I can listen to Bridge of Sighs with great pleasure, but it is steeped in Hendrix, and my point at the beginning of the forum was not,\"who are your biggest influences?\" but more, who changed the way were, well I guess able to play. My initial thought about EVH and Floyd Rose was that we had the will but not the technology to dive bomb harmonics 'til the dawn's early light, but were buggered if we expected to be able to play a chord afterwards.
Les Paul let us overdub ourselves, Charlie Christian had a pickup on his guitar,(as opposed to a mic.) to be heard above the reeds, Hendrix amalgamated blues, soul and newly developed effects into a unbelievably new sound that took everyone by surprise. He was that good. Rewrite history all you want, but music changed forever in the sixties, and Hendrix altered the way even his contemporaries,and rivals, Clapton and Townshend viewed their own abilities. Hendrix scared them.
But...I'd be happy to give you my favourite guitarists, the ones who I play the most, the ones who have influenced me but maybe not us as a whole.
Steve Vai
Frank Zappa
Alan Murphy (played with Kate Bush, Go West and Level 42) R.I.P.
Jeff Beck
Pete Townshend
Francis Dunnery (guitarist with It Bites, now solo)
Larry Carlton
Steve Morse
James Honeyman Scott (the Ptetenders first guitarist, cribbed off everyone, but great for the band) R.I.P.
Eric Johnson
Nik Kershaw (80's pop star, no stranger to the unexpected tempo/key change)
I'm buying the Hello Kitty strat on Saturday, it's got pink fret dots! And a pink soft case. Please someone stop me!
Ian
Thing also that can make a difference in this industry influence vs. personal influence...is were you \"there\" in the same day and age as the person who was, at the time influential.
Many might not see or understand the impact that was felt in some cases...unless they were actually \"in the moment.\" Some of that influence is evident even through time, but may have lost some impact, if measured with todays standards.
Little things too that are commonly lost, are the limitations due to equipment. Leo Fender, Jim Dunlop, Les Paul, and many companies such as Gibson, Mosrite, etc. all played as much a role in developing influence in the music.
Some of these artist also had as much an impact on the equipment being used and further development, as the music itself.
I was gonna say the edge with all the clean delays and layering
he fills a big space I use some of his influance in delays and clean tones...but I just realized thats already been mentioned ...:oops:
And then there's The Edge. I'm not a great U2 fan but he showed everyone how to write a song on a single string, and you couldn't move for echoed guitar lines on records for a couple of years.
As you say, I did mention him earlier in the post( JUST DROPPED THAT FIRST BIT IN AS AN EDIT). Manitou may be on the money with the comment about being there at the time, I really don't know who inluenced Charlie Christian, apart from the sax players who taught him solos for, among other songs 'Rose Room', and as far as EVH goes, it's widely reported that Clapton was his biggest influence, so...go figure. SRV's influences may be crystal clear to an older person, but someone starting to play in the eighties would have no other immediate reference.
I'm not a bass player, but I am shocked that nobody mentioned Billy Sheehan. He played lines in Mr Big that I thought were guitar parts. Just listen to their first album. He's all over it.
I was going to say it, because - lead bass role aside - he provides a monstrous low end. I wonder how many people, going a generation forward, will list him as a major influence; besides Mr. Big, he hasn't really done any big-time projects has he?
While we're on the subject, I'll go ahead and mention Victor Wooten. He's f-ing incredible, in every regard.
Right... his well-recognized gig is with Mr. Big. Most people have heard of them, and relatively fewer of Talas or post-VH DLR. Kids growing up today who aren't sure who Guns'n Roses are surely won't know him from either of those.
Right... his well-recognized gig is with Mr. Big. Most people have heard of them, and relatively fewer of Talas or post-VH DLR. Kids growing up today who aren't sure who Guns'n Roses are surely won't know him from either of those.
Well...as Dennis Miller sez (regarding music): \"It's every generation's responsibility to irk the sh!+ out of the generation before\"...
Myself, I couldn't even tell you what kind of music The Dead Kennedys play or who could stomach sleeping with Tracy Chapman in exchange for putting her album out... :shock:
Right... his well-recognized gig is with Mr. Big. Most people have heard of them, and relatively fewer of Talas or post-VH DLR. Kids growing up today who aren't sure who Guns'n Roses are surely won't know him from either of those.
