Johnny Marr - The Joy Of The Guitar Riff

[@HairyBosch]

I'm 44 now but every time I hear the opening to This Charming Man I'm 14 again, sat in my bedroom in Bolton and I feel fucking great. Wonderful.

[@jamesrojas2067]

Well, im 14, now i feel traveling back in time reincarnated as my dad, listening to the Smiths

[@productive_citizen]

James Rojas Nobby Nolevel You guys should meet up

[@JungleJuiceJoey]

Nobby Nolevel I can't help but have this huge goofy smile on my face whenever I hear that song come on. Reminds me of happiness and being a kid.

[@jackgrant6098]

James Rojas same here mate!

[@cockshield]

+James Rojas I know exactly what you mean man, I'm only fucking 63 and I love this music!

[@WillieWagglestick]

This guy can do no wrong as far as i'm concerned. I could listen to his instrumentals on repeat for the rest of my life. Genius.

[@ferabra8939]

This Charming Man. One of the five best songs ever. One of the five best riffs ever. Period.

[@Colin-kh6kp]

Ok, im with you, but what are the other 4?

[@ferabra8939]

Let me see...The Muppet Show theme, Sesame Street theme and the rest go without saying: Star Wars Main Title and Indiana Jones theme ;-)

[@mrsixiesrock2274]

+Fer Abra Good one.

[@jacksonlennon3105]

Fer Abra I

[@dermot51]

So, what are the other four riffs that are better than this then?

[@harrisonwintergreen1147]

The power of deliberately restricting your options. How many guitarist dare cut out power chords and artificial distortion? It's like Mark Sandman playing a 2 string bass ... sometimes limiting options opens up a new creative world

[@babylxrd3144]

i mean it worked out for johnny so

[@Ballonpoire39]

My low E on my bass just broke off last night. Excited to play without it for a while. Bass chords for life!

[@maljo4604]

Mark Sandman and morphine are so underrated..

[@sharinglungs3226]

Never knew he was so young when he wrote those legendary guitar parts.

[@Ballonpoire39]

Some people are just born with the gift of melody. Johnny, Kurt Cobain, Grant Hart, Peter Buck. Very different musicians but all VERY musical.

[@RockyRMR]

They always are.

[@RockyRMR]

@@Ballonpoire39 there’s no such thing as a gift. He practised and learnt.

[@Ballonpoire39]

@@RockyRMR I agrée with you, but some people just got it more then others. Like people who are naturally better at sports than others.

[@Ballonpoire39]

@@Synthysynthsynth Exactly. It's interesting you say that as I am currently studying psychology and when I try determining why certain artists are as talented as they are in my mind, I always end on the conclusion that both nature and nurture are equally as important. Hendrix was gifted in the sense that he had large hands and was just a natural to music but, the way he played the guitar and became so good that it seemed to be part of his body was no gift what so ever. Jimi played ALL the time, in the bathroom, street, after gigs, etc. After writing this I am starting to question if nurture is actually even more important... Who knows?? I just appreciate all these amazing artists

[@celticbastardson2599]

Johnny Marr, The Edge, and Peter Buck (REM) changed my way of playing guitar, from ripping of Jimmy Page and Eddie Van Hale, to playing with my Chorus, Sustain, Pitch Shift Delay, and letting notes ring out against other melodies, etc. So much depth in the Post-Punk styles of these artists. Funny enough, it was more challenging for me to unravel these guys' guitar parts from the bass, keyboards, etc., than it was to learn really fast, distorted lines from heavy metal.

[@xDPx-zh7vr]

I like how you had to remind everyone who Peter Buck is. Not as well known as the the other 2 but great in his own right. But no the majority of ppl have no idea who the guitar player for REM is.

[@hangthedj3206]

What difference does it make has an amazing riff

[@JA-er1fn]

i agree

[@pianoboi4842]

Yeah, that song catchy af

[@harveydeclan8538]

i realize I'm kinda off topic but does anybody know a good site to stream new movies online?

[@remycanaan3168]

@Harvey Declan Flixportal xD

[@harveydeclan8538]

@Remy Canaan Thank you, signed up and it seems like they got a lot of movies there =) I appreciate it !

