The Watering Hole

http://youtu.be/mK6tcgsKgps

Orianthi playing Voodoo Chile.

she's good... but way too much distortion for her skill level (or maybe hand size?) imo.

same thing on the clip from the side... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mC1i0g254eM

not in control of the guitar at all times -- but that's cool, she's got the ear it seems.

She's pretty good for a girl, eh?  ;)

A lot easier on the eyes than Vai or Satch too!  ;D

nah, too much distortion and/or small hands isn't a girl thing... just can't take that left hand off the fret board and not mute with the right! noob move!!  ;D

I saw nugent playing the star spangled banner with a boat load of distortion a while back... bleh! play like loomis with that much distortion or gtfo!! ;)

now THIS girl can play :) -->> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVcl0Iw3fs8

Orianthi's not new-- she was Michael Jackson's guitarist on that tour when he died... and she had a hit a couple years back IIRC. I'm not sure what I think of her- generally I'm not a fan of the shredding Vai type guitarists, and she's definitely more of a shredder than a feel player.  I agree with sheep on this particular clip- there's not a single thing she played in that clip that needed that much distortion--especially a blues gig.  See any John Mayer crossroads performance--granted he's a massive tone geek and probably spends days and days working on his tone, but it's always perfect in the clean to distorted ratio.

For the record, I know she's not new and I agree with the excessive distortion opinions, however, this topic wasn't about either!

Unless distortion impacts how you can play that is (in which case Howie might be in trouble!).  :D

I've always loved good clean guitar playing. John M. is one of them. I hate distortion. I think it's an attempt to either hide the fact your an average guitar player, or just simply fits the song. I can't think of any song with distortion I like. Guitarist seem to forget at times, that it's not how hard and technical and difficult it is to play a song or whatever, it's the outcome. What you hear. If you want to watch impressive cord changes and talent, Dave Matthews. I just don't dig what I hear. He, imo, hands down the master mechanically. Just don't dig the music.

Here's a example of what I said. I can listen to John Mayer without seeing him play and love it. I will not listen to D Matthews but enjoy watching while listening. I never listen to DTR's little band because I don't like the music. However, if I could SEE them play live, different story.

Pretty good for a girl is kind of a weird thing to me.  It's not like playing guitar is being in the NBA... I've seen tons of good female guitarists.  I would just like Orianthi more if she wasn't so "Vai."  That's got nothing to do with her--I don't like Vai either, for the same reason.  I'm just not that into the high gain, saturated, barely-gotta-pick-the-note distortion.  Youtube is littered with people doing covers, solos, etc, women and men, who all use way too much distortion.  I'm not sure Orianthi is using it as a cover for lack of skill... I just think she might not have a great ear for guitar tone.  If you're going out to play blues licks, you can do that shit almost completely clean.

I hate too much distortion too. The sound loses all of its weight, power and clarity and ceases to sound like a guitar. That sound just doesn't work for me, sounds like a bee buzzing around my ear.

well, just for the record, I do like massive distortion... in the right context! :)

Yes, but the context is the key.  I've never heard Orianthi play with anything but that stupid level of distortion.  Not that she can't... I just haven't heard it.

these two clips are the only things I've ever heard from her afaik... just struck me as a middle of the road (or new) player. saw the small hands... saw the left hand drop off the neck... made me think she was probably a singer that plays guitar sometimes. shrug. I don't really think about "girl guitar players" as a separate thing. like this clip of Jennifer Batten:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MqR2SNH_k8

that's just a badass guitar player. orianthi... not so much. if either were guys, I'd have the same impressions (respectively), I think.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgffDVO2UyA - awesome player.

jennifer, yes. You'd probably have the same opinion as if she were a man because.... she looks like one.

The other chick..... what a nice set of cans dude. Who cares if she's a great player or not. You were talking about the bass player right?  ;D

As good as Tal Wilkenfeld is, there are hundreds of better bass players, any one of whom Jeff Beck could have picked for his tour/DVD.  But none as petite and cute as her, and I think it was pretty brilliant of him because he probably got 500% more views than he would have otherwise.

I went to school with a cute bassist, and let me tell you, she got an awful lot of gigs as a petite girl with big boobs playing a giant upright than some of the scruffy looking bass player dudes I knew.  I don't hold it against them- women have had shit pay and gigs forever, and if you're cute and can play, it certainly pays to work it. This woman (who's still a babe, and still getting killer gigs):

I'd hit it. :)