Conference napalm::guitar

    
    Its usually the chain effect for me.  Guitarists I like (Chris
    Impellitteri, Paul Gilbert, Joe Satriani) listened to people
    I never chose to listen to.  Chris Impellitteri for example
    listened to Van Halen, who listened to Clapton.  I never liked
    VH or Clapton. 
    
    Buck

    As if anyone one in here didn't know, or couldn't guess from my
    node name, my favorite guitarist is Steve Morse.
    
    His favorite guitarist seems to be Jeff Beck, although it's hard to
    imagine him denying the influence of John McLaughlin in terms of
    the music and the band format that Morse has written for during
    his career.
    
    Morse's all-time favorite cut is "I ain't Superstitious" (I think
    that's the title) from (I believe) "Rough and Ready".   It's the
    last cut on the first side.  He describe the licks in there as
    "perfect".
    
    Steve Howe is another favorite of mine.  His all-time
    favorite/inspiration is Django Rheinhardt, who played with the
    Quintet du Hot Club de France in the 1930's.
    
    Based on Howe mention, I checked out Django and was very glad I did.
    Django was as far ahead of his time as any guitar player ever might
    have been.   A brilliantly fluid soloist, every note was "right".
    
    And listening to these Django recordings introduced me to another
    influence of mine, Stephane Grappelli who played violin with Django.
    Stephane reminds me of Larry Carlton.  Stephane is as soulful and
    fluid a player as you will ever find - he is what I could only describe
    as a "natural".
    
    Despite his very advanced years (he must be at least 80), as recently  
    as two years ago, I know that Stephane was still touring.   I've
    been fortunate to catch 3 concerts with him and I will always remember
    them.
    
    Another favorite of mine is Larry Carlton.  Larry's influences are
    less familiar to me than Howe's and Morse's.  THis is largely because
    his influences are mostly non-guitarists.
    
    My problem is that Steve Morse is just TOO much of an influence, and
    I also wish I could not hold him up as a standard for myself and others
    because it leads to endless dissapointment.
    
    I try writing stuff in the "electric ensemble" format, but when I
    listen to what I've written I always hear a little voice saying
    "Dregs, dregs, dregs...."
    
    I think I'm just gonna have to learn to live with that.  In my opinion,
    being called a "dregs clone" would hardly strike me as an insult.
    
    	db

    re. .2  Stephen Grappelli taught Jean Luc Ponty everthing he knows.
    I have heard the Quintet de Hot House referred to as the Hot House
    Five.
    
    One of my influences is Jerry Garcia. He mentioned in many interviews
    that he was inflenced by a guy named The Reverand Gary Davis. Has
    anyone ever heard anything by him? It seems like a lot of blues types
    were influenced by Gospel, buy I could never sit through much of
    it myself. Duanne Allman was also influenced by Gospel music, but
    his biggest revelation came after hearing Muddy Waters. Muddy inspired
    him to become, perhaps, the greatest slide guitarist of all time.
    
    Of course it is common knowledge that Clapton's biggest influence
    was Robert Johnson.
    
    A good question to ask is "how many people were not influenced by
    Chuck Berry"    
                               
    I believe that many of the Jazz greats of today (Carlton, Ritenour,
    etc) were influenced by the likes of Joe Pass, Herb Ellis, Barney
    Kessel, Howard Robert, Charlie Byrd, etc. If I am not mistaken,
    Ritenour studied with Joe Pass for quite a few years before making
    it as a session player.
    
    Of course most of the country greats were influenced by Chet Atkins.
    This includes Roy Clark. I really think that all things considered,
    Chet is about the best all-around guitarists ever. The man has covered
    a lot of ground and broken a lot of ground as well. His chords are
    the fullest of anyone and his licks can run circles around many
    of his constituants. I used to get a chuckle out of seeing him on
    Hee Haw with hackers like Buck Owens. He outclassed them all by
    such a huge margin it was almost comical to see him in that setting.
                                                                    
    In the bluegrass arena, Doc Watson really defined most of the bluegrass
    fingerstyle licks that used by nearly all of the blue grass heaveys
    of today.
    
