Kirk Hammett

[icecool]

hey all,

I would like to start up a debate over Kirk Hammett.
A lot of people think he is an over-ratted piece 'o crap, others think that he's a genious,
So I would like to see what you think of him!

[Gulder]

It's undoubtly a genious imho, but it's just a matter of tase, some like other genres more and blabla (you know how he story goes). It's the way you look at him. Sure you can look at him as a selfish, greedy person, but that's just too easy and besides would that make him a worse guitar player ? I don't think so.
Who ever said that Metallica was just some garage boy band who got famous and ****y is just being ignorant. You can't deny Metallica (and that includes K.H.s fabulous guitarplaying aswell) has unchained some music revolutions in time. Yes, you can say they weren't and that 'this particulary band' was revolutionary, but again just a matter of taste. He might be a commercialiser of the music he makes nowadays (with nothing else matters in mind...) but still he has writen some music that's really awesome (and this goes for whole Metallica).
How can he not be a good guitar player when he had lessons from Joe Satriani ?

My, 0,02 Euro

[atc323]

yo!, jamez wrote the majority of "nothing else matters" cant you tell from the solo!!? some metallica fan you are! heh anyways if i had the opportunity to make money off my guitar i wouldnt have to think twice and i doubt any of you would either...

you cant deny kirks a good guitar player.. of course 'genius' is a relative term but i think he deserves recognition for his skills, maybe not the millions of $$ hes made but at least some respect from the guitar community

[lukather/timmons]

Originally posted by Gulder
It's undoubtly a genious imho, but it's just a matter of tase, some like other genres more and blabla (you know how he story goes). It's the way you look at him. Sure you can look at him as a selfish, greedy person, but that's just too easy and besides would that make him a worse guitar player ? I don't think so.
Who ever said that Metallica was just some garage boy band who got famous and ****y is just being ignorant. You can't deny Metallica (and that includes K.H.s fabulous guitarplaying aswell) has unchained some music revolutions in time. Yes, you can say they weren't and that 'this particulary band' was revolutionary, but again just a matter of taste. He might be a commercialiser of the music he makes nowadays (with nothing else matters in mind...) but still he has writen some music that's really awesome (and this goes for whole Metallica).
How can he not be a good guitar player when he had lessons from Joe Satriani ?

My, 0,02 Euro

Sorry guys but BAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! Sorry again, but I had to let that out...

Gulder you say about him being taught by Satch, but Satch was VERY dissapointed with the way he turned out, and im not surprised..

Most things come down to taste here, but anyone with their head screwed on can tell Kirk's lack of Technique, feel, phrasing and solo writing, which imho is very poor.

I have FAR more respect for James Hetfield (even tho I dont like Metallica), the guy write great songs, and imo is a better player than Kirk..

Just my 0.029378 cents ;)

[Zeppelin]

as far as i know, james writes all or at least most of their stuff, which turns kirk into average player.
i think that with good drummer rhythm guitar and bass, anyone can improvise decent solos, so he's not better than any guitar player out there...

[Incidents Happen]

woah woah woah. when did satch give kirmett;) lessons? thats nuts! you know how much cash satch prolly charged him? wow.

[hrckid]

Kirk's definately in my top 5 fave guitarists. The solo's he comes up with fit in brilliantly with the music and that's what makes him one of the best. He's also played the 3rd fastest solo ever-Damage inc - so he's certainly fast and that's what a lot of folk's here seem to judge how good a player you are. (Obviously these guys don't rate the likes of Dave Gilmour). The solo's are also really memorable and not just million miles an hour stuff.
Think of the solo's at the start of Sanitarium and Fade to Black ....they're easy but sound fantastic in their context. I think the likes of Vai and Satriani are a terrible waste doing these instrummental albums where they just disappear up their own arse- these guys need to get in bands with decent songwriters and vocalists! I've heard that Vai is getting back together with Diamond Dave, Sheehan and Bisonette to do some stuff with them...let's hope he does.

[trendkillah]

He isn't all that good. James even used to hum the melodies for solos Kirk had to play.
He is an okay player, for the music that he plays, but not extraordinary, in my opinion.