[@dylanjanpierre2001]

without Johnny Marr The Smiths wouldn’t be great’s.. He is a truely legend.. the jimmy Hendrix of his time

[@dylanjanpierre2001]

@@coolnamebro that’s what i say

[@heliopolis29]

As Keith Richard's famously said, it's not what you play, it's what you don't play. Marr in indie style with the same philosophy.

[@aricohen283]

heliopolis29 Similar to something Miles Davis said to John Coltrane to help him understand the Secret of Music ™️: “Music is the space between the notes.”

[@fender1000100]

EXACTLY. When you ask most people who their favourite guitarist is you will get the usual suspects HENDRIX CLAPTON PAGE HALEN ETC I have always rated the more restrained players who have their own sound. Hank Marvin Steve Cropper Peter Green Johnny Marr No million notes a second. But what they played is never forgotten.

[@franksaldana6570]

@@fender1000100 please explain how Van Halen or any of the first 4 people you mentioned doesn’t have his own style

[@patriciofernandez2711]

@@fender1000100 Marr played a million notes a second. Thing is he didn't play them as solos, he played them during the whole song. Barbarism Begins at Home, This Charming Man, Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want; those songs are based around fast melodies and chords looping endlessly. He's a virtuoso second and a composer first.

[@yio5000]

love how at 2:48 the guy says the riffs going somewhere, yet the next song Marr plays in the video is called nowhere fast

[@molochsorcery4357]

Now I see why so many of my New Wave friends in college during the mid-80's were so into the Smiths. I dug their How Soon Is Now song yeah but I had no idea just how good Marr's playing was or how complicated it really got. I like how he restricts himself form metal & hard rock - power chords & typical song structure. Yes his style deserves to be studied by guitarists if for no other reason than to show them what can be done in Rock without distortion, power chords & long solos. Very cool indeed.

[@irishelk3]

Johnny marr is top class.

[@theisms5710]

One of my favorite guitar players! I met him once several years ago. He's a friendly guy who is so passionate about music that he took the time to discuss Patti Smith and The The with me after his show.

[@jasonscott-warren1293]

This man is the best guitarist ever

[@mead-wf1xu]

This man is the very essence of a guitar genius.

[@stephenmcculloch1915]

There must be a million videos of Johnny Marr playing the This Charming Man riff on You Tube. And they are all worth watching.

[@xxczerxx]

The most surprising thing to me is how damn YOUNG he was when he wrote these guitar parts. His playing is so mature and sophisticated, yet was only a teenager when he came up with them.

[@WillieWagglestick]

My hero. My absolute musical hero. Genius.

[@plasticbudgie]

You're a wizard johnny.

[@plasticbudgie]

Exactly, so much better than listening to a Drum set play a 200 bpm, while some guy screams like a demon being anally raped, and the guitarist plays Drop D power chords all the time.

[@plasticbudgie]

Bob Bobberton Well i don't believe he did, as far as im aware he's asexual But at at least mar could play the guitar, and not just hold down 3 strings in Drop D or open D playings Bar 3 1 3 6 3

[@TheAcousticBandits]

The man has literally wrote the best and most memorable guitar riffs in the history of music. There's no other way to describe Johnny as just pure genius.

[@czgibson3086]

Johnny Marr is an all time Great British Guitar Hero. One of the best there has ever been. ["They call it the Rickenbacker Jangle." :D]

[@Wilantonjakov]

and so is Robert Fripp! I wish Johnny and Robert did a collaboration or something.

[@TSgitaar]

@@Wilantonjakov Fripp and Marr together? That would be weird.... They are so different in their playing.

[@Michele1ELL]

Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others guitar riff is absolutely beautiful

[@ZukoMcOtella]

Johnny Marr para mi es uno de los mejores guitarristas de todos los tiempos.

[@d4amn]

Johnny Marr's guitar will never be replicated, it's a unique sound that only he knows how to make. My favorite guitarist.

[@peterharrison3318]

Combine beautiful riffs and gorgeous quiffs and you get pure genius! Long live The Smiths.

