Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: 99_not_out on November 23, 2007, 09:58:01 PM
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So we like lists, and I'm not sure if anyones ever done this one before. We all have a guitar hero ... but why? For me ...
Angus Young
1) Tone
Angus sounds like no-one else. An ostensibly simple setup to copy, SG / Marshall, but he puts so much of his body into playing (just watch him doing vibratos) that his sound is uniquely his. And boy what a sound.
2) He makes it look easy
The sign of any master of his art. Watching Angus play makes you think 'I could do that, can't be that hard if he can do it whilst running about all over the stage'. Bollocks, its bloody difficult but he makes it look simple.
3) Ego
Or the lack of. No solos-from-the-mountain-top videos or outspoken views on the rest of the music business, just 5'2" of rock playing legend. Let the guitar do the talking, the way it should be.
4) Energy
A defining moment in my hero worship was when I first saw the Let There Be Rock video (the live concert from Paris). Towards the end, Angus has to go off the stage and breathe from an Oxygen Mask to carry on. Now that is dedication to the cause. No other guitarist I have seen puts quite so much energy into their playing.
5) There are two of him
Angus 1, starts the concert fully clothed. He is Rock.
Angus 2 arrives about half way through the gig. Angus 2 is a cooking-with-gas bare chested RAWK machine, and on a good day will bring a tear to a rock fans eye. Amen.
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Jake E Lee (who would of guessed!!)
1. Writing ability - Whether it's BATM, Rock N Roll Rebel, Killer of Giants through to Devil's stomp or Highwire, Jake knows how to write and write it well.
2. Improvising ability - BATM '84 solo on Suicide Solution or the '86 solo on Killer of Giants, enough said.
3. Tone - Screaming trebley JCM800 rock with Ozzy and warm Marshall crunch with Badland's, what more is needed?
4. Tasteful shred - Adds in some real tastey shred where required aswell as general tastey playing.
5. Underrated - Not many people seem to of heard of him which I kinda like, everyone raves about Slash and Clapton etc but Jake never seems to get a mention.
5 points isn't enough, I could list all of Jake's Godly playing factors all night!! His feeling is also immense. Aswell as his showmanship.
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Dave Matthews ;)
1 - Sings great.
2 - Plays great.
3 - Writes some really off-the-wall, funky music that still sounds accessible and enjoyable to people who don't know what a bone nut is.
4 - Plays it all on acoustic (I would say it's a damn sight more difficult than flabby floppy electric strings).
5 - He's really weird in interviews. Perfect :twisted:
Go on. Bash me. I have my helmet on!
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Tony Iommi
1) Tone - Vintage Laney cranked up power! Dark sludgey doomy sound that compliments the music perfectly.
2) Riffage - Riff after riff after riff, this man has been making them for years and he's still busting out some of the best and original riffs nowadays.
3) Normal Guy - He isn't a famous rock star who gets wasted every day, he is a down to earth guy who just loves to play the music.
4) Tasteful Solos - His solos are bluesy and jazz influenced and not just w**kery like the stuff nowadays, he always knows which notes to hit.
5) HE INVENTED HEAVY METAL!!! :twisted:
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Go on. Bash me. I have my helmet on!
Hey, never question a mans religion ;)
I also love Final Fantasy but the last thread on that subject got locked!
Vive la difference.
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5) HE INVENTED HEAVY METAL!!! :twisted:
Can't argue with that. Or point 4) on your list come to think of it 8)
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Steve Clark (either him or Jakey, and I agree with Woogie on that)
1)Stlye - Played guitar in a way I find quite unique really, sloppy in some situations (something I can relate to :D) melodic in others, and live he would even do some scale runs. Whatever he did in the studio was ALWAYS the right note, no major showing off
2) Performance - Anyone else watched 'In the rounds, In your face' ? that explains it all
3) Phil Collen - Probably an ok guy, but Steve fitted his stuff around Phil, he let Phil record all the solo's on Hysteria, Phil always seems to show off with triplets and shreddy kind of solo's. Well I think this part would be better titled 'tolerance' as Steve seemed quite versatile
4) Songs - They never sound the same! All capture a different feeling (unlike Mr Phil C and recent Def Lep IMO)
5) He never sold out - Well dying in your prime does prevent that :( a big example would be Zakk, those first two albums, 18 years ago now were good. Steve never got to have his own BLS and turn into a weird biker.
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Tasty :) ...
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Randy Rhoads!
1) Style
There were guitarists before Randy who mixed up classical and rock influences (Blackmore, Schenker), and guitarists since who've done the same and taken it to the extreme (Yngwie), but Randy remains my favourite guitarist to have blended both worlds. "Diary of a Madman" and "Revelation (Mother Earth)" are particularly excellent examples of his approach to classical arrangements in rock song structures. His best solos are emotional, melodic and totally ripping.
2) Songwriting
I love Iommi's riffs in Black Sabbath, but none of Ozzy's post-Sabbath songwriting partners have done the business with the regularity and consistency that Randy Rhoads did. Everything he did with Ozzy remains a totally essential rock track - no filler.
3) Died in his prime
Of course, the "no filler" aspect is understandable considering that Randy died after only a couple of years in the spotlight; he never had time to grow old and stale, or to have a Damascene conversion to the blues like Gary Moore and Vivian Campbell, resulting in endless boring albums of neo-classically-influenced Robert Johnson covers.