[hrckid]

I doubt very much that James HAD to hum the melodies so that Kirk could play along. The only way this was the case is that James is the songwriter and knows how he wants his songs to turn out. He's the main man in Metallica and generally what he says goes. If you've heard any of the demo versions of when James does the solo's you'll soon see who's the top lead guitaist!Don't get my wrong, I'd never slag James off....it's just that Kirk is the lead guitarist in the band. Kirk does solo's that fit in with the music, I think if James is able to hum solo's for Kirk and he's able to translate them into cracking solo's is impressive and could be what makes Metallica the greatest band in the world. These guys like Satriani make solo's into song's when it should be the solo's that fit into the song.

[crazyguy]

For me, there are a few moments in Kirk's playing like the solo from "Don't Thread on Me" and the muted wah intro to "Memory remains" solo, but quite frankly, most of the time it's as if he's speaking a language I can't understand. I "hear" Santana, Vai, Satriani, Gilmour, but Kirk's solos are mostly "empty" for me. It's almost as if he's playing random notes and they sound good every once a while, based on probbability. He HAS improved over the years, but I still don't hear HIM in his playing. It's more like : " What is this? Is this a solo? Was that out of key? Is he listening to the band while playing?" I would never use Mr. Hammet in the same sentence with words like "genius", "brilliant" and such.
On the other hand, I'm sure you'll find most of todays rythm guitar players sounding more or less like James, whose solos I do "hear", BTW.
However, I might not be competent since I consider Dave Murray very, VERY bad.

[Benoit]

I learn how to play guitar with Metallica's tapes so I know a little about kirk solos. I realised that he does not have a large bag of tricks. Most of his solos turn around the same runs and licks.

I don't say he's a bad guitarist, far from that. I respect his style and like a lot of his solos but I don't think he is standing out of the crowd.

And by the way, I stopped listening to him with the album Load. Personaly I think they lost the special sound they had.

[lukather/timmons]

Originally posted by hrckid
I think the likes of Vai and Satriani are a terrible waste doing these instrummental albums where they just disappear up their own arse-


If you dont' think that Vai and Satch are lyrical then you don't get it man. Personally I think that vocals in modern music is unoriginal and uninspiring without any thought to the note choice. Not all but Most. Anyways why do you care? these guys are doing what they love...no skin off your nose.

[Christoph]

Originally posted by icecool
I would like to start up a debate over Kirk Hammett.
A lot of people think he is an over-ratted piece 'o crap, others think that he's a genious . . .

I would have to go for the former.


Originally posted by crazyguy
. . . but Kirk's solos are mostly "empty" for me. It's almost as if he's playing random notes and they sound good every once a while, based on probbability. He HAS improved over the years, but I still don't hear HIM in his playing. It's more like : " What is this? Is this a solo? Was that out of key? Is he listening to the band while playing?"

I know what you're saying. Most of his solos sound like they don't even have a key.


Originally posted by crazyguy
I would never use Mr. Hammet in the same sentence with words like "genius", "brilliant" and such.

Well, as long as you include the words "is not", it'll be ok.

[atc323]

its all about taste. i cant believe any accomplished guitar player could deny the talent of kirk and satch and all those guys that practically wrote the book on modern guitar music. metallica's awesome sound, including kirks solos, was what turned me onto guitar in the first place so my opinion is a little biased, but seriously if you think kirk is a bad guitar player then your standards must be outrageously high (not to mention unattainable).

[THE_HACK_PACK]

Sad that this guy is conidered genius,ONLY beause he's on of the few players left,that is ALLOWED to have solos on his albums.I grew up with Metallica in the 80's,bought theyre first album in '83,I listen to him now,and I don't hear growth,but with so few "GUITAR HEROES"these days,it's not surprising he's held in such high esteem.

[Joseph]

Originally posted by hrckid
The solo's he comes up with fit in brilliantly with the music and that's what makes him one of the best.


I would have to agree. The first time I heard the solo on "Fade To Black," it literally picked me up by the throat and threw me dow to the floor. And till this day, I;'m still begging for more. The biggest concern on your minds is that Metallica have changed their sound drastically over the past few years. Well I wouldn't go that far, because if you ask me they are still some of the hardrest working guys in this business, and whenever I leave their concerts, I'm always more than satisfied. Stop trying to live in the past, the future of Metallica, and Kirk's jazzy playing will live on.

