Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Rising urge

This album is mandatory for guitar dweebs if you are really serious about getting somewhere in terms of your playing. I used to own the cassette version & it died due to over-play. I hate to buy a subsequent copy of something I already own but this one requires mandatory replacement. The consolation- it's now in CD format so it will not pose an issue in terms of over-playing (Will it? Time will tell).

What does this album offer me in terms of guitar education?

1) Precision- Malmsteen is a precise picker. All his picked notes are perfect (to me), there isn't a hint of sloppiness to be heard especially his lightning fast staccato passages. If he brags about it, he has the right to as he is pretty much the standard to beat in this case.

2) Analog heaviness- In view of the time this was recorded, it's free from those digital cess we hear in today's playback. The distortion here is downright heavy & it's all about his cranked up Marshall. Is this a case of less is more? It's definitely a case of sticking to what works.

So here's a reminder to myself- employ what works, stop trying to bow down to the current fad because the boutique effects units/ amps might amount to nothing in terms of fulfillment.

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