# Music Influences



## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Lately, have we talked about which artists/styles influence our playing?

As a guitar instructor this topic continually amazes (and sometimes confounds) me. Young and old players may be influenced by anything, and not always by what might be predicted. And (it's a big "and"), usually influences are an evolving force.

As for me, though I listen to everything from Bach to Led Zeppelin, I'd say my influences are jazz (as in Bela Fleck, Joscho Stephan is a new favourite), folk/traditional (in the vein of Simon Mayor), rock (Led Zep, Stones), blues (like Roy Buchanan), and classical (Bach, Ralph Vaughan Williams).

How about you?

Peace, Mooh.


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## Stratin2traynor (Sep 27, 2006)

Great thread. I am just a basement rocker. I play and learn when I have time. My schedule is a too unpredictable to take lessons although I have managed to take about a dozen lessons to straighten things out a bit.

I have eclectic taste in music but would have to say that my main influences are: Clapton, Freddie King, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, U2 and of course Hendrix with a little SRV on top. (very predictable, I know). Essentially Blues/Rock. 

But...if I hear something I like, I will try to play it - or at least try to.

:food-smiley-004:


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

I'd have to say Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Rory Gallagher and Mark Knopfler, as well as a bunch of guys from the New Wave and indie scenes (Johnny Marr, Paul Westerberg, J. Mascis, etc). That's two or three pretty different camps, but whatever, that's what I dig and that's what I try to play and incorporate into my sound.


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## zinga (Apr 22, 2007)

As for me i would have to say my frist guitar teacher[ dave] then blues rock players anybody they all have something to offer and any type of music that i'm into at the time but last i would have to say some students that i mite be teaching at the time. if you litsen to them you my here a riff then off we go and try to write something out of it.


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## skydigger (Oct 20, 2007)

I'm a bass player at heart.

Bazil Donovan knows his job and he does it brilliantly (when the song permits).

I'm also a big fan of Stings work with the Police. I'm in awe of Flea and Mike Watt.

As far as guitar goes, I'd have to say Neil Young has been the biggest influence on me (sloppy, but every note has heart).

I also admire Jimmy Page, Michael Timmons and Mark Knopfler...


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

To add to those I mentioned earlier: Rory Gallagher, Danny Gatton, Jeff Beck, Roy Buchanan, Django Reinhardt, Oscar Peterson, E Power Biggs, Tony McManus, Pierre Bensusan...

So many guitars, so little time.

Peace, Mooh.


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## LowWatt (Jun 27, 2007)

Steve Malkmus (Pavement)
Thelonious Monk
Nels Cline
Curtis Mayfield
Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys)
Swervedriver
Jimmy Nolen (James Brown)
Steve Cropper
Igor Stravinski
John Steinbeck. I seriously try to play like he writes, even though that makes no sense to most people.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Paul said:


> how I approach playing a given song is completely related to what other musicians and instruments are in the group.


I do that too. One friend I used to play guitar with a lot, and with him--I'd almost always leave holes for him to fill--because I knew he'd do it anyway--I may as well help it sound better, and stay out of his way. Another friend was newer at guitar than I was, and with him, I had to fill in space at times-the trick was to listen and not just fill in space for the sake of it. One group I jammed with and we did some demos, I played a little more bluesy because the other guitarist didn't, and it sounded better having some than none.

But still there are others you've listened to that you've been influenced by-musicians you've learned and/or borrowed from--even if it's not totally a conscious thing. We don't live in a vacuum, so we've all been influenced by others. How you do the things you list had to be influenced by somebody or something.

For me--it may not be readily apparent, but I'd have to list Albert King, Neil Young and Jon Lord as my biggest influences.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

To respond to an email on the subject, I don't think influences have to equate with playing their music note for note, or even at all. Influences are like spirit guides or something, which give us general direction, or things to consider.

All music is derivative, I just try to milk everything I hear and see to make my own way in music life.

Peace, Mooh.

P.S. Paul...great comments.


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## Warren (Mar 2, 2007)

There are 3 types of influences I find in what I'm trying to achieve at any given time:

Musicality (the big ones): Coltrane, Zappa, Chick Corea, Stephen Rak, Roland Dyens

Technique: Di Meola (in the late 80's), Vai, Rak, Dyens, Joe Pass

Attitude: Danny Gatton, Jeff Beck, Steve Vai, Zappa, Allan Holdsworth, Django Bates

Only to name a few, there's also whoever I'm listening to today


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Guitar influences: Albert Lee, Ray Flack, David Gilmour, Brian May, Allen Collins.


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## dobsont (Jan 7, 2008)

Definitely true that influences evolve. I like that.

At the moment I'm listening to a lot of Bop - Bill Haley, Gene Vincent - so I guess I'm into a Danny Cedrone, Cliff Gallup kind of thing. Unfortunately I suck and they sure don't...

I'm also listening to a lot of Lightnin' Hopkins these days.


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...my biggest influence, as a youth, was radio. live performance by local country singers. the everly brothers and roy orbison. the first time i heard little richard screaming. instrumental and, especially, surf music.

then came television: the ed sullivan show. appearances by elvis, buddy holly, the everly brothers, the beatles, stones, animals, gerry and the pacemakers, the hollies etc.

as for guitar music, it started with the ventures and progressed through the british invasion, hard rock and heavy metal, jeff beck, ritchie blackmore, mike bloomfield, eric clapton, jimi hendrix, pete townsend, jimmy page, peter frampton, robin trower, david gilmour, eddie van halen etc and lead to more recent discoveries like vince gill, mark knopfler, the edge, danny gatton, albert lee, joe satriani and steve vai.

and, at the ripe age of sixty, i have just "discovered" the blues...

