Talk:Joe Satriani

List of students

There should be a list of students Satriani trained, it is very important since some of them are very important people right now, Vai, Skolnick, Hammet, etc.

He Never Taught Tim Calvert.

He moves into positions on extremely technical passages

What? You mean he stands in a funny way? Someone please clarify this.

I think it means positions on the Fretboard, but I don't know how to phrase it encycopedically.GolumTR 23:07, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

well...one would imagine the way he keeps his left foot ahead and stands!...

Amps from Space?

Hello,

I can't see any reference anywhere else about that album. Googling it only brings me to that page. A valid source should be mentioned. Gobelet 22:58, 12 May 2006 (UTC)

G3

As a guitarist, I look to Satch as a major influence. Not only is his technical ability staggering, but he mixes that ability with a level of feel that many of the other guitarists in the instrumental guitar genre seem to lack. While I do really dig Vai and some other G3-type artists who may play a little flashier than Satriani, I think he has a certain discipline to his playing that speaks volumes about his musical maturity and skill, and I almost always end up skipping through the other artists on the G3 DVDs to watch his performance. It's often harder to know when NOT to play than it is to just shred incessently; a key reason that many of the metal guitarists around, as well as guys like Yngwie Malmstein and John Petrucci, don't do much for me (although they are technically brilliant). A great solo with a crappy song doesn't mean anything, afterall.

Leath?

Why on Earth is Joe Satriani called Leath in the first section of the article?????? 165.123.140.215 19:35, 1 May 2006 (UTC)

Better than the rest!

In more than one way, Satriani is a cut above the rest, because he sings the song, instead of just playing it. His soul is deeply emersed in the music he produces. In addition, even more than the music is Satriani the person. He is known to be readily accessible as a teacher, and his list of accomplished students speaks for itself. This is a rarity in a genre that is typically recognized for its hedonism rather than genuine artistic give back. He'll go down in music history (whether rock or not) as a true legend.

Remove Criticism?

It's been years since I followed guitar-world gossip, but I don't recall Satriani being criticized as "sterile" or "robotic." If we don't have citations for those quotations, they should be deleted. Moreover, I don't recall Satriani being often criticized at all -- so the entire paragraph is misleading. Many guitarists were criticized for being too technical (e.g., Steve Vai, John Petrucci, etc.), but Satriani wasn't foremost among them. The paragraph makes it seem as if Satriani is controversial. Cribcage 06:13, 9 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Hear hear! Sterile and robotic? I've editted the passage concerned. Satriani is a consumate master of tone, he can squeeze every nuance of feeling out of his strings. I can't qualify this objectively but as somebody who used to play guitar 10 hours a day I think I'm entitled to say that Satriani is the greatest electric guitarist of all time. There are players who are faster, more ambidextrous etc but they're nothing like the musician he is. To overstress his technical accomplishment shifts emphasis unfairly away from his abillity to write tunes that are staggeringly beautiful. I'm not so keen on his albums since 95 but "surfing with the alien" alone contains several lifetimes worth of achievement.Andrew F. 00:24, 12 Apr 2005 (UTC)

A typical Satriani songs is sterile and robotic... the rhythm and pace is unvarying. There's no ebb and flow, no surprises, no interesting structure. His stuff just doesn't transport me. The guitar work is amazing but there's a lack of feeling. Just my 2 cents. Moksha 06:27, 22 May 2005 (UTC)

Are you missing something? Just listen to Always with Me, Always with You and tell me his songs lack feeling. Not to mention the totally unexpected transition to a whole separate key a minute or so into it. 69.37.41.246 04:06, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

What? Are you on something maby?? Look, ..this is nuts. As the above posters said, there's a whole list of guitarists that could be criticized over beeing "sterile" but that I would ever hear someone say that Satriani is "sterile" is, ..well, seriously man, ..nuts! (by all means.) I mean, if you want to criticize Joe there are perhaps loads of other things, don't know, maby clothing, lack of new ideas in the past 10 years, lately going little too "mainstream" in sound (electronic sounds!) and so on, ..but "sterile" or "robotic" ..huh? If what's bugging you maby the "clear" sounds of just a few songs on "Surfing with an alien", keep in mind that it's an end studio recording and has nothing to do with his playing style (if some string scratches were removed in studio). As for the "no surprises" part - well ..here you're totally off the track and I have no idea what you're talking about, ..honestly. As an end note: I am not registered here nor do I have any intention to do so or edit the article in any way, so if it gets edited, it was not me. However, I think there will be other posts below and we'll see about the "sterile" and "robotic" opinion from other people..