4) Cool guitars
I'm not going to put "tone" on this list because I don't think Randy really had an exceptional guitar tone. It's a bit too raw and trebly for my ears. But the array of awesome guitars he played gives me cold sweats and fevered dreams when I think about them too much. The white Les Paul Custom, the polka-dot Sandoval V, the black Jackson Rhoads prototype, the white Jackson "Concorde" shortfin V... tasty.
5) Inspiration
Randy was the first guitarist I really desperately wanted to play like. I had already been exposed to Hendrix, EVH, Michael Schenker, Satch and Joe Perry as influences when I got into Ozzy, but although I loved their guitar playing it wasn't until I heard "Crazy Train" that I became acquainted with the joy of sitting listening back to the same riff twenty times to catch every nuance, or dissecting the solo licks until I was 100% certain that I was nailing them just like the record. I already knew the guitar was cool, and I loved playing it, but it took Randall William Rhoads to get me truly stoked about the possibilities of playing the electric guitar.
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Brian Setzer
1. He's a master of the instrument. He does raise the bar so this also the reason why I hate him sometimes.
2. Writing ability. Not just lyrics and riffs but also horn sections.
3. Creativity. He resurected rockabilly and then combined that with a jump jazz big band and made it work. (He has the Emmy's to prove it)
4. Tone. Not traditional but gritty and dirty on a loud cranked amp. Mind you, it's hard to play solo's as he does with that tone and that guitar.
5. A nice down to earth kinda guy.
Malcolm Young
1. Rhythm. Need I say more?
2. Tone. Again, little overdrive, cranked amp with a growly axe.
3. Stearmanship. Yes, Malcolm is the captain on the AC/DC ship.
4. Simplicity: The gear is simple and so is his playing. He knows what NOT to do.
5. Lack of ego. The ego thing is for Angus but Angus would be helpless without his little brother.
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Randy Rhoads!
Nice choice!
It was either Randy or Tony for me.
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Glad to see Steve Clarks name mentioned.
You did steel my number one though. I would say Pete Willis in response but I have never heard anything else but early Lep. I will have to go with...
DIMEBAG.
1. He was Dimebag. he sounded like himself and nobody else. He had a real "Marmite" tone
2. Underated.
3. Great live, I saw Pantera play years ago in Plymouth and Dime just $%&#ing rocked, his intro to "Rise" nearly blew my eardrums
4. Seemed actually like a nice guy. No ego.
5. Always pusing what he could do with that guitar.
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Dimebag had no ego?
His stage presence was pure ego.
That being said - He was a nice guy, but you can't say he wasn't egotistical on stage.
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Dave Lee Roth has ego, DimeBag just rocked. :shock:
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Aye I know what you mean. On stage he was a pure showman, which does indeed require Ego in large doses. But backstage, he was a really humble guy, down to Earth and always doing stuff for other people more than himself.
I guess Don was on about Dime as a person more than anything in that respect. He was a good lad, and he's probably the guy going for more beers for everyone in Heaven, making sure everyone's catered for and having a good time. :D
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Dave Lee Roth has ego, DimeBag just rocked. :shock:
Other way around, mate. When I've seen interviews with Diamond Dave, he seems to have a lot of self-irony, which is certainly apparent in his videos aswell. Dimebag just seemed full of himself and doing everything he could to seem more Metal. To me, Pantera always seemed like a parody of every heavy metal cliche, on and off-stage. Anyway, you're entitled to your opinion, I just don't get what's great about Dimebag.
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2. Underated.
Not to bash Dimebag or anything but hearing "R.I.P. Dime" every day for 10 times get extremely annoying so I think Dime is kinda overrated, sure was great player tho
It's just the fans that make me not to like him so much
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I tried to like Pantera, I really did. I just couldn't. Same with Priest, bar a few songs.
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I agree, i love Dime's playing and music but he is definatley not underrated.
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Kerry King...
(1) some of the best metal riffs ever written
(2) tone that can rip your face off
(3) soon as you hear a KK solo you know it's him
(4) makes those JCM800s sound more evil than anyone else
(5) that armband with the 6" nails
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[Dons flameproof suit!]
Slash ... a.k.a. Saul Hudson
1. He led rock music out of the poodle rock and spandex ages of the mid eighties, and put the balls back into rock.
2. When everyone else was using spineless Superstrats and effects galore Slash came out with a Les Paul slung impossibly low, and whole rack of Marshalls.......nothing else. It was a sound us bedroom players could get close to.
3. Some of the greatest riffs of my time came out of this mans fingers. Rock music was turned from bland image led stuff that was indistinguishable from the rest, into something that was definately Guns N Roses.
4. Top hats will never be thought of again in the same manner!
5. The man had (has) unbelievable stage presence. When I watched him as a teenager in vids of GNR concerts I simply wanted to be this man. And I knew it was his talent that was shining out rather than some gimmick. To be this cool I simply had to play guitar and the guitar had to be a Les Paul.........thank God that in all my guitar purchases the Les Paul still seems to be the instrument that feels most comfortable in my hands.
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[Dons flameproof suit!]
Slash ... a.k.a. Saul Hudson
2. When everyone else was using spineless Superstrats and effects galore Slash came out with a Les Paul slung impossibly low, and whole rack of Marshalls.......nothing else. It was a sound us bedroom players could get close to.
lol, I thought you were a fellow Def Lep fan eh
http://www.k5.dion.ne.jp/~lesprs/band/sisyo/Steve_Clark.jpg
Now that was impossibly low, and a few years earlier :D
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Just to say I agree that Dime isn't underrated, you can't turn a corner without hearing someone harping on about how much of a Guitar God he was.
