totally unpopular opinions.

I dunno. Sounds bizarre to me. I have fun when I play, I run around, I smile, I attack it.... just plain enjoy playing for people. Take the emotion out??
Nope.

No emotion.

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This guy was born to play in front of people.
 
Can you play smoke on the water?

Yes!

But I play it all with diads!!!! Just two string rhythm parts!!!!

There is not a single power chord in this, just dad's and a few triads...

the solos are all doubled.

Listen to Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple Cover by Von Herndon on #SoundCloud
 
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Sorry to break the news to ZZZZ, but I truly think according to my memory, from that first day at around maybe 8 years old sitting in a barber's chair as I was getting my hair cut, his radio was playing the coolest thing I had ever heard. From that day on, I think Smoke on the Water was the first exposure to rock n roll in my lifetime of what would become eternal fandom of music.

Sorry ZZZZ, I was fortunate to not OD on Smoke LOL.
 
Yes!

But I play it all with diads!!!! Just two string rhythm parts!!!!

There is not a single power chord in this, just dad's and a few triads...

the solos are all doubled.

Listen to Smoke On The Water - Deep Purple Cover by Von Herndon on #SoundCloud
rocking it man.
 
From then on, other than Bad Bad Leroy Brown, Smokin in The Boys Room, Reelin in the Years, Will it go Round in Circles, Daniel, Uneasy Rider and all the other songs on this album called Autumn'73 that I bought off the TV,


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https://www.discogs.com/The-Sound-Effects-Autumn-73/release/3584179
Tracklist

A1Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
A2Shambala
A3Yesterday Once More
A4Get Down
A5Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
B1Brother Louie
B2Has Anyone Seen My Sweet Gypsy Rose
B3My Maria
B4Uneasy Rider
B5Will It Go Round In Circles
C1Delta Dawn
C2The Morning After
C3Daniel
C4Reeling In The Years
C5Natural High
D1Are You Man Enough
D2Here I Am (Come And Take Me)
D3Playground In My Mind
D4Diamond Girl
D5I Believe In You



I would go on to my other initiations of music such as Elton John,, BTO, Grand Funk as things got harder rock wise for me such as Van Halen, Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, Led Zep, Judas Priest, Blue Oyster Cult, Cream, Aerosmith, Sabbath, Stones, and all the other cool bands from 1950's to 2021.
 
I guess. Your style is your style, I wouldn't try n get it to fit any particular type, as such. You are your own after that many years of playjng. Think of it as perfect for your own style!!

I think my major problem is that I am a blues-based player who plays too heavy for a typical blues crowd, and at the same time, I don't play highly technical solos that appeal to the hard rock crowd.

I've had discussions with some people who are fairly good guitarists and they have described my solos as "somewhat rudimentary and boring, lacking immigration and technical skill."

Now, I am not offended by that in the least. I take all critiques into consideration when I evaluate my own work. I believe that any criticism is good as an evaluation standard.

I listen to early Joe Bonnamassa, like "Good Day Yesterday" and he seems to have a great balance between hard rock and blues, which I feel like he lost when he moved away from the Stratocaster.

I'm a work in progress I suppose.
 
I listen to early Joe Bonnamassa, like "New Day Yesterday" and he seems to have a great balance between hard rock and blues, which I feel like he lost when he moved away from the Stratocaster.


I generally love a Les Paul tone, but JB's sound AND technique went backwards when he moved away from the Stratocaster, IMHO...to my ears, it's as if the switch to Gibson's neutered JB from a musical standpoint.
 
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Here's an example of where I feel my playing is caught between two worlds.

Here's Rory Gallagher's song "Road To Hell" from his 1987 LP 'Defender.'

this song was widely shunned by a large group of his fans because they felt like Rory had "crossed the line between rock and blues," but I loved it more because of that fact:


Then, there's my version of "Road To Hell" that drew a lot of criticism from Rory fans that feel like the cover was some sort of blasphemous insult to the original:

Listen to Road To Hell - Rory Gallagher Cover - 02/25/2019 by Von Herndon on #SoundCloud

I know that this song is my first foray into engineering and production and my lack of skill in this area is immediately evident, buy I look fondly on this song as it was my first time working entirely independent of a producer.

