Can Ed Sheeran really play?

digitalkettle · March 2023

Pjon said:

roberty said:

Kilgore said:

RocknRollDave said:

Malcolm Young - Plays mostly cowboy chords, doesn’t stray from rhythm playing. Barks backing vocals.
Guitarists: “Genius! Plays for the song. Not as easy as it looks! If it’s so easy, how come no-one else plays the songs quite right?!”

Sheeran - plays rhythm, finger picks, loops, sings, harmonises with himself.
Guitarists: “He just strums a few chords! He's a busker who got lucky!"

I've always thought the same about Bob Dylan.

People go after Kurt Cobain's guitar playing which has always baffled me. But yeah Bob seems to get a pass. I suppose he is redeemed through his expert work on the harmonica

I've never heard any harmonica tune sound any different to any other harmonica tune. Is it possible to absolutely tone deaf to one particular instrument?

I don't think @roberty was sincere in his praise

guitarjack66 · March 2023

RocknRollDave said:

guitarjack66 said:

roberty said:

Kilgore said:

RocknRollDave said:

Malcolm Young - Plays mostly cowboy chords, doesn’t stray from rhythm playing. Barks backing vocals.
Guitarists: “Genius! Plays for the song. Not as easy as it looks! If it’s so easy, how come no-one else plays the songs quite right?!”

Sheeran - plays rhythm, finger picks, loops, sings, harmonises with himself.
Guitarists: “He just strums a few chords! He's a busker who got lucky!"

I've always thought the same about Bob Dylan.

People go after Kurt Cobain's guitar playing which has always baffled me. But yeah Bob seems to get a pass. I suppose he is redeemed through his expert work on the harmonica

Bob Dylan's playing and writing is still appealing to many millions 60 years after he began. If Ed Sheeran still is 60 years after he began the he'll rightfully be considered a peer of Dylan's.

Why would he want to be?

Because Dylan's music,both played by him and others,is still heavily listened to 50/60 years later. I'm sure even Ed Sheeran would be happy with that kind of financial security. Or at least the 80 million equivalent he could get from the future version of Spotify.
You seem very defensive of Ed Sheeran so I assume you like him? Fair enough,no problem. Can he play? Of course he can. Do you want to hear him play? That's up to the individual isn't it?

robinbowes · March 2023

guitarjack66 said:

RocknRollDave said:

guitarjack66 said:

roberty said:

Kilgore said:

RocknRollDave said:

Malcolm Young - Plays mostly cowboy chords, doesn’t stray from rhythm playing. Barks backing vocals.
Guitarists: “Genius! Plays for the song. Not as easy as it looks! If it’s so easy, how come no-one else plays the songs quite right?!”

Sheeran - plays rhythm, finger picks, loops, sings, harmonises with himself.
Guitarists: “He just strums a few chords! He's a busker who got lucky!"

I've always thought the same about Bob Dylan.

People go after Kurt Cobain's guitar playing which has always baffled me. But yeah Bob seems to get a pass. I suppose he is redeemed through his expert work on the harmonica

Bob Dylan's playing and writing is still appealing to many millions 60 years after he began. If Ed Sheeran still is 60 years after he began the he'll rightfully be considered a peer of Dylan's.

Why would he want to be?

Because Dylan's music,both played by him and others,is still heavily listened to 50/60 years later. I'm sure even Ed Sheeran would be happy with that kind of financial security. Or at least the 80 million equivalent he could get from the future version of Spotify.
You seem very defensive of Ed Sheeran so I assume you like him? Fair enough,no problem. Can he play? Of course he can. Do you want to hear him play? That's up to the individual isn't it?

I could (and would) say exactly the same about Dylan. The guy can write songs for sure, but I wouldn't choose to hear him perform them!.

guitarjack66 · March 2023

robinbowes said:

guitarjack66 said:

RocknRollDave said:

guitarjack66 said:

roberty said:

Kilgore said:

RocknRollDave said:

Malcolm Young - Plays mostly cowboy chords, doesn’t stray from rhythm playing. Barks backing vocals.
Guitarists: “Genius! Plays for the song. Not as easy as it looks! If it’s so easy, how come no-one else plays the songs quite right?!”

Sheeran - plays rhythm, finger picks, loops, sings, harmonises with himself.
Guitarists: “He just strums a few chords! He's a busker who got lucky!"

I've always thought the same about Bob Dylan.

People go after Kurt Cobain's guitar playing which has always baffled me. But yeah Bob seems to get a pass. I suppose he is redeemed through his expert work on the harmonica

Bob Dylan's playing and writing is still appealing to many millions 60 years after he began. If Ed Sheeran still is 60 years after he began the he'll rightfully be considered a peer of Dylan's.

Why would he want to be?

