Thoughts About Syn's Playing Evolution?

[Jak Angelescu]

I was just listening to Waking The Fallen, and I realized that he was a young 22 year-old that was still blistering these solos and writing amazing things. And so many people looked at him and said, “Dude, how could you get any better?!” And next thing you know, every single album that would come after WTF would prove everyone that yes, he can get better and evolve, and he did! Whether it be with recording one specific vibrato to harmonize with another so that it sounds fuller, or experiencing with many different styles of guitar and effects pedals, he really has grown to like a “whoa” level. It has helped me a whole lot as a musician because I listen to things and say, “Oh my God that’s awesome! I’m going to try that on my stuff!” Like in HTTK and Scream, I NEVER would have thought about putting heavy riff based work underneath verses. So I feel like every time I see or hear him play, it’s like “Oh, I’m gonna try that!”
How do you view Syn’s playing evolution and has it inspired you in anyway? To know he went from stuff on like WTF to The Stage is so amazing because I can’t wait to see what I evolve with!

 

[idssdi]

Yeah that’s amazing! I always feel like up to the self titled you can get away with playing d minor stuff when you don’t know what he’s doing and afer that you kinda need to do exactly what he does because otherwise it doesn”t sound right. I also dig weird arpeggios and weird scales and stuff and he’s definetely utilising that lately(with lately I mean the past couple years) and I love it!

 

[Guest]

I think Syn’s playing is evolving so bloody fast. Through listening as their albums come out you can hear the changes over time. But I recently bought waking the fallen a couple of weeks ago and it was the first time I heard any track from that album in a long time, and to be fair, i just couldnt believe what he was doing. Me at 22 I couldnt do half the stuff he’d done then – then again I did start a bit later I think. I think the early stuff was amazing, but I think as his playing matures, he’s covering a massive amount of ground which to me is very rare in the metal world. I cant think of many metal guitarists that cover so much ground.

 

[Jak Angelescu]

Yeah! And I think this knowledge should inspire people. I mean like so many people say “Oh I’m 30 years old and I can’t play half the stuff he could when he was 22.” But the thing of it is, is no one ever stops to think how seriously they take their craft compared to him. I mean, let’s look who his dad is for crying out loud. His dad already had the proficiency to help Syn reach his goals at a younger age and he took his MI classes very seriously. Music was in his family and he let it absorb him with everything and every style. So I think if people want to be better like him, let’s face it, you have to make music in general- not just guitar- a part of your life. And also, I always like to think of (I’m not sure when Syn started playing) but if he went from just picking up the guitar to WTF in let’s say, ten years, I think about where I’m at now, and the amazing knowledge I have at my fingertips thanks to this school, and I think where I’ll be in ten years. It’s exciting!

 

[Guest]

This is what I came across when it comes to comparing yourself to others;
New york is 3 hours ahead of california,
but that doesnt make california slow.
Someone graduated at the age of 22,
but waited 5 years before securing a good job.
Someone became a CEO at 25,
and died at 50.
While another became a CEO at 50,
and died at 90.
Someone is still single,
whole someone else got married.
Obama retired at 55,
while trump started at 70.
Everyone can be great at something (excluding politics from the list here) – but we run our own time zone I used to compare myself all the time to great guitarists, and it put me down cause rightly so I wasnt as good as them. I intend to rock one day, but in my own time!
Sorry, I really love that message!
Back to Syns evolution, we evolve for sure!

 

[Jak Angelescu]

OMG Brian Haner Sr. shared that on his FB page a while ago and I absolutely LOVED it! To be honest, I had personally messaged him in an emotional breakdown on here saying “I’m so terrified because I got a late start I won’t be anything good until I’m 50.” Of course, it was a MUCH longer, more detailed, um…. crying fit than that. Literally about five minutes after I hit “send” I had wished there was an “unsend” button because I was afraid and panicking I may have come off like a basket case to him. But wow. He responded in the most amazing, professional, kind, caring and nonjudgemental way. He told me everything I really needed to hear. Just love that guy. Simply love him. It was truly life changing. I mean, he had this total stranger kind of unload a bunch of personal grief on to him and I had never, EVER received that kind of support and wisdom from anyone in my life when it came to guitar and my future with it. That’s why I’ll tell that guy until the day I die that he changed my life with guitar for the better. I’m so glad to see you bare the same wise words he believes in! You’re going to go far, Ben. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for you

 

[Jak Angelescu]

Oh and you, too @Ids! I expect nothing but amazing and saucy gypsy jazz music from you! I’d like to see you record your own stuff. I’d bet it’d be incredible! You have a great feel with acoustic guitar!

