So I've been hearing a lot about Taylor Swift etc.

This weekend she was on SNL.

First, I give her props for actually singing LIVE, which in the last 10 years SNL no longer seems to require.

However, I will say that based on those performances, she didn't sound like she was that good a singer, although she was in tune.

More importantly, what was up with what seemed to be the "fake-guitar playing"?

I don't play guitar but I am in a band and it seemed like she was wasn't really playing. On the first song, she had a glittery acoustic but only was picking out a few notes here and there (like 1 note strums. not sure the technical term) but she had another acoustic player in the back and he seemed to be mimicing what she was doing.

On the 2nd set she had an electric but didn't seem like she was really playing.

There was no acoustic difference you could hear when she was "strumming" vs. when she was not.

WTF?

Don't know a lot about her other than the fact that she is cute and does write her own songs. I'm pretty sure she must play, though. She actually had a hit with a song called "Tears On My Guitar" (heard it on an AC station....not bad).

I think she was Great. Very Talented Newcomer and Beautiful also.

MRGee said:

No doubt she is beautiful and if she writes her songs, great.

But did yo honeslty think she "sang" well? Her vocals seemed very weak on SNL and I think her guitar playing was fake.

She's so weak.

When John Rich was doing Nashville Star last season, he gloated on how she was the new savior in country music.

I think she is beautiful but she was a little off.

You are right about her singing live. That was the first thing we noticed, and we gave her props for it. I told my kids, "That's what someone who's really singing sounds like".

She did OK, but remember - she's only 19. She's surely got talent, and the sky is the limit for her.

I think she used the guitar like a lot of performers do - part instrument, part prop. She can play it, but I don't think anyone really looks at her as the lead guitarist in her band.

purplebutterfly2 said:

She's good for a teenager. One of the best teen talents in a while.

RodeoSchro said:

Yes I give her major props for singing live.

Rodeo I'm intersted in your opinion esepcially because I believe you are a guitarist/singer too...


1) if she were evaluated just on her vocals..... i mean let's be honest. would she have made it past round 1 of American Idol?

2) I get the instrument/prop shtick....but as a guitarist.... did she actually play anything? I never heard any incremental sound when she "played" vs. when she didnt'. Even fi the other guy was doubling you'd think you'd hear "More" when she is playing too.

i'm happy someone started a thread on this. i watched it too and was thinking wow this chick can not sing. her voice is so thin and weak. it was like watching a high school talent show. sure she's pretty but is that enough?

GaryMF said:

Oh yeah, she'd definitely make it past round 1 of AI. But I will be in a better position to answer this after she plays in Houston mid-March.

It's not uncommon for you to not hear any incremental sound from the leader of a band. Their job is to motivate the crowd and that doesn't mean they're always gonna play anything you want to hear; they just need to look good with that guitar.

The best example of this I know of is George Strait, probably the most successful country singer ever. He always has a guitar strapped around his neck, but seldom does he actually strum it. And when he does, you can't hear anything new coming out of the band.

But he is the quintessential good-looking cowboy with a guitar.

I know Taylor Swift can play the guitar. She may not be Jimi Hendrix, but she can play any song she's ever written acoustically.

She may be hot but she has a very weak live voice

She performed on another show where she did a cover (cant remember the song) and she sounded just horrid

RodeoSchro said:

She does what needs to be done. People don't go to her shows to hear her play guitar, they go to hear her sing her songs.

She's a pitchy singer, but as has been said, she's young. She's got time to develop, and even if she only has a few albums, she'll be able to make s comfortable living as a songwriter.

RodeoSchro said:

Yeah but as a guitar palyer, doesn't it bother you that she holds the guitar just for "show"? I mean at least play some chords or something..

GaryMF said:

No, that doesn't bother me because I know she can play it.

I only get mildly bothered when fakers like Lil Wayne stroll around with a guitar and there's no way in Hell they can play a single chord. But hey - it's SHOW business.

daPrettyman said:

I saw her, I think it was on Ellen and I wasn't impressed at all.

She kinda sucked, imo.

she is never going to get better because she sucks. I see a lot of first-audition Idol chicks that have way more potential, not that we'll ever hear anything from them.

abigail05 said:

It's not as much about her voice as it is the songs. Those American Idol chicks can't write songs like Taylor Swift can.

i like her, she seems pretty self confident.

but she does seem pretty bitter in the press over her break-up with that jonas brother.