Country music is arguably at least as dependant on guitars as rock music, but even that’s taking a hit. “On country radio, there’s a tendency to edit out the guitar solos to save time,” says country music star, Brad Paisley. That’s right; people don’t seem to have time for guitar solos in country music either. “Don’t bore us, get to the chorus” indeed.
From Billboard:
It’s a difficult topic. On plenty of occasions, fans have observed after their first Paisley or Urban concert, ‘I didn’t know he was such a great guitar player.’ The depth of their artistry isn’t fully experienced on many of the songs that reach the airwaves.
The whole thing makes me wonder, if people are so bored with something that isn’t completely mind-blowing every two seconds, then what kind of music is going to be created by the next generation? 40 second songs that are just hooks?
“The listeners’ attention spans are shorter and shorter, and if they start getting bored with whatever it is that we’re doing – whether it’s a musical riff, or something we’re saying , or too many commercials – it’s too easy for them to go somewhere else,” says consultant Joel Raab. “So it’s really about forward momentum on the radio station. Is that guitar part moving everything forward? If it is, great. If it’s not, then maybe it needs to be edited.”
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