And yeah, I love(d) the guy to bits and will always stick up for him if someone's bad-mouthing the guy, but I get really pee'd off at everyone shouting about R.I.P Dime all the time. I REALLY hope it doesn't turn into another bloody Kurt Cobain situation. And the way that a lot of people are cashing in on his death and keep harping on about it makes me sick to my stomach.
Yeah I own a Dime tribute T-Shirt, but I'm not ashamed as I genuinely loved him. (in a clearly manly-hetero-brotherly way of course...and even if I was batting for the other side...too much beard for me...) Unlike some of these idiots that are clearly just jumping on the Bandwagon.
Anyway, sorry.... I would contribute but my Hero has already had enough coverage. :lol:
I might think about my 2nd fave hero and post that instead....as long as someone else doesn't get to him first...
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Ok it was a decision I had to make out of 2 possible guys, but I'm going with....
Robb Flynn: Okay he's not the greatest shredder that ever lived, but here are my reasons.
1. Tone: Well the tone on the first 2 Machine Head albums was absolutely crushing! It was hard, dirty, had massive balls and made you listen. Then it changed for the Burning red and Supercharger and I hated it, just glad they've changed again for the better this time!
2. Stage Presence: This guy knows how to get his crowds going, but he also knows who helped put him up there in the first place and is really appreciative of his fans.
3. I can relate: Okay so his teenage / young adult years were a lot harsher than mine from what I can gather, but he's the kind of guy that did the same as me when I was younger: got himself into shitety situations but through pure will dragged himself out of it, and I respect that in anybody, let alone someone who has come out of it and gone on that extra mile and made a success of his life. Bravo to the chap really.
4. Writing: Come on, you know it! Davidian, Ten Ton Hammer etc. The guy can RIFF! Even the most simple of his riffs are just so powerful you can't ignore them. You can really FEEL the energy and feelings he puts into those riffs. I was playing Ten Ton Hammer the other day, it's just open string to 1st fret over and over on the main riff. If anyone else had done it, it would sound like they hadn't bothered, but Robb knew what he was doing on this one and poured his attitude into it and it really comes across.
5. Gambles and correction: He headed up a band that almost shouldn't have worked. At the time the sound was fresh and the rap references were all over the place to see and hear. He took his sound and went with it and it just really paid off. And then he went ahead and released the Burning red and Supercharger, he took a gamble there and to a lot of original fans it didn't pay off very well at all. A lot of us (myself included) felt a little let down, but a bands gotta do what they gotta do. He experimented and put it out there. For a lot of us it went wrong, but then he released Through the Ashes of Empires and not only did they get all the old fans salivating again, the new fans were more than eager to follow on this sound that was new to them. Correction at its best! :D
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lol, I thought you were a fellow Def Lep fan eh
http://www.k5.dion.ne.jp/~lesprs/band/sisyo/Steve_Clark.jpg
Now that was impossibly low, and a few years earlier :D
Mahooosive Def Lep fan :D
But even though Hysteria still remains one of my top 5 albums ever, and I'll watch them every time they come out touring, Slash was the guitarist I idolised as a teenager. You have to appreciate that even though I'd loved Def Leppard well before GNR I was still playing the trombone. It was only at the age of 18, and stupidly into GNR by this time, that I sold my trombone to purchase my first guitar. That got sold within 6 months to buy a Les Paul copy and I've been hooked ever since.
..........I still went nuts though when Chris Evans played 'Animal' on Thursday on Radio 2 :D :twisted:
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Just to add some reason to my choice.
Firstly not once did I mention R.I.P Dime, I dont go in for that, it wasnt getting shot that made him a great player. I went to see them when I was 15, I am now 28, band wagons arent my thing.
When I said Dime was underated I was thinking more about when everyone was slamming them after Far Beyond Driven, when the Band Wagon had passed by, not 2 seconds after he was killed when the band wagon came by again and everyone suddenly remembered that he was a kick ass guitar player.
Ego, going on the thinking that great show man equals ego then all of our heros are Ego, some are productive and some just rub you up the wrong way, Dime always seemed pretty down to earth, just enjoying the ride.
The point of this thread I thought was a chance to let people know what made you tick guitar wise not a flaming session.
As for all the Lep love on here are any of you on the Lep board?
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Just to add some reason to my choice.
Firstly not once did I mention R.I.P Dime...
Dude, hope you don't think I meant you, heh. I was actually agreeing with you...just apart from the underrated bit cos I think a lot of people have woken up to how amazing he was now, heh. (But I totally get what you mean about the reaction to Far Beyond, in that respect I agree with you!) I'm on about all the people that really just use his name for their own purposes and profit these days etc.
Dime always seemed pretty down to earth, just enjoying the ride.
That's a good way to put it, enjoying the ride. And he helped others to enjoy it with him too, which is not something you find every day in show business, he was all about the party and making sure everyone was having a good time. The guy was all about other people.
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8) :twisted:
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Guthrie:
1- Technique, anyone that tells you Guthrie's technique is lacking deserves a slap. The guy's a machine.
2- Phrasing. Some of the best melodic phrases and solos you'll ever see. Even when he goes off on his massive speed sections, you can really see the melody and how it fits in to the backing.
3- Modesty. The guy's mainly a guitar teacher and lecturer, it took something like 10 years for people to convince him to make an album because he was so dedicated to the work he does.
