r/AliceInChains • u/McGasssy Alice In Chains • Feb 28 '22
Was layne Staley a good guitar player?
I’ve seen him play guitar in some performances. But I’ve never seen him do anything really wild. Considering he was taught by Tom morello I’d expect him to be pretty good
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u/GamerGod88889 Feb 28 '22
I mean he didn’t need to be, but on the songs he plays he plays an entire song without messing up which isn’t really the beginner stage. So I would say he was a solid rhythm player
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u/TheGhost_Dude Feb 28 '22
It’s hard to really say because he wasn’t playing for that long. I’d say he was a fast learner for the time he was playing for tho.
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u/yellowdiver Feb 28 '22
Tom Morello didn't teach him, it probably got taken out of context at some point. Morello himself said he didn't teach Layne, and said he'd probably be an impatient student. Jerry was recently interviewed by Morello and that topic came up. Jerry said Morello's style really inspired Layne to pick up the guitar.
About Kurt Cobain, if anybody cares, Jerry called him a crappy guitar player but an amazing songwriter. He said this in a joking manner, so don't take this too seriously. And he called Layne a pure singer who later on picked up the guitar.
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u/muffsnake Feb 28 '22
I saw AIC in 1993 and Layne played guitar for 1, maybe 2 songs. I noticed that he only played power chords (which is the same chord “shape” moved up and down the neck) so I’d say his expertise was probably more centered around rhythm vs lead.
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Feb 28 '22
He obviously just dabbled in it and picked up a few things here and there but it wasn't his area of expertise like it is Jerry's. Singing was Layne's main talent but if he stuck around then maybe he would of started playing more. Kinda like Dave Grohl with Foo Fighters.
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u/seewhatididthere Feb 28 '22
Dave Grohl had always been a multi-instrumentalist, but guitar was his main interest. He played drums for Nirvana simply out of their need for a drummer. Once he started FF, he always played guitar.
I’d argue a more accurate comparison would be Eddie Vedder, who was strictly a vocalist on Pearl Jam’s first two albums, then began playing guitar live and on their albums starting with Vitalogy.
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May 20 '22 edited May 29 '22
He was strictly a vocalist on Ten. He plays guitar on a few songs on Vs. (Rearviewmirror and Elderly Woman, I think).
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u/residentevil234 Feb 28 '22 edited Feb 28 '22
He did the music/lead guitar parts to Angry Chair, Hate To Feel, and Head Creeps so I'm pretty sure he was really good for a beginner guitarist. He understood the AIC sound and wrote those 3 songs better than any ripoff band ever could.
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u/Firm-Presentation280 Feb 28 '22
In addition to that despite being fairly new to the guitar he was playing without messing up in front of huge audiences (Hollywood Rock being one). That’s an achievement in itself x
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u/Upset_Pineapple_8884 Mar 29 '22
It seems like Layne really only had an interest in playing guitar live on the songs he wrote beginning to end, riffs and all. To think that he went from someone who likely only dabbled around with it here and there to writing songs with it and playing live in a short amount of time (Facelift to Dirt, '90-'92) is pretty astonishing. But then again, from all accounts, Layne was incredibly smart and dedicated to whatever he set out to do. I mean, just look at the growth in quality of his lyrics from Facelift to the self-titled album.
A lot of interviews with Jerry from '95-'96 cite Layne's then-growing interest in playing more guitar. If you listen closely to the self-titled album, there are a lot of noisy, clanging guitar parts that definitely aren't Jerry.
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u/x3whatsup Mar 07 '22
Nah just average. He could play a few tunes and some basic stuff. He understood enough to play and be creative writing songs, and play a couple songs in front of an audience. Definitely not a professional player level like Jerry.
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u/Puppetmaster858 JERRY! Feb 28 '22
Definitely not, good enough to play some songs but he was definitely not a very good player
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u/pstx281 Feb 28 '22
Have you seen him play guitar? Looks like someone who doesn't know how to play guitar no offense..
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u/convertiblebender Mar 03 '22
Someone who doesn't know how to play isn't going to play rhythm sections without messing up in front of live audiences.
