Who are your influences?

[NAD]

What musicians have you been influenced or inspired by, and what instrument(s) do you play? Before anybody says "I'm original," sure ya are, just like everyone else.

Bass (10+ years):
Les Claypool (Primus, various side projects)
Melvin Gibbs (Rollins Band)
Kerry King (duh)
Cliff Burton (another duh)
Cliff Williams (AC/DC)

I do a lot of freestyle playing, lots of slapping, lots of double-stops, but I use some very dark sounding progressions, hence the Kerry King influence. Recently I'm starting to play really high on the neck while letting the low E and A strings cover the bottom, not sure where I picked that up. Cliff Burton's and Cliff Williams playing taught me that when playing metal, the more simple you play, the more you are heard. Hopefully I don't insult anyone by comparing those two very different bassists, but listen to Cliff Burton's lines during verses (regular riffing), and you'll see what I mean (Creeping Death for example).

 

[plfffffft]

guitar playing:

James Hetfield
Scott Ian
Jeff Hanneman
Jon Shaffer
Mike and Chris Amott
Jesper Stromblad and Bjorn Gelotte

I never really cared about being a shredder. I"d like to have the ability, someday, but it doesn't really matter to me all that much. I always listened more to the rhythm players, the guys who carried the song while the lead guitarist jerked his guitar off(No offense to you shredders out there.)

vocals:
Dave Vincent
James Hetfield
Tom Araya
Mike Ackerfeldt
Tomas Lindberg
Matt Barlow
Bruce Dickinson

(lotta variety there, eh?)

Songwriting:
James Hetfield and Cliff Burton
Jesper Stromblad
Mike and Chris Amott
Trey Azagthoth
Mike Ackerfeldt

 

[chaoticmanifesto]

guitar playing:
yngwie malmsteen
alexi laiho
jesper stromblad
peter lindgren
dimebag darrell
steve vai
joe satriani
john petrucci
zakk wylde
trey azagthoth

song writing:
alexi laiho
jesper stromblad
pete wichers and ola frennings
kerry king
trey azagthoth
karl sanders
erik rutan

 

[WarHead]

Guitar 8 years

I mainly listen to these for lead:

-Jason Becker
-Marty Friedman
-Yngwie Malmsteen
-Diamond Darrel
-Trey Azagthoth (i havent learned much from him yet)
-Richie Koten (arpeggios)
-Zakk Wylde
-Jeff Loomis

For basic rhythm i focus on:

-Al Di Meola
-Jeff Loomis
-Guitarist from Krisiun (i always forget his name)
-Guys from The Haunted
-Cryptopsy
-Jack Owens
Pat O'Brien

 

[Ronnie.B]

I've played drums for almost 20 years and my 10 biggest influences are,

Mikkey Dee
Ingo Schwichtenberg (R.I.P.)
Snowy Shaw
Nicke Andersson (ex Entombed)
Thomen Stauch
Mike Portnoy
Gene Hoglan
Pete Sandoval
Sean Reinert
Tommy Lee

 

[Ultima Ibanez Overlord]

I play guitar, have done for 12 years. The big guitar influences, in some kind of chronological order are:

Kirk Hammet
Dave Mustaine
Marty Freidman
Andreas Kisser
Jason Becker
Joe Satriani
Steve Vai (still a big influence, I think)
Jon Finn
Eric Johnson
Frank Gambale
Alan Holdsworth
Diamond Darrell
Al Di Meola
Greg Howe
Tony MacAlpine
Brett Garsed
T J Helmerich
John Petrucci (another huge influence)
Micheal Romeo

Everyone in that list has held my interest for at least a couple of years at a time, but most of them have stuck with me, since I still like most of the stuff I liked years ago, even if my tastes have changed a lot.

Only a few sweep pickers in there. I have always been more into legato, tap and alternate picking. I think because there are a lot of sloppy sweep pickers out there and imo it's a little more difficult to tell who's doing it really well.

