“After a while, my ear tires of it”: Andy Summers says Yngwie Malmsteen’s music is “too shreddy”, but calls Eddie Van Halen a “genius”
The Police guitarist Andy Summers has expressed his disinterest in Yngwie Malmsteen’s music, calling it “too shreddy” for his ears.
Speaking on the latest episode of Ultimate Guitar’s On the Record podcast, Summers says that while Malmsteen’s technical skills are undeniable, he much prefers the more “musical” style of someone like Eddie Van Halen.
READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler star in hilarious new ad for Aston Villa home kit
“Eddie was a genius,” he says. “Eddie Van Halen, I thought was very musical. See all that stuff he could do and all the tapping stuff he worked out, he was kind of a genius guitar player, he was very touched by something and I’m so sorry he’s not around anymore, because I think he’s really one of the all-time greats. I’ve got him in the top five, no question.”
As for Malmsteen – who, too, is often regarded as one of the key figures in the development of shred guitar – Summers admits that he finds the virtuoso’s music somewhat fatiguing over time: “Malmsteen, I suppose – it’s all a bit too shreddy for me, and after a while, my ear tires of it,” he says.
“But I didn’t grow up with that kind of music. And it’s very clever sort of guitar technical stuff if you want to devote the years it takes to really get this tapping going. But I’m not sure what the music is, or what it really produces musically, or if it’s something I like or not, but I definitely got Eddie’s stuff. I thought it was amazing, he was such a wonderful player, but very musical.”
“So, you know, there’s a whole other camp that I’m not really in. My camp is The Police and what I did there, and my real skills are as a jazz player. That’s where I came from.”
The guitarist also offers his take on what makes a “good” guitar part, saying: “It depends on who you’re talking to really, obviously the idea of a hook or something that’s just kind of got a really kinky melodic phrase that just really gets you, and you’ll just keep wanting to hear it.”
“I mean, there’s several ways you could describe it. I think one would be that you could stand to hear that over and over again.”.
Citing Chuck Berry’s intro on Johnny B. Goode as one of those “immortal guitar riffs” in the history of rock music, Summers explains, “You start with someone like that. I was trying to learn that when I was about 15 years old. Of course, you have to learn it, so I think there are things that stay in your ear like that. They have to have that appeal, they should be musical, but simple.”
Elsewhere, Andy also reveals the boutique guitar that has got his heart these days, saying: “I’m just about to go into Brazil for five weeks and I’m taking that guitar. So that’s the first time I will have not gone taking the normal Strat with me.”
The post “After a while, my ear tires of it”: Andy Summers says Yngwie Malmsteen’s music is “too shreddy”, but calls Eddie Van Halen a “genius” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