I agree. Satriani's approach seems more like a fusion of technique and melody, but never technique for the sake of itself. Vai and Petrucci strike me as a bit more academic in comparison.

There are lots of people who sticks to their guitar hero and perhaps scare to admire other's work. I read quite a few articles about guitarist and i laughed my head off someone said satriani music LACK OF FELLING. THERE IS ONLY ONE GUITARIST WHO PLAYS GUITAR AS IF IT IS SINGING WITH SUCH A PASSION IS DEFINATELY A GREAT jOE SATRIANI

STOP PRESS - some people have different opinions to you. with an artist like this, who describes his own music as "Beautiful", i think it's wholly appropriate to discuss what people who aren't fans of his think. amazing how fans of other musicians can listen to criticism of their favourite acts witha degree of respect and maturity, but if you dare suggest that steve vai or satch arent modern day gods to a guitar geek, THEY SCREAM IN CAPS AND SPELL THINGS WRONG. i think removing the criticism is almost the textbook definition of not being NPOV, especially when the justification is largely because "i think he rocks", or words to that effects. do your homework, there's plenty of people who regard his music as soulless and sterile... perhaps strike a compromise and have a "critical reception" portion of the article? where we could have positive and negative comments about his music.

Of course, someone had to go ahead and find a criticism of Satriani, and then put in in the article. Then again, what kind of Wikipedia article would this be without a criticism in it? Who the hell cares what Gary Moore says anyway??? Might as well put a quote from me in there. I can imagine some 16 year old who dislikes Satriani for some reason (I don't know, maybe because he gets picked on by some kid at school who happens to be a Satriani fan), types "Joe Satriani criticism" into a search engine, hits the "edit page" button at the top of the article, and well....there ya go. What a joke. 69.37.41.246 03:54, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

"Satriani (like Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and other guitarists who incorporate speed and technical precision in their playing) has been criticized by those who prefer simpler compositional styles." Obviously someone who doesn't play with speed would criticize someone who does. Therefore, I'm removing the related comment (as well as its desperate proof, the Gary Moore quote) from the article. And the Vai comment after that is uncited, so it goes as well (record sales? concert attendance?). 69.37.41.246 03:57, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

I disagree with the removal, as a quote by such a notable person as Gary Moore is relevant. No matter how great an artist someone is, there will be criticism, and it is worth noting. Remember, this isn't a fan site, so we have to forget that we are Joe Satriani fans when editing the article, and strive for a neutral stance. --Slashme 07:54, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

OK, me again. Maybe Cribcage has a point. I've googled around a bit, and it really doesn't seem to be a common criticism. If someone can find a citation for the Gary Moore quote, we can maybe keep the paragraph, otherwise I'm OK with seeing it deleted.--Slashme 08:06, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

"It is better for Wikipedia to say nothing on an issue than to present false or misleading material." Unless an opinion is widespread (for example, that many people disagree with President Bush's way of running the country...not like this should be in an encyclopedia article anyway), it is misleading. Anyone could find an opinion held by a minority in the form of a known figure's quote, add it to the article, and change the entire idea that the article was trying to get across. I don't see why an uncited quote has to remain on the main page anyway. Keeping with what Wikipedia says, I'll put it here for further observation, rather than deleting it entirely (which Wikipedia also says could be done for misleading material). Opinions (no matter how widespread and no matter who they may belong to) obviously do nothing to keep an article neutral, let alone one that is supposed to be encyclopedic. Why is criticism material such a big part of Wikipedia anyway? Is it not an encyclopedia?

"Satriani (like Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and other guitarists who incorporate speed and technical precision in their playing) has been criticized by those who prefer simpler compositional styles. For example, Gary Moore once said that he found Satriani's music "cerebral", saying, "it leaves me cold"."

I left the Vai comment that follwed it, adding it to the next paragraph.