*sigh*
 
Here's an example of where I feel my playing is caught between two worlds.

Here's Rory Gallagher's song "Road To Hell" from his 1987 LP 'Defender.'

this song was widely shunned by a large group of his fans because they felt like Rory had "crossed the line between rock and blues," but I loved it more because of that fact:


Then, there's my version of "Road To Hell" that drew a lot of criticism from Rory fans that feel like the cover was some sort of blasphemous insult to the original:

Listen to Road To Hell - Rory Gallagher Cover - 02/25/2019 by Von Herndon on #SoundCloud

I know that this song is my first foray into engineering and production and my lack of skill in this area is immediately evident, buy I look fondly on this song as it was my first time working entirely independent of a producer.

*sigh*

This is awesome!! I like the high harmonics that ring out on sustained notes!!

I think my major problem is that I am a blues-based player who plays too heavy for a typical blues crowd, and at the same time, I don't play highly technical solos that appeal to the hard rock crowd.

I've had discussions with some people who are fairly good guitarists and they have described my solos as "somewhat rudimentary and boring, lacking immigration and technical skill."

Now, I am not offended by that in the least. I take all critiques into consideration when I evaluate my own work. I believe that any criticism is good as an evaluation standard.

I listen to early Joe Bonnamassa, like "Good Day Yesterday" and he seems to have a great balance between hard rock and blues, which I feel like he lost when he moved away from the Stratocaster.

I'm a work in progress I suppose.
Well... - that is THEIR opinion. The one that counts most is your own!! I agree that one can take criticism and learn from it but if YOU are playing it to the best of your abilities, enjoying the hell out of it, the audience sees that, after that who cares??
My bands tend to play party rock music but I play what I want. You can't please 'em all, so I please myself.
I overplay, I don't necessarily fit the song, I don't care. My head hears Nugent and EVH so I play what I hear.

I had a guy tell me once at a larger show at a Forces Base that he heard Satriani in my playing (really/...??) but not Clapton. I said I like the blues but we aren't a blues band.
Personally I try to reach for things I might not have tried before and stretch my abilities live. Past that, the audience just needs to have fun. You play with emotion and get into what you are playing. That's all you need IMO.
Cheers
 
I listen to early Joe Bonnamassa, like "New Day Yesterday" and he seems to have a great balance between hard rock and blues, which I feel like he lost when he moved away from the Stratocaster.


I generally love a Les Paul tone, but JB's sound AND technique went backwards when he moved away from the Stratocaster, IMHO...to my ears, it's as if the switch to Gibson's neutered JB from a musical standpoint.

There are articles/interviews out there about this and his take on it is very interesting if you care to dig them up (I'd go looking but too busy with work). He didn't switch to a Les Paul as much as back to a Les Paul, and he had some fascinating personal reasons. Now from a purely subjective point of view I think his tone is light-years better with a Les Paul (personally). Technique-wise I like both versions of Joe for different reasons. One thing for sure though is that the guy masterfully straddles the fence between Blues and Hard Rock, though if I am being honest I prefer when he's rockin' to bluesin' because mostly I just find Blues as boring as a bowl of tapioca pudding.
 
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This is awesome!! I like the high harmonics that ring out on sustained notes!!


Well... - that is THEIR opinion. The one that counts most is your own!! I agree that one can take criticism and learn from it but if YOU are playing it to the best of your abilities, enjoying the hell out of it, the audience sees that, after that who cares??
My bands tend to play party rock music but I play what I want. You can't please 'em all, so I please myself.
I overplay, I don't necessarily fit the song, I don't care. My head hears Nugent and EVH so I play what I hear.

I had a guy tell me once at a larger show at a Forces Base that he heard Satriani in my playing (really/...??) but not Clapton. I said I like the blues but we aren't a blues band.
Personally I try to reach for things I might not have tried before and stretch my abilities live. Past that, the audience just needs to have fun. You play with emotion and get into what you are playing. That's all you need IMO.
Cheers

Good points, and I appreciate your input. For me, music is money, so I'm always looking to make myself more marketable.

I'm not offended by a negative critique.
 
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