Influences That keep you pushing yourself.

SmugglersCorridor said:
So much Al Di Meola and John McLaughlin in this modern take. Nice, super technical, extra terrestrial. See wonderful share. Learned about a new inspiration.
Click to expand...
In other pieces you can hear a lot of Vai and Holdsworth as well. His latest stuff definitely sounds unique to me though!
 
Tony M. said:
Me.
I like the way I play and want to play like me only better.
I want to be able to play the guitar parts I hear in my head.
I have no desire whatsoever to sound like (insert famous guitarist here).
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So you don't listen to music? So you came out of the womb playing guitar and never herd a note played ever? So there is no guitarist that spoke to you?
This isn't about sounding like (insert famous guitarist here). It's about discovery.
Welcome to the Forum.
 
Nick Johnston always reminds me less is more and melody reigns supreme.
This is from his 2019 album 'Wide Eyes in the Dark'. It was album of the year for me.

 
Tony M. said:
Me.
I like the way I play and want to play like me only better.
I want to be able to play the guitar parts I hear in my head.
I have no desire whatsoever to sound like (insert famous guitarist here).
Click to expand...

SmugglersCorridor said:
So you don't listen to music? So you came out of the womb playing guitar and never herd a note played ever? So there is no guitarist that spoke to you?
This isn't about sounding like (insert famous guitarist here). It's about discovery.
Welcome to the Forum.
Click to expand...

Jeez..
I don't think I'm great, or even good but
I thought it was OK to like my own playing.

I guess I said something wrong .
My apologies for offending you. :confused:
 
Tony M. said:
Jeez..
I don't think I'm great, or even good but
I thought it was OK to like my own playing.

I guess I said something wrong .
My apologies for offending you. :confused:
Click to expand...


You didn't offend me Tony. Look I'm 50 years old I've played in bands and on stage in bars for years. I just thought what you said seemed limiting. Why limit yourself to just yourself. Music should be a shared venture to discover another guitar players sound, style whatever The title of this thread was about other guitar players and how the influence us. You came into this thread with a opinion that wasn't in the spirit of the thread.

My apologies for offending you. I hope listening to just yourself inspires you to become better. But I hope that you find inspiration elsewhere too. I was super focused on my own sound and style for years. I hit a wall I just couldn't get over it. It was like I forgot how to learn anymore. Then a guitar Luthier turned me on to a few guitarists to just listen to them and study them. It changed me and gave me a whole new approach and frankly saved me and I grew even more. So please keep an open mind. Thats all Tony.

So sorry for being gruff with you but I was just surprised by your statement.

Peace.
 
Ahh.
Got it.
I didn't mean that I only listen to me.
That would get very boring in a big hurry.

I have been heavily influenced by many guitarists and have "stolen"
a great deal from many of them but seldom if ever note for note.
It's more like taking the "idea" of what they are doing and
working it into my own playing.

What I do is very much in the camp of the late 60's west coast guys
but I don't sound like any one of them, more like a mashup of them.
Jorma Kaukonen, John Cipollina, Bob Weir, etc. Those guys.
(Not Garcia though. His playing does zero for me.)

Ritchie Blackmore, Steve Morse, Wes Montgomery, Nokie Edwards,
Paul Gilbert, some of the "pedal demo" guys. All great players.

I like Eric and Jeff too but will probably never get to that level.
That doesn't mean I don't enjoy them and pay attention to what they do.
...and a lot of local unknowns. I know a whole bunch of people
who can really play guitar well.

They all inspire me but if I sounded "just like Clapton!"
for example, one of us would not be needed.
The best compliment I've ever received
in my 57 years of playing in bands:

"You don't sound like anybody else."
 
Oh I get what your saying. It's hard to keep original especially now days because guitar players are everywhere. It seems that its all been done before. We have to keep pushing the envelope. Anymore I need help. I'm getting too old. It's not a mission like used to be to become better. Ive excepted my place in the just ok guitar player slot. I'm just trying to find some place to jam now days.


Those are great influences by the way. I saw Steve Morse just a few years ago.
 
SmugglersCorridor said:
And We can't forget about JOE! Watch this Crazy Duel between Joe Bonamasa and Eric Gales.....
Click to expand...
These guys are monster guitarists and I enjoy their music. For me, I don't know that they qualify for the "that keep pushing me" category, but i love their playing. I've got to think on the "pushing me" b4 I post that. I've seen JB many times, especially on his Blues Cruise, which is where I also first saw Eric Gales. My wife and I also had a chance to talk with Eric and his wife and what a great guy he is.
 
matonanjin said:
These guys are monster guitarists and I enjoy their music. For me, I don't know that they qualify for the "that keep pushing me" category, but i love their playing. I've got to think on the "pushing me" b4 I post that. I've seen JB many times, especially on his Blues Cruise, which is where I also first saw Eric Gales. My wife and I also had a chance to talk with Eric and his wife and what a great guy he is.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I would say now days I am a lost guitarist. Searching for that next tone high. I'm beat up and partied way to hard back in the day. I'm in recovery 8 years now. Just trying to get back into some sort of decent playing again. So I don't have to think that hard if you know what I'm sayin. Its been a long road to get clean and sober. I was....., well you get the picture I'm sure.

Anyway nice to meet you.
 
I listen to different players all day and I would say they all inspire me more-so than influence me. At the moment one that has a very philosophical approach; that I guess does infulence my mind set; is Kirk Fletcher. He's so chilled and such an amazing player, I always leave his videos feeling inspired and motivated to push myself. I think if you're influenced, it bleeds thru your playing like an amalgam of who inspired you along the way. If that makes any sense.:confused:
 
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I stopped trying to copy other guitar players a long time ago, and have been getting more and more into singers and how they lead into notes, sustain them, add vibrato and work melodic ideas into their parts. For example, Anja from Flunk is a master of floating in and out of time and using dynamics to create a dreamy, ethereal sound. I find that I get much more out of trying to mimic vocal lines like this than trying to copy someone else's shred guitar wankery.

 
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