Iggy Fizz
War Child
the people of India disagree.
The Edge's talent as a guitarist
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the people of India disagree.
hasin73
Refugee
So what ?! Let the ignorant ones be drowned in ignorance.
Partyslammer
War Child
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- Feb 10, 2005
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The Edge is one of my top 5 favorite guitarists in a list that includes Eddie Van Halen, Hendrix, Gary Moore and Geordie from Killing Joke.
Someone has already mentioned that his fingering and rhythm playing really sets him apart from a purely guitar player standpoint. It's like once you kind of figure out his top few basic chords, riffs, etc you more or less crack the nut to the way the guitar parts are laid out (The Fly is Discotheque is Boots, etc) but getting down how his right hand hits the strings when he's playing the rhythm of a song is pretty tough to master. For me, one of his key assets is the fact he uses a huge variety of guitars, from Strats to SGs to Les Pauls to Hollow Bodies to get a huge swatch of tones *before* you even consider what kind of effects he may pile on.
I really wish he'd do more weird little instrumental guitar intros for songs like he did for Gone, UTEOTW, Zooropa, etc - they make great ring tones!
Probably my one criticism is that he can screw up live more than anyone else I've ever seen. I remember for the Elevation tour, I think he badly botched the solo for "The Fly" maybe 3 outta 4 shows I saw.
Someone has already mentioned that his fingering and rhythm playing really sets him apart from a purely guitar player standpoint. It's like once you kind of figure out his top few basic chords, riffs, etc you more or less crack the nut to the way the guitar parts are laid out (The Fly is Discotheque is Boots, etc) but getting down how his right hand hits the strings when he's playing the rhythm of a song is pretty tough to master. For me, one of his key assets is the fact he uses a huge variety of guitars, from Strats to SGs to Les Pauls to Hollow Bodies to get a huge swatch of tones *before* you even consider what kind of effects he may pile on.
I really wish he'd do more weird little instrumental guitar intros for songs like he did for Gone, UTEOTW, Zooropa, etc - they make great ring tones!
Probably my one criticism is that he can screw up live more than anyone else I've ever seen. I remember for the Elevation tour, I think he badly botched the solo for "The Fly" maybe 3 outta 4 shows I saw.
Muad'zin
Refugee
Asking this question on a u2 fan forum is probably not the smartest place to ask this as we are probably the most biased in favor of Edge. Also its best not to read youtube commentary sections. It's a wretched place of scum and villainy that makes Mos Eisley look like a sunday church by comparison.
As for the OP, I love the Edge. Just the absence of him using the blues scale makes his playing stand out so much among an ocean of pentatonic noodling. Does he use a lot of effects? Yeah, so do many others. Pink Floyd made quite a career out of it, and people worship the ground that they have walked upon. Including me. Does he use a lot of delay? Why not? Lots of people find a thing and make it their signature thing. Billy Gibbons and pinch harmonics anyone? Eddie Van Halen and tapping? If I suspect its because so many Edge wannabes have copied his use of delays its because most people dislike Edge. But he was still the one who took it to a new level first and made it his own.
Is Edge a technically gifted guitarist? Not by a long shot. I always found his playing style to be quite simple and easy to master. Also improvisation is not his strong suit. Contrast the poor attempt at a solo in All Along the Watchtower on R&H with the later Lovetown version to hear the difference between an Edge improvisation on the spot and him having worked out something. Sometimes I wonder if me being a fan of the Edge has actually held my development back technically, as I've never managed to shred, or churn out a decent blues lead. It would have been cool to be able to do so, but I reckon that's maybe an excuse to comfort myself that I just do not have the patience and will to practice for hours on end every day. And maybe its good as well, as I've now managed to find my own guitar voice, which is part Edge, but also part lots of other people as well. And I would rather have my own voice then be just yet another generic guitar player that looks cool doing his shredding or blues licks, but whom you have forgotten already the next day.
I agree that Edge's main talent lies in his song writing. He always seems to unearth a good sound whenever he comes upon a new effect unit, but doesn't get lost in them. He has an exceptional good ear for the right tools for the job. His licks are elegantly simple and tasteful, which is an artform in itself. And the form the basis for more hits then most guitarists will ever manage to produce. I reckon that Edge is one of the most influential guitar players out there. One that comes along once every generation. The likes of of Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Tony Iommi, Tom Morello and Eddy van Halen, to name a few. Not so much in what they do or by how proficient they are, but by changing the way guitarists think and approach their instruments.
I've listened to a LOT of bootlegs and if I had to finger one U2 member for making the most mistakes its Adam. But since Edge is more noticeable as his mistakes probably stand out more.
No! Yngwie is funny as hell. Who doesn't like to see a fat egomaniac make an ass of himself on stage? His rhythm playing has gotten incredibly sloppy, his 80's stage antics are cringeworthy and you can practically spot his Great Wall of Marshall amps from space. Even Edge's stack of amplifiers, which is quite considerable, looks moderate in comparison.
As for the OP, I love the Edge. Just the absence of him using the blues scale makes his playing stand out so much among an ocean of pentatonic noodling. Does he use a lot of effects? Yeah, so do many others. Pink Floyd made quite a career out of it, and people worship the ground that they have walked upon. Including me. Does he use a lot of delay? Why not? Lots of people find a thing and make it their signature thing. Billy Gibbons and pinch harmonics anyone? Eddie Van Halen and tapping? If I suspect its because so many Edge wannabes have copied his use of delays its because most people dislike Edge. But he was still the one who took it to a new level first and made it his own.
Is Edge a technically gifted guitarist? Not by a long shot. I always found his playing style to be quite simple and easy to master. Also improvisation is not his strong suit. Contrast the poor attempt at a solo in All Along the Watchtower on R&H with the later Lovetown version to hear the difference between an Edge improvisation on the spot and him having worked out something. Sometimes I wonder if me being a fan of the Edge has actually held my development back technically, as I've never managed to shred, or churn out a decent blues lead. It would have been cool to be able to do so, but I reckon that's maybe an excuse to comfort myself that I just do not have the patience and will to practice for hours on end every day. And maybe its good as well, as I've now managed to find my own guitar voice, which is part Edge, but also part lots of other people as well. And I would rather have my own voice then be just yet another generic guitar player that looks cool doing his shredding or blues licks, but whom you have forgotten already the next day.
I agree that Edge's main talent lies in his song writing. He always seems to unearth a good sound whenever he comes upon a new effect unit, but doesn't get lost in them. He has an exceptional good ear for the right tools for the job. His licks are elegantly simple and tasteful, which is an artform in itself. And the form the basis for more hits then most guitarists will ever manage to produce. I reckon that Edge is one of the most influential guitar players out there. One that comes along once every generation. The likes of of Jimi Hendrix, David Gilmour, Tony Iommi, Tom Morello and Eddy van Halen, to name a few. Not so much in what they do or by how proficient they are, but by changing the way guitarists think and approach their instruments.
I've listened to a LOT of bootlegs and if I had to finger one U2 member for making the most mistakes its Adam. But since Edge is more noticeable as his mistakes probably stand out more.
No! Yngwie is funny as hell. Who doesn't like to see a fat egomaniac make an ass of himself on stage? His rhythm playing has gotten incredibly sloppy, his 80's stage antics are cringeworthy and you can practically spot his Great Wall of Marshall amps from space. Even Edge's stack of amplifiers, which is quite considerable, looks moderate in comparison.
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