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I'd like to expand my musical horizon - what is out there today with more than 3 chords?


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If you haven't done it yet, explore archive.org for flac files.  Lots of artists post free albums and concerts there, many in high resolution formats.

 

There is still good work being done in prog rock, a lot of it these days tends to lean more heavy in sound than in years past.  The before mentioned Dream Theater is excellent, as is a lot of work by Steven Wilson. A more modern band I really like Animals as Leaders, Tosin Abasi is just an unreal guitarist but their sound may not be for everyone. 

 

The darker realms of metal are still alive and well and still pushing boundaries.  A lot of complicated arrangements being done on 7-10 string guitars, 5-8 string basses, and tuned to subterranean levels.  Poke around in americana for some good original music too.

 

Mainstream rock is pretty dead, IMO, and I'm not alone in thinking that.  You have to dig to find the good stuff now. 

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A great modern artist to check out is Gary Clark Jr, great guitarist who draws upon a ton of outside influences.  If you like bluesy/jazzy/soulful you'll like him a lot.

 

If you are looking for some guitar that is complex but not quite as loud as prog metal, check out Jason Becker.  If you aren't familiar with his story, he was a blazing fast metal guitarist back in the 80's, not just speed though he had great touch.  Took over for Vai in David Lee Roth's solo band.  Then got diagnosed with ALS and had to stop playing.  He's paralyzed and wheelchair bound, but composes via computer.  Some of the best guitarists alive got together and recorded the album "Triumphant Hearts" which is all his composition, it came out a few months ago and is a good listen.  Very varied guitar work, it won't blast you out.

 

Becker's early stuff is pure metal, he played in Cacophony with Marty Friedman back in the 80's.  Friedman is into J-pop now, don't be afraid to look there for some really complicated modern day music.  The skill level in the backing bands is WAY up there.

 

Another highly skilled guitarist who has been recording for some time is Sonny Landreth, he's one of the best alive IMO.  Zydeco slide with tapping and other crazy technical stuff thrown in, he can play anything.

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