69.118.62.182 17:35, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

well, almost every album, movie, book, and many other bands/artists have a "critical reception" section, but if you guys cant stand to hear any criticism of one of your heroes... Ljoneill 01:20, 23 June 2007 (UTC)

I would be fighting to keep the criticism in the article, except that I can't really find any reliably cited, notable criticism. There are some online reviews that complain about his style, but that isn't notable, and there is that Gary Moore quote, but that isn't verifiable, so until we have something solid, let's just leave it out. --Slashme 08:27, 25 June 2007 (UTC)

---

i would appreciate if anyone fromy the rock instrumental genre could emulate the style,sound and feel of Satch! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.16.138.135 (talk) 13:58, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Vai most notable student?!

Hey he taught Kirk Hammett. I'm not saying Hammett is better than Vai, but he's certainly way more famous than Vai. Someone should take that out.

I am at the middle about this issue. I reckon when people talk about Joe Satriani, Steve Vai is what comes in mind, so its somewhat true that Steve Vai is the most notable student. I'm not giving my opinion about which one is more famous. - Imoeng 11:01, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

I strongly disagree. Steve Vai being Satriani's most notable student is most definitely your opinion. You said it your self..."You reckon when"... That's as opinion as one gets.

metallica - biggest selling heavy metal group of all time. your mum knows who they are. there's a movie about them. steve vai? largely a cult concern, big within those kind of circles, but to suggest he's bigger than kirk hammett is a questionable conclusion. surely more people know kirk, and kirk is commercially more successful? i think those are the criteria for "Notability" (within the context of popular music). steve vai is probably satch's most prolific & accomplished student.

Most notable student cont.

I think that Vai is Satriani's most noteable student, and as for fame, Hammett is definatley not 'way more' famous, in fact, he's not more famous than Vai full stop. I think Vai's reputation as a guitar player alone is definatley why he's Satriani's most notable student. It's absolute crazyness to even consider putting Hammett as Satriani's most notable student! Halen061088 08:40, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

erm i'm sorry sir but what ever do you mean, metallica is something like the 7th biggest selling act in american music, Steve Vai is a cult concern, he's not as BIG as kirk. metallica is huge, steve vai and his solo albums simply are not as well known as metallica, end of.

well, unless you can tell me when steve vai was in constant rotation on MTV, headlining festivals, filling arenas, having number one albums...

It doesn't matter whether Metallica is the 7th biggest selling act in American music. For a start, Wikipedia is used by British people too, so being one of the best in America doesn't really count for much. Plus, Joe Satriani is a GUITAR teacher. If you look on most 'Greatest Guitarists' lists, it's almost guaranteed that Steve Vai will be higher than Kirk.

Halen061088 08:40, 5 September 2007 (UTC)

This is partly a semantic problem. It's not meant to be a popularity contest. I believe the intent is to say that, if everyone in the world named everyone they know of who was Satriani's student, Vai's name would come up more often than Kirk's. More people know of Hammett than of Vai, but more people know that Vai studied under Satriani than that Kirk did. At the moment, I cannot think of a way to condense this paragraph into three-word replacement for "most notable student" that removes the ambiguity. --ShaneCarey 22:11, 31 August 2007 (UTC)

Notable student confusion

Not sure where the anons confusion is coming from? I clarified the paragraph to split his teaching duties between NY and Berkley.

He taught many students in Long Island....the most notable being Steve Vai.

THEN...He moved to California to seek a music career. He also continued teaching. He made many students, the most notable being...(see article for list)

His 2 different teaching stints in NY and Cal. are completely separate from one another. The intitial reading was confusing. I altered it to maintain clarity. It does not label any one of his students as "most notable" as it did previously.

I will request WikiProjectGuitarist members to review my edit to see if it needs altered more. Anger22 16:31, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

It looks pretty good to me right now and doesn't seem to inferimply any is more notable than any other, I think the sentence might have a few too many commas though. Also, that new picture is a bit strange, it's too large, has no caption, and is of poor quality. I'm not sure the licensing information is right either, it seems to be a snapshot of a television screen and I doubt that you'd be able to claim that as your own. If anyone knows more about it please correct it or me.  HeartofGold  ^(Searching) 17:17, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

I agree with you about the photo. Surely his website...or Ibanez' Website has a press release promo shot that's fair use here. If I get time I'll look. Anger22 19:51, 28 July 2006 (UTC)

Now it seems more balanced and factual. Less POV. I am happy and will not edit any more.

