There's
a subject that's been getting under my skin for the last ten years.
It is closely linked with the controversy over seven string guitars
as some niche breed of instruments that have somehow – through
idiocy and cultural bigotry – cultivated a controversial
reputation for being sheer tools of mediocrity in the hands of
“talentless musicians” such as Nu Metal acts. I am not even going to get into the blanket condemnation of alternative and Nu Metal, since that's another subject, but I will focus on the baseless nature of this claim that seven strings are somehow tools for the sham musicians.
Now what makes this irrationality worse is the cornerstone arguments in support of this opinion and pure perception – note: not fact – touted by purists of the metal genre, and worsened by the unquestioning group psychology of the community. What is this argument? It is a powerful claim that is apparently buried beneath an ocean of obscure and baseless references to the late and great “Dimebag” Darrell Lance Abbot: legendary hard rock and heavy metal guitarist; founder and iconic lead guitarist of heavy metal band, Pantera. I would like to address this misconception in full detail by treating this entry as a treatise of Dimebag's guitar philosophy, along with exposing the source of this misconception, which would then dispel this false dogma and perception of how this late legend denounced seven string guitars.
Now what makes this irrationality worse is the cornerstone arguments in support of this opinion and pure perception – note: not fact – touted by purists of the metal genre, and worsened by the unquestioning group psychology of the community. What is this argument? It is a powerful claim that is apparently buried beneath an ocean of obscure and baseless references to the late and great “Dimebag” Darrell Lance Abbot: legendary hard rock and heavy metal guitarist; founder and iconic lead guitarist of heavy metal band, Pantera. I would like to address this misconception in full detail by treating this entry as a treatise of Dimebag's guitar philosophy, along with exposing the source of this misconception, which would then dispel this false dogma and perception of how this late legend denounced seven string guitars.
"Why does this get under your skin?" - Some Might Wonder
First,
a bit of proper introduction and background to the thematic in
question. Having a fundamental allegiance to most things fringe,
heavy, black-natured, scrawled with blasphemous wounds of the
macabre, and rife with unadulterated Satanic edge; I have an inexplicable, and
irrefutable connection with the heavy metal culture, including many of its
sub-genres and contemporary off-shoots. If it sounds dark, heavy,
moody, and possibly thought-provoking. . . I'm there, and I'm ready
to appraise it as well as feed off its energy like some starved
demonic force from the cryptic splurge within a dying catacomb. I
like my heavy metal, and I indulge in this appetite without any sense
of restraint – I like heavy noise, and I employ instruments to
create heavy noise; whether it appeals to an audience, an individual,
or no one, is not my prerogative, but needless to say, I have like-minded
allies in this pursuit.
Given
my passion for all things dark and heavy, I tend to become a bit hung
up on facts, claims, and conjecture, especially when one of my
idealised veterans of the trade are falsely implicated in another
moron's agenda. Now if only I had a pretty fuckin' penny for every
time I've heard some no-name alias over the internet or some random
stranger at a gig, go on to recount stories about meeting a famous
musician and then proceeding to express opinions on behalf of said
musician – some true, some pure fallacy. I am not going to imply
that all claims of this nature are wrong, but I am going to make it
very clear that these claims are purely claims until otherwise
reinforced by factual information.
The
claim that Dimebag hated seven strings with an unholy passion was one
such exaggeration that has fuelled the argument by certain metal
purists against seven string guitars. This, I think needs to be
addressed properly since even the deepest natured research only
unveils random hearsay from forums and sevenstring.org. It's usually
that secondary-source anecdotal cliché, such as, 'My friend's
cousin's ex-dead girlfriend's mother's second husband read some
obscure scroll – that was destroyed during the Spanish Inquisition
– about Dimebag that one time and the scroll said that he (Dimebag)
hated seven string guitars!' I am sorry, but this is just not going
to fly in the face of reason. Not to mention, the information is
hardly even secondary since there's no trace of primary sources as
one begins to unravel the concatenation of hearsay – it's really
just a wide waffle of gossip with no real substance.
There
is no doubt in my mind that Dimebag was a passionate musician with a
skill-set and mastery of the axe that few among the modern-day greats
could even dream of honing, so in my books, he earned a legitimate
badge of honour to freely opine and critique. However, even then, I
wouldn't allow myself to be swayed by his authority; there have been
points where I disagree with Dimebag. Nevertheless, having had the immense
honour to meet the guy once and only once, I know that his legendary
skill is matched by the humble mentality of a complimenting
rationalist; he's always been a flexible and open-minded individual.
The
truth of the matter is this, Dimebag Darrell has always – without
apology – held the view that guitarists should strive for better
and achieve the most they can from the limitations of their
instrument rather than being alien to the range of their musical
weapon of choice.
"Own your weapon, and don't let your weapon own you!" -- Inspired by Dimebag
This was the truth of it all. . . Dimebag never had a high opinion of guitarists with simplistic skill, but neither did he ever take exception to this and fully agreed with the age-old artistic anti-doctrine of, “To each, their own. . . If it works for you, then good!” Likewise, he didn't see the point of seven string guitars in the hands of individuals who'd only be using the lower three strings of the instrument – one could easily achieve this on a standard guitar, making the whole seven string feature an obsolete fad in the context of a guitarist who wouldn't utilise the full range of the instrument anyway. He even referenced Scott Ian of Anthrax using just a four string guitar as a legitimate stance and position [1].