4- Tone. Suhrs through Cornfords, some of the best lead tones you can ever witness.
5- The guy looks like Jesus.
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Anybody but Slash:
1) not Slash
2) Not Slash...
ok sorry :lol: couldn't resist
Mhmm... Ritchie Blackmore:
1) Absolutely GENIUS musician. I mean... he took a Hendrix influence along with a lot of Blues, jazz, whatever else he could play, mixed it all together and out came Ritchie's sound.
2) Neoclassical licks while everybody was playing rock&roll
3) Always himself. No image to speak of (unlike sl... I mean others). Just a guy playing guitar in a band.
4) Got tired of rock&roll, went on to play accoustic baroque music. From guitar hero/rockstar to 'where is he now?' file. Respect.
5) The solo in 'Burn'. Need I say more?
I spared you Billy Gibbons, Duane Allman and Steve Morse.
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Anybody but Slash:
1) not Slash
2) Not Slash...
ok sorry :lol: couldn't resist
That's cool Pierre........he obviously isn't your guitar hero. I like Ritchie Blackmore but I wasn't really listening to anything but nursery rhymes when Ritchie Blackmore was initially strutting his stuff. Slash was my hero and no matter who else I listen to and adore, Slash was the man who made me pick up my first guitar.
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hey Nadz1lla, I've stood next to Rob Flynn :)
I'm not that mad on Machine Head so I wasn't that bothered, lol
people next to me were jumping around like monkeys
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Anybody but Slash:
1) not Slash
2) Not Slash...
ok sorry :lol: couldn't resist
That's cool Pierre........he obviously isn't your guitar hero. I like Ritchie Blackmore but I wasn't really listening to anything but nursery rhymes when Ritchie Blackmore was initially strutting his stuff. Slash was my hero and no matter who else I listen to and adore, Slash was the man who made me pick up my first guitar.
That's a damn good reason for liking him I'll give you that hehe... I hope you took no offence, he's just easy to make fun of, image and hat and all :lol: I perfectly see what you mean about whoever made you pick the guitar, though I guess my own 'heroes' I got once I started playing mostly, no one really made me pickup the guitar.
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Guthrie
Ahh +1!
Erotic cakes is the perfect instrumental album, i haven't got bored of it yet.
And live he is just sublime (although for those who know him, he did mess up that lick in wonderful slippery thing at just over 1 minute in. oh and someone shouldve taken his pedal board off him, he tried to do some clever things with it and it just didn't happen a few times. should've kept it simple like his bro seth, who is the best player i've seen live, except maybe myung but at that gig i sort of forgot to look at him :oops: )
But otherwise, he is my fav too.
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Mhmm... Ritchie Blackmore:
3) Always himself. No image to speak of (unlike sl... I mean others). Just a guy playing guitar in a band.
Well, apart from the fact he always wears black... to the extent that he's actually known as "The Man In Black". :wink:
But I'm not arguing about Blackmore. He's my hero too.
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hey Nadz1lla, I've stood next to Rob Flynn :)
I'm not that mad on Machine Head so I wasn't that bothered, lol
people next to me were jumping around like monkeys
Doh! Well at Ozzfest '98 Logan Mader basically asked if I could go backstage for a beer cos being the wide eyed in-awe kid back then I went crazy at the signing stand. Security didn't allow it though, lol. That's the closest I ever got to Machine Head, and Logan had been chucked out / left MH by then and was playing for Soulfly at the time. But still, thought Logan was the bees knees for once being lead guitarist of MH. :D
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Guthrie
Ahh +1!
Erotic cakes is the perfect instrumental album, i haven't got bored of it yet.
And live he is just sublime (although for those who know him, he did mess up that lick in wonderful slippery thing at just over 1 minute in. oh and someone shouldve taken his pedal board off him, he tried to do some clever things with it and it just didn't happen a few times. should've kept it simple like his bro seth, who is the best player i've seen live, except maybe myung but at that gig i sort of forgot to look at him :oops: )
But otherwise, he is my fav too.
I thought you might be a GG fan - Hence the name :p
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Reasons why I love not having a guitar hero:
I can learn from anyone without any bias
I sound like myself because of diverse influences and a smattering of creativity
I have no inclination to get signature gear, so I save money and get whats right for me
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Reasons why I love not having a guitar hero:
I can learn from anyone without any bias
I sound like myself because of diverse influences and a smattering of creativity
I have no inclination to get signature gear, so I save money and get whats right for me
I was thinking the same when I first read this thread - But hey, it's a bit of fun. You can't say you've never aspired to Paul Gilbert, or Al Di Meola, or somebody!
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Dont get me wrong, there are sooooooo many guitarists that have a buttload of musicality and skill that have been an influence on me.
But none of them (or anyone else) are heroes to me.
I hear cool things, and if they're cool enough I learn them. Thats pretty much it.
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Reasons why I love not having a guitar hero:
I can learn from anyone without any bias
I sound like myself because of diverse influences and a smattering of creativity
I have no inclination to get signature gear, so I save money and get whats right for me
Same here. I NEVER learn songs, solos, licks or anything. My playing is 100%, not exaggerating, improv. I don't want to sound like anyone else.
It doesn't mean there aren't players I really appreciate.
A guitar hero isn't who you wanna be or play like. Just someone whose playing moves you or you appreciate.
