michael angelo batio?

NY Chief · Post by **NY Chief** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 11:36 am

Heard of this guy? He is all over the guitar rags ( I come to find out)

This guy did a closed clinic at local music store last night.

This guy has amazing chops - pure shreddaholic. The first ten minutes were blindly devastating. Then, well you know the rest...what else you got? He tried to play a blues. That lasted about 8 bars before he couldn't stand it and started the bee in heat shit. He was also very, er, "happy" with himself and didn't mind telling you (again and again and again...). But, then he pulled out the double neck. That was very impressive just for the chops and dexterity. He played some very cool harmony lines with each hand. It's a bit different double neck. Check out the link. He played righty, then he played lefty then played both necks simultaneously. Even played a few lines like a piano, left hand bass, right hand melody. Obviously all hammer on's. I would think he probably had a compressor in line some where. He was an H&K half stack. Tone wasn't bad, heavy processing though. I might get one of his DVD's just to get some insight into the metal shredders technique. It's good to have a riff or two like that in your pocket.

He kept saying how he invented this, or introduced that, blah, blah, blah. And how he was tight with Satriani, Vai, Gilbert. How he taugh Tom Morrello... And of course, really hawking the Dean guitars.

Oh yeah, and the Dean girls were there, too!

http://www.deanguitars.com/angelo/mab.html

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:36 pm

That guys been doin that stuff for a while. He's right out of YM's book. Dont know who came first but yeah, its funny when he goes to play with space. It sounds like he doesnt know how to process his actions slower then 64bpm. I think a lot of those guys have only ever practiced metronome type drills and only ever tried to push speed bariers as opposed to guys like EJ and Vai and Sqatch who focused on melodic playing as much though I dont know that those guys could stand next to blues or jazz guys either. I think he's one of those guys that started those damper pedals for guitar necks. Little damper action thingies that are down by the guitar nut and work like piano dampers so when they use one handed techniques on 2 necks the strings arent ringing out. I have a video of him playing called 'spped kills' and he plays like 128th notes fretting the guitar neck fromt he top and bottum. Impressive to watch.

NY Chief · Post by **NY Chief** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 12:54 pm

I almost choked when he claimed he had a patent on the dampener and how "his really good" friend Jennifer Batten uses one and how one day the shop phone rang. He answered it and the guy wanted to buy a dampener. He asked his name and the guy said Joseph. He asked, last name? Satriani. OHHH Hi Joe, it's Mike!! Yeah, well...

I swear I remember a Guitar Player issue years ago that had a pic of an old Jazz box that a veryy similar dampener. Whatever, good for him.

He started the night by saying "My father was into BB King and Frank Zappa. I hated them both". He had no need to dis either one. He started off on a real bad foot to me.

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 2:10 pm

That doesnt mean he disrespects King or Zappa necessarily but hate's a big word so it probably does. That attitude is so rediculous I'd feel like I was bringing myself down by listening to it which I have. I hear a lot of that from guitar players. Its usually a shredder thing, dissing guys like King who have little technique though they themselves could never even come close to playing one simple bend or vibrato the way he does but Ive heard it almost as much from jazz guys too. Jimmy Bruno has that attitude a lot. I never say what style I play because I have this fear if I ever chat with him and say I like rock or something his attitude would change like he's refraining from saying something that might offend the lesser musician he's talking to who is unable to comprehend where he's at and I like listening to what he has to say too much because the guys amazing. I can understand his attitude though, he'll be playing down the street from a band Im playing with an Im making 2x what he makes, playing for 10x as many people and Im only 1/100 the talent he is. I give that guy a lot of respect but its not much different then Andres Segovia saying any music played on electric guitar is garbage. You just have to roll your eyes and kiss his ass for a few minutes and respect that he achieved what few else could despite any arrogance. Bruno's isnt that bad. He's a good guy, he's not super arrogant or anything, he's just a virtuoso jazz player and obviously thinks his style of jazz is superior to most other music. Not uncommon for jazz guys with the level of technique he has.

JasonC · Post by **JasonC** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 2:20 pm

There's a video at that site that shows the guy flying along, but not the double neck stuff. Didn't the guy from Jakyll have a double neck like that and do something simular?

Dude's so fast that you can't even see him switch guitars 4 or 5 times while he's playing his piece

The guy is a a technical marvel, but are there any actual non-guitar players out there who really dig this stuff?

