Great technique versus great feeling?

Feeling: How about B.B. King? Dude DRIPS the blues!

Technique: Modern-John Petrucci....old school- John McLaughlin

Both worlds of feeling and technique:

Ritchie Blackmore

Some of the most expressive solos I've ever heard during the Dio Rainbow years (and a few with DP)

Check out Self Portrait, Gates of Babylon, Maybe Next Time...

There is a saying in the guitar world that "tone is everything". I really look for tone more than anything, but I think tone and feeling sort of go hand in hand. Of course without good technique you can't have good tone either.

Technique: Guys like Steve Via, Yngwie, Joe Satriani, etc. are all guys I'd say have great technique, but still I don't really enjoy listening to them because their playing seem mechanical to me. So I guess to me they lack "feel". I'm sure this has more to do with the type of music they play than their ability.

Feel: Lots of guys with great feel, but Gary Moore is always the first that comes to mind for me.

Best of both: Roy Buchanan, if you have never seen or heard this guy then go to youtube right now and look up a video. The stuff this guy could do was amazing to me. Great technique, feel and tone. He was also very much an innovator.

I'll go with "equal amounts of both" - but MAN is that hard to define. Kinda like that old saying, "I may not know art, but I know what I like."

For like 50 years, I've see-sawed around this fuzzy thing. Probably going through periods where I didn't pay much attention to Clapton, despite his fine skills, until he kinda just bailed back into blues, with "From The Cradle". Ditto on Satriani and Vai, just because they were so far over anything I could play that I couldn't relate. Meanwhile, BB King just did "more" with "less". Then Gary Moore, the one and only. And seeing TV performances (on Austin City Limits (a national treasure)), with J. Edwards, SRV, Vince Gill, Albert Lee, et al. In more recent years, John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, and Derek Trucks.

My head spins, but I'll stay with my opener - both qualities. Going out the door, here's my best immediate example of feel (Gibbons), blazing technique (JB), and a fine combination (Trucks). It's all good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6uKpwCZnkk

Have a great day, 'C

I think feeling is most important myself. Technique can add some very interesting stuff but a guitar player that plays with a lot of feeling can cut right through to your soul and let you become one with the music. (Wow. That's deep.)

Great technique - Joe Satriani

Feeling - Gary Moore or Clapton

Best of both - Wow. Tough choice but I'll go with Eddie Van Halen on this one.

Fair enough.

Well, I have to relate to those of my generation, and of who I have learned from their example as players over the years.

Have to mention Tommy Emmanuel or Doyle Dykes as my icons. Since these guys represent the style, tecniques and feelngs of my all-time guitar hero... Chet Atkins. And, my kind of music variety.

As for great technical precision and even, endurance, I have to agree with those who appreciate Joe Satriani... and as well as Joe Bonamassa as the heavy performers too. Wow.

And those guys, I try and follow to know that I would be well entertained and so to envy from time to time as well.

Ah, what a great activity to be a part of, and being surrounded by those of like appreciations.

Right?

Oh, have read Keith Richard's (of the Rolling Stones) 'Life'. Anyone else?