Thursday, November 22, 2007

29 Guitarists that have inspired me

Since we're in a Listmania kind of phase, I thought I'd list the 29 guitarists that have inspired me the most. Not only that, but also the 29 guitarists whose style and influence can be heard in my playing. Why 29? 'Cause we're rollin' with that theme, and because it's a prime number. So there. The guitarists are not necessarily ranked in order of importance.
  1. Yngwie J. Malmsteen. THE single biggest influence on my approach, technique and tone. All A harmonic minor, sweep picking and Dorian modes. Some of what makes Yngwie unique is that his solos are beautiful even when played slowly - they're not just a bunch of adjacent notes thrown together in order to sound fast. Baroque & Roll!
  2. Joe Satriani. The last two years or so, my appreciation for Satriani's ultramelodic approach has really boomed. I find myself using his "pitch axis" theory for soloing, as well as his approach to chordal two-handed tapping a lot. Also, many of his signature licks keep appearing in my vocabulary spontaneously - I'll start playing something out of the blue, and suddenly realize that it's something Satriani.
  3. Steve Vai. I've even got his signature guitar, so that ought to tell you something right there. Listening to Vai taught me to play with a certain abandon. Oh yeah; I also stole some of his licks...
  4. Gary Moore. Hyooge influence when I started playing. His tone and vibrato are almost unmatched, and I find myself incorporating many of his stylistic elements in soloing, like sections from The Loner, Over The Hills And Far Away and Still In Love With You.
  5. Nuno Bettencourt (Extreme). When I started out, I never thought it was possible to play faster and more technical than Bettencourt and Vai, and then I stumbled onto Yngwie. What I really like about Nuno's style, is the fact that he almost never plays the same riff twice without some variation, which is something I really try to emulate. Also, his use of harmonics to spice up rhytm sections is something I strive for.
  6. Chris Holmes (W.A.S.P). When I started playing for real, I practiced 10 hours a day trying to figure out "Live...In The Raw" by W.A.S.P. I'm still using many of Holmes' licks for solos (especially the pick-tapped ascending or descending trills), and I absolutely love his way of structuring songs.
  7. Dave Mustaine (Megadeth). 90% of the angry, pedal-note based riffs and progressions I come up with are derivations of The House That Dave Built. In my opinion one of, if not THE best rhytm guitar player in metal. His solo style is also pretty amazing, if somewhat chaotic.
  8. Magnus Karlsson (Last Tribe, Starbreaker, Allen/Lande). This guy is flat out amazing, and I've really opened up to his way of structuring songs - tight during verses, wide open during the chorus. Also, he has helped me improve my sring-skipping, and has single-handedly restored my faith in Wah and Whammy pedals. Kudos, Magnus - U Da Man!
  9. Rolf Kasparek (Running Wild). Not only do I use his signature lick every now and then, but I also find myself incorporating his way of organizing the rhytm structure behind guitar solos. Plus, his melodic approach to trem picking makes for excellent riffs. Under Jolly Roger!
  10. Jason Becker (Cacophony, David Lee Roth band). More neoclassical guitar and sweep-picking. My playing doesn't use any of his approach to sweeps, but I use plenty of his soloing concepts. Speed Metal Symphony is a great blueprint for any guitarist aspiring to play fast AND melodic.
  11. Al DiMeola. Al, or rather two of his songs, have radically affected the way I play muted scalar runs. Mediterranean Sundance and Race With The Devil On A Spanish Highway. Most of what you need to know about alternate picking and palm-muting right there.
  12. Michael Romeo (Symphony X). His tapping style really expanded my soloing repertoire. Also, I love employing his time signature changes and trademark descending chorus progression.
  13. Kee Marcello (Europe). For his trills and trademark accellerating descending runs, that tottaly liven up solos.
  14. Herman Li (Dragonforce). I find myself stealing ideas from the Force all the time now. Both with respect to harmonized riffs and their unison tapped solo licks.
  15. Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osbourne). For his incorporation of bluesly licks and cyclic, descending runs. Also a little bit because I find myself using a guitar tone close to his every now and then.
  16. Marty Friedman (Megadeth, Cacophony). Love his use of oriental scales, and I try to spice up lead work using his approach.
  17. Stevie Ray Vaughan. Perhaps the most surprising entry on the list, but his chordal, rhytmic soloing style is something I bring with me every now and then.
  18. Paul Gilbert (Mr. Big). 'Cause I damn near can't stop using his signature string skipping now.
  19. Luca Turilli (Rhapsody). Whenever I try to make some really epic, symphonic and pompous music - preferably with some Tarantella incorporated, I find myself emulating Luca. Also, I like his way of speed-picking riffs and arpeggiating melodies. And did I mention one of my guitars is identical (save for the color) to the one he used on the two first Rhapsody albums?
  20. Kai Hansen (Gamma Ray). Through him, I've picked up the essential power metal song and riff structure (check out Future World or Follow Me for a primer), and have realized that main riffs don't need to be played on the lowest strings to sound heavy.
  21. CC Deville (Poison). For a primer in the use of G-Cadd9-D for power ballad purposes, and his dramatic high-to-low solo changes.
  22. Timo Tolkki (Stratovarius). 'Cause I like using his approach to riffs and fills - what he refers to as hypermegaspeedpicking (yeah; that's actually what he likes to call it). Plus, his use of doublepicking in solos helps create tension and interest.
  23. Vito Bratta (White Lion). For his use of counterpoint in solos. Dude's so incredibly underrated...
  24. Eddie Van Halen (Van Halen). Not for his soloing style, and not for his tapping (can't stand to tap using his approach), but for his free-form approach to rhytm, where his fills mirror the lyrics.
  25. Johnny Öhlin (Dionysus). For his tone and storytelling solos. Also because he has transferred the neoclassical style of guitar to the power metal form. Awesome!
  26. Alex Skolnick (Testament). For showing how inserting soft, melodic solos in very hard metal can enhance both the soft and the hard aspects of the music without diminishing either.
  27. Kiko Koureiro (Angra). I love his incorporation of chromatic licks in his solos, and the widel-interval legato licks.
  28. John Sykes (Whitesnake). Double-picked rhythmical ideas, like the ones found in "In The Still Of The Night"
  29. Ronni Le Tekrø (TNT, Vagabond). For his use of machine-gun picking, i.e. heavily muted tremolo-picked structures combined with legato hammer-on/pull-offs.