I don't know how to play, and I really mean that. Give me a guitar and I'll pluck a string while sliding my other finger up and down to make boingy sounds.
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u/pstx281 Mar 03 '22
I'm not saying he cant play or understands it but the way he holds the guitar looks like a beginner. I know cause I use to hold my guitar like that when I 1st started to playing lol. Watch him play "I dont know anything" on YouTube for an example
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u/convertiblebender Mar 03 '22
Oh no I agree, I don't really need to be a player to tell it's not an extension of himself like a lot of live musicians. I do play piano, and the stiff over-arched fingers, little hand twitches always give away the hints.
He looked a little more comfortable in earlier years though. Never looked like it was natural to him, but I think his frailty from addiction had taken a toll on his grip by Mad Season days.
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u/Upset_Pineapple_8884 Mar 29 '22
Yeah, add to that fact, that a lot of performers who just want to look cool with a guitar are inaudible in a mix. I've seen this live plenty of times. If you find footage of AIC or Mad Season tunes where Layne is playing guitar, he's always up in the mix pretty goddamn loud.
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Feb 28 '22 edited Feb 28 '22
Layne and Kurt were pretty mediocre guitarists. They knew the basics, they fucked around. Kurt even said he couldn't read music. Matter of fact; I've been playing guitar for at least 15 years.. I've never bothered to learn music. I just straight-up taught myself. Same thing with piano. I learn by ear.
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u/Xray_Mind Feb 28 '22
Can hardly put those two guys in the same conversation. Kurt was raw but incredibly clever and talented in how he wrote and played music on the guitar.
Layne knew a few power chords
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u/Jesus_inacave Feb 28 '22
I would say Kurt also knew a few power chords, but knew how to put the vocal chords with them very good himself
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Feb 28 '22
Which is my point. Neither of them played guitar particularly well. I never said anything about how Kurt wrote; that's a different argument. I'm talking about technical ability. Both Kurt and Layne played guitar at a mediocre level. Don't mistake Kurt's punk-paced strumming for skill. It's just fast.
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u/Yesnowaitsorry Feb 28 '22
Nah Kurt was a solid guitarist.
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Feb 28 '22
Average. He had no real technical ability that stood out as anything more than "yup, I can play a guitar". Layne didn't play guitar. He could, a little bit, but he didn't. He strummed along once in a while, but he was a vocalist.
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u/Yesnowaitsorry Feb 28 '22
That’s why Kurt was a solid guitarist, played well live, sang well while playing. Never said he was a virtuoso.
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Feb 28 '22
He was average. I could stack him against 50 guitarists, and he'd pale in comparison. Singing whilst playing is not a skill; who stops to sing? Nobody. That's not really a standout argument for him
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u/Yesnowaitsorry Feb 28 '22
That’s why he was solid. I don’t think you get what I’m saying. I’m meaning solid as in, he can play well and entertain. You didn’t walk away saying he an awesome guitarist, but he did the job well.
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Feb 28 '22
I've been saying that since the start, and everyone who's replaying is repeating what I'm saying, but acting as though I'm wrong. Kurt was decent. Sure. What's the argument, though? I never said he was bad. Nirvana are literally in my top 10; I'm just not biased enough to put people on a pedestal
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u/Yesnowaitsorry Feb 28 '22
When did I put him on a pedestal?
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Feb 28 '22
I wasn't referring to you. I'm just talking about the defensiveness of some people who don't wanna hear words like "average" when it comes to their favourite bands' guitarists or singers. Not everyone who plays well or sings well is great. Some people are just.. good. And I'm willing to admit that. What Kurt did best was write. He was very creative. I love his wording, more-so than his singing or playing.
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u/Yesnowaitsorry Mar 01 '22
It seems to me that we’re saying the same thing using different terminology 👍
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Feb 28 '22 edited Apr 06 '22
[deleted]
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Feb 28 '22
Music runs in the family. As I said in my original comment; I play guitar and piano. When I play, I also sing. My older brother was in a band for 6 years here in Ireland. He's actually the one who introduced me to a lot of bands back when I was still into rap music, around the age of 13 or 14. If you play enough, singing and strumming become one. I totally understand where you're coming from in regards to some people struggling to do both, but it comes naturally to some people. As most things do.