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 2:32 pm

I enjoy Satch, and to a lesser degree Vai and Johnson, and despite my opinions in other threads I think Im drawn to them mostly because Im a guitar player and Im impressed technically but I can sustain interest because all 3 are real musical talents and not just technicaly skillful players. But non guitar players really dont like that stuff. Not any Ive known at least so stuff that even I cant listen to despite the impressiveness of the playing, I cant imagine many non guitar players would like it. But theres room for all kinds of music even novelty. Just dont bring any superior attitudes my way

NY Chief · Post by **NY Chief** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 3:24 pm

[quote="JasonC"]Dude's so fast that you can't even see him switch guitars 4 or 5 times while he's playing his piece

quote]

That's what put me off the most. He said at last three or four separate times that his teacher (supposedly THE guitar player / teacher in ALL Chicago) told him at 13 that he couldn't teach him anymore. That he was FASTER at 13 then the teacher was at 25. Kept coming back to how FAST this and how FAST that. And all the metal kids in the audience were sucking it up big time. To his credit he did say some good stuff. Like...listen to all styles, appreciate all styles, steal from everybody and make it your own, and, get this, learn your I-IV-V because you can go anywhere in the world and jam with someone if you know your I-IV-V. Guess that's good advice.

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 3:45 pm

NY Chief wrote:He said at last three or four separate times that his teacher (supposedly THE guitar player / teacher in ALL Chicago) told him at 13 that he couldn't teach him anymore. That he was FASTER at 13 then the teacher was at 25. Kept coming back to how FAST this and how FAST that.

Sounds like DiVinci. Teacher resigned because he was surpased by an apprentice. That teacher must not be very good if he had nothing to teach a 13yo just because he played faster then him.

NY Chief · Post by **NY Chief** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 4:04 pm

Billy Batz wrote:
NY Chief wrote:He said at last three or four separate times that his teacher (supposedly THE guitar player / teacher in ALL Chicago) told him at 13 that he couldn't teach him anymore. That he was FASTER at 13 then the teacher was at 25. Kept coming back to how FAST this and how FAST that.
Sounds like DiVinci. Teacher resigned because he was surpased by an apprentice. That teacher must not be very good if he had nothing to teach a 13yo just because he played faster then him.

Maybe that's his take. Maybe "Master Kenobi" said "Enough's enough's. I can't teach anything if you don't SLOW the F Down!!!".
Hmmm..

JasonC · Post by **JasonC** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 4:26 pm

But theres room for all kinds of music even novelty. Just dont bring any superior attitudes my way

Absolutely right Dan, and there's nothing wrong with being a 'musicians musician'. I really dig Adrian Belew, but it's not exactly accessible music for most folks.

It wasn't always the case, but I'm at a point now where I respect any musician who can get up and perform in front of people and pull it off. It takes dedication, talent and a bit of courage to be a good performer, no matter what flavor of music your playing.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 5:45 pm

The guy's been around forever doing the same-o speed routine. I remember a buddy in high school in the eighties coming up with a video he'd done. And I came up with about the same opinion, yeah he's fast and it's real impressive....for about five minutes. He absolutely butchered a blues on that video too. I don't know if he doesn't know how, or just can't, hold a note with some taste and emotion or what. And if he wasn't so damn smug about how cool he is, it wouldn't be a big deal, but.......sheesh.

Billy Batz · Post by **Billy Batz** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 5:57 pm

Its easier to pick on the super-technique folks from any genre because, really, a lot of times they ask for it. This guy certainly does. The younger players who are into it start to buy into it and thats were you get people who are like 'jazz sucks, blues is just a bunch of box patterns, hendrix was sloppy and overrated.' Most people grow out of that though. I met a few young guitar players at a local festival I played who had that attitude and were impressed when warming up I whipped off some deceptivly complex sacth riff (I think that tapping Always With Me... part) but when I started doing some Cream stuff they totally thought I was an idiot saying much of that stuff is way harder for me to pull off. You can tell its the kind of thing theyll grow out of though when they branch out a bit.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 6:03 pm

If they do it well in a musical context I don't have a problem with it. Listen to many of the great classical pieces out there, some of those violin runs are jaw-dropping. But it's in a musical whole that is engaging and pleasing. I like to be surprised by a good display of virtuosity, but that can't be the entire purpose of the music. And if yer a jackass to boot, the mud is gonna fly.

Flames1950 · Post by **Flames1950** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 6:05 pm

I met a few young guitar players at a local festival I played who had that attitude and were impressed when warming up I whipped off some deceptivly complex sacth riff (I think that tapping Always With Me... part) but when I started doing some Cream stuff they totally thought I was an idiot saying much of that stuff is way harder for me to pull off. You can tell its the kind of thing theyll grow out of though when they branch out a bit.

Mmmm, so considering their attitude......how were they on TONE? Many younger players need a good lesson on this subject....I trust you taught them one.

NY Chief · Post by **NY Chief** » Fri Oct 21, 2005 6:17 pm

Flames1950 wrote:The He absolutely butchered a blues on that video too.

Maybe that's why he got booted out of Chicago!