[@chainsawmax]

awesome, thanks for sharing! Mr. Marr rocks!!! i love just how the clip ends and you can catch a glimpse of SONIC YOUTH about to blast into SILVER ROCKET!

[@moreld1]

Nice catch!

[@gasfr]

Btw, telecasters are known for their twang but they can be super jangly too It's as much about the player as it is the guitar I saw X the other night and Zoom was playing the most beautiful Gretsch ever to walk the earth. It, like the Rickenbacker takes no prisoners and makes no apologies Jangle for its own sake can certainly be overdone by the imitators but guys like Marr and Buck made music that will last forever Noel Gallagher said it best - Johnny Marr is so good even HE (Marr) can't play what he plays It's the kind of genius where he might casually trot out some riff w/o even realising he's doing it and then consciously have to try to reconstruct what was an unreflective upon instantaneous flash of genius

[@endomatsuyama4629]

the God of riffs

[@carlosrecuerdaruiz2948]

Why can´t they be back again ? The world miss them . . .

[@shckltnebay]

I had to sit though a pamper commercial but it was worth it, thank you fing advertisers

[@michaelbauers8800]

+Eric sin sinner People hate ads, but they pay for much of what we watch and read

[@shckltnebay]

Michael Bauers Really? you really felt the need to share that wow

[@michaelbauers8800]

You felt the need to complain, I felt the need to point out ads have value. Why did you post something to a public forum and then question why someone else would respond? :)

[@shckltnebay]

Michael Bauers The important part was the commercial was for "pampers" maybe you didnt read that, if I was for Guitar Center I woundn't have complained

[@baddong4392]

+Michael Bauers You seem fun

[@Tamar-sz8ox]

I love ❤️ Johnny Marr and his tunes

[@gasfr]

Thank you from a break from the endless masturbatory 'look at me I am playing lead' guitar playing Every review of a guitar will feature some guy playing 9:50 of lead and :10 seconds of rhythm etc Those of us who grew up on Marr Summers Jones Ramone Strummer Buck etc. Exist too!!!!! Thank you!

[@RastaSaiyaman]

+Whit The funny thing about that is listen closely at Marr's playing on "How soon is now?" it is buried deep inside the mix but he does a solo which has distortion and searing lead tone.

[@gasfr]

you are darn skippy he does! It's a critical part of the song. But the KEY to the song, what makes it iconic is that tremolo (yes I know the difference between tremolo and vibrato and they are often misused including by myself... ). I recall in college in the 80's playing through my stage amp with built in tremolo and getting a pretty good approximation of the tone. Noel Gallagher best summed up Marr's playing... words to the effect of - "he is so good even HE can't play what he plays"

[@RastaSaiyaman]

Whit He actually used THREE Fender twin Reverbs all with their tremolo circuits synced to each other to achieve that throbbing pulse. I can't begin to imagine what a sheer NIGHTMARE it was to get that exactly right. But get it right they certainly had. What a cool song "How soon is now?" still is all those years later.

[@jebby16]

When I did discovered that Marr and Sumner (New Order) made an album back in 1991 I about bugged out! 😳

[@bronzeageancientone4844]

JM is a gift to us all

[@mr.cifuentes1779]

Barbarism Begins at Home is fucking astonishing, Marr is a Genius.

[@blackestcat1111]

AMAZING GUITARISTS!!!!

[@icedmocha6670]

the true indie pop guitar legend..

[@mwa1254]

Stop me if you have heard this one before, but... "He wasn't allowed to look at heavy metal..." The solo for 'Shoplifters...' is not ultimately a 'Heavy Metal' riff; but pulls it off extremely well; almost to a professional distinction if ever one should exist.

[@johnunderwood3132]

His playing reminds me of a banjo player. I’m not saying anything negative, love Marr! Just saying it

[@bartpitt2991]

If anything, that’s a compliment

[@alexanderwood3465]

I genuinely believe Johnny Marr is 2nd to Jimi Hendrix in terms of that whole 'guitar as an extension of the human body' thing they both have going on. That ability to just pick up a guitar and KNOW it inside and out as if it were a part of you.

