In a new interview with Guitar Hang, Jennifer Batten shared a tip for YouTube guitarists.
Batten played as the live guitarist of names such as Michael Jackson and Jeff Beck. She was Jackson’s lead guitarist for a decade and accompanied him on albums like ‘Bad,’ ‘Dangerous’ and ‘HIStory.’ Unlike her experience, some guitarists have only been playing songs in their bedrooms.
During the discussion, she explained why online guitarists cannot achieve the same satisfaction when they join a band or go to a studio:
“I’m sure it’s disappointing to people that spend years on YouTube who haven’t played with bands, to play with a band and go, ‘All of a sudden, I have all these audio challenges.’ You know, ‘The bass is sucking up my guitar frequencies, the drums are loud, and I’m not getting the same satisfaction.’ So, it’s it’s just a whole other muscle, and you can’t expect to just go from your bedroom studio to the stage, and be satisfied. It’s a whole other thing.”
Other Guitarists Think The Same
Similar to Batten, other guitarists underlined that many online guitarists wouldn’t have as many opportunities to play for live crowds even if they wanted to.
Joe Bonamassa explained the disappearance of what he called ‘the farm system’ during an earlier interview. He stated:
“Unfortunately for them, the farm system’s kind of gone…Now, the the only way for them to do marketing or get a following is to go on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube [and] become an influencer. It’s a good and a bad thing, because it sums up their musicality in one-minute clips, not as a total. I would imagine some of them have a hard time making a leap from doing that to putting on a show, because they never had the opportunity.”
The new system might be taking over the world today, but some online guitarists have been applying Batten’s tips. Some even share videos on social media platforms and also play with their bands at the same time.
Batten is currently a touring member of the Michael Jackson tribute band King Of Pop.
You can watch the interview below.