    As far as the all-time greatest innovator of the electric guitar,
    I believe that Les Paul would have to win hands down. He invented
    the solid body guitar (arguably others were also busy inventing
    it at the same time, guys like Paul Bigsby and Merle Travis). He
    also invented echo, delay, flanging, doubling, chorusing, and was
    one of the developers of the magnetic pickup. Many, many guitarists
    were influenced by Les Paul, including Jeff Beck, Jeff (skunk) Baxter
    of Steely Dan and Doobies, to name a few. Some of my favorite instru-
    mental albums are the Guitar Monster albums featuring Les Paul and
    Chet Atkins together. Their playing styles were so differant that
    you can hear the contrast between the 2 players. You can easily
    distinguish who is playing each note just by the sound and accents.
    When Chet plays a solo, it is so melodic you want to just throw
    your head back, close your eyes and let the music take you away.
    When Les Paul plays a solo, you can't help but smile because his
    style is so light hearted, but when he wants to, he can really
    cook. I think Les knew all the standard bebop riffs, but preferred
    to use his own unorthodox licks most of the time. 
    
    I could go on and on. I found it ironic that the Beatles, and
    many other British invaders were influenced by Motown Soul performers.
    I always loved the Beatles, but could never get into soul music. Of
    course, back in the sixties I knew nothing of Black Blues music.
    How could I have known ? I was just a dumb kid like everyone else
    growing up at that time.
                           
    Good topic for discussion !!!
    
    Mark Jacques
    
    

My favorite's favorite? Well, since EC is my fave, obviously his favorite
is Robert Johnson (as previously noted). But another one of his favorites 
is Buddy Guy, whom he calls "the greatest guitarist alive today". Other
guitarists that EC likes: Stevie Ray Vaughn, Eddie Van Halen, Mark Knofler,
Jimmie Vaughn, Albert Lee, and B.B. King. (Actually, this list could go
on for a while - EC admires many other guitarists.)

Another hero of mine is Keith Richards. But again, everyone knows his
fave - Chuck Berry.

Alan S.

    Only people I've ever heard Eddie Van Halen cite as influences were
    Allan Holdsworth and Eric Clapton.
    
    I would also cite Nigel Tufnel as being another of my influences, but
    I think that most of HIS influences are chemical in nature.  ;-)
    
    re: .4
    
    When touting "best overall" guitar players one must mention Steve
    Morse and Steve Howe as these are the only guys to have won the
    Guitar Player magazine poll award of that same name ("Best Overall")
    often enough to get them appointed to the "Gallery of the Greats"
    in that catagory.
    
    These guys have done far more than just "cover" a lot of ground.
    They've "broken" a lot of ground as well.
    
    	db

re: -1

>    Only people I've ever heard Eddie Van Halen cite as influences were
>    Allan Holdsworth and Eric Clapton.
    
I remember reading an early interview with EVH. Although Clapton was his
favorite guitarist, he said the person who influenced his style the
most was Michael Schenker of UFO. He specifically mentioned the live LP
as one of his favorites.

Alan S.

    It is interesting to note that Ry Cooder, who is so influential
    a player, was himself influenced by the late Joseph Spence, the
    Bahamian guitarist.
    
    He also reveres Sleepy John Estes and Blind Willie Johnson.
    
    I would take issue with a previous noter who suggests that Duane
    Allman was the best slide player ever.
 
    This honour must go to Cooder who has pushed the barriers so far
    back that he is doing this on guitar now which, apart from being
    impossible, should not bwe allowed!!
    
    It is sad that he is so underestimated in his own country, having
    been virtually singlehandedly responsible for bringing Tex Mex music
    to the world's attention (--->Los Lobos, Flaco Jiminez etc), Cajun
    Music (--->Southern Comfort), slide guitar (via Paris Texas soundtrack)
    and even Blues, judging by some noters comments about the Crossroads
    soundtrack.
    
