The Criticism of Page as a Sloppy Player?

[weapon2010]

I would just like to know your guy's opinions about why this critcism exists? Is it valid? What is the cause? I have my thoughts on it but would love to hear yours.

[BobDobbs]

Oh god, not this nonsense again.

Edited February 7, 2021 by BobDobbs

[weapon2010]

So your contribution is that its "nonsense".Thankyou.

[John M]

There has been a lot of discussion on this site about this.  The search function is easy to use.  I typed in "sloppy" and then chose "content titles only".  Here are the first two items returned in the search.  Plenty of discussion here:

 

 

[weapon2010]

thanks , so your saying I should not bring this up as a new topic, do the search and add to the existing thread? is that the rules?

[hummingbird69]

26 minutes ago, weapon2010 said:

thanks , so your saying I should not bring this up as a new topic, do the search and add to the existing thread? is that the rules?

It's not the rules but it has been beaten to death in multiple threads so sometimes it makes sense to look a forum over for topics that already exist and then read those pages and add your opinion. Starting a new thread won't get too many responses because everybody and their daddies have posted about already.

Edited February 7, 2021 by hummingbird69

[Strider]

At this point it is

If, of all the things one can talk about Led Zeppelin with their albums and hundreds of concerts and legacy and influence, is the tired trope of "Jimmy Page is sloppy", that's a conversation I'll leave you to have with yourself.

I have already said my peace about this subject at length before many times. All I will say now is that Jimmy Page played on innumerable sessions in the 1960s. Sloppy guitar players do not get hired for studio sessions (where time is money) and become one of the most in-demand guitar players in history.

 

[BobDobbs]

3 hours ago, weapon2010 said:

So your contribution is that its "nonsense".Thankyou.

You are most welcome 🤪

[John M]

19 hours ago, weapon2010 said:

thanks , so your saying I should not bring this up as a new topic, do the search and add to the existing thread? is that the rules?

I was pointing out that there is a lot of discussion on this topic already and you might want to read some of it, that's all.

[Brigante]

Reading the subject heading alone made me want to rip my face off, slowly.
Sort of down and to the right, obvs.

[Sandey]

Well yeah, Page was kinda loose live, but he played great acoustic guitar, and sloppy players can't really succeed at that. Page's playing style and approach is what I call expressionist; the effect is more important than how it comes about. It's a lot more precise and calculated than it sounds in my opinion. In concert Page was often drunk and/or drugged and sleep deprived so that's going to lead to some less than perfect playing live.

Secondly Page didn't sound like a modern metal guitarist, or even an 80's one. But he wasn't a modern metal guitarist, so why should he be compared to that style? The whole sloppy thing comes from the ideal that "technique" equals speed, even touch, metronomic timing and complicated scale runs. Page was about purposefully moving timing around the beat, of varying the touch, of seeking melodic and rhythmic phrases – all for maximum effect.