 

[idssdi]

Yeah papa gates and Syn are incredibky nice people! I sometimes message papa gates when I feel like fan boying about the Beatles and there is no one around to do that with and I sent a message to syn that he should sing and play some songs like papa gates does or somehing like that when I was drunk. The day after i felt pretty bad about it so i apologized for it and later I got a message back that he loved and it and he’s been there which is like really nice.
@jak I did record some of my own stuff and uploaded it here it should be on my profile somewhere. I actually am mostly an electric guitar player but I’m glad you like my gypsy stuff I’d also expect nothing but great thigs from you! Your melodic sense is great!

 

[Guest]

Haha, its exactly where I got it from. Definitely not my wise words for sure! But I do believe in we have our own journey. Some start later while others were younger or just born into it. It’s a very difficult thing music isnt it? We all evolve so differently due to music and instrument taste and how our brains are wired. Then we develop our own unique opinions and style in which we apply to practice. We then get people telling you you’re doing it wrong, when in fact you’re doing right. or people say you are doing it right but really you know youre doing it wrong. Then there is debate, then there is arguments, then there is hate. You are running a race on your own, where eventually, you are going to be the winner. Ive learnt after my moment of quitting the guitar last year that we evolve differently, and we should just have fun with it go at our own pace. I just play what makes me happy now, and study the theory that I think will help me evolve! Im glad he responded and im glad he helped you out with it!

 

[Daniel Bernard]

He definitely got alot better and alot more wild.. I do miss his crisp City of Evil leads tone

 

[Brian Haner Sr.]

I listen to A LOT of guitarists, and speaking as a fellow guitarist and not a dad:
He started out great, (obviously). But as he grew as a musician (and person) and started listening to players like Holdsworth & Django, his playing went to a whole new level. Harmonically, as well as technically. Some of the stuff he can do now is honestly scary. I know guitarists who are better at tapping and guitarists who are better at legato. But I don’t know any guitar player who is as good as Syn at so many different techniques & styles. Syn has always been one of the best at eco & sweeping, but when you add all the other techniques he has mastered, it’s next level. And that’s not even taking into consideration his note choices – which are astonishing. It’s one thing to use a crazy technique and shit out a bunch of notes. It’s an entirely different thing to employ crazy techniques AND musical taste to make a great song even better.

 

[Jak Angelescu]

@brian that was an awesome thing to read/hear! And that’s exactly how I feel about his playing. There are a million shredders but none that can create melody with it the way he does. Because to be honest, I always hear guitar players mention people like Allan Holdsworth and what not, and I use to listen to them and quite honestly, some guitar players like that bore me to tears. I’ll listen to them and I just can’t feel inspired by it. But then I have had to learn that you and Syn grew by learning from those kinds of guitar players, and so recently I’ve been sitting down and really trying to think, “Ok, how can this make me evolve as a musician? What can I learn from this?” And then my dad had me listen to George Benson “Breezin” and I was like “Ohhh…my…God.” It suddenly didn’t bore me to tears anymore. I’ve always been more into classical guitar players and blues players but listening to jazz things more often has helped me feel more confident in being experimental.

 

[idssdi]

@brian You are definitely right on that! everytime A7x puts out a new record I try to play some of their new sogs and it always completely screws me over! also if you take for example a song like the stage, you jeed to he good at tapping, sweep pucking and economy picking to play through that whole song

 

[Ed Seith]

Taking the (formidable) technique out of the equation entirely, just dissecting his leads and melodies is an insane class in just how much, but how subtly, note choices and phrasing are the true mark of individuality.

 

[John Tierney]

Chiming in kinda late, but Im actually 22 and I started at 16 and was juggling a lot of other stuff at the time and couldn’t take it that seriously. At 18 I was diagnosed with a life threatening illness that forced me to put it down, and it wasn’t until I was 19 till I picked it back up on and off. Then when I was 20 I looked inside and said, “Look man, I really want this to work out”, and today I can do some cool stuff.
Syn has a very open mind and he kinda does a Randy Rhodes philosophy. When Randy was in his moms conservatory and his teacher told him and her that there is nothing that they could do to teach him, he knows everything, Randy refused to believe that and he kept looking for new teachers (even on tour) because he knew there was always something new to learn. Syns versatility is because he studied different styles and methods and thats what made Syn, Syn.
Me, I adopted this philosophy too, but I have consistently had teachers that were crazy or forced me into things too early or things I wasn’t interested in. As I self taught myself, I came across Stevie Ray Vaughan (someone completely out of my comfort zone) and I said, “Ill give blues a try” and sure enough my playing changed entirely in not only sound but how I approach it. So now I try and look at each genre individually and see, why is this so unique? I love this place don’t get me wrong, but I look at other guitarists too to see if my thinking matches and can piece the puzzle. Now Im in the process of trying to write a song.
Rock on