Speaking of jazz, I think it's cool that Kirk has added some jazz elements to his sound, it definitely livens things up a bit. :D Don'tcha think?

-Joseph

[Parrot Head 1970]

Kirk is what he hears and plays.

If it makes him a great guitarist because he sells records then he is. If it makes him a great guitarist because we all try to figure out what comes to him naturally then he is. If it makes him a great guitarist because he has inspired a generation of young guitarists to push their boundries then he is.

Personally, I think he's Joe Satriani's greatest student ever. He took what he learned and applied it to a style that suited him. He has grown as a musician for over a decade and continues to release interesting material.

Kirk is Kirk! (Everybody else is Everybody else)

All the best!!!!!!!! :cool:

[guitargod420]

Kirk is the fu#kin man, ever since i started playing guitar i learned metallica songs and have relized that kirk is by far one of the best guitarist there is. i think if anything hes underrated as a guitar player kirk has his own style of playing that most of you wish you had, nobody and i mean nobody builds a solo into the song like kirk does and as far as james writing most of the songs yes he writes the rythem but not the leads. so for those of u people who say kirk is not that good that just makes you that much worse cause you have no idea what your talking about. It seems to me that you people think the only way your a good guitar player is that every one of your solos is fast but once agian your wrong. yes kirk used play pretty fast solos on the records but now dosent the reason for this is his style of music has changed and beleive it or not thats a good thing. If kirk was still playing the same way now as he did 20 years ago all his solos would sound the same and that my friends is a bad thing , im a little high right now so im going to stop typing

peace

Metallica Rules you people r just jealous of kirk and wish you could play that good

[Raskolnikov]

Originally posted by Parrot Head 1970
Personally, I think he's Joe Satriani's greatest student ever. He took what he learned and applied it to a style that suited him. He has grown as a musician for over a decade and continues to release interesting material.

Compared to Larry LaLonde? Pah-lease!
From pioneering death metal with Possessed, to Blind Illusion, to total weirdness in Primus, to more electronic outlets like No Forcefield, Ler's the man.

Originally posted by guitargod420
...so for those of u people who say kirk is not that good that just makes you that much worse cause you have no idea what your talking about...

Metallica Rules you people r just jealous of kirk and wish you could play that good

Careful where you tread here. Now I'm not upset here, and I'm not going to bust your ass, but there are a lot of people on this board who have heard way more than just Metallica. I agree with you in that speed isn't everything, but on the other hand many people listen to Hammett (myself included) and hear rapid E minor wanking. Realize that as time goes by you're going to hear a lot more bands and guitarists, and you really don't know what's out there. A good friend of mine started out on Metallica, now he's all about SRV. He still likes them, but he's found things that interest him a lot more. Now if you don't that's fine, this is all about taste. You shouldn't like Hammett any less after reading this or anything else anybody posts; if what he plays speaks to you, then that's cool. Just keep in mind that in terms of versitility and overall musicianship, there's a lot you have yet to hear.

And this is so much about taste...
That's why I like to stay out of these threads.

[lukather/timmons]

Ok I wasn't gonna say this, but some of your comments on this thread have been pathetic. Saying satch's best student was Kirk is just totally insane. Also saying Kirk plays good jazz is also INSANE. You guys wanna hear good Jazz I suggest you check out such musicians as Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Scott Henderson, John Coltrane, Scott Lerner and even Andy Timmons..

You think Kirk is good? My friend went to see tallica a few years back.. At the start of fade to black Kirk was a semi tone OUT on the intro solo, and he didn't even notice. Considering my dead grandmother could do better than that, what a great guitarist kirk is!!! sheesh...

[atc323]

this IS a guitar site right? john coltrane played guitar?? either im an idiot (which is possible) or whoever made that post is a 'tard.. when we are having these arguments which are stupid and pointless anyways since like everyone keeps saying, its all about personal taste, at least try to stay on the subject of guitars.. i can handle most of these people that whine about what is "great music" but seriously at the very least lets stay in the context of guitars when possible

comparing some guy who played guitar to some guy who played flugelhorn just doesnt work, apples and oranges people!

oh and yeah if all those guys played guitar i apologize for being stupid and uninformed, i was sure coltrane was a trumpet player but i didnt feel like researching it k thx

[Raskolnikov]

Guitar, piano, banjo, accordian, trumpet...

