No, this has nothing to do with transformers. But after the last couple days of playing guitar, I think I am almost hitting my prime for playing guitars. I don't entirely see myself getting too much better skill-wise on the guitar. I can still grow musically, because there are a lot of things I don't know. However, my fingers can only move so fast and I can only be so creative, so I don't think I will be a rockstar guitarist, sorry guys.
I am in my fourth year of playing guitar and I haven't really gotten any better in 8 or 9 months. The last time I saw myself get significantly better was when I discovered Jason Mraz's guitaring style and technique. Thereafter, I took up the challenge to be able to play this "pick-and-flick" technique, which John Mayer also uses in a couple of songs like "Stop This Train" and "The Heart of Life."
Before I go anywhere else, I want to say that, as good as John Mayer is, Jason Mraz is better overall. I have had a couple discussions with a few friends about the two JM's and which is better. For those of you that do know Jason Mraz, you would know that I am largely influenced by his music. I will have to put my bias aside for this comparison. First and foremost, when I mention these two JMs, obviously John Mayer is the one that is more popular whereas Mraz gets the reaction of "who the heck is he?" The unknown of Mraz has decreased lately because of his huge hit "I'm Yours", but that is not what we are to be discussing right now.
Okay, I'm done with my preamble, this is my take on Mraz vs. Mayer. The response I get from people who know both Mraz and Mayer can easily point out that John has the success to back himself up. I will give the point of success to John Mayer because it is a legit argument that I simply cannot argue against. After the success factor, you have to break it down to them as individuals. John Mayer's strongest point is obviously his guitar. I will admit right here that John Mayer is one of the most amazing guitarists that is going mainstream, ever. Having been to his concert once, you can say that Mayer's guitaring has neared perfection and is almost flawless. In comparison, Jason Mraz's strongest asset is his voice. This is somewhat of a sketchy thing to say because Mraz's voice is so highly underrated, even though it's what gets most people, that people will easily say Mayer's guitar is better than Mraz's singing. I would like to disagree. First of all, Mraz's voice itself is perfect, he has perfect control over his pitch and has an incredible range. A couple of songs that shows how amazing his vocals can best tell you what I mean. Listen to one or a few of Common Pleasure, The Remedy (Live), Only Human, Unfold, among others. After listening to them, try to sing them yourself. If you think you can do it, record yourself and then compare it to Mraz. There is no way in hell that many people can sing and control their voice like Jason Mraz. This is what I meant by his voice being underrated. So, Mayer's guitar equals that of Mraz's vocals. Next.
John Mayer has had his voice criticized in the past of not being a very good singer. To date, he is still not the greatest singer; he has gotten a helluva lot better than he was in the past, but still not the greatest. When I say singing, this does not mean songwriting, it is his vocal abilities. Jason Mraz's secondary is his guitar. Again, Mraz's guitar ability is underrated. If you watch some live videos of mraz, he has some incredible chord shapes and little things that he can do with his guitar. Mraz is primarily an acoustic/classical guitarist, but he can rip it up on the electric too, hence Common Pleasure. One thing that puts Mraz's guitar over Mayer's singing is the way Mraz's fingers can move and shape themselves. I still have a lot of trouble playing some Jason Mraz chords because my fingers just don't move that way ><. So, in terms of secondaries, I have to put Mraz's guitaring over Mayer's vocals. Don't get me wrong, it's close, but I find that I'd rather listen to Mraz's guitaring over Mayer's voice anyday of the week.
Live performance, Jason Mraz CLEARLY over John Mayer, no contest. Jason Mraz has one of the best live performances currently on this planet.
In summary, I have to put Jason Mraz as a better and more talented artist than John Mayer because, let's face it, Mraz could go mainstream and rip up the charts if he wanted to. However, in the end, I just think it's personal preference on who you think is better; and I, for one, chooses Mraz over Mayer because I simply do not get bored of Mraz, and that he continually surprises me with his songs and what he can do. This is not an attack at John Mayer whatsoever, because I am still a fan of him and his music.
Hope this provides some insight.
No comments:
Post a Comment