I'm more like the opposite of you. I have a lot of players I love and appreciate, but NO INFLUENCE whatsoever. I play like myself. No one else.
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Kerry King...
(1) some of the best metal riffs ever written
(2) tone that can rip your face off
(3) soon as you hear a Hanneman solo you know it's not King solo and you're pleased because of that... oh wait now it's a King solo, what a let down, it's just the same $%&#ing thing over and o... wait Hanneman's back... THIS IS SOME AWESOME SHI... oh wait Kings back, shame.
(4) makes those JCM800s sound more evil than anyone else
(5) an arm with some Heiniken at the end of it
yeah... I think you mean Jeff Hanneman
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I'll go with my dear departed countryman on this one:
Rory Gallagher:
1: took visible, palpable joy in playing his ass off and seeing people dig it. No po-faced smugness from Rory. He was as into it as the Audience.
2: Could play any damned thing with strings on it. Really, really bloody well.
3: Helped kill showbands. Not sure how big these mohair-suited gangs of shiteehawks were outside of Ireland, but, if you're unfamiliar, trust me, this was a good thing.
4: Assimilated techniques from everywhere he saw them. He could, and did, throw together techniques as diverse as slide, harp-picking, taps, slaps etc. in the space of a song. Sometimes, in the space of a bar.
5: Loved that strat so much he even kept using it after it was stolen, and recovered lying in a shuck for three days. And it still sounded ungodly.
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Same here. I NEVER learn songs, solos, licks or anything. My playing is 100%, not exaggerating, improv. I don't want to sound like anyone else.
It doesn't mean there aren't players I really appreciate.
A guitar hero isn't who you wanna be or play like. Just someone whose playing moves you or you appreciate.
I'm more like the opposite of you. I have a lot of players I love and appreciate, but NO INFLUENCE whatsoever. I play like myself. No one else.
Sorry, but statements like this seem a bit ridiculous. How do you think the greats got where they are? By studying and learning from those that came before them. Vai, for example, spent hundreds of hours learning Zappa songs and then transcribing them. Apparently Heartbreaker (solo) got him started so he probably learned a bunch of Led Zep as well. He took that foundation and from it molded his own unique style. There's a lot to learn from a lot of great players. Sorry for the rant :oops:
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Reasons why I love not having a guitar hero:
I can learn from anyone without any bias
I sound like myself because of diverse influences and a smattering of creativity
I have no inclination to get signature gear, so I save money and get whats right for me
Same here. I NEVER learn songs, solos, licks or anything. My playing is 100%, not exaggerating, improv. I don't want to sound like anyone else.
It doesn't mean there aren't players I really appreciate.
A guitar hero isn't who you wanna be or play like. Just someone whose playing moves you or you appreciate.
I'm more like the opposite of you. I have a lot of players I love and appreciate, but NO INFLUENCE whatsoever. I play like myself. No one else.
All guitarists are the product of their experience - Be it practicing, listening writing or learning.
Even if you're unaware of it - I guarantee you're influenced by all the bands you listen to in some way or another.
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Reasons why I love not having a guitar hero:
I can learn from anyone without any bias
I sound like myself because of diverse influences and a smattering of creativity
I have no inclination to get signature gear, so I save money and get whats right for me
Same here. I NEVER learn songs, solos, licks or anything. My playing is 100%, not exaggerating, improv. I don't want to sound like anyone else.
It doesn't mean there aren't players I really appreciate.
A guitar hero isn't who you wanna be or play like. Just someone whose playing moves you or you appreciate.
I'm more like the opposite of you. I have a lot of players I love and appreciate, but NO INFLUENCE whatsoever. I play like myself. No one else.
All guitarists are the product of their experience - Be it practicing, listening writing or learning.
Even if you're unaware of it - I guarantee you're influenced by all the bands you listen to in some way or another.
Word
No one learned anything in a vacuum.
If you had never heard any music before, then maybe. But you have.
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Even if you're unaware of it - I guarantee you're influenced by all the bands you listen to in some way or another.
+1
i'll be playing and i'll come up with a riff. but i'll get that guilty feeling ive heard it before. its usually a band i haven't listened to for a year and never even bothered to learn the song.
even hearing music i dont like so much influences me because it narrows my style and what i enjoying playing.
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I'll go with my dear departed countryman on this one:
Rory Gallagher:
1: took visible, palpable joy in playing his ass off and seeing people dig it. No po-faced smugness from Rory. He was as into it as the Audience.
2: Could play any damned thing with strings on it. Really, really bloody well.
3: Helped kill showbands. Not sure how big these mohair-suited gangs of shiteehawks were outside of Ireland, but, if you're unfamiliar, trust me, this was a good thing.
4: Assimilated techniques from everywhere he saw them. He could, and did, throw together techniques as diverse as slide, harp-picking, taps, slaps etc. in the space of a song. Sometimes, in the space of a bar.
5: Loved that strat so much he even kept using it after it was stolen, and recovered lying in a shuck for three days. And it still sounded ungodly.
Preach on!
Rory isn't well known on this side of the North Sea. I recently picked up a Rory Gallagher DVD. Everything you say here is absolutely true!
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It's nice to see both the Young brothers make an appearance so soon in this thread ;)
I don't have a guitar hero as such, but I greatly admire Angus, Malcolm and Slash. Each of them has qualities that I admire and they have been a huge influence on me as a guitarist. I agree with everything said about them so far :D
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I have to give three answers because I have no desire to choose between my current holy trinity of Gods. 8)
John Frusciante
1. Passion. I can think of few people who play with some incredible passion, you can see that he caresses every note from his battle-worn Strat. If I'm able to grow and develop into someone who cares that much, I'll be very happy.