    So please, you US noters who are not aware, check him out.
    
    PS note re Gary Davis. He was a blind blues singer in the 20's who
    turned to religion and used to sing in the streets. I remember hearing
    Paul Simon tell a story once that he and a friend were round Davis's
    house and Davis went out for a while. While he was out, Simon tuned
    Davis's guitar to perfect tuning and when Davis came back, Simon
    asked him to play something. Davis struck a chord and at once stopped
    playing and untuned his guitar back to how he liked it.
    
    He was one great fingerpicker with a unique style which I cannot
    recall anyone even attempting to copy. he toured England in the
    60's and I am pleased to say that I was able to see him and to enjoy
    his wonderful music.
    
    Check him out as well!!!
    
    regards
    andy
    Reading UK
       
    

    
    Being Bluegrass is my home right now, and being I'm probably over
    the hill,  my favorites would have to be:
    
            Doc Watson, Tony Tice and Dan Crary,
            in no order I like them equally. 

    The gutarist's that I haven't heard in a long time that I liked 
    was Jeff Beck and although he doesn't do many instrumentals
    Jose Feliciano played a beautiful guitar. A classical guitarist
    I like also, is Rick Foster.
    
    Jim

    IMO
    
    Every Rock guitarist in the past 10 years has been more heavily
    influenced by EVH than anyone.  Either so they can be allowed the
    freedom to noodle around on the fingerboard, and dive bomb the whammy,
    or so they can be cool and say 'I'm not influenced by Eddie at all',
    and avoid all of that stuff like the plague.
    
    I get so tired of reading all of these interviews with a rock
    guitarist that does nothing more than fingerboard gymnastics and
    says that EVH was not an influence, but somebody like Randy Rhoads
    was.  Well, Randy isn't around to deny anything, and unless you've
    been in a cave, you *have* heard Eddie.
    
    Ashley

    Well, I'd agree only so far as to say that the last guitar player
    to have achieve the magnitude of Eddie's breadth of influence was
    probably Hendrix or Clapton.
    
    That is, no one guitar player has affected the playing of more players
    than EVH for a long time.
    
    Now, NOTE that I am *NOT* comparing Eddie as a guitar player to other
    players.  I'm not saying he's "the best since....".
    
    What I am saying is that he has (clearly, IMO) influenced more
    guitarists than anyone in a VERY long time.  You just can't take
    that away from him.
    
    	db
    
    p.s. The question of how much Randy Rhodes was influenced by EVH or
         vice versa seems a very uninteresting one to me.   Fingertaps
    	 were just one among many of the things that Eddie has made popular
    	 (note I did  *NOT* say "invent").  Eddie style includes so very
         many innovations (taps, whammy bar, harmonics, polyrhythms, atonal
    	 noises, guitar showmanship, etc., etc.) that getting hung up 
    	 on one thing seems pointless.
    
    	 I don't care who did it first, I don't care who did it best, etc.
    
    	 Eddie is clearly the guy that showed how to make it work in a way
    	 that people could appreciate.  As far as I'm concerned, this is
    	 the only significant point.
    
    	 The guy is simply the mostly radically innovative guitar player
    	 since Hendrix.  And to lend conviction to that statement
    	 I will add that Steve Morse doesn't even come close on these
    	 terms.

    re: .12
    
    Yeah, Dave, I could also care less about if Randy influenced Eddie
    or vice versa.  It's just reading interviews (about friends of yours
    like Dweezil :^}) where a guy will say : "Yeah, Randy Rhoads influenced
    me a lot, but I don't think Eddie Van Halen has had any influence
    on my playing."   Merde!
    
    Note that I'm not saying that EVH is the 'greatest guitarist in
    the cosmos' or anything like that.  I'm just saying he influenced
    more rock guitarists than anyone since Hendrix.
    
