Speaking Of Talent...

[Dusty Chalk]

That would confuse me -- Jimmy Page and John Petrucci would do different things.

 

[vchizzle]

Page is an awesome talent. I've always admired his layering of things in the studio.

 

[swede71]

I love Zeppelin and The Firm but my fav album of his is Outrider.

 

[Stephen Rudnick]

On question that you did not answer - Can people with mediocre talent who put in a lot of effort become professional musicians / songwriters etc?

All you have to do is turn on the TV and your answer will be a resounding "YES!"

 

[shupe13]

I just saw on the news where Zep is being sued for supposedly ripping off the music for "Stairway". I don't remember the band but the chording IS similar, but not the same IMHO.

 

[Mixstar]

Your a smidge late with that: http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/stairway-to-heaven-in-copyright-trial.17417/

 

[Boogie]

In a way, Jimmy Page helped forge the sonic niche for PRS. His famous technique of layering a Telecaster with a Les Paul influenced Alex Lifeson and a host of others, for decades. And Alex claimed that his PRSi did the same thing with a single guitar. Completely accurate or not, I think it helped define an entire guitar company's voice. I certainly considered that factor when buying my first Cu24.

 

[László]

In a way, Jimmy Page helped forge the sonic niche for PRS. His famous technique of layering a Telecaster with a Les Paul influenced Alex Lifeson and a host of others, for decades. And Alex claimed that his PRSi did the same thing with a single guitar. Completely accurate or not, I think it helped define an entire guitar company's voice. I certainly considered that factor when buying my first Cu24.

Beats me if that's the reason, but I have seen photographs of Page playing a PRS.

 

[Parralax view]

I've often wondered about the talent it takes to write meaningful songs, compose them, play them and make them famous. As a competent guitar player and a good singer, I certainly don't possess it and I am not in anyway a songwriter. I know several in Texas that do it all and are confident to take THEIR music to the stage, and some solo at that. I've attempted to sit repeatedly and write a meaningful song, moon in june and all that is about all that comes out. It's not like any of us don't have heartbreak, experience, joy, and pain in our lives, some of us just don't possess that innate talent to transform it into music.

 

[László]

I've often wondered about the talent it takes to write meaningful songs, compose them, play them and make them famous. As a competent guitar player and a good singer, I certainly don't possess it and I am not in anyway a songwriter. I know several in Texas that do it all and are confident to take THEIR music to the stage, and some solo at that. I've attempted to sit repeatedly and write a meaningful song, moon in june and all that is about all that comes out. It's not like any of us don't have heartbreak, experience, joy, and pain in our lives, some of us just don't possess that innate talent to transform it into music.

Here's a story I found interesting about songwriting -- and it involves a guy I think most of us would agree is a heckuva talented songwriter.

Last year my son Jamie got invited to a post-Grammy show party hosted by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. It was because of his work on the 30STM record. And he was pretty darn lucky. Some guys just have amazing luck!

It was a pretty small party, and Jamie had a chance to talk with McCartney for a while (he did mention that his knees were shaking the entire time!). During the conversation, the question came up, "How do you write such great songs?"

McCartney said when he wakes up in the morning he starts working on songs. That's his job. "If you're a painter you make paintings, and if you're a songwriter, you write songs."

But here's where the talent part comes in: McCartney was writing great songs when he was in his early 20s. Think about it. You can study this your whole life, and work on it, but McCartney wrote "Yesterday" when he was, relatively speaking, a kid.

So there's something there that most of us just don't have.

 

[NomadMike]

I have to think learning and absorbing all those songs in Hamburg may have helped. Take that and being in a band of song writers along with some good old hard work and you have a great recipe for talent. And even with talent great songs don't usually just happen in a shot but are worked on over time.

http://beatlessongwriting.blogspot.com/2015/03/yesterday-and-myth-of-inspiration.html

 

[ozboy]

There are many, many great things about the Beatles but the thing that always blows my mind is their melodies, not just one but melody after melody from very early songs like "I'll follow the sun" right through to the "long and winding road". And then the voices to actually sing them. There have been other bands with singers just as good, the Eagles, csny, the beach boys just to name three but no other band has ever had such a collection of melodies to work with.

Led Zeppelin had some great riffs and songs for sure,

 

[László]

There are many, many great things about the Beatles but the thing that always blows my mind is their melodies

I completely agree. And most folks can't write a good melody to save their lives.

 

[bluefade]

Is it TRUE that Mr Page is being SUED by some guy who says he wrote the tune "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN" ?

 

[NomadMike]

No. Randy California wrote a song titled Taurus which used a descending line similar but not the same as SWTH. LZ toured as Spirit's opener and Taurus was played live where Page may have heard it. Randy died while trying to save his son from drowning so it's Randy's family or estate doing the suing.
For what it's worth the similar descending line has been found in music from the 16th century, so this may be much ado about nothing.

 

[Mixstar]

Is it TRUE that Mr Page is being SUED by some guy who says he wrote the tune "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN" ?

Yep, there's been a discussion about it for a while here: http://forums.prsguitars.com/threads/stairway-to-heaven-in-copyright-trial.17417/

 

[CVS]

Here's a story I found interesting about songwriting -- and it involves a guy I think most of us would agree is a heckuva talented songwriter.

Last year my son Jamie got invited to a post-Grammy show party hosted by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. It was because of his work on the 30STM record. And he was pretty darn lucky. Some guys just have amazing luck!

It was a pretty small party, and Jamie had a chance to talk with McCartney for a while (he did mention that his knees were shaking the entire time!). During the conversation, the question came up, "How do you write such great songs?"

McCartney said when he wakes up in the morning he starts working on songs. That's his job. "If you're a painter you make paintings, and if you're a songwriter, you write songs."

But here's where the talent part comes in: McCartney was writing great songs when he was in his early 20s. Think about it. You can study this your whole life, and work on it, but McCartney wrote "Yesterday" when he was, relatively speaking, a kid.

So there's something there that most of us just don't have.

I also think it helps if you have some poetic skills and perhaps enjoy poetry.

 

[László]

I also think it helps if you have some poetic skills and perhaps enjoy poetry.

No doubt.

Being interested in the arts and how they integrate with one another is very much a part of it.

 

[Mixstar]

I have seen photographs of Page playing a PRS.

 

[Mixstar]

I just wish I had some audio to go with it!