MasterClass Carlos Santana Teaches The Art And Soul Of Guitar TUTORiAL MERRY XMAS-SYNTHiC4TE

I'd say "Godfather" is pushin' it, my friend. HeeHee! But seriously, WHOEVER the "Godfathers of Guitar" are, they must ALSO know how to play CHORDS and ACCOMPANY others TOO. I love the beautiful tone that Carlos gets and the pure spirit in which he solos(cause that's all he EVER does), but I don't think I've heard him play a chord in over 25 years! HaHa!!

Let me explain the difference between "good" and "great". A "great" player is capable of being at LEAST a "good" teacher because he/she is COMPLETE in his/her knowledge of the instrument AND Western music(in THIS situation). Carlos Santana, as much as I like him, is NOT complete as a guitar player and therefore is NOT a "great" guitar player which is WHY he cannot effectively TEACH worth a goddamned. He's a "good" guitar player with a "great" sound". Likewise, Jimi Hendrix was NOT a "great" GUITAR PLAYER. He had a "great" sound and was a "great" INNOVATOR of Rock guitar-playing so we can generally say that he was "great". But here's the thing: You do NOT get to be considered "great" AS A PLAYER of Western music unless you can play ALL of the scales and ALL of the chords of Western music on your instrument. There aren't THAT many so those of you wanting to be "great", get started learning them NOW. You must ALSO know how to play ALL of the basic articulations of your instrument in order to be rightfully considered "great". On the guitar, that includes picking, finger-picking, muting, sliding, and a host of other articulations(hammer-ons, pull-offs, harmonics, squeals, etc.). The best guitar players in the world are LARGELY unknown to the general public. Record/CD/cassette sales do NOT make you "great" as a player. Cool outfits and stage props do NOT make you "great" as a player. Good looks and a nice physique do NOT make you "great" as a player. COMPLETE knowledge of your instrument, basic music theory and principles, and the ability to connect to the listener is what makes one a "great" instrumentalist.

PS. We can be more flexible when we are being genre-specific. In other words, if you'd said that BB King was a "great" Blues guitar player, your statement would be difficult to argue against. It is NOT necessary for one to know the harmonic minor scale to play "great" Blues guitar, but it IS if one is playing Classical guitar. But to say that one is a "great guitarist"(or any other instrumentalist) WITHOUT specifying a genre, is to indicate(without actually saying it) that the person can play MANY different genres, and the need to be COMPLETE in one's knowledge of Western music AND of the articulations of their instrument , again becomes MANDATORY. This is because we MUST use objective criteria and NOT our emotions to judge "greatness".

And THAT'S what's important to me as a fellow human being: That we at least THINK things through and not just catch a FEELING about them that's devoid of facts, logic, and truth. When we're NOT operating in "SWOLLEN EGO MODE", it's inevitable that we actually USE those three things and we are THEN able to evolve our mentalities predicated on an ever-changing point of view. I don't EVER require a person to agree with me to be my friend and I'm actually MORE impressed when they can articulate WHY they don't agree with me using facts, logic, and truth. I feel more ALIVE and INSPIRED around people like this. When we are NOT capable of resisting the urge to be in "SWOLLEN EGO MODE", then NOTHING can alter our perceptions and beliefs and we are THEN stuck in a non-growth cycle. It is in THIS cycle that we inevitably CLASH with other humans and become a deadly THREAT to humanity.

There are 2 types of people in the world: Those that HELP humanity and those that HINDER it. Ultimately, EACH of us must decide which of those two we want to be.

Thanks for being who you are, my esteemed fellow human being.