Satriani, not Joe

Just a reminder to fans editing this article: following standard encyclopedia style, after the first mention of a person, subsequent single-name references should use their last name (e.g., Satriani) not their first (Joe). - dcljr (talk) 10:29, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

However, all guitarists refer to him as Satriani. I have never heard anybody call him Joe :)

He's actually called Joe most of the time. However, I agree with Dcljr.

'In 1992, Satriani released The Extremist, his most critically acclaimed and commercially successful CD to date.'

Not too sure about either of the assertions in that sentence. The first is all but impossible to actually prove, and seems to lean towards a POV. The second may well be true for all I know, but there are no figures attached to prove it. Any thoughts? Blythe49 02:24, 5 March 2007 (UTC)

I beleive it is. I am a huge music fan over many styles and The Extremist has to be one of the greatest albums of all time!!! I play along to it every day!!! ♦ Sir Blofeld ♦ ^{"Expecting you" Contribs} 18:08, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

Actually, this is false. The above user may like The Extremist more than any other Satriani album, but in reality, Surfing with the Alien is his best selling album. I'm going to delete that BUT I will not add Surfing with the Alien as his best selling album because I don't have a reference. Once I find it, it WILL be up there.

Also, since when does calling an artist a virtuoso qualify as having a point-of-view?

the guitarist project deemed it to be an unencyclopedic fancruft word that makes the article read like a 12 year old's book report rather than an encyclopedia article... and they were very correct in that view. The project has guidelines for it's usage. 156.34.223.171 10:50, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

Instead of insulting me, maybe you and any other Wikipedians who think otherwise should read Wikipedia's own "encyclopedic, up-to-standards" page on the word virtuoso. Let me quote it: "A virtuoso (from Italian virtuoso, late Latin virtuosus, Latin virtus meaning: skill, manliness, excellence) is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability at singing or playing a musical instrument." You say its unencyclopedic and fancruft to add it to his page, yet it would seem that, by Wikpedia's own virtuoso page, this man fits the bill.

You say "...read like a 12 year old's book report rather than an encyclopedia article...The project has guidelines for it's usage." You know, I think you'd find your kind of grammar IN a 12 year old's book report. I find it highly contradictory that you are insulting that user about leaving virtuoso in when you are making mistakes a 12 year old would make.

That the artist is considered to be a virtuoso has never been questioned. It is the concensus of a Wiki-project that the term can be be used if project guidelines are followed. Project concensus is that the peacock term can't go in the lead section. It can be included in an "influence" or "guitar style" section w. an attached ref. This is how it has been added into other guitarist articles. 156.34.237.192 10:18, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Album covers

We can't use fair use album covers in an article about the artist, only in an article about the album. Other use is a copyright violation. Corvus cornix 23:09, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Satriani Super Colossal.jpg

Image:Satriani Super Colossal.jpg is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Wikipedia:Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.BetacommandBot 22:09, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Thunderbirds play Satch

The two times I've been to an airshow (at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM) where the USAF Thunderbirds flew, the loudspeakers at the edge of the runway were playing Satriani's "Always with Me, Always with You" in a loop. Is this an Albuquerque/Kirtland thing, or a Thunderbird thing? --BlueNight 06:43, 1 July 2007 (UTC)

Gear

Is there any particular reason the Boss pedals have 'made in Japan' in front of them when listed? It seems to me to be both clumsy and superfluous, especially as it's done more than once. Doozy88 16:29, 15 July 2007 (UTC)

Sunglasses relevancy

Does anybody know why Joe wears sunglasses on almost every single performance? If so, do you think it's worth mentioning the reason why? I've always been curious as to why he wears them. Halen061088 15:42, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

Virtuoso

The term has been moved to the Influence section with citations which is the rule of the Wikipedia Guitarist Project. It isn't to be used as an adjective in the lead section as this is unencyclopedic crufting. 156.34.210.28 11:29, 6 September 2007 (UTC)