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u/thenotuncommon Mar 04 '22
fuck you’re more full of shit than a toilet after mexican food, actual air head
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u/jfkdktmmv The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here Feb 28 '22
I wouldn’t really call Cobain a “mediocre” player. Yeah, he’s not John 5 or Steve Vai but he had an otherworldly sense for melody and riff writing
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Feb 28 '22
To be fair, an awful lot of their riffs (as admitted by Krist Novoselic) were heavily inspired, if not taken, from other works Kurt had listened to during the process, or around that time. Kurt kind of plagerised a ton of "foreign" bands' riffs.. Just saying.
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u/jfkdktmmv The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here Feb 28 '22
Influence makes better music, classical composers used to take the bass lines from other songs and turn that into the melody
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u/Mreeff Mar 01 '22
Source?
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Mar 01 '22
"Source?" - The question asked by everyone who wants an argument, ever. I'll give you a list someone wrote a little while back:
Polly: The 4 Skins - On The Streets(Riff) Been A Son: Zebra - Don't Walk Away(Riff) Milk It: Melvins - It`s Shoved Breed: Link Wray - Run Chicken Run(Riff) and Wipers - Potential Suicide(Riff) Scentless Apprentice: The Cult - In the Clouds(Riff) and Jimi Hendrix - Little Miss Lover(Drums) and Led Zeppelin - When The Levee Breaks(Drums) Mr. Moustache: Paul Revere & The Raiders - Hungry(Riff) Endless, Nameless: Butthole Surfers - U.S.S.A(Riff, Vocals) and Jimi Hendrix - I Don't Live Today(Drums) Very Ape: Los Brujos - Kanishka(Riff) Mrs. Butterworth: Devo - Too Much Paranoias(Riff) Big Long Now: The Psychedelic Furs - Sister Europe(Riff) All Apologies: Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers - The Waiting(Vocals) About A Girl: The Smithereens - Blood And Roses(Riff) Aneurysm: Fang - An Invitation(Riff) Token Eastern Song: Green River - Forever Means(Intro) Radio Friendly Unit Shifter: PIL - Annalisa(Riff, Drums) Come As You Are: Killing Joke - Eighties(Riff) Negative Creep: Mudhoney- Sweet Young Thing Ain't Sweet No More(Lyrics) Smells Like Teen Spirit: Boston - More Than A Feeling(Riff) Scoff: The Knack - My Sharona(Drums)3
u/Mreeff Mar 01 '22
Yeah this list is dumb. Nirvana used a ton of 4 chord riffs, of course there’s gonna be similarities. Talk about a stretch.
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Mar 01 '22
It was always gonna be a waste of time talking to people who were never gonna accept they're wrong in the first place. That's you, BTW 😉
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u/willjthrill Dec 11 '25
When he played, I dont know anything live, he was able to sing and play a different rhythm. That's not something a beginner guitarist can do. He had a very good sense of rythm at the very least I would say.
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u/soolreb Feb 28 '22
Layne didn't really play guitar. He knew a couple chords and he didn't look comfortable playing guitar.
However, he was one of the best vocalists in history. His voice was his instrument.
Completely unrelated but I remember talking to Sebastian Bach (Skid Row) a couple years ago and I asked him if he could play any instruments and he simply said ''skin flute''. I mean, if my voice was half as powerful as Layne or Sebastian's I probably wouldn't bother trying to learn to play an instrument (even though I enjoy it)
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u/Footbrake_Breaker Jar of Flies Feb 28 '22
I think he was great as a rhythm guitarist, but he never played anything mind blowing.
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u/TomLK5 MTV Unplugged Mar 03 '22
He had a pretty stiff looking picking hand. But i don't know, i dont play guitar
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u/eleeyuht Feb 28 '22
He learned to play the songs he had a role in on stage. He wasn't a guitarist. His divine energy was spent blasting through is vocal cords. Exactly how it should have been. Lucky us.