“The standard amongst young musicians is higher now than it’s ever been”: Level 42 bassist says the internet has made kids today better players than ever
Has the internet raised the general calibre of today’s guitarists? Level 42 bassist Mark King certainly thinks so.
While many believe music itself has been diluted in terms of its complexity – as recently reported by our sister publication MusicTech – King, a slap bass virtuoso himself, believes musicians are becoming more proficient.
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“The standard of musicianship amongst young musicians is higher now than it’s ever been in, certainly, any time I can remember,” King said recently during an event honouring late Cream bassist Jack Bruce at Gibson Garage London [MusicRadar].
“I’ve never been one very much for music education. For me, it’s this thing of, you know, you see somebody do something, and it makes sense. And you think, ‘Oh, yeah, I can do that.’ That’s the wonderful thing about, say, YouTube now.”
The internet has been a double-edged sword for many aspiring guitar players. Sure, anyone with chops can now start an Instagram profile and grow a following – and even a career – from the comfort of their own bedroom, but the very fact they can means more people are trying to do it, thus driving up competition, and therefore the technical ability required to be noticed by these platforms’ algorithms.
While most are in agreement that today’s social media guitarists are highly proficient and technical players, some high-profile names aren’t impressed unless they can make that technique musical.
Last year, Slash said “techniques are cool, but they’re only great if they fit into the music”, while Tracii Guns said he wants “no part” in the bedroom guitarist community.
Elsewhere, Lenny Kravitz has gone on record saying musicians should care less about technique and more about “feel, dynamics and emotion”, while Pete Townshend has commented on the one thing Instagram guitarists lack.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
