Is Rolling Stone Suffering From Amnesia?

I found this list on the Rolling Stone website. The only conclusion one might come to is that the magazine's editors suffer from amnesia.

I have no problems with the way they've placed these musicians - what I disagree with is the omission of some of the most amazing guitarists of all time. The following are indeed missing:



Yngwie Malmsteen

Joe Satriani

Gary Moore

Allan Holdsworth

Tony McAlpine

Timo Tolkki

Steve Vai

...and lastly, the legendary Jason Becker (living legend, thank God!)

I'm sure I'm right because I might be wrong about the quality of one musician, but the fact that the entire neo-classical genre is missing means that the editors of Rolling Stone just aren't big fans of the style. I don't understand why this genre has to be neglected, as it has been responsible for elevating the guitar to a higher level as an instrument. Thanks to this genre, the guitar has regained technique and virtuosity that adds to the expressive powers of this instrument - which means that this kind of virtuosity is more than just virtuosity itself, as these techniques add flair and vivacity to any piece of music that includes guitars.

Good night to everyone.

Always With Me, Always With You

This piece by Joe Satriani (played here by me) communicates warmth and emotion, and at the same time it's easy to tell that it was written and performed by someone who has a great passion for the instrument.

 I went back to studying it because it's a favorite of my fiancée  Sascha. Her enthusiasm reminded me of how passionate I was myself when learning it for the first time. When you study this piece, it kind of comes together on its own: it comes out good because it's just such an amazing piece. I think the feeling you get playing this kind of piece can be compared to when classical musicians play Bach: the composition of the piece does 90% of the work.

I'm not saying you have to be impersonal; you still have to lend your own personal touch to it. Going back to classical music, some classical musicians playing great pieces think the piece is everything and the musician is just the means. I, on the other hand, think that the instrument is merely an instrument (in this case, the guitar) and the musician is the one who has to get the emotion and the message across.

In the end, the guitar is an amazing instrument. This is why we love it.

Always With Me Always With You played by me:

The video background is a portrait of Sascha that I drew.


Note by Sascha: when I first heard David play this piece, I fell in love with it - and with the guitar. I think this is a very refined piece: you have to be an excellent musician to play it well and from what I can gather (I'm absolutely no expert, I just love the guitar), it's a really difficult piece. I think David plays it beautifully. In some parts I can't tell it's not Satriani, while in others, David lends his own touch to the piece.