27/10/2006

Do these names ring a bell?
Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Joe Santriani, David Gilmour, Slash, Steve Morse, Carlos Santana, Mark Knopfler, Kirk Hamett, Keith Richards, Dave Murray, Kurt Kobain, Eric Clapton and Mike McGready among many others. These men have devoted their life for only one cause, a cause which is beyond the attainment of a ‘normal’ human soul, a cause which changed the lives of many music lovers. In short, they have propelled music lovers like us to reach ‘Nirvana’.

The sound of the guitar is just not like any other sound. The extraordinary abilities of the above mentioned stalwarts have lead to some inconceivable music for which they took the aid of only six strings of an acoustic or an electric guitar.
These dexterous gentlemen (don’t take this word seriously please) have excelled in their modus operandi and simply created musical delight, which will keep ringing in our ‘ears’ for ‘years’ to come.

Jimmy Page’s Stairway to Heaven keeps on enchanting people to this date. It’s the biggest selling Solo ever. Gary Gilmour had probably no clue that ‘Comfortably Numb’ and its 5-minute classical strings to end the song will make him a GOD among psychedelic rock admirers. (Not freaks please!!). When Axle Rose stops crooning November Rain and makes way for Slash to stand on ‘his’ platform, an unforgettable musical mayhem is created(again only 6 strings are involved). I haven’t listened to Jimi Hendrix LIVE (obviously not), but I have heard that people found it difficult to do two things at the same time, listening and breathing, such was the effect he created when he played Voodoo Chile among a mammoth live gathering in USA. Kurt Kobain had own style of playing the six-string. He was left-handed and he enthralled the audience with his deep voice and adept guitar-playing skills. (Consider Smells like a teen spirit or Man who sold the world). I am a big fan of Metallica’s Kirk Hammett. I take the assist of ‘Nothing else matters’, ‘Fade to black’, ‘Turn the Page’ and ‘Unforgiven’ to change my mood or rather elevate me to a position of ‘Divine Serenity’ (Please don’t try to find meaning in this!).

I can’t imagine a world without these guitarists!