Because Dylan's music,both played by him and others,is still heavily listened to 50/60 years later. I'm sure even Ed Sheeran would be happy with that kind of financial security. Or at least the 80 million equivalent he could get from the future version of Spotify.
You seem very defensive of Ed Sheeran so I assume you like him? Fair enough,no problem. Can he play? Of course he can. Do you want to hear him play? That's up to the individual isn't it?

I could (and would) say exactly the same about Dylan. The guy can write songs for sure, but I wouldn't choose to hear him perform them!.

I'm not sure even Dylan likes listening to himself nowadays!

Kilgore · March 2023

guitarjack66 said:

robinbowes said:

guitarjack66 said:

RocknRollDave said:

guitarjack66 said:

roberty said:

Kilgore said:

RocknRollDave said:

Malcolm Young - Plays mostly cowboy chords, doesn’t stray from rhythm playing. Barks backing vocals.
Guitarists: “Genius! Plays for the song. Not as easy as it looks! If it’s so easy, how come no-one else plays the songs quite right?!”

Sheeran - plays rhythm, finger picks, loops, sings, harmonises with himself.
Guitarists: “He just strums a few chords! He's a busker who got lucky!"

I've always thought the same about Bob Dylan.

People go after Kurt Cobain's guitar playing which has always baffled me. But yeah Bob seems to get a pass. I suppose he is redeemed through his expert work on the harmonica

Bob Dylan's playing and writing is still appealing to many millions 60 years after he began. If Ed Sheeran still is 60 years after he began the he'll rightfully be considered a peer of Dylan's.

Why would he want to be?

Because Dylan's music,both played by him and others,is still heavily listened to 50/60 years later. I'm sure even Ed Sheeran would be happy with that kind of financial security. Or at least the 80 million equivalent he could get from the future version of Spotify.
You seem very defensive of Ed Sheeran so I assume you like him? Fair enough,no problem. Can he play? Of course he can. Do you want to hear him play? That's up to the individual isn't it?

I could (and would) say exactly the same about Dylan. The guy can write songs for sure, but I wouldn't choose to hear him perform them!.

I'm not sure even Dylan likes listening to himself nowadays!

Well he did win the Nobel prize for literature. Maybe that was a tacit admission that It's better to read his words rather than listen to him singing them.

bertie · March 2023

Danny1969 said:

Music aside, I think Sheeran should be brought to justice for popularising the looper pedal.

I think KT Tunstall should be first in the dock

Aqmltd · March 2023

It's all right Ma, I'm only loopin'

hollywoodrox · March 2023

randella said:

Pjon said:

merlin said:

stickyfiddle said:

And Sheeran's certainly written more popular songs than Clapton managed

True. And annually, Mills & Boon sell more books than copies of Shakespeare.

Popularity and quality are different things, and it's not a good idea to measure them in the same way.

But, in terms of 'will their music last', they'll probably go the same way. I doubt that any of my teen daughters recognise any Clapton songs. Even my wife, aged early 40s, would maybe spot one or two but not know that he sang them. (Just remembered - she loves 'Tears in Heaven'.) Clapton, great guitarist or not, is disappearing into obscurity. Go and ask the kids.

Probably also worth bearing in mind that Sheeran's been at the top of his game selling out mega-barns in an era where the number of artists releasing new music is stratospheric. How many tunes uploaded to Spotify every day? Tens of thousands?

A friend uploaded a screenshot of the top 20 from decades ago to Facebook recently - apart from a tune by the Jam, and an honorable mention for Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, the rest of it was honestly pish. This in a time when the most popular music was collated in very few places.

February 83 Top 20 included Billie Jean by MJ and Africa By Toto

guitarjack66 · March 2023

hollywoodrox said:

randella said:

Pjon said:

merlin said:

stickyfiddle said:

And Sheeran's certainly written more popular songs than Clapton managed

True. And annually, Mills & Boon sell more books than copies of Shakespeare.

Popularity and quality are different things, and it's not a good idea to measure them in the same way.

But, in terms of 'will their music last', they'll probably go the same way. I doubt that any of my teen daughters recognise any Clapton songs. Even my wife, aged early 40s, would maybe spot one or two but not know that he sang them. (Just remembered - she loves 'Tears in Heaven'.) Clapton, great guitarist or not, is disappearing into obscurity. Go and ask the kids.

Probably also worth bearing in mind that Sheeran's been at the top of his game selling out mega-barns in an era where the number of artists releasing new music is stratospheric. How many tunes uploaded to Spotify every day? Tens of thousands?

A friend uploaded a screenshot of the top 20 from decades ago to Facebook recently - apart from a tune by the Jam, and an honorable mention for Last Night a DJ Saved My Life, the rest of it was honestly pish. This in a time when the most popular music was collated in very few places.

February 83 Top 20 included Billie Jean by MJ and Africa By Toto

I was a couple of months from leaving school back then,heaven I thought. I wished I'd have continued my education instead of being the dingbat I am today. Some excellent music back then and it wasn't all high up the charts.

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Can Ed Sheeran really play?

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