Rob Chapman: Guitar Is Not Dead

RandallFlagg

I watched all of this and I completely agree with everything he says.

RandallFlagg

Cue a raft of bellend comments below I'm sure but your P60 probably looks a little pale compared to his...

Jack_

I wish making videos about the state of "guitar" would die already.

jf122

RandallFlagg said:

Cue a raft of bellend comments below 

It’s almost as if you want that to happen.

Wolfetone

He talks sense. There will always be those, particularly in the media, that write controversial anti guitar articles for reasons than other than a genuinely objective view.

We all know in our hearts that a genre may become less popular but then morph into something. To say that electric guitar is dead is as ridiculous as saying the violin, oboe, harmonica etc is dead.

Boromedic

RandallFlagg said:

Cue a raft of bellend comments below I'm sure but your P60 probably looks a little pale compared to his...

They will be along soon, don't you worry....

darthed1981

I agree with everything he says as well.

His fundamental point though isn't just true in the music business but everywhere for any business.  Markets change, income streams dry up.  A business needs to adapt and change focus to survive and thrive.

Simply being talented and working hard isn't enough, you also have to work smart.  As he says himself, he's done quite well with that philosophy.

Bigsby

Pretty obvious 'guitar' isn't dead - sales alone prove that. A look at demographics and related economics provide good reasons for guitar sales to be healthier than ever, and for that to continue for at last another decade or two, but perhaps not long enough to benefit from planting a Rosewood forest (although no doubt Chinese furniture manufactures would ensure you got a good return on your investment in the end)..

But there's a point of confusion between electric guitar sales being dead (they're definitely not), and electric guitar music being dead, or stagnant, or boring, or in a rut, or anything else someone on Youtube might want to call it. That, of course, is much more subjective, and something that can be argued about till the cows come, by bellends or anyone else. 

Most of the time I'm pretty ambivalent about that question - though a couple of years ago the thought did pass through my mind. I'd just watched a video someone had linked to, a guitarist (I won't name) was playing Voodoo Child (Slight Return) - one of the most expressive pieces of rock guitar ever recorded, but he'd stripped out all of the space and rammed it full of notes in a display of fretboard masturbation. The resulting sound had all the emotional content of a spreadsheet on guitar sales. :-/

Flink_Poyd

Quite interesting and nice to hear someone on the insides view of it. Also good to see someone laying the fact that it's a business and not being  in ashamed of saying they go where the money is. We all know that's the situation but would prefer to think they're in it totally and utterly for being a working musician. 

sgosden

I'm generally not a fan of Mr.chapman, or more his "on screen person", think it's like he's trying to hard. BUT I Think he'd be a brilliant bloke to have a long chat with over a few pints. 

He's been at the forefront of the YouTube generation , so he clearly has a grasp on what is going on in the industry. 

He definitely speaks alot of truth here. 

Well done chappers. 

Funkfingers

To précis, follow the money. 

Rabs

This is so 2017...   Common, move on people.

AlexC

Just watched. Agree with him. He talked a lot of sense. Thanks for the link @RandallFlagg ;

digitalscream

I'm about half way through and he could've just been talking about people contributing to a thread on here from not so long ago...

Octafish

RandallFlagg said:

Cue a raft of bellend comments below I'm sure but your P60 probably looks a little pale compared to his...

Well yeah, only mugs like Chappers pay tax

Strat54

Of course its not dead.....Joe Bonamassa is playing country next. 

https://jbonamassa.com/features/2018/blues-meets-country/?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiTVRFd05EWmlZbUk1TkRsbSIsInQiOiJQZ3k1Y09MbzdMSmhVV3ZJSU5mUFRnUHpzbUdzVVJ4V3lrSU54ajVLN1NXZUlVcXI5WW54TllSSFVDaG5LanNkSDlSR3d5WUNLVXUxSVdjRGxJbGx4VFlDYmNMN3c4Y0h6MTdMOGtIUjRweGhNT0Q1UXA3WUlTczVBMXJxVUxXNyJ9

Octafish

Putting the count into country.....

Funkfingers

jf122 said:

RandallFlagg said:

Cue a raft of bellend comments below 

It’s almost as if you want that to happen.

Probably but, is *raft* the correct mass noun for a collection of bell ends? 

darthed1981

digitalscream said:

I'm about half way through and he could've just been talking about people contributing to a thread on here from not so long ago...

I'd bet dollars to dimes he googles himself and finds the threads on here, or these days, maybe even hires someone to keep an eye on it for him.

I'm not sure why he divides opinion quite as much as he does to be honest.  I'm even less sure why when it comes to Lee Anderton who is clearly a web selling genius, or players like Rabea or Pete, who clearly have got genuinely impressive chops.

I'm a live and let live kind of guy though.

Octafish

Funkfingers said:

jf122 said:

RandallFlagg said:

Cue a raft of bellend comments below 

It’s almost as if you want that to happen.

Probably but, is *raft* the correct mass noun for a collection of bell ends? 

I'd have thought 'a fist of bell ends'?

digitalscream

darthed1981 said:

digitalscream said:

I'm about half way through and he could've just been talking about people contributing to a thread on here from not so long ago...

I'd bet dollars to dimes he googles himself and finds the threads on here, or these days, maybe even hires someone to keep an eye on it for him.

Actually, I he told me he doesn't (a long time ago), and from what his friends have all said, I believe that's totally genuine.

darthed1981 said:

...or players like Rabea or Pete, who clearly have got genuinely impressive chops.

But they're just salesmen, they're not professional musicians, so they don't count.