"Own your weapon, and don't let your weapon own you!" -- Inspired by Dimebag
This was the truth of it all. . . Dimebag never had a high opinion of guitarists with simplistic skill, but neither did he ever take exception to this and fully agreed with the age-old artistic anti-doctrine of, “To each, their own. . . If it works for you, then good!” Likewise, he didn't see the point of seven string guitars in the hands of individuals who'd only be using the lower three strings of the instrument – one could easily achieve this on a standard guitar, making the whole seven string feature an obsolete fad in the context of a guitarist who wouldn't utilise the full range of the instrument anyway. He even referenced Scott Ian of Anthrax using just a four string guitar as a legitimate stance and position [1].
“Ah,
so when we observe some facts, stop looking at things in absolute shades
of black and white, and halt this relentless debauchery of taking
shit out of context, it becomes evident that Dime never had an issue
with seven string guitars, or even four string guitars. . . He had an
issue with people who'd buy seven-stringers to show off while only
using 3 strings of the instrument; something anyone could accomplish
by simply down-tuning a standard six-string guitar – Dime did it
himself!” – Reality Check
Indeed,
Dimebag himself was a connoisseur of drop and low tunings, which he
executed just fine on a six-stringer. He was an amazing guitarist,
and he was able to capture all of his sounds within the constraints
of his instrument – this was the hallmark of his pride and glory as
a musician. Somehow, after Dimebag's unfortunate demise, and the
subsequent case of the 'Chinese Whispers' amongst some of his
ignorant devotees, Dimebag's legacy was now being seized to support
this anti-down tune and seven string guitar crusade; a crusade that
was never even Dimebag's mandate or burden in the first place, and a
gross perversion of his personal position on the subject. It's these
kind of seizing tactics and overarching zealotry that pisses me off; where the legacy of
deceased legendary artists is disgustingly usurped by the myopic and
misguided agenda of some opinionated elitist fans who never
understood the concept of art in the first place. With this kind of rumour-mongering, before you know it,
we have an entire internet audience quoting Dimebag as 'the hater of
seven stringers' with impunity – as though it is one of those
irrefutable facts that one cannot dare to question.
I
will acknowledge that I am not certain how many people treat such
proclamations seriously; I certainly tried my damn best to ignore
this bullshit up until a recent incident. I am also certain that the
subject is of little interest to outsiders, and doesn't even matter
to most, but this is my domain where I chronicle my thoughts, and as
a long-time fan of Dimebag's work, I feel that his true legacy needs to be
honoured here rather than abused for the perpetuation of falsehoods.
So this can be seen as my effort towards dispelling this insidious erroneous urban myth about him hating a certain kind of guitar.
Dimebag
Darrell never hated seven string guitars, he simply didn't see the
purpose of these guitars in the hands of artists who can't even use a
standard instrument to full capacity – he saw their utility and
market appeal as a pure gimmick that might mislead other aspiring
artists who could do just as well without going that route. If
anything, he was trying to enlighten the masses on the real
implications of guitar range and how much can be accomplished even
with a standard guitar, and what more can be done with one that
contains an added lower baritone key. Unfortunately, Dimebag
Darrell's little interview with Guitarworldfrom 1999 – one
that I had read – is most likely the source of this snowballed
rumour. I believe it was this interview that was grossly
misinterpreted and taken out of context by some poser, raging,
boozing, image-incorporated head banger, who most likely – in a
moment of head-swirling, brain numbing frenzy – chose to perceive
that as an all-out condemnation of all things associated with the
number 7, before proceeding to infect the rest of this
cesspit-network called the internet with this myth that has now taken
on a life of its own under the guise of an 'unquestionable fact'. If
there's a supporting argument for stereotypical metal fans lacking
intellectual fortitude, this myth would be a stand-out piece since
they're doing great disservice to their own deceased hero.
To
quote Dimebag's closing comments on that subject:
“I’m not saying I wouldn’t play a seven-string. It’s just that I’ve never needed one. Most dudes who play seven-strings don’t sound any different than someone playing a six-string that’s tuned down.” - Dimebag Darrell: Cra-Z-Boy; Guitarworld, 1999
There
we have it; truth magnified sans hyperbole and misleading conjecture.
Dimebag never denounced or decried these guitars. It's dogmatic
group-think like this that demonstrates just how the opinionated
nature of the metal community will always be its sine que non
Achilles Heel, since much of the bravado and passionate vulgar and
gusto-stricken opinions are a false-front for an otherwise baseless
or weak position on a subject matter where facts are anything but
evident. It's just a shame for them that I don't tolerate jar heads
hijacking Dimebag's name to rationalise their very illogical
insecurities against the idea of diversity within the metal genre of
music. So here's to the truth; the demise of a misconception, and
genuine credence to the legacy of a great guitarist.
Finally,
here's to Dimebag Darrell, as I honour his true memory in its
unadulterated state today, along with hopes that I can use seven
string guitars to their full capacity, someday. As it stands, I'm a
terrible guitarist/noise-maker. Yeah, I'm one of those blaspheming
heathens who abuses a seven-string guitar with pride, and when I met
Dime, he didn't have much a problem with my philosophy, so long as
gimmickry wasn't part of the parcel, which it wasn't. In fact, this
post was provoked by my recent acquisition of the Dean Razorback 255
- 7 String, which prompted a not so well-informed outburst by one of
my respected, but somewhat ignorant friends about how Dimebag 'hated
7 string'; clearly a far fuckin' cry from any form of truth.
Have
a good one, moshers. Don't let too much of that blood rush to yer
heads!
–
Kade
Reference:
[1] Chris Gill. (1999). Dimebag Darrel: Cra-Z-Boy. Available: http://www.guitarworld.com/dimebag-darrell-cra-z-boy?page=0,3. Last accessed 15th January 2012.
This
post is dedicated to the memory and grandiose stature of Dimebag
Darrell; an iconic guitarist and a man who loved all musical
instruments regardless of their string count. . . and regardless of what
certain idiots on Blabbermouth.net's comments section would have us believe.



