Department of Virtuosity (directory)

An Introduction

The idea of forming Department of Virtuosity was born in my mind after a long-lasting and exciting journeys into the depth of the Internet. I often use such databases as:

..., but noticed a gap there. I realize that my interests in virtuosity-oriented kinds of music has a significant influence on my directory. In the enormity of information related to my beloved music, I didn't find any directory that would be entirely dedicated to virtuosos and bands in which they play(ed). I only came across the links refering us to such artists and groups on specialist websites.

I asked myself: "why did nobody do such a directory?". In my humble opinion, the greatest problem is a correct classifying artists and bands as virtuosity-oriented ones. A term "virtuosity", in hard rock-metal music range, is not as clear-cut and defined as in classical music. If we think of a virtuoso playing classical music, we are sure that such a musician has a musical background, absolute ear for music, characteristic style of playing, sizeable number of musical awards, and she/he is outstandingly-gifted that there is no composition unplayable for her/him as regards technical difficulties. Obviously, there are many artists with the musical background in rock and metal bands. But, on the other hand, there are also many rock and metal musicians who didn't graduate from music schools, can't read and write score, don't know musical scales and the history of music, and they cover or re-arrange Johann Sebastian Bach's and Niccolo Paganini's compositions only thanks to an outstanding auditory, manual and memory skills. Sometimes we can hear that a self-educated virtuoso is praised by the one with Bachelor's or Master's degree. Then, it becomes much more complicated with reference to the systematization of such terms like "virtuosity" and "virtuoso" on hard'n'heavy music ground.

Rock and metal music, since their beginnings, are associated with freedom, so let them leave with a rigid classification-free status. I feel that defining of a strict terminological frames is pointless, because it would limit the music in a sense. That's why I decided to form Department of Virtuosity as my exclusively personal proposal.

Artists and bands, included in my list, represent a wide range of genres:

AOR (adult-oriented rock)
art rock
avantgarde
blues rock
classical guitar
contemporary power metal (a.k.a. European power metal)
funk
fusion
hard rock
heavy metal
instrumental
jazz
neoclassical hard rock/metal
power metal (a.k.a. US power metal)
progressive rock/metal
rock
shredding metal
speed metal
symphonic metal
technical death metal (a.k.a. progressive death metal)
techno-thrash (a.k.a. progressive thrash metal)
thrash metal
...and others

Forming my Department of Virtuosity, I have adopted a rule saying that an artist or a band should artistically represent a high level. The group needn't play a typical kind of virtuosic music, however it would be advisable to have at least one singing/playing virtuoso in line-up. Apart from artists' and bands' names, there are also projects and compilations enlisted in accordance with the established principles.

I am aware that my list can stir up different emotions, but I do emphasize that the Department of Virtuosity is the only my idea and I am the only one who is totally responsible for it. I also realize that the list has not been finished yet. Therefore it will be steadily up-dated and modified. I only hope that people, interested in the subject matter, will be able to find here many valuable names and treat the diggings as their personal, yet exciting, "virtuoso-hunts". I simultaneously stress that the Department of Virtuosity is not the same database like those ones enlisted in the first paragraph, but merely the directory of links (so-called "quality-controlled subject gateway") whose task is facilitating You in looking for a gifted bands and solo artists on the Internet. All that's left for me to do is wishing You a fascinating and fruitful hunts!

ATTENTION Please visit my another website dedicated to virtuosic kinds of music at:

Department of Virtuosity at MySpace

Mikolaj "Nicolo" Furmankiewicz

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Department of Virtuosity (directory)

Table of Contents

An Introduction