2. Experimentation. Moving from a funk style to a funk-rock to a straight rock to the current FX-laiden stuff of the latest Chili's stuff is highly appealing to me, he's never stayed in one place (sound-wise) for too long.
3. Branching-out. His solo albums thrill me to the very core, his 6 albums in 6 months was a rollercoaster! First it rocked... then it was kinda trippy... then it was stripped back acoustic-led heaven and it just showed such a wide variety of tastes and skills and rather than have to sacrifice anything, he just released each one as if it was a different phase in his life which, I suppose, they were!!
4. Tone. His just-breaking tone is a mecca to me, right up there with the brown sound, Dime's ear-shattering trebles and Slash's cranked Jubilee goodness.
5. Unusual backing vocals. Possibly a strange thing to like about a guitar player but I love the falsetto (is that the right term?) backing vocals, they're so fun to sing along to even though you sound like a chick.
:D
Buckethead
1. Pure ability. Quite simply the most talented guitar player on the planet. Never have I been as stunned as the first time I saw him start an 8-fingered finger tap run in one of his videos.
2. Workrate. Upwards of 30 solo albums released and probably the same number with various bands but it never seems like a release for the sake of it. It doesn't ever sound like b-sides or things from the cutting room floor, it's all a-grade material.
3. Variety. One second he's tapping his way up your trouser leg with a whammy shattering your ear drums and the next you're melting into a mellowed-out acoustic jam. I respect that so much. And he makes it ALL seem so easy and effortless.
4. Accessibility. He's so easy to get into, the music can just run in the background and because there's no lyrics it just blends in to whatever you're doing. It does with moi anyway.
5. Mystique. Sure it's a gimmick but a white mask and a KFC bucket? You've gotta be as mad as a box of squirrels to do that teamed with the obsession with robots, chickens and martial arts. I do love a character and Buckethead is definately one of those.
:D
Jerry Cantrell
1. Incredible song-writing talent.
2. Fantastic singing voice.
3. An absolute MASTER of creating riffs that stick in your head.
4. The power to move you more with an acoustic than with a cranked amp and a humbucker is, to me, a rare thing but Alice In Chains Unplugged was one of the most beautiful moments in music I can recall.
5. Re-forming Alice In Chains. Sure it struck a bum-chord (pun intended) with some fans but to me, I was overjoyed to be able to get to see AiC perform. Sure it's not the same without Layne but it's as close as I'll ever get to without the use of wizardry or a time machine.
:D
I had to physically restrain myself from adding Paul Gilbert onto the list too...
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What is this Guitar Hero you speak of?
Oh yeah, the game that's going to be killed by Rock Band. PDT_008
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I can't wait for Rock Band, I just hope all the incidents I keep hearing about in the States of the drums breaking are isolated. :(
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I hate to limit myself to one guitar hero: I've got lots! :)
(Hey, us guitarists, we're all heroes! :guitar4: )
But I'll through in a few mention -- Iommi's already been described for all the right reasons, and I'll limit myself to: me too!
Digging deeper, I've got to put in a word for ....
Martin Barre
I've always loved Jethro Tull's Martin Barre. I don't think his modern tone isn't what it was back in the day, but his 70s sound had this boxy, maybe midrangy sound that I've never attempted to imitate but was instantly identfiable and seemed to work great in context (lots of instruments going on all at once in Tull, so I guess some midrange helped cut through!). Always came up with great riffs and guitar melodies, never what I would have expected but always sounding right. And, a great ensemble player, he's always seemed happy to stand to one side ripping away on guitar while Anderson bounded around in the spot-light.
(http://www.carlaz.com/music/hof/barre.jpg)
Jerry Garcia
Another fabulous tone that I've never attempted to imitate, but instantly identifiable and perfect for its environment. Usually a very clean sound, (except when firing up that envelope filter! :)), sparkling and brilliant. The playing, too, perfect for the songs. Jerry had a great sense of melody and deployed it within his improvisational technique to great effect. Whenever working on a heavy rock piece that sounds nothing like the Dead, I always try to ask myself "What would Jerry do here?". I can never answer correctly, but trying to warp my head over into a completely different genre always freshens things up in the piece I'm playing. :)
(http://www.thebestofwebsite.com/Photos/Music/Garcia_Jerry/Pure_Jerry/jerrygarcia_leonard_th.jpg)
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(Hey, us guitarists, we're all heroes! :guitar4: )
Blimey, speak for youself! I'm a Zero. :(
That's a great picture of Martin Barre! :D
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Well technically I'm zero -- but I don't let that stop me ;)
Yeah, I went off to google for a fresh picture of Martin, and that one -- which is on my web site anyway -- was one of the top hits! There were a couple of other goods one, but I decided I liked that one best anyway. 8)
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Brian May
1) Tone - nobody sounds like Brian, you can spot his playing a mile off. He is so considered when he structures things
2)Songwriting and composing - he is such a good songwriter (he was in good company with Freddie too)
3)Playing technique - he seems to have taken something from all his idols and put it together in a way that few others would.
4)Fashion sense - who else could get away with wearing clogs?
