I think Billy Corgan said it best...
 

"...ultimately, no one really gives two shits about guitar playing in and of itself, except maybe other guitar players."

Point is, it's about the song makeup. It's taken me long time to finally realize this after 12 years of playing. I was one of those nerds that thought only Vai, Rhoads, Di Meola, etc were the only great guitar players out there. Now, as I've matured in my playing I've learned that they're no more important than Billie Joe Armstrong or Joe Strummer, for example. It all comes down to this; can you or can you not write a good song, that can reach many people, using the guitar as a tool?

Green Day or Nickleback fans couldn't give a crap less about whether they can play a solo using the F# harmonic minor scale. People just want to be able to sing along with a catchy chorus and shake their ass, at the end of the day. Yes, Green Day and especially Nickleback get a ton of shit here at UG, but you cannot deny their fanbase is vast. They must be doing something right in their music.

Cool story bro.

Pretty profound rebuttal.

Thank you.

I love guitar and instrumental music, but accept the fact that most people aren't into that kind of stuff. Some people just can't comprehend that.

fuck you fuck you fuck you fuck you

Mainstream acceptance doesn't nullify other less widely-accepted artists' merit.

I enjoy Smashing Pumpkins' music a great deal, just like I enjoy Paul Gilbert's music. Depending on the mood I'm in, I'll be craving to listen to a different sound or even a different genre. Liking one doesn't mean you have to stop liking the other, unless you've indeed stopped liking it or never really liked it to begin with.

I've been in the mood for mostly old hip hop and DnB these last couple of weeks... however, today I was in the mood for some Zappa so I gave Joe's Garage a listen from start to finish.

Well, for the record Joe's Garage is one of my favorite records.

Poor grammar on my part. Edited.

yeah that's it i've just come to the conclusion you're trolling i give up

i like your username

but then again, i am scottish

Hardly trolling. I just ran across that quote for Corgan and thought it was interesting and worth discussion. Sorry you're offended.

Corgan is right. He plays pretty good actually, seen him do some shred stuff. Anyways, the song writing is more important, the singing is really important if you have it. Thats why Billy was the biggest thing in America in the 90s

Good stuff, mate.

Perhaps I'm selfish but I play music because I like to do it not so that I can reach other people.

I do love catholic girls and their tiny little mustaches

Ive only been playing about 4 years but I learned early on much or most of the brilliance in music is the composition and of course song writing. I mean Josua Tree is made up of mostly 3-4 chord songs. Its good lyrics and Edge with his echo pedal. I remember thinking early on if this stuff is so easy to play why is it considered such a great album?

If Green Day and Nickelback are such fodder why not just form a band like them, make millions and go do more interesting artistic projects?

Not the biggest Pumpkins fan but Corgan has a great and unique sound. Its his.

you know, using [size=2] around a letter looks better than using [b].

Rebecca Black's 'Friday' is catchy, that doesn't mean it is good.

What it comes down to is this; Write whatever the F*** you wanna write!

Not bad...

Different experts for different purposes. You don't call an electrician to fix your leaky toilet.

If I needed a guitarist to help me write an album with great songs that would be guaranteed to go platinum, I'd work with Billy Joe Armstrong or Chad Kroeger in a heartbeat. I wouldn't even consider working with John Petrucci. Those guys, for the most part, can't write a song to save their lives.

On the other hand, if I wanted a guitarist to shred like a mofo and provide some virtuostic brilliance on my album, the exact opposite would be true.

If I wanted a solo in a song that made people want to drink a lot of beer and lose their sh!t while they played air guitar all night long, I'd get neither of those guys. I'd get Angus.

If I wanted a freaky crazy-@ss solo that sounded like Hendrix on amphetamines, I'd get none of those guys. I'd get Vernon Reid from Living Colour.

That's why I love players like Nuno Bettencourt, Paul Gilbert and Pete Lesperance (Harem Scarem) and Ross Childress (Collective Soul). They can play like demons, but always know when and how to let the song shine through.

CT

Its far harder to write a great song than it is to write a great solo.