    And my favorite guitarist, Joe Walsh, was influenced by Duane Allman
    and the usual lot of Black blues musicians that every guitarist
    seems obligated to mention.
    
    Ashley

While we are on the topic on non-influences, I still smile whenever
I hear this - the guitarist for Kingdom Come (name? who cares?) said
he had never heard Jimmy Page's guitar playing in his life!

Yeah. Right. Sure.  

8^)

Alan S.

    Yeah, Jimmy Page mentioned that in the recent Musician interview.
    
    I'd like to give the guy the benefit of the doubt but that is
    SIMPLY PREPOSTEROUS.
    
    To have lived in the U.S., and to have been learning guitar during
    time when Led Zep was all over the radio, in the schools, etc,
    and to have come up with a band that everyone INSTANTLY identifies
    LZ.
    
    The guys gotta think people are really stupid to think we might believe
    that.
    
    	db

    re: the Jimmy Page interview. I found Page to be a bore. He certainly
    set no records (pun alert!) giving credit to those he blatently ripped
    off (Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon etc), at least one of whom (Dixon)
    sued and I hope he won big $$$. Page andn Plant were big time rip
    off artists on the first three albums anyway, but then most of their
    audience was not conversant with the blues and never caught them
    out at it.
    
    dbII

    Re. .16, Your absolutely right. Jeff Beck has complained about
    this in numerous interviews. It seems most of the material on the
    first few albums was taken from the Yardbirds Repertoire. Jeff Beck
    has no love for Page or Plant. 
    
    These days I hear Page has such a bad drinking problem that they
    have to have a backup guitarist back stage to play the notes so
    Page can mime them (poorly).
    
    In a recently article in one of the guitar rags, they ask the question
    "Is Jimmy Page over the hill ?" I would say he's been way over it
    for quite a few years, although at one time, he was a pretty hot
    player.
    
    Mark

    re: last few
    
    Well, I saw an interview with the guitarist fron Kingdom Come
    and he says he never claimed that he never heard or was influenced
    by Page; he was misquoted by one magazine.  Its interesting how
    anxious people seem to be to jump on his case for this.
    
    re .16 (Zep ripping off the Yardbirds repertoire)
    
    I've got a Yardbirds boot with "Dazed and Confused"; its scary how
    close to the Led Zep I version it is.
    
    /rick

    I never heard of Ry Cooder until his guitar dual with Steve Vai
    in the movie Crossroads. Cooder played the guitar part of Ralph
    Macchio.
    
                                            -laurie

    
    Cooder played the part of ralph machio up until the guitar duel
    scene, where Vai played both parts (Ry Cooder playing Paganini's
    5th caprice?? the mind boggles!).

    I heard somewhere in this note file, or possibly music notes,
    that Arlen Roth also played some of the slide guitar in the
    movie crossroads. He was also credited in GP as Ralph's guitar
    coach during the filming of the movie.
    
    Arlen has some instructional videos on slide guitar playing. 
    I have been tempted to get one and check it out some time.
    Anyone can play the simple slide stuff with the slide held
    straight across the neck, and grabbing 2-3 strings at a time, 
    but using a slant slide technique for grabbing standard chord
    positions is tuff, and being accurate with a slide is even
    tougher. Something I would like to be able to master !!
    
    Mark
    

	re: -.1  Arlen Roth

	I don't believe that Arlen Roth actually played in the sound track,
	but was just Ralph's coach.  He taught him how to make it look like
	he was playing the parts that Ry Cooder was actually playing.  The
	slide stuff was easier to fake than the regular fretting stuff.

	If you like slide guitar you really should check out Arlen Roth.
	I have two of his records on Rounder "Guitarist" and "Lonely Street",
	man can that guy play guitar.   He plays everything from memphis type
	guitar to super hot slide.  He was also on one (or more?) records 
	with Happy and Artie Traum.

