Q
03-12-2002, 09:21 AM
This thread is intended as a place where Steve Howe may be discussed AS A MUSICIAN!, not as an icon or a demigod or whatever. The idea is to TALK ABOUT THE MUSIC, and to do so in an objective and articulate fashion. Negative or dissenting opinions ARE WELCOME, but please keep them objective and articulate!
Below are some thoughts to get the ball rolling, from another thread ... apologies if you've seen this already!
Steve Howe's technical merits, strengths as a performer and innovations over the years are almost uncountable. I will cite a few examples of virtuosity and innovation that establish his stature as a progressive artist:
1) his virtuosity is such that he is equally at ease, in the studio and live, at any tempo and meter. Only another guitarist can fully appreciate how difficult such mastery is to attain. Howe's work is unhurried, precise, and carried off with ease even when he is playing at a frenetic pace (his later Seventies work offers some good demonstrations);
2) he is unique among progressive artists in having mastered not only the guitar but the entire family of instruments surrounding it;
3) Howe extended Banks's "orchestral" concept tremendously once Wakeman came aboard, developing the use of counterpoint in arrangement between the melodic instrumental sources to a degree unmatched in rock history by any other band (tenuous arguments are possible in favor of Floyd and a possibly stronger case may be made for early Genesis; Tull's work in this area is too uneven for consideration);
4) Howe's refusal to bow to the blues-rock vocabulary or rock cliche is well-documented; his only use of it ("Going For the One") was deliberate parody, used to perfect effect;
5) Howe's comfort in varying tempi and meter are most brilliantly showcased in CTTE and to some degree in "Heart of the Sunrise" - his genius in these instances is to take the lead in signalling shifts in tone across vast distances (ie, the point in "Sunrise" just prior to Jon's first vocal) while maintaining his role as a sonic metaphor (another example is the half-tone "bounce" in the intro to CTTE);
6) Howe's melodic sense is almost unearthly; his taste in weaving lines amid Jon's vocals in a way that is perfectly complementary - unobtrusive yet more than ornamental - is astonishing (ie his acoustic work in "Turn of the Century");
7) Howe is a leader among progressive rock musicians in his fusion of melody with rhythm. The most overt case is his development of accents in tandem with Bruford and Squire in "Perpetual Change;" but probably the very best example is his open chord progression in the chorus of "Awaken," which perform more rhythmic work than the sum of what Squire and White are doing yet simultaneously brilliantly underline the vocal lines before and after.
Below are some thoughts to get the ball rolling, from another thread ... apologies if you've seen this already!
Steve Howe's technical merits, strengths as a performer and innovations over the years are almost uncountable. I will cite a few examples of virtuosity and innovation that establish his stature as a progressive artist:
1) his virtuosity is such that he is equally at ease, in the studio and live, at any tempo and meter. Only another guitarist can fully appreciate how difficult such mastery is to attain. Howe's work is unhurried, precise, and carried off with ease even when he is playing at a frenetic pace (his later Seventies work offers some good demonstrations);
2) he is unique among progressive artists in having mastered not only the guitar but the entire family of instruments surrounding it;
3) Howe extended Banks's "orchestral" concept tremendously once Wakeman came aboard, developing the use of counterpoint in arrangement between the melodic instrumental sources to a degree unmatched in rock history by any other band (tenuous arguments are possible in favor of Floyd and a possibly stronger case may be made for early Genesis; Tull's work in this area is too uneven for consideration);
4) Howe's refusal to bow to the blues-rock vocabulary or rock cliche is well-documented; his only use of it ("Going For the One") was deliberate parody, used to perfect effect;
5) Howe's comfort in varying tempi and meter are most brilliantly showcased in CTTE and to some degree in "Heart of the Sunrise" - his genius in these instances is to take the lead in signalling shifts in tone across vast distances (ie, the point in "Sunrise" just prior to Jon's first vocal) while maintaining his role as a sonic metaphor (another example is the half-tone "bounce" in the intro to CTTE);
6) Howe's melodic sense is almost unearthly; his taste in weaving lines amid Jon's vocals in a way that is perfectly complementary - unobtrusive yet more than ornamental - is astonishing (ie his acoustic work in "Turn of the Century");
7) Howe is a leader among progressive rock musicians in his fusion of melody with rhythm. The most overt case is his development of accents in tandem with Bruford and Squire in "Perpetual Change;" but probably the very best example is his open chord progression in the chorus of "Awaken," which perform more rhythmic work than the sum of what Squire and White are doing yet simultaneously brilliantly underline the vocal lines before and after.