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YouTube Virtuosos (Old Man Rant)
- Thread starter socialleper
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I watch solo videos all the time...they're pretty cool to me!
Try to tell me that Remco Hendrix videos aren't amazing
Part of me wonders if this isn't the case.
If a person lives somewhere that doesn't have a lot of other musicians around them, and are using YouTube to get exposure, there is some logic in that, but then the odds of someone that is in the same area seeing it are low. If someone across the country wants you to join their band, that isn't very practical.
If a person doesn't work well with others and just wants to do their own thing, I guess this is a viable method for getting yourself out there, but again, the long term prospects aren't goo.
Example: I played a show last year at a very well known Los Angeles club. The headliner was a 80s shredder and the opening act was his teenaged guitar tech. Both simply played guitar to pre-recorded tracks that were played over the PA. They were great guitarists, but boring as hell to watch. Just before my band, a guy with a bunch of digital equipment and loopers for his guitars\basses did a one man band thing. Again, interesting, but very boring after one song.
This YouTube stuff is just that; interesting but not entertaining. It is a good time waster, a diversion, but feels to me like cotton candy instead of a steak dinner.
I work in internet technologies for my profession. I have been involved with the internet in some form or another going on 20 years now, since I was a pre-teen. I hit college just as "social networking" became a thing. Believe me, I do not have a superficial grasp of the internet and its varied social outlets. I live it daily.
The original point was that the internet is not "anti social" and while true in a general sense, if you are comparing it to actual, in-person, human interaction, broadly-speaking, it *can be* far more than you seem to admit. Yes, YT communication *can be* as interactive as playing a show. Problem is, it can also give the *appearance* of being that, without actually being it. "The internet is anti-social" is a false statement if your bar is set at 100% truthiness. It is not a 100% truthful statement, no, but it does have a lot of truth to it. Many of the people I grew up with who placed a lot of weight on their internet-only relationships were people with some pretty deep social issues. The internet allowed them to get a reasonable facsimile of social interaction, with the ability to walk away at any point and simply make a new username or profile, and thus escape any actual social risk beyond what they wished. The internet IS anti-social in that way. It provides an easy way to get "good enough" social interaction. This is why Japan invented an entire name for people who were socially disconnected shut-ins who lived their social lives entirely online.
Imagine an alcoholic. They are addicted to the escape from reality that alcohol affords them. They are addicted to the way it makes them feel, and often rely on it in social situations to become the person people want to hang out with. We know and recognize this as a disorder. It makes sense. The internet can often have the same effect though. It can convince people they are getting what they need, when in fact they are getting a poor imitation of it. Like high-fructose corn syrup or reality TV
I am as well. So what?
My point is you're generalizing and boiling yt down to what is inly part of it.
I'm 36 and I don't understand any of this social media BS that goes on. It is nice that there is a vast amount of knowledge available online, but I just don't buy into a lot of what is supposed to be newer and better.
I'm old beyond my years. My wife calls me a curmudgeon.
I'm old beyond my years. My wife calls me a curmudgeon.
The point is you're using the exception as some kind of evidence that the general rule is wrong. If you make soup with toilet water, but add organic carrots, you still have toilet soup. YT is garbage as an actual social platform, despite some people being willing to wade through it. If you just watch the vids the experience improves markedly.
Well, you are welcome on MY LAWN anytime, mr. curmudgeon.
Seriously. I just bought a house with an actual lawn. No cyber lawns in my neck a da woods, no sir.
I agree that for me the one man band thing doesn't translate into an entertaining stage act.
I do however really like it in the YouTube format. I love watching straight on video recordings of an artist, then I can really see the bits I'm interested in...like how exactly they play certain parts, or how they use X,Y,Z technique differently than I do. I can't easily get that sort of stuff from seeing a band live, or even from most full band videos. That's where the YouTube format excels, in my opinion.
Try to tell me that Remco Hendrix videos aren't amazing
Actually, they aren't amazing.
Not if you had seen Hendrix or Jaco in person (more than once on both occasions). Seriously. This guy is good but he doesn't come close in comparison. Sorry.
I'm not a Youtube virtuoso, but I enjoy putting up a video from time to time. I don't play music professionally, and while I love playing with people whenever I get the chance, it's nice to have things that are more tangible mementos of my playing and expression. My point is, playing on Youtube and playing with others in a band or standards jam session are not mutually exclusive.
I do feel bad for some of the Youtube solo artists who *only* play on Youtube. I think they're missing out on a big part of musicianship, not to mention a ton of fun experiences.
I do feel bad for some of the Youtube solo artists who *only* play on Youtube. I think they're missing out on a big part of musicianship, not to mention a ton of fun experiences.
But can you draw up a dozens of high quality videos with Hendrix or Jaco? Not all of us have experienced what you have, so we have to settle with watching high quality audio and video recordings of modern artists. Woe is me.
This is sorta what I came to say - I believe it's part "looking for instant fame by the world over", part "hoping to be discovered/picked up by some already rich & famous act", part "too lazy to leave their couch or just anti-social (not counting 'social' media)" and/or part "you can make money with enough subscribers or views or both". /shrug
Congrats on the lawn. Nothing better than mowing your own lawn and sucking back a few cold ones after. Actually, a lot is better than that, but it's still alright. We just moved and now I have a pool to take care of! Kill me now!
That's supremely unfair to that Remco Hendrix (sic) guy. If you close your eyes, his harmonic and rhythmic concept reminds me of a more R and B centered Les Claypool.
Go write a 2 minute original song, record audio/video, get the recordings mixed and mastered, edit and produce a video, and publish to YouTube. Not saying all YouTuber's put that much effort into their videos, but the ones who are making money off Youtube sure as hell are. Nothing about that sounds lazy to me.
I would divide all youtube musicians into two groups, with my different attitude and opinion:
(I'll be VERY diplomatic in order to HIDE my opinion about the representatives of both groups.)
1. The youtube musicians who are Recording and Playing their own - original - stuff, including lessons, tutorials, etc..., between some studio recordings and touring,
and
2. all those "youtube warriors" playing ALONG the recordings, like Marta Altesa with MILLIONS OF VIEWERS = 2,536,186 (!)
Let's be honest and subdivide a bit more:
2a. Regular Joe's and Jill's with hundreds to sometimes tens of thousands of views
2b. Pretty girls with millions of views
Right? The first thing I noticed after closing (and conveniently forgot to notice before) is the house is very limited on proper grounding. 2 prong outlets everywhere, most with no grounding. That will have to be addressed sooner than later.
BUT, I now have a dedicated music room, with proper power (former occupants used it for office/computer). Not studio-worthy, but dedicated nonetheless. It will be better for recording and practicing than what we are moving from - both for solo and with bandmates. And yes, I plan to do more videos in that space. I've barely put my toe in youtube land, but I'm starting to see the potential benefits when utilized with care and restraint.
EDIT: Oh yeah. And fellow TBers, "anti-social" does not mean not wanting to be social, or even interpersonal deficits. It is synonymous with socio-pathy, severe lack of empathy, and use of others for personal gain. An anti-social act is generally an act of violence, coercion, or deception. As in "anti-social personality disorder". Being a loner, introvert, or preferring to be alone, is NOT anti-social. In fact, anti-social people often are HIGHLY social. Can't be a loner in a gang or mob.
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