	Speaking of Ry Cooder (definately one of my favorites!), I recently
	picked up a record by Joseph Spence who was Ry's main influence.  It's
	amazing to listen to Spence's style.  Cooder copped that style to a 
	tee!  He plays a very syncopated style of fingerpicking with lots
	of bass fills incorporating all the different styles of the bahamas.
	Ry Cooder then took that style and mixed slide playing in with it
	to come up with his unique slide style that kind of sets him apart
	from the slide players who are mostly rooted in American/souther/black
	style blues.

	-gary

    Arlen roth was credited as being ralph's coach so that ralph looked
    like he was playing, Alren didn't play a note in the movie.
    
    RE: the tape
    
    I have it, he teaches primarily open E tuning, also a quick jaunt
    through open G tuning (the riffs move one string is all) and talks
    to standard tuning ie: it's not very useful for playing blues slide.
    Me I use both open E and standard tuning alot...I prefer standard
    but open E is useful in certain circumstances. The tape is pretty
    good if you know nothing about slide guitar, Arlen has some opinions
    that I disagree with (ie: glass slides are junk, I prefer glass
    but it must be quite thick to sound right) but the tape helped
    me alot. However, his tape on blues guitar is junk if you know anything
    at all about the standard pentatonic scale, since that's essentially
    all he teaches in that tape. Good for beginning lead players only.
    Elsewhere in this file I reviewed both tapes.
    
    dbii

    Can I come back in here again to voice my utter amazement at the
    number of times I have heard US guitar players say that they have
    never heard of Ry Cooder.
    
    I believe that they may have heard him however, perhaps with out
    realising it.
    
    For example - any Beefheart fans out there? Well he played on Safe
    as Milk
    
    Any Taj Mahal fans out there? He had a band called the Rising Sons
    which included Cooder and RC was on his first album (1967).
    
    How about Van Dyke Parks, Arlo Guthrie, Dale Hawkins, Rolling Stones,
    Neil Young, Little Feat, Gordon Lightfoot, Randy Newman, Phil Ochs,
    Eric Clapton, Rita Coolidge, Don Everly, Crazy Horse, Buffy St Marie,
    Norman Greenbaum, Maria Maldaur, Mike Seeger, John Sebastian, Johnny
    Cash, Doobie Bros, Rodney Crowell, Van Morrison, Steve Young, T-Bone
    Burnett, Steve Douglas, Harris/Parton/Rondstadt, Bobby King/Terry
    Evans etc etc.
    
    Cooder has played on records by all these people besides doing movie
    soundtracks for Blue Collar, Candy, Fire on the Streets, The Border,
    Long Riders, Paris Texas, Southern Comfort, Performance, Watermelon
    Man, Alamo Bay, Blue City
    
    and 
    
    eleven albums under his own name ranging from jazz to tex-mex to
    Bahamian to blues to cajun to rock to ballads. 
    
    He plays songs by Leadbelly, Burt Bacarach, Blind Willie Mctell,
    John Hiatt, Woody Guthrie, Bix Biederbecke, Bob Dylan, Randy Newman,
    Sleepy John Estes etc etc etc.
    
    He fits into no category and in my humble opinion is a totally
    underestimated musical genius.
    
    He plays slide guitar better than anyone else ever has or will,
    he fingerpicks Blind Blake ragtime as well as Blake, blues mandolin
    like you have never heard and is equally adept on electric or acoustic.
    
    No self respecting guitar player should overlook this man.
    
    I'll go back to bed now!! :-)
    
    regards
    
    andy
    

    re:.24...Ry is godlike
    
    while Ry is a great musician, I personally don't feel that his slide
    playing is better than anyone ever has or will. He lacks the definition
    of style that makes the Duane Allmans and the Lowell Georges of
    the world stand out from all the other slide players, not to mention
    Joe Walsh who is also one of the best slide players around. Ry is
    more the traditionalist than the innovator.
    
    dbII

    
    In all honesty, the only specific Ry Cooder album I have heard
    is "Jazz". My favorite song off that album is "Big Bad Bill is
    Sweet William Now", in which he blends ragtime horns with slide
    dobro. It's slide playing at it's best, but like dbII stated, it's
    done in a traditional style, and is not the most innovative playing
    in the world. Of course, the Crossroads duel was absolutely amazing,
    and proves him to be a truely incredible slide player. I also seem
    to remember him appearing in the movie "The Gambler" with Kenny
    Rogers. In this movie he appeared in a 3 pc band in a saloon scene.
    The man is heralded as an expert in American traditional music,
    and is not limited to playing guitar only. This is turning into
    the Ry Cooder note. The man definately deserves his own note.
    