-dh


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## jimmy c g (Jan 1, 2008)

gotta say BEATLES,tho Hendrix was and is the top,without ed sullivan and dick clark I might of gone country!! Hee haw was a picking party.Showing my age I guess^^^^^^stay tuned^^^^^Jim


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Paul said:


> I make it a point to NOT listen to the original versions of songs when I play them in the guitar/sax duet. I may be somewhat aware of the melody and structure, (who hasn't heard Blue Skies?), but I have no idea what is "correct". Sometime I play it Swing, sometimes as a Bossa, sometimes as a Waltz. I never really know until I count it in and make eye contact with the sax player.


Okay--good answers--as to this part--I've done the same myself.
Originally I often did it because often I wasn't good enough to play the song the original way--but then it became a habit, and it's fun.


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## Wheeman (Dec 4, 2007)

Welp, I'm all over the map as well. From the classic to pop songs to marches in the high school concert band (playing *cough cough* flute) to the jazz ensemble playing your standard latin, swing, bossa nova, etc. Playing the light fluffy melody to being the misunderstood and, alas!, un-noticed bassist has been a good experience.

Outside of school, I would have to say a bunch of ska and various generic rock bands. They Might Be Giants, Goldfinger, Streetlight Manifesto just to name a few.


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## Lester B. Flat (Feb 21, 2006)

One of my biggest influences besides the usual guitar-slinging suspects was Louis Armstrong's cornet solo on Hello Dolly. I can hear his phrasing and vibrato in my guitar playing. I had that solo memorized 3 or 4 years before I ever picked up a guitar, and I've never actually played the song, but I can still hear every nuance of that solo in my head even if I have'nt heard it in many years. I was 9 or 10 years old when that came out so the earlier the influence the greater, I think.


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## I_cant_play (Jun 26, 2006)

Well here are mine. I'm putting them in the (approximately) chronological order that I discovered them. The first being my initial inspiration to start playing and the last my current obsession:

Metallica
Led Zeppelin
Lynard Skynard
Bjelo Dugme (band from former Yugoslavia)
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Leb i Sol (Macedonian Band)
Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler
Miroslav Tadic (Serbian Guitarist)
Django Reinhardt
Paco De Lucia
Sabicas
Smak (Sebian Rock band)
Carlos Montoya
Tchaikovsky
Vicente Amigo

There's been many others though I would say these would influence my playing the most. Recently I seem to be getting more and more into classical so I'll see where that takes me. Also, you'll notice that Satriani, Vai, Hendrix and Clapton are nowhere on the list. Being only 21 years old I think this is pretty unusual considering most guitarists I know consider them to be amazing. I really used to think I had no ear for music cause I didn't listen to these guys. Now, I really like the fact that my combination of influences is different from most people's because like someone said, we don't live in a vacuum and anything that we listen to influences us and if we all liked the same guitarists......we'd all play the same.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I'm not even going to try. Just say I've been exposed to the same stuff as David Henman minus the country. And I got hit with blues much earlier. I saw Johnny Winter in Feb. 1970 and to this day it is still the best concert I've ever seen. And I've seen the Beatles twice and the Stones three times (twice with Brian Jones and once with Mick Taylor - gawd was he good)


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## mario (Feb 18, 2006)

There have been so many infulences on my playing over the years....so hard to name them all and I am sure I will forget to mention some. I guess my playing style mainly comes from Blues-Rock, but with a DEEP respect for the original bluesmen. Anyway, here are a few in no particular order.
Jimi Hendrix
Jeff Beck
Rory Gallagher
Eric Clapton
Jimmy Page
SRV
Jimmie Vaughan
Freddie King
BB King
Gary Moore
Muddy Waters
Duane Allman
Warren Haynes
Lowell George
Keith Richards
All the guitar players on the Steely Dan albums.
.....god, just so many great players I have soaked in during the many years and do not have the room to mention!


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## Warren (Mar 2, 2007)

I_cant_play said:


> ...Miroslav Tadic (Serbian Guitarist)...
> =


Nice, he's a phenomenal guitarist, from classical to jazz to blues fingers & pick, not that I don't like your other choices, but Tadic is such an obscure choice because so many people in North America have not heard of him.

Gotta get out Krushevo tonight. Thanks for the reminder.


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## I_cant_play (Jun 26, 2006)

Warren said:


> Nice, he's a phenomenal guitarist, from classical to jazz to blues fingers & pick, not that I don't like your other choices, but Tadic is such an obscure choice because so many people in North America have not heard of him.
> 
> Gotta get out Krushevo tonight. Thanks for the reminder.


It's definitely a shame he's not well known at all. I can't even seem to find a way to get some of his other CD's (I have only Krushevo).


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## cbrown0019 (Jan 28, 2008)

My top 3 would be Colin James, SRV, and Shaun Vereault.


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## Warren (Mar 2, 2007)

I_cant_play said:


> It's definitely a shame he's not well known at all. I can't even seem to find a way to get some of his other CD's (I have only Krushevo).


I've seen some others on-line here & there but never ordered any. I only have the 1 also.


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## Telenator (Aug 9, 2007)

For me it's the likely bunch.
Gilmour
Page
Lifeson
Knopfler

I can't play any of their tunes and don't want to learn but these guys have made me pick p a guitar and jam along in my own way. I guess more inspired by than influenced by. Influenced more by tone inspired more by music.


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