Is Jimmy Page a Sloppy Guitarist?

Hello,
Welcome to first-time visitors! I am Carl Baldassarre, a composer, musicologist, and guitarist! If you already know me, welcome back!! I'm excited to share with you another video!

In this episode, I address the long-standing question, "Is Jimmy Page Sloppy?"

There are several layers to this question and the answer requires some nuance. In a nutshell, the answer is both Yes and, definitely, No. The answer depends on the difference between actual sloppiness and artistic expression perceived as sloppiness. Moreover, when there are moments of sloppiness, there are usually three categories:
1) being truly sloppy (due to bad nights or bad habits)
2) taking risks to push artistic boundaries and creativity
3) critics misinterpreting emotion and expression as sloppiness

To further my evaluation, I look into the following aspects and questions:
1) Quotes from Jimmy Page on his "technique".
2) Withering quotes from "art" critics
3) Recognition that sloppiness (however so defined) ONLY occurred during live performances and, furthermore, almost entirely during guitar solos!
4) Sloppiness in live performances was absolutely not pervasive. In fact, it almost NEVER occurred during the song, riffs, or rhythm parts.
5) Recognizing that Jimmy Page's studio performances were actually breathtaking displays of emotion and original technique on the whole. The only exception being a handful of exceedingly profound emotional moments which were left in the final mixes at the expense of the pursuit perfection. Thank goodness!
6) There is an uncanny analogy between Jimmy Page as a guitarist and the Impressionist painters of the 1880's.
7) Impressionism vs. Jimmy Pageism: Both were expressing emotion. Both broke from conventional figuration toward the abstraction. Both used techniques which were considered "ugly" (brush strokes & picking). Both were met with harsh criticism about being "sloppy". Both require the audience to perceive the whole of the art from a distance, whilst revealing true passion upon close inspection.
8) Illustrating Page's "impressionistic" solo picking technique on Heartbreaker which is the source of misunderstood labeling of sloppiness.
9) The real question should be "is emotion sloppy?"
10) We can debate the question of sloppiness, but there is certainly no debate on whether Jimmy Page is...an original! "The definition of originality is when a work of art is identifiable with its creator." (Carl Baldassarre)

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#JimmyPage #CarlBaldassarre #LedZeppelin

[chrishyde]

I don't care about show off virtuoso playing, I care about the joy of music. Jimmy Page conjures so much music and melody from his playing, and I suspect that was his focus.

[markmcmurry]

His acoustic playing is a testament to his precision, but live they were a jam band, always reinventing and reimagining songs and Jimmy was improvising, letting the music flow through him.... it wasn't about being well rehearsed and perfect, it was about living in the moment. Even in the studio he often winged it on takes and was able to listen to them and keep ones that fit the song even if they had imperfections, being a perfectionist can hold a person back from reaching for the sky sometimes.

[stratkat]

The modern day guitar wizards (technicians) bore me to tears. Yes, they can rip across the fretboard at hyperspeed and play all the scales and modes without mistakes, but it all leaves me cold. It's like listening to a fantastic typist. Jimmy Page penned so many incredible songs AND produced the recordings. In his live solos, he had the guts to just go for it. He was playing spontaneously as opposed to the current ilk who play lines they've practiced a thousand times.

[leokimvideo]

I remember when the band Kiss were looking for replacements for Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons said they were seeing all these incredible fast & technical players who were amazing but had zero soul. Sometimes the magic happens when there are imperfections. Jimmy Page had that magic ability when playing live to go on adventures when playing. Maybe some see it as sloppy because your not hearing what was produced in studio. I love the live Page playing, it's always a wild ride that's also incredibly enjoyable. I've said before Pages playing was like trips into the musical wilderness of a song. If it's sloppy playing I say we need lots more sloppy players these days.

[jaelge]

My band mates and I referred to Page as the King of Slop. Yes, when playing live, he could be sloppy as hell but when he slips into playing the intro to Since I've Been Loving You at The Garden in ´73, and he plays that entire song absolutely flawlessly, that is proof positive that Page was the best on Earth when he decided to be.

[SteveSingsThings]

It's kind of like asking if Vincent van Gogh was sloppy. Of course, and so was Jimi Hendrix. All iconic artists. Let's just say it didn't hurt them much.

