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)

You can find out more about me here:
https://carlbaldassarremusic.com/
And if you are interested here is a link to my Led Zeppelin Reveal Project:
https://ledzeppelinbybaldassarre.com/

#JimmyPage #CarlBaldassarre #LedZeppelin