Congrats on the linking! :)[br]

Originally Posted by: PoundhoundJust out of interest, is this musical or not?[/quote][p]You did a great job of finding 2 examples of the same piece of music but using extremely different timbres. Well done!

Originally Posted by: PoundhoundI believe this is the type of thing that influenced a great many neo-classical guitarists in the 80s, and was played by Steve Vai

Yes, Vai did that segment. And yes, baroque & classical music did influence some rock music shredders.

Jon Lord practically invented Bach & roll or ("baroque & roll") shredding in his solo on this tune.

https://youtu.be/Wr9ie2J2690?t=127

His bandmate Blackmore did more than his fair share of classically influenced lines as well. :) Check him out ripping straight from Bach's playbook.

https://youtu.be/ryN3gG9CKF4?t=124

And sometimes they did this stuff in unison.

https://youtu.be/8xuBw63xj00?t=120

Uli Jon Roth in the Scorpions was doing this stuff in the 70s also.

https://youtu.be/Zs5NOrYYV2s?t=36

And of course Malmsteen in the 80s with his jaw dropping melodies & lines straight out of Paganini & Bach but played through a Strat & Marshall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAsHFSrh0i8

[quote=Poundhound]As for being "predominantly emotive", yes, that's probably true. But predominantly still leave room for logical too.Good music is predominantly emotive but with some logic in there.😁

This gets to an important point: it is a false dichotomy to think that logic & emotion are mutually exclusive polar opposites. It's not as if when the licks get faster there is corresponding loss of emotion.

In fact, I think it's more accurate to say that the best examples of fast playing require strict logic in order to be musical & evoke a favorable emotional response.

The faster you want to play, the more notes you have to have organized in some understandable structure ahead of time. And there can be an element of atheleticism in this approach, the adrenaline rush of going fast! The sheer thrill of the speed! But there's no reason this has to diminish the logic & order required to do it in a beautiful, melodic & thus musical way. I think in many cases it adds to beauty & can highten the emotional response to any listener that appreciates this approach. Not only the result, but the time, effort & thought required to achieve it.

Now going deeper into music & emotion.

Music does not contain emotion or feelings. [br][br]Music is highly, specifically organized sound moving through the air. Music has the potential to evoke an emotional reaction in the mind of the listener.

Emotions or feelings are your mind's reaction to things you encounter (in this case sounds you hear, since this is music) based upon your values.

So, when you hear a certain type of music that matches your values, you are pleased, you like it. And conversely, to a piece of music that does not match your values, you are displeased, you don't like it.

Some people hear a BB King song and are bored. They think, "Why is this music so slow and boring? All that guy is doing is playing the same 5 notes over and again with dumb squealy sounding bends."

Other people hear the exact same BB King song and think, "Oh my goodness! This is the most amazing, passionate playing I've ever heard!"

Some people hear a Yngwie Malmsteen song and are bored. They think, "Why is this music so fast and noisy? All that guy is doing is playing the same zillion notes over and again with dumb squealy sounding bends."

Other people hear the exact same Malmsteen song and think, "Oh my goodness! This is the most amazing, passionate playing I've ever heard!"

Obviously, the music is not different each time. Both listeners are hearing the exact same objects. The difference is in how each listener evaluates the music he is hearing; in what each listener individually finds enjoyable and valuable.[br][br]Fast playing & slow playing are merely two different, complimentary tools the musician can use to achieve the sounds they desire to create.