He not only played the neo classical shit but he mixes it with the most bluesy licks known to man....he puts fuckin soul into this...Greg is un fucking real...
@tastefulphrasing Indeed ! He isnt even a traditional 'neoclassical' player. He just tried his hand at it and ended up making two of the best neoclassical albums you'll ever hear - Ascend and High Definition. Both have the freshest, grooviest and most emotional neoclasical playing I've ever heard (OK, Jason Becker falls into the category too I have to admit !).
He didnt start off as neoclassical. His first album 'Greg Howe, 1988) is a rock/bluesy/shred album. Don't confuse shred with neoclassical. Neoclassical is the style Yngwie Malmsteen plays. Greg's only neoclassical flavoured albums are Ascend (1999) and High Definition (1997) - both with keyboardist Vitalij Kuprij. I agree that he did play some neoclassical licks on his Star Licks video though.
whether its jazz fusion or neo classical or the most complicated rhythmic pattern of all which is Latin jazz or, man he just effin rips. he's just not human
Definately! He's one of the 2 guys I really try to break down and get ideas from for soloing, the other guy being Tony MacAlpine. Greg has gret tone as well!
Agreed, I guess there were some neoclassical element in his eariler work compared to his work today. Anyway, I think we can agree, he's absolutely awesome ! :P
@lordsong7 We come from the same place as far as the origins; I also delved into classical, French, Russian, Indian, American Country, and so on, as well as Jazz from around the world. And I have nothing against the new generation of guitarists, although Allan Holdsworth is STILL ahead of them all! Vinyl and tape, absolutely! We're the old guys, but we can still put up a decent fight! :)
No disagreement there, but I long for the days when you didn't have to search so hard to find musicians with both. And gimmicks and gadgets are too easy to come by nowadays, in place of technique and musicianship...
I would have to agree with you on that point. Greg isnt Yngwie, and he was definately more straight ahead rock on his first LP than Malmsteen. But there are alot of the Neo-classical elements there as well, much more so than what he is currently known for (Jazz Fusion). So, agree he was not a Malmsteen clone by anymeans, but closer to Yngwie than he is now. Strat O Various is Neo-Classical all the way. But yes, I have to agree with you, he was not a "Neo-Classical" guitarist starting out.
He didnt start wit neoclassical. He started out doing hard rock in Howe II with his brother. This was a bit of a sideline from what he was doing. As was his neoclassical album 'High definition' with Vitalij Kuprij (which is awesome by the way!)
@ricaard the hair tie isn't just for muting while tapping its also for hair tie harmonics - check out Dave Martones video on that and you'll see why the tie is so cool and not at all a lazy mans mute technique Satch wouldn't need to mute with the right hand for his left handed tapped arppegios on the Mystical Potato ... tune, if he used a tie.
@ricaard I agree I have 1 on all my geets by I almost never use it! 'Cept for tie harmonics Players should learn to play clean, defined without it first & foremost True -its gotten too easy these days Its great but almost a shame cause no discipline I grew up on Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, Blackmore.. in the 60s early 70s -we had no web, computers, dvds, cds Just vinyl & tape -had to learn the hard way . kids today have it too easy then get fat heads but they know shit on origins & have no soul
His first Album was Neo-Classical and check out his Star Licks Vid which is probably on here as well, all which predate Howe II which he did with his brother. On Shrapnel Records, the King of the Shred labels. Certainly not the Jazz-Fusion that he is more known for currently. So yeah, he got his recording start doing the Neo-shred thing.
@lordsong7 I understand, and I didn't mean to indict every scrunchie user as lazy (and apologize if I did), but I do see it being overused in place of good left and right hand muting technique; I've gone out to see players that use it (not the heavy hitters, mind you), and while they do very well with the tie on, they, mostly do HORRIBLY without it! It worries me about the current state of guitar technique at large. I for one with trudge along without it, as I love working on my fret basics.
@jamesmccrary21 Howe's tapping is very clean, yes, but Tony does it without the hair scrunchie on the neck. He uses old school left-hand muting technique, which I prefer--I believe it's just as clean, just takes a little more practice. No offense, as much as I love Greg and the new school of tappers, I don't like the scrunchie.. :)
