Analysis of Yes Guitarists

One of the rock groups that has always been a favorite of mine is the group "Yes".  While the band has been through several incarnations, the classic era of "Yes" features a classical style of guitar music that I often recommend to students.  This is an analysis of the three lead guitarists of this progessive rock group. The article was first published in Notes from the Edge #110 (June 18, 1994), one of the earliest on-line e-publications, predating much of what the WWW has become.

As a guitarist & lifetime Steve Howe fan, I thought it might be interesting to put together a comparison of the 3 lead guitarists that have helped make Yes history and how they influenced the Yes sound. From the beginning I freely admit that this comparison may be a bit biased but...aren't we all?

Keeping that in mind, I was pleasantly surprised when I sat down to listen to Yes & Time And A Word with more "serious" ears than I have in a long time.

Of all 3 yes leads, Peter Banks was the least "prominent" i.e.- you were not always conscious that he was there. To me this means that he was more integrated into the band - more of a "team" player. Which is more like an orchestra than later-day Yes (from Fragile forward) which was made up of 5 virtuosi who happened to sound great together.

Banks's playing, although not as elaborate as Howe's & Rabin's, was clean and elegant. I found his lines easy to follow because they were so uncluttered. What amazed me was the ease with which he switched from one style to another in an incredibly short amount of time. Definitely the jazziest of the three, he could jump to some incredibly dissonant loud rock lines from his basic "jazz" sound. I think he worked so well with Bill Bruford because of his ability to change so quickly. You never knew what was going to come next out of Banks's guitar - which could have been a little disconcerting to those who just like to settle into a groove & not be jarred out of it immediately.

But going back to the least prominent guitarist idea - he knew when it was important to lay back & just add some texture (Sweetness & Yesterday & Today). Banks was also the least "equipment" oriented (he didn't play the wealth of instruments that Steve Howe does and effects were rather limited at the time Banks was in Yes -- Where would Trevor Rabin be without his pedal effects?) I'm always impressed with someone who can do the "most" with the least. As an old teacher of mine used to say - the most difficult thing to do is play a simple piece. Peter Banks seemed to have a handle on this when it came to his own playing - not that Yes's music was ever "simple".

As I moved on to listening to Steve Howe & Yes, I was reminded of how the sound of Yes would change with each lead guitarist. Of the three leads, Steve had the most impact on what we now term the "Yes sound". Sure, the sound changed with Wakeman and Moraz, but the basic Yes sound was born for me on The Yes Album. Although purely a rock/jazz guitarist in training (I was amazed to learn that Steve can't read music!) his playing is incredibly classically structured.

The outstanding features of Steve's playing are his chromaticism, contrapuntal lines, octave leaps and sequences. All of these techniques are used heavily by classical composers. To quote someone sitting behind me at the 5 Towns Guitar Festival where Steve got up and played a mere 15 minutes (but what a 15 minutes is was!), "Steve Howe doesn't waste a note." Each note has a reason and a feeling. But to go back to those four classical elements that make up Steve's lead style - take the lead from All Good People for instance. The "main" theme begins on a B and then sequences up to a C#. The solo continues to develop this theme (similar to the development section of a sonata) in various keys. After the fourth repeat of the main theme comes the long solo. It's here that he has his long chromatic sequence (4 half steps on each string), and the typical Steve Howe contrapuntal line where, unless you know classical guitar technique well, you would think there were two guitars. The counter point consists of a lower line that sequences up the guitar in intervals of 3rds & 2nds and another line playing a constant E ostinato, all climaxing up to a high E, bringing us back to yet another variation on the main theme. This variation is played in parallel thirds instead of just a single line melody. And that's just one solo! They're all like that.

As for Howe's classical playing--well... it's fun. The sound isn't the sound expected out of a trained classical guitarist and his "classical" pieces don't have a hell of a lot of depth, but they do the job. "Mood For A Day" is short and sweet, and isn't something anyone would ever take as a serious piece of classical music, but that is not what it was meant to be. The only thing I've ever strenuously objected to was his recording on the Steve Howe Album of the Vivaldi Concerto in D (2nd movement). This piece is one of the most famous (and over recorded) pieces in the classical repertoire. Having it played on electric guitar with a synthesizer in the background just doesn't sit well with my purist leanings...so call me a snob. But those "purist" leanings are also the reason I adore Steve Howe as a rock player.

After sitting through 2 hours of loud "pump up the volume" tricks and effects at the guitar jam at the guitar convention at Five Towns College, Mr. Howe elegantly walked on stage - just him and his Gibson with Ray Matuza accompanying - no effects, no tricks...and blew the roof off the place. Just pure love of the instrument - sigh!

OK, I'll try to be positive about Trevor Rabin. The man has enormous chops - he's clean, he has speed. BUT music is much more than cleanliness and speed. As for the influence that Rabin's had on Yes - he's done almost exactly the opposite of what Howe did. I actually think that Yes with Rabin is closer to what they were on the first albums, but with less jazz influence. He's taken the band away from the orchestra (classical) sound and made it sound more like a pop rock band. The band is now much more accessible to people these days, but that's not what I am interested in

But the overwhelming contrapuntalness of Closer To The Edge and Heart of the Sunrise and all of Tales is gone. It barely even exists in the vocals (it left with Leave It?-sorry). Yes with Trevor Rabin does have a knack for writing nice memorable melodies. I actually like Lift Me Up - as a pop song. But I, as many of you out there, think of Yes as much more than a pop band. The Old Yes was great for opening people up to classical music. I know several people that first heard the "Firebird Suite" when Wakeman played it in Yes Songs. This will never happen with Mr. Rabin's influence. To be honest, I find nothing original or special or emotional in his playing. He's just another pyrotechnical guitarist who likes to be the center of attention. And his "classical-acoustic" solo that he plays at every concert is really pretty bad-he keeps trying to throw a little bit of every classical style into his solo. (He usually opens with fake flamenco then goes on to 10 other styles.) It has none of the direction or structure found in a Howe "classical" solo. Sorry, I'm trying not to Trevor Bash. It's not just Trevor - it's the whole style of fast, flashy & pyrotechnical - whether it was rock or classical - the sound eats away at me & makes me wonder whether or not the person actually loves music, or just wants to show off.

To sum it all up - while the ever beautiful and angelic voice of Jon Anderson is the heart and soul of Yes, the lead guitarist has always been the legs and the moving force that Yes would take. Jazz/rock/early progressive under Banks, classical/rock/ progressive under Howe and pop/rock under Rabin. It's obvious who my favorite is and why. I'm open to your comments.