Terry Syrek
No rant from me this month. Instead I've decided to let ace guitarist, Terry Syrek do the talking. Well, most of it anyway.
One of the USA.'s most talented new guitarists, Syrek's music is a proficient mixture of technical prowess and strong compositional skills. His early demos feature a bunch of tunes which display a number of contrasting styles. Terry possesses the speed of Shawn Lane or Michael Angelo and the song writing diversity of Joe Satriani. For instance, there's the progressive thrash of 'Puckish Satire' which sits comfortably alongside the memorably light, Police-like beat of 'Crazy March'. Alternatively, check out the Ron Thal-like (both Syrek and Thal have previously worked together) 'Abracaslinky'; or 'Black Magic', whose power metal structure is punctuated by an unexpectedly fast and freaky solo. The latest tunes feature Terry on vocals, and can be heard (via WAV format) on his website (see below).
His favourite players include Yngwie Malmsteen, Gary Moore, Angus Young and Trevor Rabin. His band influences encompass the likes of Yes, Jethro Tull, Rush and Genesis, and these progressive leanings manifest themselves in some of his arrangements.
So what are his views on the 90s guitar scene?
'The term "shred guitar" once inspired terror in the hearts of young guitarists everywhere,' says Terry. 'Now it inspires comments like, "Aww man, c'mon! Not that crap!" or "Booorrring!" or even wonderful onomatopoeia such as, "Dweeduleee, dweeeeduleee, dweeeduleee…", generally followed by peals of laughter.
'Why?
'Because what started as an innovative and expressive form of guitar playing turned into a bad parody of itself. Guitarists who copied the innovators saw one thing and one thing only: speed. The song writing (and I use that term loosely) was awful; it was used as a platform for soloing. A lot of us in guitar-land can't stand to listen to "shred" guitar because of those very reasons.
'But there ARE still good "shredders" among us who are really trying to get it right. Guitar playing (and music in general) should reflect all that stuff buried within a person. When ALL someone does is play a harmonic minor scale at a zillion miles an hour (even if it is flawless), that says to me: "Look at me! I want attention! Problem is I have no depth as a person so I need to play like this to justify myself."'
'I know what you're thinking: "So what the hell do we do about this, your high-and-mightiness?"'
I'll tell ya...
Play because you love it and to express your innermost self, not because you wanna impress.
Stop badmouthing and back-stabbing. I think sometimes it's within the very ego-driven nature of the guitarist to badmouth other guitarists, but DON'T. It's just another cry for attention. It's OK not to like someone's playing; it's not OK to let everyone else know that "that guy sucks". We're a small die-hard contingent of people that have to learn to be cool to each other and help one another out. We all benefit that way.
Don't listen to tons of shred guitar - you risk becoming a bad parody. Listen to all types of music and let different influences make up your OWN thing.
Use different melody, harmony and rhythm. By following #3, you'll probably be on your way to this. For example, what about the cool modes of melodic minor? Man, there's some GREAT stuff there! But, many of us are content to just rehash Yngwie licks.
Build your chops and be articulate, but don't stop there. Worry just as much, if notmore, about subtle nuances. Example: the pentatonic scale is found in many cultures and in many styles of music but why does Eric Clapton sound so different to L. Shankar when they improvise? Think of yourself as the instrument and not the guitar. Try this sometime: Pretend it's your last day on earth and as a last dying wish, you get to play one solo. What would you do? How would you feel?
Ever think of writing a good SONG? Who'da thunk it?!
I'll stop here for now; I hope you get the idea. I mean absolutely no pretension with this little tirade. I'm still trying to find all that 'goop' way down inside; how to translate it all to music.'
To learn more about this amazing player, and to hear him in action, check out:
Terry Syrek
Or email him on: rek@interactive.net
Matt's Playlist:
Yngwie Malmsteen - Concerto Suite For Electric Guitar & Orchestra in E Flat Minor Op.1
Spastic Ink - Ink Complete
Magnitude 9 - Chaos To Control
Meshuggah - Destroy, Erase, Improve
Paul Gilbert - King Of Clubs
Matt's Mind|Matt's Music|The Modern Guitarist
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