the traditional way is kinda backwards for right handed folks. Here's a guitar, now use your weakest hand to do all these complicated shapes with your fingers. Oh you can't press the strings hard enough? Is that because you only use that hand to wipe your behind and open your car door?

Players with strange technique - John Mayer. I don't know the first thing about him, but his song Neon is alright, and watching YouTube shows that he does his fingerstyle technique using his thumb, index and middle finger. Same as me!

 

[gunch]

my left pinky is so weak I need one of those gorilla grip trainers

I tired doing the spider exercise and when it came time to do it descending the chromatic notes and leading with your pinky it became so unfathomable and I felt like a baby seal

 

[Moongrum]

are left handed, are told they need to play a certain way

This is what ruined my life (hyperbole). My parents were kind enough to buy me a bass as a kid for xmas, and some asshole friend of theirs who played in a bar band helped them and knew I wrote left handed so told them I needed a left handed bass. I played air guitar right handed (I do most things right handed), and when I got my bass "I was like huh, guess I have to play it this way"

 

[jaxadam]

The worst guitarist with the best technique is:

jaxadam