He's pretty well known to anyone who read (dating myself here) Guitar For The Practicing Musician. He was a regular in that mag. So, he may be one of those musicians that is a musician's musician, as opposed to mainstream. But, his influences are definitely seen in current music.
One guitarist that put me on a different path altogether, was Andy Gill from Gang of Four. Dissonance, Angular slashing chordwork, brutal stoptime leads...Andy was years ahead of Sonic Youth. He really changed my approach to guiar playing.
My main influence would be Tony McPhee, who paralleled Hendrix in many ways, but showed me another, more mutated version of the blues.
Others that fit this category are:
Fred Frith, (by using implements to create sounds)
Bill Nelson, (for extending the Hendrix legacy into a different type of pop music)
Jaco Pastorious, for his visionary style.
There are more, but essentially, these guys had a profound affect on how I listen and create. Good topic Ian.
Wow! Tall order ! Change may not be the critacal word for me. Inspired or effected would be closer
Robert Johnson, Andres Segovia, Tampa Red, Gary Davis, Johnny Smith, Django, Johnny Winter, Chet Atkins,
Charlie Christian, Alvin Lee, Elvin Bishop, Les Paul, Link Wray,
Dave Davies, Wes Montgomery, Eric Clapton
Thats the hort List there are so many originals and their students!
Here's my eclectic list besides all the one's already mentioned by others.
Scotty Moore, Earl Hooker, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King, Peter Green,
Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, Tommy Tedesco, Niel Schon, Buzzy Feiten,
Waddy Watchel, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons, Jan Akkerman, Tommy Bolin, Martin Barre, Peter Haycock, John Nitzinger, Elliot Randall, Carlos Rios, James Honeyman Scott, J Geils, Steve Cropper,Ron Wood, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Bruce Conte, Mark Farner, Leslie West, Fred Sonic Smith, Peter Frampton, Eric Gale, Lowell George, John McLaughlin, Toy Caldwell, Johnny Guitar Watson, Leo Nocentelli, Jimmy Vaughn, Scott Gorham, Charlie Sexton and Rory Gallagher.
I like some of Malmsteen's stuff, but I can't listen to it for very long periods. I believe his best album was the one with Joe Lynn Turner. He had an acoustic song (I think it was called Dreaming?) where his playing was spectacular. It proved that he could really play the guitar without the need to play 9 billion notes per second.
All youse guyz are listing great guitarists, many of whom pioneered a style or took it beyond where it already was.
But did these guys \"change the way you played\"?
I'll speak for myself: the guys that were formative in the way I learned to play (am I showing my age??? :oops: ):
Alex Lifeson ***
Jimmy Page
Peter Frampton
Pete Townsend
John Lennon/G Harrison
Neil Schon
Kerry Livgren (Kansas)
Note the 70's trend??? :oops:
I would say yes, As I listed a quite diverse group of players from alot of different styles of music. They at least changed the way I play those particular styles of music which in turn will influence everything else at least somewhat. But then I'm almost 52 and got my first guitar when I was 11. Tommy Tedesco was the top Studio player in L.A. for years and probably influenced scores of guitarists that dont even realize it just by the amount of sessions he played for Movies, Television, besides albums. It was actually Al Hirt and Herb Alpert that made me wanna play music and they're trumpet players. And I never touched a trumpet. It was Leigh Stephens and Blue Cheer that made me want to play guitar. But Clapton,Page, Beck, Alvin Lee, Johnny Winter, Rick Derringer, Joe Walsh,Duane Allman, Leslie West, Mark Farner and John Fogerty were my
steady diet for along time for copping licks when I got serious about it.
And maybe I only got into some of the others for a couple of records or only a couple of tracks. But there would be something I got from them that definitely changed how I played or heard things because I would listen to it endlessly. It also depended somewhat on what kind of band I was in at the time as to whom I was listening to.
Comments
Les Paul let us overdub ourselves, Charlie Christian had a pickup on his guitar,(as opposed to a mic.) to be heard above the reeds, Hendrix amalgamated blues, soul and newly developed effects into a unbelievably new sound that took everyone by surprise. He was that good. Rewrite history all you want, but music changed forever in the sixties, and Hendrix altered the way even his contemporaries,and rivals, Clapton and Townshend viewed their own abilities. Hendrix scared them.
But...I'd be happy to give you my favourite guitarists, the ones who I play the most, the ones who have influenced me but maybe not us as a whole.
Steve Vai
Frank Zappa
Alan Murphy (played with Kate Bush, Go West and Level 42) R.I.P.