5)He made his own guitar and was an inspiration to me in this way too (although playing his guitar was an amazing honour & weird at the same time as it didn't play so well IMO)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v662/felineguitars/BrianMaysoriginalaxe.jpg)
Michael Schenker
1) Tone - even though it could be a bit nasal he ade that V and Marshall sing and scream and pretty much taught us all about the half c--ked wah pedal
2) Phrasing & Melodic sense - his solos are pure melodic bliss, and his sense of melody set him apart
3) Riffs - was always a great Riff writer both in UFO and MSG
4)Posing - he plays a V and plays it well
5)Drug counselling - he has almost singlehandedly taught me all I need to know about the perils of drink and drug abuse and why to steer well clear of the stuff - just by showing what a $%&#-up it makes you
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You got to play the original Red Special, Jonathon? How did that come about????? :o
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Anyone but Angus Young:
1) not Angus Young
2) not Angus Young
3) not Ang... oh, it's been done.
Anyway, I'll give some praises to Vai:
1) Passion. Plays every notes like he means it. You can tell he's enjoying it, and he also has a great deal of self-irony about his flamboyantness. ("Oh I wish I had my fan!")
2) Versatility. He has played so many different styles, with so many different people and always sounded like it came so natural to him. Also a very good singer and keyboardist (listen to the Fire Garden album).
3) Playfulness. Never takes himself too seriously. Does fun, quirky little things while keeping it musical.
4) Great songwriter/composer. Excellent sense of melody. Always one to mix styles and genres, yet when you hear his songs, you know it's him. Also a great lyricist.
5) Chops and the ability to know when to use them and when not to.
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It's not Irony.
At the London guitar show, Pin told me that he was refusing to go on stage because the sofa in his dressing room didn't match the colour of the leather of his shoes.
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You got to play the original Red Special, Jonathon? How did that come about????? :o
It was what you might call a very good day at work!
Kind of a long story...heres the short version:
I've known Jamie Moses who was playing with Brian and more recently as 2nd guitar with Queen & PR for about 20 years , although that was more of a side issue
On the day in question, Brian's tech :Pete Mandralone popped in en route to a rehearsal for some parts for one of Jamie's guitars, and he had the Red Special with him (& you don't leave a guitar like that in the boot of your car).
Pete was really cool about letting me look over the guitar that had inspired me in the first place.........and luckily I had my camera with me!
I can tell you that it was a pretty special moment - I was the biggest Queen fan from the age of about 12 and got to see them quite a few times, but this was the icing on the cake for me.
As I mentioned earlier the guitar was a bit unconventional, and maybe felt a little less sleek than many guitars, but it is just so important to musical history - probably more so than Hendrix's strat or Clapton's Blackie (or Brownie) because this has been pretty much the only guitar that Brian ever used to record all those amazing albums, whereas other guitar greats maybe used a variety of axes.
I couldn't help but play a few bars of "Tie Your Mother Down" - badly I might add (sorry Brian!)
For all those who think that Queen were just all "Radio GaGa or "I want to Break Free" - go and check out the first 7 albums - especially Queen 2 or Sheer Heart Attack for a better idea of what Brian did with his guitar - just brilliant stuff.
Clip below of their 1974 song White Queen - gets livelier at about 3.30 into the clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0a19WYDieQ
Also of note are how he made it impersonate orchestral instruments , brass , woodwind etc - Check out the jazz band in "Good Company" from Night at the opera as just one example.
Here is the audio - excuse the ukelele - the Jazz band is ALL guitar!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJgfvp59ExQ
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It's not Irony.
At the London guitar show, Pin told me that he was refusing to go on stage because the sofa in his dressing room didn't match the colour of the leather of his shoes.
Except he did play at London guitar show.
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Cheers for the reply Jonathon - top stuff indeed! The only thing I can think of that wasn't recorded on the Red Special was the solo to Crazy Little Thing Called Love, which I believe is a Tele.
I agree with you too - it's probably THE most iconic guitar in rock music. TO me it's bigger than Page's #1, Blackie, the Woodstock Strat etc. Even more impressive is that Brian and his Dad made it. Fantastic!
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Anyone but Angus Young:
I have to agree, he's good and all but he's so one-dimensional to me.
and he also has a great deal of self-irony about his flamboyantness. ("Oh I wish I had my fan!")
Erm, that's not self-irony... that's gigantic ego.
It's not Irony.
At the London guitar show, Pin told me that he was refusing to go on stage because the sofa in his dressing room didn't match the colour of the leather of his shoes.
Zactly.
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Great choise of guitar hero, Jonathan. And a great story to boot.
In the video clip of 'Crazy Little Thing' Brian May is seen with a Tele. I'm not sure if that was actually used on the recording, although a Tele is one helluva rockabilly guitar and would be perfect for that song.
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Great choise of guitar hero, Jonathan. And a great story to boot.
In the video clip of 'Crazy Little Thing' Brian May is seen with a Tele. I'm not sure if that was actually used on the recording, although a Tele is one helluva rockabilly guitar and would be perfect for that song.
it does sound like a tele...
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What is this Guitar Hero you speak of?
Oh yeah, the game that's going to be killed by Rock Band. PDT_008
+1
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I think, ultimately, most peoples' guitar heroes have many commonalities, and what puts them at the top of players' polls year after year -- a combination of tone, chops, and sheer luck that put them in the right place at the right time.
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It's not Irony.
At the London guitar show, Pin told me that he was refusing to go on stage because the sofa in his dressing room didn't match the colour of the leather of his shoes.
