Is John Mayer a better guitar player than Dave Matthews?

ticohans · Unread post by **ticohans** » Wed May 14, 2003 3:13 pm

I don't get all this "oh Dave's such a humble guy and he could tear it up on lead if he wanted to, he just likes to let other musicians shine." Again, feel free to worship at the temple of Dave Matthews as much as you want, but that is blind speculation and not grounds for any sort of logical argument. And other people keep trying to bring the originality thing into the mix. Read the title of the thread. The question is who is better at guitar. Not who makes you feel more warm and fuzzy or who has cooler hair or who is more original in his music. It's about cold, hard, technical guitar skills, and MB hit it on the head in his post.

DustyDave · Unread post by **DustyDave** » Wed May 14, 2003 3:47 pm

ticohans wrote:I don't get all this "oh Dave's such a humble guy and he could tear it up on lead if he wanted to, he just likes to let other musicians shine." Again, feel free to worship at the temple of Dave Matthews as much as you want, but that is blind speculation and not grounds for any sort of logical argument. And other people keep trying to bring the originality thing into the mix. Read the title of the thread. The question is who is better at guitar. Not who makes you feel more warm and fuzzy or who has cooler hair or who is more original in his music. It's about cold, hard, technical guitar skills, and MB hit it on the head in his post.

Warm and fuzzy , or who has cooler hair LMAO :lol:

Good points though , really

DmbFanJason · Unread post by **DmbFanJason** » Wed May 14, 2003 4:00 pm

ticohans wrote: The question is who is better at guitar. Not who makes you feel more warm and fuzzy or who has cooler hair or who is more original in his music. It's about cold, hard, technical guitar skills, and MB hit it on the head in his post.

thats right tico....I agree...

but cold hard technical skills are boring as fuck...I went to a "tim reynolds" concert about a year and a half ago, and I've never been so bored in my life...and tim blows mayer out of his pajamas when it comes to technicality and guitar skills...I'd rather watch a guy strum 3 chords and sing to it, than listen to technicality.......my vote is for mayer when it comes to technicality...but in all honesty, there are way to many "technicality" guys out there than you can shake a stick at(did i say that right?)...go check your local bars...they're everywhere...and everyone will say,"wow he's good" and then go home....but if they saw someone like dave playing somewhere you might as well get your sleeping bag out cuz your ass is gonna be there ALL NIGHT LONG!...so anyway, I guess it all depends on what your definition of a "good guitar player" is....and now we are back at square one!

really though tico, I know what you are saying and do agree with you and Mike.

grock · Unread post by **grock** » Thu May 15, 2003 7:18 am

i concur. with all of your assessments. The technicallity of mayer far surpasses the technicallity of dave. however, dave has a complex simplicity. it is so easy and yet there is something that is just hard about playing his style.

with enough practice i think that anybody can play mayer note for note but with dave there are not that many people that can play note for note and mute for mute.

either way you cut they are both better than me and i think there is a lot to learn from both of them.

VTDreaminwithDMB · Unread post by **VTDreaminwithDMB** » Thu May 15, 2003 7:46 am

Why does it seem like Dave is always being compared to other guitarists ? It used to be Phish and then it was David Gray for awhile now it's John Mayer. They all are incredible at the way they play their styles. The only thing they have in common is they play guitar but have completely different styles. I play both Dave and John Mayer but I don't compare the two because if you have ever played both on guitar it is obvious the styles are completely different. Honestly if we really want to compare why don't we compare John to SRV. You can really here alot of SRV in John's music. One love for ALL Music.... Peace! :wink:

Pickles · Unread post by **Pickles** » Thu May 15, 2003 8:38 am

i never compared them to phish, although that guy is awesome.

hopelessposeur · Unread post by **hopelessposeur** » Thu May 15, 2003 10:06 am

Im not gonna go so far as to say that dave could play as good as mayer if you chose to, because who knows? Ive been a dave fan for years, and Im not too impressed with what Ive heard of john mayer (even his LLD struck me as just decent, not exceptional or anything). Now that you know Im biased, heres my $.02: I think dave has him beat, maybe not on raw talent, but because hes using his talent in a way nobody else is. John Mayer doesnt do anything with the guitar that hasnt been done 10,000 times before; hell, when I first heard him I thought he was that Ray Pruitt guy from 90210 making a comeback. Daves got a style of playing that, if the only music you hear is whats on the radio and mtv, youve never heard before. From the unusual chords, to the wildass strumming, to actually picking through a song like satellite or the stone, dave has what john wont have for a while: originality. Could mayer come up with a song using dave-style chops? Sure. And dave could no doubt come up with a good solo, if thats what he was about; anybody, once they reach a certain level of talent, has the ability to adapt different styles into their playing, but just because kirk hammett plays faster than BB King wouldnt make you say hes better, would it? Go back and listen to Hendrix' Bold As Love if you think a song cant have a rhythm guitar so good the solo seems unnecessary.