Jeff Beck
Pete Townshend
Francis Dunnery (guitarist with It Bites, now solo)
Larry Carlton
Steve Morse
James Honeyman Scott (the Ptetenders first guitarist, cribbed off everyone, but great for the band) R.I.P.
Eric Johnson
Nik Kershaw (80's pop star, no stranger to the unexpected tempo/key change)
I'm buying the Hello Kitty strat on Saturday, it's got pink fret dots! And a pink soft case. Please someone stop me!
Ian
Many might not see or understand the impact that was felt in some cases...unless they were actually \"in the moment.\" Some of that influence is evident even through time, but may have lost some impact, if measured with todays standards.
Little things too that are commonly lost, are the limitations due to equipment. Leo Fender, Jim Dunlop, Les Paul, and many companies such as Gibson, Mosrite, etc. all played as much a role in developing influence in the music.
Some of these artist also had as much an impact on the equipment being used and further development, as the music itself.
he fills a big space I use some of his influance in delays and clean tones...but I just realized thats already been mentioned ...:oops:
As you say, I did mention him earlier in the post( JUST DROPPED THAT FIRST BIT IN AS AN EDIT). Manitou may be on the money with the comment about being there at the time, I really don't know who inluenced Charlie Christian, apart from the sax players who taught him solos for, among other songs 'Rose Room', and as far as EVH goes, it's widely reported that Clapton was his biggest influence, so...go figure. SRV's influences may be crystal clear to an older person, but someone starting to play in the eighties would have no other immediate reference.
Ian :oops:
While we're on the subject, I'll go ahead and mention Victor Wooten. He's f-ing incredible, in every regard.
Myself, I couldn't even tell you what kind of music The Dead Kennedys play or who could stomach sleeping with Tracy Chapman in exchange for putting her album out... :shock:
He's pretty well known to anyone who read (dating myself here) Guitar For The Practicing Musician. He was a regular in that mag. So, he may be one of those musicians that is a musician's musician, as opposed to mainstream. But, his influences are definitely seen in current music.
My main influence would be Tony McPhee, who paralleled Hendrix in many ways, but showed me another, more mutated version of the blues.
Others that fit this category are:
Fred Frith, (by using implements to create sounds)
Bill Nelson, (for extending the Hendrix legacy into a different type of pop music)
Jaco Pastorious, for his visionary style.
There are more, but essentially, these guys had a profound affect on how I listen and create. Good topic Ian.
CHUCK BERRY!
He was the original, he was the \"inventor\" of it all!!
He changed how EVERYONE played!
Just my opinion though. Rock on!
Robert Johnson, Andres Segovia, Tampa Red, Gary Davis, Johnny Smith, Django, Johnny Winter, Chet Atkins,
Charlie Christian, Alvin Lee, Elvin Bishop, Les Paul, Link Wray,
Dave Davies, Wes Montgomery, Eric Clapton
Thats the hort List there are so many originals and their students!
Mike B #1
Scotty Moore, Earl Hooker, John Lee Hooker, Freddie King, Peter Green,
Lee Ritenour, Larry Carlton, Tommy Tedesco, Niel Schon, Buzzy Feiten,
Waddy Watchel, Keith Richards, Billy Gibbons, Jan Akkerman, Tommy Bolin, Martin Barre, Peter Haycock, John Nitzinger, Elliot Randall, Carlos Rios, James Honeyman Scott, J Geils, Steve Cropper,Ron Wood, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Bruce Conte, Mark Farner, Leslie West, Fred Sonic Smith, Peter Frampton, Eric Gale, Lowell George, John McLaughlin, Toy Caldwell, Johnny Guitar Watson, Leo Nocentelli, Jimmy Vaughn, Scott Gorham, Charlie Sexton and Rory Gallagher.
I'll stop now or this will go on forever.
But did these guys \"change the way you played\"?
I'll speak for myself: the guys that were formative in the way I learned to play (am I showing my age??? :oops: ):
Alex Lifeson ***
Jimmy Page
Peter Frampton
Pete Townsend
John Lennon/G Harrison
Neil Schon
Kerry Livgren (Kansas)
Note the 70's trend??? :oops:
steady diet for along time for copping licks when I got serious about it.
And maybe I only got into some of the others for a couple of records or only a couple of tracks. But there would be something I got from them that definitely changed how I played or heard things because I would listen to it endlessly. It also depended somewhat on what kind of band I was in at the time as to whom I was listening to.