Who??? :?
well... they said about almost all players I had as hero... I'm going to work, later I try something
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and he also has a great deal of self-irony about his flamboyantness. ("Oh I wish I had my fan!")
Erm, that's not self-irony... that's gigantic ego.[/quote]
In that video, he's clearly joking.
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Brian May
5)He made his own guitar and was an inspiration to me in this way too (although playing his guitar was an amazing honour & weird at the same time as it didn't play so well IMO)
same for me on that one, its got to be brian may that started me down that path - unfortunately my dad wasnt interested in helping :wink:
although everytime i see the red special i look at the neck carve and wince - frech stick style all the way
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and he also has a great deal of self-irony about his flamboyantness. ("Oh I wish I had my fan!")
Erm, that's not self-irony... that's gigantic ego.
In that video, he's clearly joking.[/quote]
I've met the guy, and I can tell you - It's not irony.
He's just an ass >_>
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Alright then.
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It's not Irony.
At the London guitar show, Pin told me t
Who??? :?
Pin is the guitarist in a Tech metalband called SIKTH (plays Black Machine guitars etc) and was perfforming at the LGS.
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Great choise of guitar hero, Jonathan. And a great story to boot.
In the video clip of 'Crazy Little Thing' Brian May is seen with a Tele. I'm not sure if that was actually used on the recording, although a Tele is one helluva rockabilly guitar and would be perfect for that song.
Yeah - Mack (the producer) made Brian play a tele through a Boogie for that song.
Live he uses 3 guitars - an acoustic till about half way through , then swaps it for the tele - then just after the main solo, he swaps to the Red Special to finish the song
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Let's do it...
Zakk Wylde (WAS hero, untill Blessed Hellride... )
1) Les Paul punchy tone
2) PINCH HARMONICS
3) Be yourself atittude and philosophy/things to say to young fans
4) Nice songs, solos not only fast but with good melodies (was it, nowadays he is not anymore)
Why nowadays I think he's "ordinary":
1) He is making almost only comercial songs
2) The songs/solos isn't as nice as they used to be
3) Endorsement whore
4) That 'atittude' he used (and still use) to speak now looks to me as hipocrisy
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Same here. I NEVER learn songs, solos, licks or anything. My playing is 100%, not exaggerating, improv. I don't want to sound like anyone else.
It doesn't mean there aren't players I really appreciate.
A guitar hero isn't who you wanna be or play like. Just someone whose playing moves you or you appreciate.
I'm more like the opposite of you. I have a lot of players I love and appreciate, but NO INFLUENCE whatsoever. I play like myself. No one else.
Sorry, but statements like this seem a bit ridiculous. How do you think the greats got where they are? By studying and learning from those that came before them. Vai, for example, spent hundreds of hours learning Zappa songs and then transcribing them. Apparently Heartbreaker (solo) got him started so he probably learned a bunch of Led Zep as well. He took that foundation and from it molded his own unique style. There's a lot to learn from a lot of great players. Sorry for the rant :oops:
I never said there isn't anything to be learnt. I just don't want to. I want to sound like myself, as I said earlier, and I want to do it the hard way, by playing stuff, not learning stuff.
It's definitely true that because of that, I may be playing stuff I hear elsewhere, but for now I'm not a good enough player to emulate most others.
When I hear 'influence' I hear 'people whose style I studied a bit and tried to take bits for myself'. Therefore I have no influences. It doesn't mean there are players I love. But there are NO other players out there I want to sound like or play like. Just me.
You find my argument ridiculous, I personally do not understand yours. It's just now how I think. Everybody thinks different.
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I've got two, but I tried and couldn't explain it. James Hetfield and Neil Young. Everything. Songwriting, tone, style, etc etc. These are my two titans.
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Same here. I NEVER learn songs, solos, licks or anything. My playing is 100%, not exaggerating, improv. I don't want to sound like anyone else.
It doesn't mean there aren't players I really appreciate.
A guitar hero isn't who you wanna be or play like. Just someone whose playing moves you or you appreciate.
I'm more like the opposite of you. I have a lot of players I love and appreciate, but NO INFLUENCE whatsoever. I play like myself. No one else.
Sorry, but statements like this seem a bit ridiculous. How do you think the greats got where they are? By studying and learning from those that came before them. Vai, for example, spent hundreds of hours learning Zappa songs and then transcribing them. Apparently Heartbreaker (solo) got him started so he probably learned a bunch of Led Zep as well. He took that foundation and from it molded his own unique style. There's a lot to learn from a lot of great players. Sorry for the rant :oops:
I never said there isn't anything to be learnt. I just don't want to. I want to sound like myself, as I said earlier, and I want to do it the hard way, by playing stuff, not learning stuff.
It's definitely true that because of that, I may be playing stuff I hear elsewhere, but for now I'm not a good enough player to emulate most others.
When I hear 'influence' I hear 'people whose style I studied a bit and tried to take bits for myself'. Therefore I have no influences. It doesn't mean there are players I love. But there are NO other players out there I want to sound like or play like. Just me.
You find my argument ridiculous, I personally do not understand yours. It's just now how I think. Everybody thinks different.
Everytime anyone picks up a guitar - What they play depends on certain stimuli.
These can come from the mood you're in, the music styles you like, the scales etc, which you've learned.
All these are based on other people.
Unless you're playing random notes on a blank fretboard while wearing ear plugs - You're playing something based on these stimuli - Which are all influenced by the world around you - ESPECIALLY other guitarists.