monkieonastring · Unread post by **monkieonastring** » Thu May 15, 2003 10:19 am

I saw Dave and Tim at Oxford, and Dave is really amazing on rythm. During the middle of the crush jam Dave was playing this really cool rythm improv. At the end of two step he was playing a real sweet jam. I haven't heard a whole bunch of Mayer, so I can't really comment, but Dave can jam. And me personally I would much rather hear a sweet jam than a solo. So it's all preference.

The Man of The Hour · Unread post by **The Man of The Hour** » Thu May 15, 2003 10:33 am

DustyDave wrote:
Actually thats wrong download Lover Lay Down performed by John , he put fills in instead of vocals at the same time he holds the rhythm ....

John kicks the crap out of that song....Jesus. Listen to the part around 2:11

On the topic, we can all agree Mayer has more technical skills than Dave hands down....but I still favor Dave in terms of beautiful music.

DustyDave · Unread post by **DustyDave** » Thu May 15, 2003 11:20 am

Yeah John is good no doubt about that ( I would love to see Dave attempt to do that soloing

) , i love both Dave and John , but people need to open up their eyes from their blind world and look at certain things ....

You all say that Dave has such a crazy wildass strumming and finger picking and such .. Try listening to some finger picked songs by John , like " Comfortable " " Man On The Side " " Sucker " " Lifelines " " Neon " When have you ever heard Dave do such a complex finger picking ? Dave stays in more or less the same patterns when it comes to finger picking , while John puts in alot of fills that i think Dave could put in more , but its still not what he does and thats all good he still rocks the show , but saying that Dave is all this and the best guitar player in the world and such is really blind speculations of not knowing the truth ..

Listen to Johns songs b4 saying he can't write and play , this discussion is never ending because people will keep saying Dave this and Dave that , and John this and John that , but do not underestimate John , sooner or later he'll probably do something really amazing that will get all the haters to realise how wrong they were with their judgement b4 really listening ....

hopelessposeur · Unread post by **hopelessposeur** » Thu May 15, 2003 11:53 am

DustyDave wrote:Listen to Johns songs b4 saying he can't write and play , this discussion is never ending because people will keep saying Dave this and Dave that , and John this and John that , but do not underestimate John , sooner or later he'll probably do something really amazing that will get all the haters to realise how wrong they were with their judgement b4 really listening ....

wtf? OMG, Im ROFLMAO over here...but B4 I begin 2 ramble and become a PITA Ive got 2 clear something up: that chick in the video in the white tank top is incredible, IMHO.
j/k
</jackass mode off> :wink:

DustyDave · Unread post by **DustyDave** » Thu May 15, 2003 12:45 pm

hopelessposeur wrote:wtf? OMG, Im ROFLMAO over here...but B4 I begin 2 ramble and become a PITA Ive got 2 clear something up: that chick in the video in the white tank top is incredible, IMHO.
j/k
</jackass mode off>

lol

You never really got around to say anything did you lol :lol:

?

DmbFanJason · Unread post by **DmbFanJason** » Thu May 15, 2003 1:59 pm

I really wasnt impressed with the LLD cover of mayer...I've seen people at guitar center impress me more than that...It was good, but nothing special.

anyway...does anyone know of another band that has 13 + cover bands out there, trying their best to sound like DMB?

everyones on DMB nuts, and DMB deserves it...they are the best. they have the best music ever created, there ya go!

DmbFanJason · Unread post by **DmbFanJason** » Thu May 15, 2003 2:05 pm

mayers music is just a bunch of bla guitar, its so bla, and it doesnt even fit together...it may be fast or whatever, but its simply boring and it seems like I'm waiting around for something that isnt going to happen in Mayers songs...in Daves song, the lyrics fit the guitar just like the sun rises or the wind blows...it seems like it should have or have been here since the beginning of time.

on a DMB note, the lyrics fit the guitar that fits the bass that fits the drums that fits the viloin that fits the sax, flawlessy......what other band just fuckin fits like that??? honestly they are the greatest thing thats ever fuckin happened to music.

DustyDave · Unread post by **DustyDave** » Thu May 15, 2003 2:36 pm

Show us some originals Jason

something that blows mayer away

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Is John Mayer a better guitar player than Dave Matthews?

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