[rickriccardi]

Jimmy Page is one of the greatest composers of melodic and unforgettable guitar solos and riffs. Millions of people can remember his solos note for note.

[cgab]

I find that his sloppiness occurs when he’s playing simple pentatonic passages, but his technique is perfect on intricate acoustic passages. You never hear any mistakes on acoustic numbers, studio or live. When playing solos live, he’s stretching the limits of the pentatonic scales and his imagination. Sometimes his technique just can’t catch up, but he creates excitement. He orchestrates your emotions.

[Adventurepilt]

I would describe his style as "choppy" rather than sloppy. There are so many guitarists who are very legato in their solos but page was more staccato and it always felt like he was playing on the edge. But unlike a choppy amateur, Page played so far in the pocket that it sounded huge. A very unique combination.

[robchell]

I saw Zeppelin in ‘73, ‘75, ‘77……no one ever thought all of these concerts would be preserved on the internet to be studied to the depth they were. They just weren’t constructed to be fine works of art that the albums were. Just listened to Physical Graffiti again, what a treasure.

[BITESIZEJONES]

The man is a national treasure. The tone, the riffs, the songs and the entire Led Zep package still blows my mind. Even the so called inaccurate solos had a vibe about it because he is a natural and meant to be who he is.

[robinbolton]

He played like a train just barely riding the tracks about to derail at any moment and that is his appeal.
He just held it together playing at the edge of his limits while displaying an
Imagination with no barriers.

[doublek]

Great analysis! And I'd much rather have Jimmy Page's "sloppy" style than be one of those technical wizards whose music you'd have to pay me to listen to.

[mistersusan]

Impressionism is a musical movement as well, yet nobody would call Ravel or Satie “sloppy” because they’re deliberate about their art. They’re not just blasting the pentatonic scale off beat and off key as fast as they can.

[zedman]

I've always associated Jimmy's playing with raw emotion, the guy is simply one of, or simply... the best at it.
Gilmour is another emotional player, but with him you would be hard pressed to find any sloppiness in his work, that is for sure. He is like a brain surgeon.

[mp-d]

I just assumed it was his style…I never thought of his playing as sloppy. His solo on “Since I’ve Been Loving You” is brilliant.

[Yautjakanaka]

Vladimir Horowitz, a classical pianist, is my favorite musician of all time and LZ is my favorite band. You made me aware of some similarities between Page and Horowitz in their approach to their instruments. Horowitz said that the music was behind the notes, and his critics often accredited his success to his on-stage histrionics (going rapidly from from triple pianissimo to triple forte), which is funny because he was a stoic performer with terrible stage freight; the emotions were conveyed through his fingertips. Check out his recording of Liszt’s Hungarian Rhapsody No. 15, Rakoczi March. He pushes the piano to its sonic limits. Great stuff Carl! Your videos are the most articulate explanations of Zeppelin and Page’s style

[Childofbhaal]

I love the fact that Page and Zeppelin were big fans of improvising and trying to keep things fresh instead of stale. Did it always work? No, but when it did it was absolute magic. The Song Remains the Same dvd in MSG is absolutely electric and Page is completely on fire during. If you want note for note perfection, you can listen to their records. Improvising and changing things up live adds so much to the excitement and live experience. I’ve seen bands live that play their music 100% note for note which is nice and they’re talented for doing so, but the concerts were kind of boring. I was just like I’ve heard all of this before 100’s of times on the record. Nothing is different.

[christophersanders]

I saw Led Zeppelin in Baton Rouge, La back in 1977. Page definitely fumble fingered a hand full of notes. The average drunk and stoned fan back then would never notice it. I saw him again in 1986 with The Firm. His playing was absolute perfection.

[snmiller]

Ritchie Blackmore talked about the perfection of Joe Satriani, which he admired but wasn't a big fan of, had similar slant on things, though slightly a different perspective. He said if you never play bad notes, never make mistakes, you are not reaching for the emotional highs that make music interesting. It's why he loved and was inspired by Hendrix and others that were always "searching", "reaching" for something emotionally unique. I agree with this...it's why I don't mind hitting bad notes and not studying music that much 🤣 and yeah, occasional sloppiness.