It's just noise!

‘Can you recommend a really good guitar player?’

The question came from an average looking bloke in his mid-thirties.

I asked him to be a bit more specific, with regards to the style of guitar he was after.  He seemed confused by this so I proffered, ‘Rock? Metal? Classical guitar?’

‘Just a good guitar player.’

I asked him if he wanted something classic, maybe Jimi Hendrix.  I assumed this suggestion was a bit obvious, but he confessed, ‘Never heard of ‘im.’

Are You Experienced seemed as good a starting point as any, and at this stage in his journey, I didn’t want to plunge him into anything too obscure or complex.

It’s always difficult recommending music to strangers.  Even if they tell you exactly what they want, genres can be limiting, and taste is subjective.  This guy gave me nothing to go on but ‘guitar,’ but Hendrix is usually a pretty safe bet, so I felt confident he wouldn’t be back for a refund.

He was back the next morning for a refund.

‘This is shit!’ he exclaimed vehemently.  ‘My two year-old daughter could play better than this.’

Taken aback, I asked him if there was something about it that he particularly disliked.

‘He just can’t play.  I listen to Triple M and they play normal music, and that’s what I wanted.’

Admittedly my knowledge about Triple M is limited, but given that they’re known for playing ‘classic rock,’ I was fairly confident Hendrix got the odd spin on-air.

I stayed mute on this subject and offered him an exchange.  After browsing the shelves briefly, he settled for ZZ Top.

‘Now this… this is music.’