Anders?

12 comments:

Anders said...

29. Ronni Le Tekrø (TNT, Vagabond). For his use of machine-gun picking, i.e. heavily muted tremolo-picked structures combined with legato hammer-on/pull-offs.

Anders?


Does this means I'm number 30 on your list, but you don't know how to explain that? Why, thank you! That's even more suprising then SRV!

- Later. Bissi, and it's soon nap time for little boys like me.

Wilhelm said...

..uhhhhh...yeah, Anders. I wanted it to be a surprise, but now I guess the cat's out of the bag.

Your slide work on resonator guitars in open tunings is a constant source of inspiration for me.

Anders said...

...and I see that you forgot to include Eric Clapton on your list again. Silly you. ;-)

Anders said...

We are way too much hung up on the number "29" these days. So I'll just include 9 guitarists on my list (no particular order):

1. Rainer
This guy could back a bunch of emontions into his playing and music. May not be a technical virtuous on guitar, but especially his acoustic work is just hauntlingly beautiful. He has a keen year for rhythm and little melody lines.

2. Chris Whitley
The rebel poet of the National. And talk about open tuning bonanza: Not only does he have more different tunings then I can remember, but he's the only one I've heard say that he recorded a song in a "random tuning". After seeing him live, I knew I had to get a National...

3. Elmore James.
King of the slide guitar. One of my first discoveries of blues and my first exposure to slide guitar. And I still enjoy hearing him today. Has the classic electric blues licks (even though he may have stolen them from Robert Johnson) that everybody copies. And, yeah, he may only have one lick, but that's the one that counted.

4. Göran Wennerbrandt
This swede got the sweetest tone I've ever heard. On a flat-top, Dobro or Weissenbornm, but most of all on his National Style O played barefingered with a heavy glass slide.

5. Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top)
Tone and taste. Especially the early recordings are giants in the blues rock/ southern boogie guitar history. Did anybody say pinched harmonics?

6. Mark Knopfler
Mr. Dire Straits. Great fingerpicker, tasteful player with a great ear for melodies.

7. Ry Cooder
Really nails those microtones that are so important in slide. And has a HUGE electric slide tone.

8. Albert King
He had the touch. Elegant guitar player. If we're talking just guitar, he is my favorite among the three Kings (BB and Freddie being the two others)

9. Lowell George (Little Feat)
Slide guitarist that died way too young. Huge source of inspiration for Bonnie Raitt f.ex.