They all make notes bud, they're comperable.

[lukather/timmons]

Originally posted by atc323
this IS a guitar site right? john coltrane played guitar?? either im an idiot (which is possible) or whoever made that post is a 'tard.. when we are having these arguments which are stupid and pointless anyways since like everyone keeps saying, its all about personal taste, at least try to stay on the subject of guitars.. i can handle most of these people that whine about what is "great music" but seriously at the very least lets stay in the context of guitars when possible


Hahaha oh man, note I said 'MUSICIANS' not 'GUITARISTS'.

[atc323]

i dunno about that. if you talk about skill levels thats some shakey ground to tread when trying to compare different instruments, if you just try to say which sounds better then once again it's just a matter of taste

that post said "good jazz" not "good jazz guitar" and there IS a difference in my book. each instrument is used to express things in completely different ways, saying a note is a note is a very narrow viewpoint.

[hrckid]

Did you ever here anything that Jimi Hendrix played out of tune or badly even? Half the stuff he played was played really crappy. Bet you rate him as one of the best guitarists ever don't you. If Jimi can play crappy and be revered then so can Kirk. I'll bet Kirk has inspired as many guys to pick up a guitar as Jimi has anyway.If not, more. The guys a living legend.

[Raskolnikov]

Originally posted by atc323
i dunno about that. if you talk about skill levels thats some shakey ground to tread when trying to compare different instruments, if you just try to say which sounds better then once again it's just a matter of taste

that post said "good jazz" not "good jazz guitar" and there IS a difference in my book. each instrument is used to express things in completely different ways, saying a note is a note is a very narrow viewpoint.

I think it's a very broad viewpiont- and probbably a very scarry one to a lot of guitarists. Jeebus, it could lead to brilliant and bizzar musical ideas that would change music forever, cross polination on a whole new level, swapping licks with assorted folk instruments and a far more amorphous vision than the Guitar-Drums-Bass-Vocals-maybe Keys notion of a band we all grew up with.

God forbid, the band pecking order turned right over!

Really - it's music, it's about expressing yourself and moving people. Everything in music relates to everything else, it's interchangable, and it's all comperable.

[Raskolnikov]

Originally posted by hrckid
Did you ever here anything that Jimi Hendrix played out of tune or badly even? Half the stuff he played was played really crappy. Bet you rate him as one of the best guitarists ever don't you. If Jimi can play crappy and be revered then so can Kirk. I'll bet Kirk has inspired as many guys to pick up a guitar as Jimi has anyway.If not, more. The guys a living legend.

Jimi redefined the instrument, took blues to a new level and was an incoragable experimentor. Hammett has done none of those. He does have a very destinctive sound, and is definately a key figure in modern music though.

He was an early hero of my friend Mike, who after seeing Metallica live retired his wah pedal for months because he was so sick of the way they sound after seeing that show.

[Christoph]

Originally posted by Parrot Head 1970
Personally, I think he's Joe Satriani's greatest student ever.

Hmmm . . . I didn't know that Kirk took lessons from Satch. It seems to me like something went horribly wrong.

Vai turned out so well, after all. And I heard that he had lessons from Satch too.

[pstring]

This thread is comical, how come there is never any discussion over who is taller? personally I think Vai is taller than Hammett, and Ynigwie too!

[lukather/timmons]

Originally posted by Christoph

Hmmm . . . I didn't know that Kirk took lessons from Satch. It seems to me like something went horribly wrong.

Vai turned out so well, after all. And I heard that he had lessons from Satch too.

Amen.



