Pat Metheny Talks About the Guitar’s Place in Contemporary Music and Describes What Makes It Different From Other Instruments

Pat Metheny Talks About the Guitar’s Place in Contemporary Music and Describes What Makes It Different From Other Instruments

Jazz great Pat Metheny discussed the guitar’s current place in contemporary music, outlining its development and how younger listeners can view it.

Since this is a guitar-focused section of the website, the editorial staff and readers are well-versed on the thriving guitar scene across almost all genres these days. However, it’s possible that the instrument isn’t as widely used as it formerly was. And in a recent conversation with D’Addario, Metheny addressed that, saying (as reported by Ultimate Guitar): “It’s probably been 20 years since a significant hit had a guitar solo. And undoubtedly, there was a pinnacle that probably started with The Beatles on “The Ed Sullivan Show” and continued until Kurt Cobain made fun of Eddie Van Halen by jokingly pressing strings on the fretboard with his picking hand.

Furthermore, Metheny expressed his opinion that “guitar is not that same thing right now because of the period we are in.” Like anything else, of course, the guitar changes and develops over time. In light of this, he considered how, despite his father being one of the greatest guitar legends, his oldest son seemed to be a little weirded out by the instrument. Metheny thought, “He always has an interesting perspective.” “When he was about eight, he said, ‘I like it but, but guitar, it’s just so 20th century.'” “However, all it is is an instrument,” he continued. “And all anything is is just a potential manifestation tool.”

This aligns in part with Devin Townsend’s position, who describes the guitar as “a means to an end.” Metheny, nevertheless, goes a step farther and emphasizes how it truly distinguishes itself from the others. Why? The reason for this is that there’s no universal agreement on the appropriate way to play it. “It is an interesting instrument because nobody agrees on it,” Pat stated. There is disagreement over how to hold it, how to touch it, and how to play it. Each person who takes it up finds a unique method to accomplish it.” “That instrument is unlike any other. There are almost always instructions on how to play an instrument. With the guitar, none of that exists. And that’s really awesome.