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Danny Danzi - The Guitarist You'll Never Be
Review By Dude Rockstar
Email: bigbadmoon777@hotmail.com

Great guitarists like Danny Danzi are set apart from the rest of us "good" guitarists.  Danny Danzi plugs-in, while we un-plug and watch.

Do I know what he does?  Yeah, sort of.  Do I know how he does it?  Well, I think so.  Can I explain his technique?  Sure.

So what?  A caveman could describe a microwave oven from the outside.  Cook inside the microwave?  The "Iron Chef" of cavemen wouldn't know how to warm up his day-old mammoth burger.

And I my fingers are equally ill-equipped to warm up the fret board the way Danny Danzi does.  My fingers are to "two sticks rubbing together" as Danny's are "10 lasers that blast a hole through your speakers.

A couple years ago I found Danny Danzi's site, dannydanzi.com.  I looked around.  I never downloaded a single tune.  However, I did spend plenty of time checking out the pictures and chuckling to myself.  I thought, "This guy has a sad life.  He just can't let go of that whole '80s metal vibe."

Meanwhile, you could land a Boeing 747 on the runway I call my forehead, and I make my living selling stock-market information to investors.  So, who is the "cool" one?

Wait, don't answer that.

Maybe a year after my first blush with Danny Danzi I joined GuitarWar.Com.  I checked out the players at the site.  I was especially intrigued by the dude called, "MAJICHANDS".

"Intrigued" is a poor word.  I was stunned by the sheer electricity that flowed from the fingers of this, "MAJICHANDS".  Imagine my inner-embarrassment at the self-worth-crushing realization that "MAJICHANDS" and Danny Danzi were one-and-the-same.

Life lesson learned?  Yep.  Jealousy is a cruel taskmaster.  I can now say that my former envy toward a man who lives his dream, is now, open, unabashed respect for a true guitar icon.  The day Danny Danzi reads these words and understands my appreciation for his work will be a special day for me.

The technique that Danny Danzi displays in his tune, "Happy to Be Alive" is literally a clinic for all aspiring shred kings.   Danny moves from rhythm to lead and back again with such ease. 

That brings up a point about Danny's playing.  He just sounds so natural.  Effortless is a word that is probably overused but in this case, appropriate.

"Happy to Be Alive" begins with a strong melody.  You get the sense that Danny has a purpose for this tune.  And, like the title suggests, the tone is upbeat from the start.

At the :28 mark, Mr. Danzi begins to open his box of secrets.  The hammer-pull blues trills end with a sharp harmonic and flow back to the main melody.  The arpeggio run which follows at :32 is hammer-droppingly-executed.  Now, I'm not a production wizard, but it sure doesn't sound like Danny "punched" that arp run in.

The open-string hammers that Danny harmonizes from 1:30 to 1:50 deceive with ease.  You better listen close.  Danny's hitting notes on and off the beat.  On and off time.  At speeds you'll need a metronome and a six-pack of Mountain Dew to keep up with.

The arpeggio Danzi rides down-and-up from 1:58 to 2:03 is an example of his psychotic ability to slow down, play through the beat, and then catch back up to start another warp-speed run.  Which brings me to the alt-picking mixed with legato phrasings that start at 2:03.

The 2:03 shredtacular is not important for the number of different notes.  In fact, the span of notes Danny plays over during that section is not that large.  No, that section makes the point that Danny ain't just a guy that "sounds fast 'cause he sweep picks".  Danny's right hand is a blowtorch.

The mysteries of Danny's box are truely revealed in the waning moments of "Happy to Be Alive".  How must it feel to know that you wrote, orchestrated, and executed those arpeggios from 2:30 to 2:42, Mr. Danzi?

From my perspective, the best was saved for last.

You know what, this is silly.  I've said too much.  Danny's playing stands so far ahead and on it's own merit that my commentary here is a distraction.  Do yourself a favor and just head to his site, http://www.dannydanzi.com and order a CD for yourself.

And on that point, Danny, could I get an autographed copy?