Pete Townshend: today's players have “literally exhausted the possibilities of the guitar”

Pete Townshend of The Who performs live
(Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Best of 2019: Hot on the heels of the announcement of new, “best album since Quadrophenia” full-length, Who, The Who’s contemplative guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend has shared his thoughts on the place of electric guitar in the rock music of today.

When asked about the waning of guitar-based rock ’n’ roll, Townshend told Dallas News: “The guitar may be losing ground, but in part, that's because if you spend an hour on Instagram or YouTube, you will quickly discover unknown people playing the guitar the way a great orchestral violinist like Yehudi Menuhin once might have played his instrument.

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Michael Astley-Brown

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.