[MusicTlk] Instrumental and solo music

[Mike Jolls]

Kirk



Here are my thoughts on your comments.  Tommy Emmanuel (absolutely no disrespect to him whatsoever) is old school.  He grew up in the time of Chet Atkins, decided that he liked what Chet was playing (and the way he was playing), and that inspired him to go the route that he went.  He was a product of that generation, just as I was and am.



What I was saying was that somewhere along the line, that genre has been dropped.  Based on what I’ve heard in recent years, new musicians aren’t carrying on with that art form.  Is it too difficult?  Is there too much to learn?  Are kids these days unwilling to put the work and sweat into it that would be required to play things like Atkins and Emmanuel play?  What they did looked easy.  It is not.



Certainly there are some serious musicians today, I won’t say there aren’t.  But, the art form of the soloist and instrumentalist has, in my view, died on the vine so to speak.



Another thing I’ll comment on is what you said in your reply … that artists today write songs with a few chords.  That’s something else I’ve DEFINITELY noticed.  The complexity, color, and creativity that artists such as Emmanuel and Atkins once put into their work would seem to have died also.  That implies a lack of knowledge about music in general by today’s artists.  I wasn’t going to say that from the “get-go” because then I’d really be sounding like an old fogie … “those young whipper-snappers ……”.



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________________________________
From: Kirk Reiser <kirk at reisers.ca>
Sent: Tuesday, February 12, 2019 5:57:33 PM
To: Mike Jolls via MusicTlk
Cc: Mike Jolls
Subject: Re: [MusicTlk] Instrumental and solo music

Hi, I would say that the music has not gone away, not by a long
shot. More probably your access has changed from what you listened to
when you were younger. There is a load of new material being release
of an instrumental variety. As just one example to site on your
mention of Chet Atkins. Just a few weeks ago a new album by Tommy
Emannuell and John Knowles was released named Heart Songs and is very
much in the old solo Chet style.

It is certainly true that the new popular music isn't much into songs
more complex than a few chords but there is loads of other good
stuff out there. You just need to hunt it down.

Just my nickels worth.
   Kirk

P.s. Happy to talk music and instruments and playing off list.



On Tue, 12 Feb 2019, Mike Jolls via MusicTlk wrote:

> Hi everyone … I have a philosophical question I’d like to ask.
>
> I’m working on building a music library.  Right now, I’m looking for instrumental only music to put in my collection, specifically played by Chet Atkins.  As I listen to his body of work, the question occurred to me  … “what ever happened to the instrumental and solo album genre?”.
>
> Back when I was a kid (I’m showing my age here) instrumental albums were everywhere.  Chet Atkins, Herb Alpert, The Ventures, and others.  There were a LOT of good instrumental and solo albums.  Some just played guitars.  Some were solo artists.  Some had orchestras in them (Moody Blues for example).  Then it seems that in the 70’s, that genre started to die.  By the 80’s as I recall (except for movie soundtrack albums such as Star Wars or Superman, for example) they were pretty much gone.  Maybe even the movie soundtrack album no longer exists.
>
> I’m a musician, a guitar player, and an aspiring pianist, so instrumental music and playing solo is near and dear to my heart.  I grew up with this playing style.  I don’t hear it these days (except in recordings).  At least I haven’t heard it on the rare occasions I’ve listened to pop music (when I wanted to hear what my children were listening to).  I just wonder, what happened?  Where did the torch not get passed?  I do understand that music styles change, just as big band couldn’t last forever, or 50’s rock, or even 60’s rock.
>
> Still, it seems that a wonderful artistic style has died, and has been dead for quite a while.  Too bad.  The modern generation is missing out, but I suppose “old fogies” have been saying that for years.
>
> Anybody have any comments?
>
> Sent from Mail<https://nam03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fgo.microsoft.com%2Ffwlink%2F%3FLinkId%3D550986&data=02%7C01%7C%7Cff1924fed2334c685b9408d69145df6f%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C636856126613524144&sdata=FG6yqBgP0cZeQMB1P6pRqbTWVrWzpyJCynTg4Q2rFEA%3D&reserved=0> for Windows 10
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