    Mark Jacques
    

    A guitarist which I have recently become interested in is Kirk Hammett
    of Metallica.  I was pleasantly surprised to read in an interview with
    him that one of his big influences is also one of my favorites, Michael
    Schenker. 
    
    Greg

    Since I started this note, I'll put in my 3� on my influences.
    
    Given the generation I grew up in, my influences came from such
    notables as Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, David Gilmour, Rick Nielsen,
    Ted Nugent, Steve Miller, Jeff Beck, Robin Trower, Pat Travers,
    Neil Schon, Tom Scholz, Eric Clapton, and last but certainly not
    least, Phil Keaggy (who I've listened to quite a bit the last few years).

    I have seen in well documented articles from Rolling Stone's past
    where Jimi Hendrix and Eddie Van Halen have ranked Keaggy right
    up there with the best of them.  Van Halen and Keaggy have since
    met through a mutual friend.  Both men are amazing!
    
    Regretfully, I haven't spent much time digging into past notables
    listed in this topic.  Looks like it would be worth my while to
    do so.
    
    Mike
    

    
    	well, I've been in a cave and have NEVER listened to EVH - always
    turned the dial when there stuff comes on the radio.
    
    	I've listened to Ry Cooder back up all those aforementioned
    folks since late 60's. I'm definitely a fan...
    
    	Duane Allman was the best slide player i ever SAW!
    
    	Hum, nobody ever influenced by Jimi Hendrix? I've heard Les
    Paul go gaga over Hendrix - but no one here?          
    
    	I guess I'm too much an old-fart - most of these modern folk
    to me just play the best licks of the past...
    
    
    				bs
    

    
    Bassist Jaco Pastorious, who set the jazz world on its ear and did
    more to sell fretless basses and chorus pedals than anyone else
    I know once commented on his style:
    
    "I do a bad inpersonation of Jerry Jemmott".
    
    Jerry is the guy on all those Aretha and King Curtis albums from
    the 60s...a smokin' player for sure.  Check out his licks on Aretha's
    "Since You've Been Gone" or his turnarounds on B.B. King's "The
    Thrill Is Gone".
    
    

    While Paul McCartney was in Phoenix last week, my brother-in-law picked
    up one of the free programs for me while at the concert.  It's quite a
    program considering it was free, but that's another rathole.
    
    Anyway, in the band's biography section, Paul states that his favorite
    guitar player was/is Jimi Hendrix.  He also states that his favorite
    bass player is himself.
    
    Mike

    The following is an excerpt of a pre-concert interview which took place
    on April 23, 1991 in Ottawa, Canada:
    
    CHEZ 106 FM: If I was to go and flip through your record collection--if
    		we started with the most recent purchases or finds at the 
    		front towards old classics at the back--I might find in
    		there...?
    
    Steve Morse: Um...the most recent purchase...well, contrary to that
     		guitaristic sound of the tune we just did [Simple Simon],
    		it would be "Enya"--almost directly opposite of what I
    		play is what  I listen to (and it's weird, I know)--and
    		then very in back in the early days we go to Led Zepplin
    		and things like that which is more, you know. I guess more 
    		akin to the guitarist sound. But I like to listen to things
    		other than guitarists, you know, for emotional inspiration. 
                                                                           

    I've been WAY into the playing of Harry K. Cody of late.  He's is a
    great soloist, and has got me using my Wha pedal again in a big way!
    
    Check this dude out...very tastey!