Dream Theater guitarist tells his hero Steve Morse that YT is a bit of a double-edged sword.
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John Petrucci recently discussed the impact YouTube had on the world of guitars with his six-string hero Steve Morse.
Dream Theater guitarist told Reverb: “YouTube… it’s a funny thing.
“On one side, kids have become so good at guitar at such a young age, because they can see exactly how it’s done. Just go to YouTube and it’s like, ‘Well, if this 8-year-old is doing it, and I’m 7, I should be able to do it too.’
“And at the same time, you get this feeling that everything you play is going to be up there. You have to ignore that little critical voice.”
Focusing on the visual side of the whole thing, John added: “You can just get there a lot quicker. For example, when I was younger and I heard ‘Eruption‘ for the first time, when it gets to the part where Eddie is tapping – listening to that, I had no idea, to me it didn’t even sound like a guitar. It took me so long to actually realize it’s doable, how he got the sound.
“People can get there a lot quicker, but maybe there’s an ear-training thing that’s not happening, that’s probably the biggest detriment.”
After agreeing with Steve that lack of freedom to play new material live before it’s officially released is a definite drawback of the YouTube era, Petrucci was asked whether YouTube has stifled live improvisation and experimentation.
“I think it depends,” he replied. “If you’re going in with this idea that you’re going to do some sort of improvisational thing, I think you’re gonna go for it no matter what. But if it’s something that wasn’t planned, that’s on the spot – you might second-guess.”