[@danielmcdermott138]

Did he just call a guitar riff pregnant?

[@FootyCrazyM8]

meaning important or significant

[@lanceamsen]

FootyCrazyM8 nope

[@andrewtucker94]

Yep - metaphor my friend

[@rmilrta]

Meaning full of possibilities.

[@alejandrocisneros7442]

A hipster

[@dommccaffry3802]

But delivered with total rock n roll attitude !!

[@bmxbarron]

I hear so much eastbay ray in this guy, its crazy

[@wheatonna]

It's cool that Marr and Peter Buck were taking things in a similar direction, at the same time. Almost like a conspiracy.

[@kaydgaming]

Peter buck was the more simplistic guitarist

[@kmqmcse]

@@kaydgaming Some would describe it as shite.

[@tonydalton459]

Two of my favourite guitar players. Add in Roddy Frame and Glenn Tilbrook.

[@Ballonpoire39]

Less is sometimes more!

[@1027gracie]

GOAT

[@milanbaros2005]

That's the most impressive syrup i've ever seen.

[@mazely]

Johnny Be God!

[@nopederp6027]

I hadn't realized they were like an Elvis satire band until now. they are good but wow.

[@ufewl]

wow the problem with this was it is too short!

[@Some-kid-called-David]

I think was taken from ‘The seven ages of rock’ series on BBC.

[@Johnny-mb9vy]

The riffmaster

[@johnnysraregroovies1984]

A guitar hero 🎸

[@Pixelando]

Genius.

[@Resolve3s]

"limitation breeds creativity"

[@boxianparkk]

he'll be always my babygirl

[@Calvinism1517]

He is the Mozart of the guitar, leaps and bound ahead of all the rest

[@timeweston]

0:16..0:36.. It's luxurious

[@MR.B00_]

It does not matter what anybody thinks, Johnny Marr is an absolute perfect guitarist. Clapton was never so great. Marr rates up with Mark Knopfler, Roy Clark, Jimmie Page.

[@casperoomen9111]

The live forever riff is influenced by this charming man

[@casperoomen9111]

True!!!

[@lindsaylowhan8975]

You don't hear the west coast (UK) sound nearly as much as blues and it's just so much better. Marr really does it right.

[@papaeric1366]

FUH-ken-GENIUS!!!!!!

[@Acoustic90]

King Marr

[@ZenJuddhism]

I got likened to Johnny Marr today so I'm happy with that

[@ferolcat2009]

Johnny wasn't/isn't anti rock he just wanted to go a different direction. Instead of hammering out power chords he picked out the notes and made the guitar sing rather than sneer. IMHO.

[@deadchannel4966]

Johnny looks so nervous when he is sitting in the studio in the beginning

[@derekroper9010]

It's the Irish Blood in him, that's where the sparks come from.

[@richardwalley2862]

Where is the entire video!!

[@pauldockree9915]

This Charming Man. Ah. J Mar was not Jonathan Martin Garrett Haake/Jonathan Lemire.

[@pippipster6767]

Oh I don’t know - the What difference does it make riff could happily appear in a Black Sabbath track!

[@rickg8015]

One of Marr's heroes is James Williamson (The Stooges)... You can see James' influence in his playing somehow. Even without all the distortion..

[@Max10_B]

can i view this in whole anywhere?

[@verve92]

Johnny was the next evolutionary step after Roger McGuinn

[@Garrett1240]

I'm pretty sure McGuinn and The Byrds used a rickenbacker for what would be known as 'jangle pop' only just before The Beatles? Either way, McGuinn and The Byrds experimented more with it.

[@boosh90]

I think marr and peter buck were the next step, personally

[@jeremiahfernandez9161]

Johnny Marr defines Inception's main theme for me

[@Grissongs]

Good heavens. Marr is an absolutely gorgeous guitar player, melodically, harmonically, rhythmically. A prodigy, an eclectic autodidact, deservedly influential to this day. A huge inspiration to many, myself included. (And, judging from interviews, a down-to-earth, self-effacing, refreshingly non self-absorbed, self-reflective, keenly intelligent, yet never falsely modest chap) BUT please spare us the the wankers' commentary prevalent in this clip e.g.Riffs: "You don't know where they're going but they're going somewhere... " And the earnest girl and voice-over on "The Indie Sound", whatever that is or was... Such pseudo-profound analysis, very obviously salvaged, just, by valiant editing. It ain't necessary. Do your thesis or make your name in music journalism elsewhere. And Marr's name and music will still outlive either.