Just to go off topic a bit, see if anyone agrees with this:
Only a few guitarists who do sweeping a lot stand out as being very good to me, many of them sound a little cliched (using typical arpeggios) and it's difficult to tell how well they actually do it. Someone like Jani from Sonata Arctica is a goo example of what I'm talking about; you can't ever really hear clarity in his playing, it always sounds a bit like one huge mess, it's hard to really pick up how well he's fretting each note.
But the other techniques are usually easier to judge how cleanly they're done and the good players really stand out from the bad ones.


Other musicians who have made an impact who aren't guitarists are:

Chick Corea
Jaco Pastorius
Phil Collins
Russ Freeman and the Rippingtons [cool name ]
Mike Portnoy
Virgil Donati (his approach to timing and sycnopation is fantastic)
Les Claypool
David Paich

I really like drummers and probably wish I was one, and I can play a little, but I'm no drummer.

 

[Pinhead]

My influences are almost the same as posted before:

Kirk Hammet
Marty Friedman
Jason Becker
Yngwie Malmsteen
Timo Tolki (not that much)
Michael Romeo
Paul Gilbert (universal genius)
John Schaffer (his damn speed on the rhythm guitar)
Dimebag Darrel
John Christ

 

[Chris Brooks]

On guitar, my influences are

Brett Garsed
Vinnie Moore
Frank Gambale
Jon Finn
Kee Marcello
Steve Vai
Kee Marcello
Allan Holdsworth

I've have other favorite players who may not have influenced me but I liked their stuff. Compositionally I think I was influenced by Dream Theater but mainly it's offshoots Liquid Tension Experiment and Planet X, as well as Garsed Helmerich, and all the melodic hard rock I grew up on.

UIO, about your comments...

Originally posted by Ultima Ibanez Overlord
Only a few sweep pickers in there. I have always been more into legato, tap and alternate picking. I think because there are a lot of sloppy sweep pickers out there and imo it's a little more difficult to tell who's doing it really well.

Just to go off topic a bit, see if anyone agrees with this:
Only a few guitarists who do sweeping a lot stand out as being very good to me, many of them sound a little cliched (using typical arpeggios) and it's difficult to tell how well they actually do it. Someone like Jani from Sonata Arctica is a goo example of what I'm talking about; you can't ever really hear clarity in his playing, it always sounds a bit like one huge mess, it's hard to really pick up how well he's fretting each note.
But the other techniques are usually easier to judge how cleanly they're done and the good players really stand out from the bad ones.

... I have to agree about the sweep thing. My gripe with many who use it is that they show no sense of phrasing with it, and have a hard time combining it smoothly with their other ideas. I wont name names, but there are plenty of shredders out there trying to do intimidating but musically irrelevant sweeps that show little in the way of clarity, relevance or cohesion. But that's a generalization of it. In theory it's a great technique, but the guys that make it their whole style usually leave me cold.

Chris

 

[PhiD]

Jeff Buckley.
Jonny Greenwood.
Mr. Henderson (my guitar teacher: http://www.cannonmusic.co.uk)
Bumblefoot himself, Ron Thal.
Marty Friedman.
John Petrucci.

Although, on another level. I have probably been influenced by everything I have heard, in one way or another.

... I have to agree about the sweep thing. My gripe with many who use it is that they show no sense of phrasing with it, and have a hard time combining it smoothly with their other ideas. I wont name names, but there are plenty of shredders out there trying to do intimidating but musically irrelevant sweeps that show little in the way of clarity, relevance or cohesion. But that's a generalization of it. In theory it's a great technique, but the guys that make it their whole style usually leave me cold.

Couldnt agree more.

 

[Silverhaze]

Tony Iommi
James Hetfield
Scott Ian
Ed Mundell
Woody Weatherman
Warren Haynes
Eric Clapton
Angus Young

I'm more of a groove fan. I appreciate the talent involved with shredding, but I prefer a powerful riffmeister and a "creamy" lead style player.

