Your Personal Top 10 of Guitarist Who Inspires You The Most!

[donepearce]

Three things:

1. Yes, I see your point if you don't like a style of music, exposure will be limited. But if a guitarist is so great it is being talked about in all guitar circles, wouldn't it be worth while to check it out? I never was a fan of auto racing, but I started to hear about this young kid named Jeff Gordon winning 13 races in a 33 race season...man, I just had to check him out.

2. OK, I get your Morrissey problems. Then just listen to a few Smith songs for the music. "This Charming Man" is lightning fast jangle heaven.

3. Your idea of a player being so good they could never be an inspiration. Yes, I agree. I never look to Hendrix for inspiration. It would be too humiliating for me to try to do what he does.

Racing? There is this kid called Lewis Hamilton who just tied up his sixth World Championship winning 11 races in a 21 race season. But guitar-wise, there are so many great guitarists out there that I don't really need to make myself suffer just to hear another. This is not necessarily about the bands, but sometimes about them. I acknowledge the ability of Guthrie Govan, but I can't listen to him.

 

[NMA]

Racing? There is this kid called Lewis Hamilton who just tied up his sixth World Championship winning 11 races in a 21 race season.

Lewis Hamilton is a drip. The most unlikeable sportsman that ever existed. His own country doesn't even get behind him. His racing style is dull, his personality is even duller. Give me a fireball like Michael Schumacher any day of the week. F1 is suffering badly because of the techno-drivers like Lewis Hamilton.

 

[donepearce]

Lewis Hamilton is a drip. The most unlikeable sportsman that ever existed. His own country doesn't even get behind him. His racing style is dull, his personality is even duller. Give me a fireball like Michael Schumacher any day of the week. F1 is suffering badly because of the techno-drivers like Lewis Hamilton.

I can only assume you haven't watched him race, particularly in the wet. As for likeable, no other driver heaps so much praise on the team when he wins. No other driver has so many interests outside the sport. Michael Schumacher? He is right there with Ayrton Senna as drivers who won by being cynical cheats. I despise them.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

HAHA I Skipped past quite a few posts and just posted mine due to short memory........... Had to post now b4 I forget em.

No Particular order. Carol Kaye

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Wes Montgomery
Joe Pass and Roy Clark ( I grew up watching Roy and all the instruments he could play) blew my mind.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

Alex Lifeson/Geddy Lee
Steve Howe
Ted Nugent/Derek St Holmes
Robert DeLeo/Dean DeLeo
John Paul Jones/Jimmy Page
Joe Perry/Brad Whitford/Tom Hamilton


I will count the duo's/trio's as one so as to be in the 10 favorites parameter. Somehow, I can't think of Bass and Guitar players without one another as I was influenced.

Also just in case anyone wonders, my biggest local influence is my friend Ronnie Zebron. He relocated to FLA. but I still keep playing because of my years listening in awe of his playing in Baltimore.

Here is Ronnie playing with my other 2 B'more buds, Angelo on Bass and John Thomakos on drums. Ron's ex is singing and playing keys.

 

[NMA]

I can only assume you haven't watched him race, particularly in the wet. As for likeable, no other driver heaps so much praise on the team when he wins. No other driver has so many interests outside the sport. Michael Schumacher? He is right there with Ayrton Senna as drivers who won by being cynical cheats. I despise them.

I have watched a ton of Lewis Hamilton racing. I'd say just about every single race. (I never really miss an F1 race...lately, though, they have been dreadful, I speed through them on DVR). Did you see the 2015 US Grand Prix in which Hamilton throws a hat at teammate Nico? Hamilton displayed his crass unprofessionalism and crass lack of decency. He ain't a good guy, that is a unanimous assessment.

Schumacher was one of a kind. Yeah, he was diabolical. I grant you that. But, man, he was he filled with a raging desire to win. I have come across very few sportsman like him. He was so entertaining to watch. Aggression and technical skill matched perfectly. He was one in a million. I miss him.

 

[donepearce]

I have watched a ton of Lewis Hamilton racing. I'd say just about every single race. (I never really miss an F1 race...lately, though, they have been dreadful, I speed through them on DVR). Did you see the 2015 US Grand Prix in which Hamilton throws a hat at teammate Nico? Hamilton displayed his crass unprofessionalism and crass lack of decency. He ain't a good guy, that is a unanimous assessment.

Schumacher was one of a kind. Yeah, he was diabolical. I grant you that. But, man, he was he filled with a raging desire to win. I have come across very few sportsman like him. He was so entertaining to watch. Aggression and technical skill matched perfectly. He was one in a million. I miss him.

Hamilton threw a hat TO Rosberg, not at him. Rosberg, in a fit of childish pique, threw it back AT Hamilton. Your bias is rather evident here.

 

[NMA]

Hamilton threw a hat TO Rosberg, not at him. Rosberg, in a fit of childish pique, threw it back AT Hamilton. Your bias is rather evident here.

Why not just walk over the hat to Nico?
Your bias is showing.

 

[donepearce]

This is my answer

 

[NoiseNinja]

Yes, I agree. I never look to Hendrix for inspiration. It would be too humiliating for me to try to do what he does.