[@petermercury4020]

Rickenbacker jangle? Yeah, we all called it that back then (sigh)...

[@FuguZaKat]

Wait... Is this Lee Dorrian talking about Johnny Marr ?

[@papanimes]

sonic youth at the very end? what has silver rocket got to do with the smiths?

[@SilhouetteLifter]

probably starting to talk about indie rock I would guess

[@PantheonLincoln]

+Stuart Ayers yeah, they touched upon the more expermental stuff like Sonic Youth and My Bloody Valentine.

[@jackhale3452]

So why did he not like distortion or any style of rock?

[@tdang9528]

Why dont they use ibanez RG

[@randyrhodes7137]

The Smiths spearheaded a seismic shift in society. They were the Godfathers of the indie hipster vegan society we have today. Morrissey's lyrics were about people liberating themselves from traditional gender stereotypes and Johnny's music was doing exactly the same to free guitar playing from the spandex nightmare it had become. They complemented each other perfectly and their influence immeasurable on society.

[@m3ta_styl]

John McKeoch 🔴🔴🔴

[@Kezzeract]

All these old bags in the comments who don't know what post-punk means. You crack me up, la!

[@NKRevolution]

1000th sub XD

[@Ukulele_Ad]

3:15 Sure love, its called a Rickenbacker jangle. Unless you happen to be playing a Jag or a Tele.

[@blossomrusso6457]

Is that a jag or a jazzmaster in the current clips?

[@honz1122]

Jaguar

[@chrisbacos]

I like the Smiths but was never a die hard fan. I like Johnny's solo work and I am a big fan of indie and would rather listen to that than classic rock the latter being of my youth.

[@mdontworry134]

What is he playing at 2:55?

[@anthonypetrykowski5184]

What Fender Guitar is Johnny Marr playing there?

[@AbstractXiren]

Anthony Petrykowski hes playing A Jaguar in the interview and in one of the clips it looks like he’s playing a telecaster

[@lucasargandona4658]

Why is this riff given so much attention?

[@CestJ0el]

Song at 2:30 ?

[@jpjp09]

what difference does it make

[@T0mat0S0up]

Its makes a difference to me, answer the man!

[@jtr5540]

@@T0mat0S0uphope this is sarcasm

[@firdausHITMAN]

2:45 What colour is that Jazzmaster? Thanks

[@danielcox1994]

+STRATMAN firdaus Not a Jazzmaster. It is a Sonic Blue Mustang

[@firdausHITMAN]

+Daniel Cox Thanks

[@firdausHITMAN]

+Sam Mouzer Pick one!

[@RastaSaiyaman]

2:49 what song is that? Can somebody give me a title?

[@themodernday5699]

+RastaSaiyaman "Nowhere Fast"

[@RastaSaiyaman]

The Modern Day Thank you.

[@YungV206]

What song is playing at 1:15

[@adityasangore5323]

This charming man

[@brandondavies1083]

Yo

[@demianx9218]

2:55 track??? Please!

[@Garrett1240]

'Nowhere Fast'.

[@Xflect]

What documentary is this?

[@keller9582]

Bryn Jenkins the joy of the guitar riff

[@romulo353]

Who's the girl talking bout the "Rickenbacker Jangle" at 3:00?

[@T0mat0S0up]

Sally Spunkypants.

[@rjbron3038]

Rickenbacker guitars are horrible. People end up ditching them for good reason.

[@adamd4390]

Romulo Ferreira kate mossman

[@CutlerHenry]

what’s the name of the song at 2:50?

[@timwilderspin]

Nowhere Fast

[@StingyCrew]

Only Marr could impregnate a riff!

[@tk29573]

?