And, honestly, if I should have put up at list of "guitarist that have inspired me", you should have been on that list W-boi. Not because am copying your style or something, but due to the fact that if it hadn't been for you, I probably never picked up the guitar in the first place anyway.

Wilhelm said...

What - 29 ain't a magic number anymore?

....if you can point to somehing I play which bears any resemblance to clappo's work beyond the fact that it's done on an electric guitar, please let me know so I can remove those aspects from my playing.

Thanks in advance

Anders said...

....if you can point to somehing I play which bears any resemblance to clappo's work beyond the fact that it's done on an electric guitar, please let me know so I can remove those aspects from my playing.

He uses a pick...

Wilhelm said...

1. Rainer
May not be a technical virtuous on guitar, but especially his acoustic work is just hauntlingly beautiful. He has a keen year for rhythm and little melody lines.


That's cool. Do you find that you borrow heavily from his phrasing or whatever?

2. Chris Whitley
The rebel poet of the National. And talk about open tuning bonanza: Not only does he have more different tunings then I can remember, but he's the only one I've heard say that he recorded a song in a "random tuning". After seeing him live, I knew I had to get a National...


Also cool. There's a thin line between "more different tunings than I can remember" and "doesn't know how to tune his guitar", though. Just a public service announcement.

3. Elmore James.

makes sense seeing as how you're a blues guy

4. Göran Wennerbrandt
This swede got the sweetest tone I've ever heard. On a flat-top, Dobro or Weissenbornm, but most of all on his National Style O played barefingered with a heavy glass slide.


So there are exceptions to the rule that Swedish guitar players are technically gifted

5. Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ Top)
Tone and taste. Especially the early recordings are giants in the blues rock/ southern boogie guitar history. Did anybody say pinched harmonics?


LOL quite predictable, I guess

6. Mark Knopfler
Mr. Dire Straits. Great fingerpicker, tasteful player with a great ear for melodies.


Tru, tru......I was thinking of putting him on my list, but his fingerpicking style is just too far away from what i do. Also, the two songs I'm influenced by are SOS and PI, so...

7. Ry Cooder
Really nails those microtones that are so important in slide. And has a HUGE electric slide tone.


He is also the guy who refused to pay union fees for musicians and travelled to Cuba to exploit local talent. Greedy f*cker!

8. Albert King
He had the touch. Elegant guitar player. If we're talking just guitar, he is my favorite among the three Kings (BB and Freddie being the two others)


Tru, tru - AK ruled. Awesome tone.

9. Lowell George (Little Feat)
Slide guitarist that died way too young. Huge source of inspiration for Bonnie Raitt f.ex.


Whatever, dawg

And, honestly, if I should have put up at list of "guitarist that have inspired me", you should have been on that list W-boi. Not because am copying your style or something, but due to the fact that if it hadn't been for you, I probably never picked up the guitar in the first place anyway.

..like you don't constantly rip off my style and tone.....don't even go there ;-)

Wilhelm said...

...I guess you got me with the "pick" comment.

:-(

Anders said...

1. Rainer
May not be a technical virtuous on guitar, but especially his acoustic work is just hauntlingly beautiful. He has a keen year for rhythm and little melody lines.

That's cool. Do you find that you borrow heavily from his phrasing or whatever?


He frets a lot behind the slide, which I'm not capable of doing decently. But I do copy some of his right hand technique/ style, though.

There's a thin line between "more different tunings than I can remember" and "doesn't know how to tune his guitar", though. Just a public service announcement.

Well, when you have a "random tuning", I think you've passed that line. Unless you can tell me the big difference between out of tune and having the strings tuned at random notes...

Anders said...

I forgot to ask:
Who the f**k is Kai Hansen?

Wilhelm said...

Kai Hansen - one of the original members of Helloween and co-founder of Power Metal as a genre. Now he's in Gamma Ray.

What; you won't admit that you've ripped all your whammy bar tricks from me?

8-D

Anders said...

Yes, I admit. I have never done a whammy bar trick that hasn't been a straight rip off from you...

Never heard of Gamma ray outside physic class.