What is everyone's thoughts on Tim Henson's "Boomer Bends" comment?

[Chippertheripper]

They’re like “weedllee weedllee weedllee”.

 

[bobcs71]

So I use chickin' pickin' GenX Bends.

 

[binge]

I just think Tim is a typical young man with a lot of opinions. Rick Beato wouldn't be Rick if he didn't interview someone like him, just to stir it up.

 

[Tdog]

EVERY genre has great sounding new things that often become much copied cliches. Some people find that niche and enjoy staying in it. Some want to avoid it. Whatever

 

[Studio Owner]

This style is not innovative, its a rehashing of a style which was out of style by the 90s, and a more innocuous, less experimental rehashing of it, with less technical mastery. Very rock musak. He's no Steve Vai.

Some of the modern metal styles are retro - but at least there is technical mastery and they are actually doing some new things technically. G.O.A.T. is like image over substance. There's little meat on the bone. Calling it a new genre, or any genre, is a big reach.

My opinions on this have zero to do with my age, or his age.

It went out of style, because people lost interest in guitar wanking. And nobody is interested in it now, these artists are unknown outside of their following of YouTube guitar hobbyists. Van Halen lasted and became much more popular than people like Vai or Satriani because the wanking and technical mastery was done in the context of great songwriting, performance, vocals, other things people can identify with and go into making a hit band and hit songs.

If people like it, that's great, but calling this innovative or new genre is a naked Emperor to me.

 

[stark]

It's the one where you bend one and a half step and grimace until a soaring eagle appears in the sky above.

 

[gtrdave]

I just think Tim is a typical young man with a lot of opinions. Rick Beato wouldn't be Rick if he didn't interview someone like him, just to stir it up.

Something else I find interesting is how Rick will typically go off on modern music that is very sterile and too 'studio processed' and yet what I've heard from Polyphia seems to be exactly that kind of music. Overly beat detected, overly quantized, pitch corrected, drum replaced, etc...it's all there and Rick's all buddy-buddy with this kid as if none of these things that he's rallied against for years matters.
Again, I find it interesting, but I'm not losing sleep over it.

 

[specialkindofhell]

Eddie Van Halen, or Hendrix, ushered in new eras of guitar playing with innovative techniques. As far as I remember they didn't need to also insult players of other styles / generations.

If you are truly on the forefront of guitar playing innovation, the bellwether, you do not need to make comments like this.

 

[Steely Dave]

For years I used to think bending was lame. Eventually I gradually added it as needed. Limiting yourself makes no sense. Every technique has a place. Some more/less than others. It’s all good.

 

[binge]

Something else I find interesting is how Rick will typically go off on modern music that is very sterile and too 'studio processed' and yet what I've heard from Polyphia seems to be exactly that kind of music. Overly beat detected, overly quantized, pitch corrected, drum replaced, etc...it's all there and Rick's all buddy-buddy with this kid as if none of these things that he's rallied against for years matters.
Again, I find it interesting, but I'm not losing sleep over it.

Agree with you 100%!

 

[cyrusj]

I don't know exactly what he meant by his comment, but I share his general distaste for guitar playing still being dominated by boomer blues cliches. But I think Allan Holdsworth expressed this sentiment better, despite being a boomer himself.

Playing in cover bands I'm fairly often forced to play that style myself especially when doing Clapton and Hendrix and I just find it utterly soulless and uninspired. To me guitar playing went backwards significantly with that generation of players when you compare them to the likes of Wes Montgomery.

 

[binge]

Eddie Van Halen, or Hendrix, ushered in new eras of guitar playing with innovative techniques. As far as I remember they didn't need to also insult players of other styles / generations.

If you are truly on the forefront of guitar playing innovation, the bellwether, you do not need to make comments like this.

I wonder how the guys in Polyphia would feel if someone said that heavy compression and hard noise gates on slightly dirty guitars are all it takes to make music for millenials?

 

[gtrdave]

I don't know exactly what he meant by his comment, but I share his general distaste for guitar playing still being dominated by boomer blues cliches. But I think Allan Holdsworth expressed this sentiment better, despite being a boomer himself.

Playing in cover bands I'm fairly often forced to play that style myself especially when doing Clapton and Hendrix and I just find it utterly soulless and uninspired. To me guitar playing went backwards significantly with that generation of players when you compare them to the likes of Wes Montgomery.

Honestly, if you start at ground zero for the electric guitar you've basically got Charlie Christian and T-Bone Walker and both set the standard (one in jazz and the other in blues-based pop) for what was to come and for nearly 90 years we really haven't progressed forward all that much. I mean, if we're being honest.
As far as cliche's in music and technique, etc...what has really not already been done and overdone?
To sort of paraphrase what Chet Atkins said for many years, 'all [we're] doing is borrowing from those that came before'.

Again, everything old is new again.

 

[David MacNeill]

Charlie Christian was bending electric guitar strings in the 1930s. Banjo players were probably doing it in the mid-19th century but I can’t cite an example because I don’t care about the banjo much. Hell, clavichord players in the 14th century were bending strings.

History, snowflakes. History.

 

[Festus]

G.O.A.T. Is pretty cool. It’s not particularly innovative, though. I’ve heard similar stuff (can’t come up with bands/songs at the moment, my boomer brain and food poisoning is impairing my memory - don’t put the spicy cabbage on your street tacos. Just sayin’).

What I did notice is the bass player using “boomer slap” through most of the song. And the drummer. Don’t get me started! The edge of his sticks to smack the cymbals!?! How boomer can you get?! Oh the irony.

 

[QuarterTone]

I don't know exactly what he meant by his comment, but I share his general distaste for guitar playing still being dominated by boomer blues cliches. But I think Allan Holdsworth expressed this sentiment better, despite being a boomer himself.

Playing in cover bands I'm fairly often forced to play that style myself especially when doing Clapton and Hendrix and I just find it utterly soulless and uninspired. To me guitar playing went backwards significantly with that generation of players when you compare them to the likes of Wes Montgomery.

"Blues cliches" were popularized long before Boomers came on the scene.

 

[Mudder]

Eddie Van Halen, or Hendrix, ushered in new eras of guitar playing with innovative techniques. As far as I remember they didn't need to also insult players of other styles / generations.

If you are truly on the forefront of guitar playing innovation, the bellwether, you do not need to make comments like this.

Did they? Hendrix played the blues louder. EVH did what Paganini did (or Roy Smeck for that matter).

 

[0010 0001 0011 1111 1110]

Never heard of Henson. Just checked him out and he’s amazing. We all have to endure getting older and the younger generations thinking we’re lame. It’s the cycle of life.

And given enough time, bends will come back in style.

 

[_fox_]

And given enough time, bends will come back in style.

After a couple decades of fashion experts admonishing men to never wear cargo pants or cargo shorts, it seems they are coming back in style. Nike is even selling cargo joggers.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

After a couple decades of fashion experts admonishing men to never wear cargo pants or cargo shorts, it seems they are coming back in style. Nike is even selling cargo joggers.

Now this is the real news!!!