For all you Clapton fans....

Lokie,

It's not surprising that so many musicians you cite applaud Clapton's playing - it's wonderful and expressive and deserving of all the praise it receives. I gush over him, too. He's one of my favorites and I've seen him perform live a dozen+ times. Unlike some posters here who supporter EC but wish for the old rock 'n' roll days, I actually find his recent acoustic blues performnces equally riveting.

My intention in posting here was never intended to diminish EC's playing. I was just supporting the observation made by Marakanetz that EC is limited technically (true) - and also agreeing with Marakanetz that these limitations don't seem to limit EC much musically. Those are not mutually exclusive statements.

I'll add that, with some practice, I can probably knock off most of EC's tabs....Adding that - even with a lifetime's practice - I'll never sound remotely as wonderful.

Actually, it's kind of nice to see folks defending EC in this thread, because he's so often bashed on A'gon. And that is -IMHO- just wrong.

Marty

Since when did blues guitar playing become about technical skill. As a music form blues is simple. The technical instrumental capabilities of playing nearly all classic blues tracks is well within the scope of any half way serious guitarist. But that's completely beside the point. Blues is about feeling. By that measure Eric Clapton has been a great blues musician. His technique is more than ample for the style his has chosen to play.

Albert King, Muddy Waters, Hubert Sumlin and Otis Rush didn't engage in guitar pyrotechnics either. You want to criticize them too?

I did not intend to critisize or bash EC. No way! I enjoy playing his songs and sing them to females I want:-). I only intended to critisize the term 'virtuoso' which he's not and need not to be as mentioned before.

E.C. 's technique may not have been very technical but it was his own . One of the few musician's I can listen to for hours .

Marakanetz, you brought up the term virtuoso. One does not need to be virtuoso to be enjoyed, as everyone on this thread is indicating. EC blues, I mean rocks !