What Would be Harder For YOU...

[iamdavea]

...to nail EJ's 1988 Austin City Limits version of "Cliffs", or SRV's "Tin Pan Alley" from Couldn't Stand the Weather? Two totally different vibes and approaches; which would be tougher to approximate?

[scottlr]

Probably EJ hands down.

[Tonefish]

EJs would be harder for me because I like SRV Tin Pan Alley better.

[iamdavea]

Both tunes are so full of magic. But, before I heard it, if you said to me, "I'm going to play you a slow blues that lasts over 9 minutes", I would have said "Uh-oh." But every time I hear "Tin Pan Alley", I'm just mesmerized.

[baseballnolie34]

EJ hands down. Both songs involve tons of subtle playing and touch, but that version of Cliffs does it twice as fast.

The intro solo in particular is insane, but his fills are much harder than the album version's. Then there's the chord solo -> lead solo section which is just jaw-dropping.

[HHB]

EJ has a singular approach, it's something I'd really have to woodshed, SRV would take me less time

[defcrew]

Anybody have a vid of EJ doing this? I used to play with his old bassist.

[rwe333]

Props to both players (who were friends, respected one another and would likely laugh at this topic).
Doing anything well is a challenge and doing so w/ an original voice is even harder.
I'll opt to take inspiration from both, though not try to approximate either.

[iamdavea]

I LOVE the chord solo; he finishes the bridge, and you're all ready for him to tear it up, and he chimes in with the chords instead. Wonderful.

[KRosser]

What would "tougher to approximate" tell you?

As for my own vote - since I haven't heard either, they're dead even at this point.

[iamdavea]

I ask because each song seems to represent, in a masterly fashion, two different aspects of playing well. "Tin Pan Alley" is obviously the less flashy, but is filled with such poetry and evocative playing. EJ's "Cliffs" is a textbook example of highspeed melodicism, all over the neck. An accomplished player with a great right hand might be more adept at EJ's approach, and find it harder to lay back and nail the subtleties of "Tin Pan Alley". Conversely, a more soulful player who had a lot of miles on his tires might be more at home with SRV's approach, but be unable to rise to EJ's virtuosity. I'm curious about what kind of players we have on the forum, and what those players consider the more "difficult" aspects of playing. I'm not trying to start a "Who's Greater?" debate.

[KRosser]

I ask because each song seems to represent, in a masterly fashion, two different aspects of playing well. "Tin Pan Alley" is obviously the less flashy, but is filled with such poetry and evocative playing. EJ's "Cliffs" is a textbook example of highspeed melodicism, all over the neck. An accomplished player with a great right hand might be more adept at EJ's approach, and find it harder to lay back and nail the subtleties of "Tin Pan Alley". Conversely, a more soulful player who had a lot of miles on his tires might be more at home with SRV's approach, but be unable to rise to EJ's virtuosity. I'm curious about what kind of players we have on the forum, and what those players consider the more "difficult" aspects of playing. I'm not trying to start a "Who's Greater?" debate.

I didn't think so.

It's just that there's thousands, if not millions, of 'aspects to playing well'. Why those two?

Anyway, we have all kinds of players on this forum. I assume that and take everyone's words at face value as much as possible without trying to suss out what kind of player is behind them.

[iamdavea]

Well, in each one of those songs, there are "thousands" of aspects of great playing; but they do--for the purpose of the question--contrast well.

[KRosser]

Well, in each one of those songs, there are "thousands" of aspects of great playing; but they do--for the purpose of the question--contrast well.

Fair enough - then my answer is that unless there's a significant paycheck in it for me I wouldn't bother approximating either one.

And I respect both of them although I've never followed either very closely.

[Jazzydave]

EJ's - because I'm not sure that I have the patience to wait for the batteries in the effects to drain down to that specific point where everything connects for him...

[smallbutmighty]

EJ's song would be light years harder to nail for me.

[tone4days]

i couldnt get close enough to either of them to make a discernible difference

hats off to both for outstanding music