My final though - Seems like the majority of people here dig Pentatonic and Wah-Wah in every song! If thats your think, cool!!!!!! If you wanna be inspired by that so be it, if you wanna do something with your playing I suggest burning your selloutica Cd's :)

[Zeppelin]

Originally posted by hrckid
Did you ever here anything that Jimi Hendrix played out of tune or badly even? Half the stuff he played was played really crappy. Bet you rate him as one of the best guitarists ever don't you. If Jimi can play crappy and be revered then so can Kirk. I'll bet Kirk has inspired as many guys to pick up a guitar as Jimi has anyway.If not, more. The guys a living legend.

thats why i dont think Hendrix was the best either.
You wanna talk about people who inspired others to play?
We have mr. Cobain on one of the first places..
conclusion: Yeah this is right kirk did inspire many people to play, but it doesnt make him good. He is just another lead guitar player. There are thousands of them, and they are all the same. One of them can play faster, and the other has better feel, but by the end only one player from 100,000 is a real genious, and kirk is simply not.

[Raskolnikov]

Originally posted by lukather/timmons
if you wanna do something with your playing I suggest burning your selloutica Cd's :)

Though I don't paticuarly like Metallica, I don't think calling them "sellouts" is even remotely fair.

To sell out, you have to change your sound/act for the sole purpose of gaining popularity. That means doing what people want you to do. Metallica has been doing what NOBODY wants them to do for many many years now. Case in point: Load and Reload combined haven't sold as many records as The Black Album.

I'm convinced that they're making the music they want and are acting as they please because that's what they want to do, not because they're motivated by money or anything else.

They're just not as good as they used to be.

[hrckid]

[/B][/QUOTE]
They're just not as good as they used to be. [/B][/QUOTE]

I don't agree with that. They've just kept evolving. I'm pretty sure if they went back to do Ride the lightening II in the early nineties they'd be in the same boat as Testament, Exodus, Anthrax, Slayer and Megadeth.NOBODY INTERESTED.Each album shows a fair bit of progress. A lot of people were shocked by the change in direction when they made the Black album. I can remember being a bit disappointed with it as I was really into Justice For All with it's 20 riffs per song and quite liked the dry sound at the time. The first time I heard 'nothing else mattters' I was like....no thrashy bits at the end....what the HELLL! I don't think Load was selling out though.If this had been a 'grunge' album I would have said they were total sell outs as Nirvana were huge around this time .Remember that Load-Reload should really have been a double album so you've got to look at them like that to judge. In hindsight I'd bet they wish they had made it just one album and if you took all the best bits from those albums it would have been one of their best.

I predict that the next album is going to be HUGE as the kids today are into really heavy stuff like slipknot etc. I reckon they're going to be able to release something really heavy and brutal this time and millions of kids are going to dig it.( I don't mean they are going to do 'drop d', play with one finger and Hetfield's going to sing like 'cookie monster' though! Maybe NOW is the time for Ride the Lightening II?

[atc323]

here's a question for more argumen... err i mean discussion: what makes a good guitarist?

plenty of people like kirks playing, but according to many of you he is not a good guitarist, so i guess that means people dont have to like you for you to be good..

i dont believe metallica can be considered 'sell-outs' because of the same reasons already mentioned, they basically did what they wanted to.. kirk expresses himself however he wants to - and we can like it or dislike it, but can we say he's a bad guitarist?

think about it, if you play some music and i dont like your style.. do i have the right to say you are a bad guitarist? i dont think so

seriously i think some people have some personal issues about kirk(and his acclaimed guitar skills) and im not sure why.. but its interesting to hear about, thats for sure

[Raskolnikov]

I think of guitar as a bit of a balancing act. There are several areas you can be proficient with the guitar, that's how a very drunk Joe Walsh can smoke Vai, Satch, and May at a Spanish guitar festival - he out toned and out styled them. They and the bassist were busy trying to out do eachother while Walsh played some sloppy ass slide guitar and his signature talk box solo (the song was of course Rocky Mountain Way) which unlike the high speed wanking going on around him actually fit the song.

With Hammett I just don't hear the creativity or "substance" to make up for how sloppy the guy is. Listening to him really does nothing for me in the least.

[miked520]

As I sit here and read all these replies to the question, "Is Kirk Hammet a genious or is he crap?" it seems as though we've lost sight of why we all play music to begin with.

What everyone should be asking themselves is, "Do I enjoy listening to Kirk Hammet's guitar?" His talent is irrelevant. The joy you receive from listening to him (or lack thereof) is what counts. I think Benoit's signature says it all:

"The greatness of a guitarist is not based on how many different techniques he mastered but on how much joy he gets out of playing."

I just think that we shouldn't lose sight of this point.