I have always been a Malmsteen fan. I loved his sweeps,
arpeggios, picking, his insane speed and incredible techniques. Most people get
pissed off at his attitude and to be frank, I find it equally exasperating, but
that’s not to take away anything from him. His knowledge about guitar scales is
extremely large, especially with his adept comprehension of the harmonic minor
scale and the music he’s made based on the knowledge he possesses on Classical Music. He is surely one of the
greatest guitar players of his generation, and inspiration to a lot of other
brilliant guitarists in the present day music scene. The talent that guy
possesses is surreal and for the fact that he began shredding guitars in such a
manner so far back in time, he surely deserves a lot of credit for taking
technical guitar playing to another level.
I keep visiting YouTube to watch his stuff. Suddenly, one day, I happened to YouTube a Shawn Lane video. I had no idea who Shawn Lane was but I liked the video. This man played a style I had heard before but this was quite different. After a little research I found out that The American Guitar Institute named him the "greatest guitarist who ever lived". The next thing I found out was that he died in 2003 of a lung related illness resulting from a chronic psoriasis he’d been carrying all his life. I was absolutely stunned how I came to find out this incredibly talented guitarist (whom I would later idolize), and discovered about his demise, simultaneously.
He is about speed, but certainly with thing much more than just speed. I am awestruck whenever I see him playing or listen to his songs. He was probably the only guitarist who could terrify me with his speed and yet move with his incredible amount of emotions, both at the same time. Believed by many to be the fastest guitarist ever (some would go as far as claiming the fastest there will ever be), he is highly regarded in the music world (although most people outside of it may not have even heard about him). When, one day I saw this video of his song “Gray pianos flying” from him, it was excruciating. It felt like he was saying one last goodbye to the world he was leaving. There was so much musically in the song that even now, every time I watch it, it takes me to a different world of a benign unrequitedness, a soothing despair, and a feeling of following the light at the end of a tunnel.
Now, every time I take a look at my guitar, I can’t stop remembering him.
Farewell, Shawn!
I keep visiting YouTube to watch his stuff. Suddenly, one day, I happened to YouTube a Shawn Lane video. I had no idea who Shawn Lane was but I liked the video. This man played a style I had heard before but this was quite different. After a little research I found out that The American Guitar Institute named him the "greatest guitarist who ever lived". The next thing I found out was that he died in 2003 of a lung related illness resulting from a chronic psoriasis he’d been carrying all his life. I was absolutely stunned how I came to find out this incredibly talented guitarist (whom I would later idolize), and discovered about his demise, simultaneously.
He is about speed, but certainly with thing much more than just speed. I am awestruck whenever I see him playing or listen to his songs. He was probably the only guitarist who could terrify me with his speed and yet move with his incredible amount of emotions, both at the same time. Believed by many to be the fastest guitarist ever (some would go as far as claiming the fastest there will ever be), he is highly regarded in the music world (although most people outside of it may not have even heard about him). When, one day I saw this video of his song “Gray pianos flying” from him, it was excruciating. It felt like he was saying one last goodbye to the world he was leaving. There was so much musically in the song that even now, every time I watch it, it takes me to a different world of a benign unrequitedness, a soothing despair, and a feeling of following the light at the end of a tunnel.
Now, every time I take a look at my guitar, I can’t stop remembering him.
Farewell, Shawn!
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