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Steven Wilson: “I’m constantly disappointed by extraordinary guitar players that have got no concept of how to change their tone”
The Porcupine Tree songwriter vents about guitarists who don’t experiment with sounds outside of what they’re used to or comfortable with.
Image: Paul Bergen / Getty Images
Porcupine Tree guitarist and songwriter Steven Wilson says he’s “disappointed” by the way modern guitar players “play with the same tone” constantly.
On the latest episode of That Pedal Show, the musician shares some advice for budding pro guitar players, saying it’s important to switch up one’s tone so that you don’t sound boring.
Wilson explains that while he enjoys the way guitarists he’s worked with are “responding to the material in the way the songwriter would,” he isn’t nearly as happy with the lack of tonal varieties among even the very best players.
“I’m constantly disappointed by extraordinary guitar players that have got no concept of how to change their sound, change their tone,” he says, noting that “They play with the same tone the whole time because it’s that tone that enables them to play a million notes… As a sound, it’s boring.”
He continues: “It’s a very broad statement, this. A lot of the modern generation of guitar players forget that 50% of being a guitar player is working with tone, with pedals and let’s not be purist about this – these days with plugins.”
Also in the chat, Wilson opines on what makes a good solo, saying: “To me a solo, 50% of a solo is actually not [the] solo, it’s the chords underneath it.”
“Because if you have an interesting chord progression – you can play one note, or two or three notes and the way that those notes … relate back to that chord progression particularly if it is quite an unusual, complex chord progression. That is where the beauty of the solo really lies.”
“I don’t want a guitar player to come along and suddenly shred all over something with no relationship or no connection back to the soul or heart of the music,” he says.