As I wrote in a previous comment in this thread being inspired by someone is not necessarily about wanting to copying their style, for me it's more a matter of being inspired musically, to on the contrary being encouraged by their play and skills to continue developing your own style and your own skills at creating music, based on your own musical ideals, to sense some form of kinship with their approach to playing and creating music, even if it might be on a higher level and being executed in a somewhat different way from how you personally would do it.

To me to deny the gift of inspiration some musicians imprint in you is not about being humble to your own limitations and the level of the musician in question's skills, it's an insult against said musician and his work.

 

[NMA]

This is my answer

But your answer is the primary evidence that Hamilton is a jerk!

Anybody watching that can see Hamilton was the fool. He throws a hat at a guy who wasn't even expecting it. That's throwing something AT someone, not TO someone. Why not walk it over and hand it to your teammate? That's what any decent person would have done.

 

[donepearce]

OK, now you are just being stupid for the sake of it. The conversation is over.

 

[NMA]

...being inspired by someone is not necessarily about wanting to copying their style, ...

Yes, that's true. Inspiration is more than wanting to play like that person. So for me I guess when it comes to Handrix it was more that I didn't like the theatrics or the sonic assault of his guitar playing. He never inspired me to be a guitar player.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

As I wrote in a previous comment in this thread being inspired by someone is not necessarily about wanting to copying their style, for me it's more a matter of being inspired musically, to on the contrary being encourage by their play and skills to continue developing your own style and your own skills at creating music, based on your own musical ideals, to sense some form of kinship with their approach to playing and creating music, even if it might be on a higher level and being executed in a somewhat different way from how you personally would do it.

To me to refuse the gift of inspiration some musicians imprint in you is not about being humble to your own limitations and the level of the musician in question's skills, it's an insult against said musician and his work.

Ninja, I get your intent and think your general message is on point. I think the simple and unpretentious method of looking at things is how best to unmuddy or keep a calm lake vs a tumultuous ocean rogue wave theme to the topic of the thread.

I have more like 10,000 guitarists instead of 10 who have influenced me. As I am on numerous forums too, some are just regular non famous play in church, play in garages, play in your bedroom, play just for the freaking fun of making pure tonic joyful music, or even bombastic god awful noise. Those who just enjoy being blessed to afford an instrument, a guitar, a bass, a trumpet, drum or heck a harmonica. Having a brotherhood to bounce ideas and mutual love of music with brings us all within a world of players all with a few clicks of the phone or taps on a keyboard. Thanks to you, and any of the good people who seek to uplift and encourage one another and thus influence me and everyone in their pursuits.

 

[chilipeppermaniac]

I was just listening to some Janis Joplin and got another thought in my head on this influence topic.

Like I said 10,000 guitarists, if my brain can be analyzed in how it has operated all my nearly 56 years of life, I am pretty sure there are over a million Musical notes played by these 10,000+ players that have influenced me. From the day I was a child listening to Classical music on LP or in Symphony halls, Burl Ives, or Tom Jones, or Grand Funk, Deep Purple, Beatles, Frank Sinatra, Elvis etc, I have heard all their bands, techniques, recording nuances, live reproductions etc. In every note, every dynamic, every rest, repeat, Time signature, crescendo, solo, rhythm, style etc. All these have had influence on my playing.

Sorry so verbose, but that is it in a nut shell for me.

 

[Bad Penguin]

In no real order...
Bill Nelson (Be Bop Deluxe)
Justin Hayward (Moody Blues)
Roye Albrighton (Nektar)
Chet Atkins
Les Paul (duh)
Robert Fripp
Adrian Belew
Gary Moore
Pye Hastings (Caravan)
Mike Oldfield

 

[Tony M]

I would name them but the names would be meaningless
to you. I am and have always been inspired by guitar players
who are out there playing anyplace and everyplace, always
giving it 105% night after night for years on end without
being rich or famous.

Guitar players who play in biker bars, coffee houses
and wedding bands. Guitarists playing in bookstores,
houses of worship and out in the streets.

You know, the ones that load in and set up their own gear
and sometimes even play events for zero compensation
other than the joy of bringing music to the people.

 

[DanB]

My top ten guitar influences, in no particular order:
1. Jimi Hendrix (I think all of us rockers are indebted to his pioneering innovations)
2. Eric Clapton
3. Jeff Beck
4. Jimmy Page
5. Ritchie Blackmore
6. Neil Young (the progenitor of Grunge!)
7. Joe Walsh
8. Chuck Berry (the first great rock guitarist who set a path for all of us rockers to follow!)
9. Pete Townsend
10. George Harrison

but in reality,it's so hard to stop at 10. So many honorable mentions:
Dave Davies of the Links
Frank Zappa- his guitar skills often overlooked bc of his general weirdness
Mick Ronson
Robbie Krieger of the Doors
B.B. King
Steven Stills (underrated as a guitarist)
Roger McGuinn of the Byrds
Ted Nugent
Joe Perry and Brad Whitford of Aerosmith
Peter Frampton
Angus Young of AC/DC
Angus' brother Malcolm Young-great rhythm player
Tony Iommi
Tom Scholz of Boston
Keith Richards
Ron Wood
Mick Taylor (the Stones lead guitar player 1969-75)
Peter Green
Slash of Guns and Roses
Dave Gilmour
John Lennon (very underrated rhythm guitar player)
Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane game
Paul Kantner of Jefferson Airplane/Starship fame
Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead

See its getting too hard to stop, so many iconic guitar players out there and do little space!