If there's one thing that annoys me, it's acoustic tunes that float and flutter like they didn't really matter. Acoustic instruments are physical and unfettered - they are a means by which we use our strengths to make music. The faint pattering of some vague strum to underpin another warbling wannabe drives me crazy - it is such a waste of time that could be spent bending wood and metal to your will!
It is hard work playing an acoustic instrument - or it should be. Folk musicians and classical players (and don't forget jazz and blues!) - they sweat like demons to make it sound right. They express themselves; they hurt themselves; more like sportsmen than popstars. It's like climbing a mountain - it requires pain to get the reward.
Even to play quietly requires effort - controlled restraint is a real art that needs a lot of practice, and can bring great rewards artistically. There are some fantastic guitar players who I admire as much for their almost superhuman ability not to get too carried away with what they are doing - the great Doc Watson, for example - exuberant but still dignified. The legendary banjo player Earl Scruggs falls into this category as well - you just can't believe how anyone can be so lively yet so precise.
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