 

[WarHead]

Yeah there are alot of sloppy sweep pickers out there, but its a not bad skill to have under your belt.

 

[Zyklon]

I play drums and my influences are:

Kai Hahto (Rotten Sound)
Flo Mounier (Cryptopsy)
John Longstreth (Origin)
Derek Roddy (Hate Eternal, Internecine and so on..)
Tony Laureano (Nile, Internecine and so on..)
Pete Sandoval (Morbid Angel)
Trym (Emperor, Zyklon)
Nicholas Barker (Dimmu Borgir)
Gene Hoglan (Death, Strapping Young Lad)
Richard Christy (Death, Iced Earth)
Nicko McBrain (Iron Maiden)
Janne Saarenpää (The Crown)
Horgh (Immortal)
Hellhammer (Mayhem, The Kovenant, Arcturus, Winds and so on..)
Blastmor (Thyrane)
TMON (Funeris Nocturnum)

 

[Sunbane]

Guitar:

James Hetfield (up to and including "Justice...")
Scott Ian (Anthrax)
Eric Peterson (Testament)
Kerry King / Jeff Hanneman (Slayer)
Uffe Cederlund / Alex Hellid (Entombed)
Wojtek Lisicki (Lost Horizon)

Can't think of many others really.

'bane

 

[Shai Hulud 2k1]

I've only been playing guitar for 4 years and I don't know enough about music theory or whatever to say which guitarists influence the styles/techniques i use the most, but the guys i rip off the most are:

jesper stromblad/bjorn gelotte
peter wichers/ola frenning
dimebag darrel
mikael akerfeldt
alexi laiho
michael and chris amott
ryan primack
mike mushok
matt bachand/jon donais
joel stroetzel
matt fox
...and james hetfield i guess

i will admit, i don't know much of anything about what lead playing or theory or basically what most guys would call "really" playing guitar...i just hear stuff that i like, and write music that sounds good to me. of course i'd love to learn a lot of things, like how to play a freakin guitar solo, but all that comes with time and practice...oh well

 

[Splinterhead]

Frank Gambale (arps)
Al DiMeola (picking)
Jimmy Page (songwriting)
Frederik Thorendal (rhythm)
Scott Henderson (phrasing)
Greg Howe (chops)

 

[Dischord]

Umm
Chuck Schuldiner
Andy LaRocque
James Hetfield
Dave Mustaine
Marty Friedman
Mike Denner
Alex Scholnick
The Amott brothers
Will Steer
Marquis Mark
Brian Tatler
Vivian Campbell
just to name a few

And I PLAY DEAN GUITARS EXCLUSIVELY

 

[dimensionidol]

i am guitar player for almost 12 years and my main influences (not only guitar based) are(in order of importance):

first:
-john mc laughlin
-eddie van halen
-buckethead
-suzanne vega
-john zorn
-bill laswell
-neil peart

second:
-kerry king
-diamanda galas
-alanis morrisette
-trey agaztoth
-neil peart
-joe satriani
-jun togawa
-frederik thordendal

third:
-tony williams
-yamatsuka eye
-mike patton
-yngwie malmsteen
-ihnsahn and emperor



and many others...

 

[dimensionidol]

i forgot ornette coleman(second) ,john coltrane(third) and robert fripp(first)

 

[7 Dying Trees]

Guitar for about 9 years
Influences:
Dave Murray (Irn Maiden)
Trey Azagtoth (Morbid ANgel)
Mik+Chris Amott
Bill Steer (Carcass)
Zakk Wylde
John Petrucci

and a few others

 

[Pallas Athenea]

I have been playing guitar for about 5 years.

My all- so favorites are:

Michael Amot
Christopher Amott
Chuck Schuldiner
Bill Steer
Gustavo Mateo (this is a guy from my town, He`s shuch a great guitarrist!!! I can tell he is a great influence)
Dimebag Darrel
Peter Lake

Also I like:

Randy Rhoads
Zakk Wylde
Ynwie Malmsteen
Paul Gilbert
Carina Alfie