Who are your influences?

[The ORIGINAL South Of Heaven]

Not too many, because I'm an uncreative bastard...
Chuck Shuldiner
Mike and Chris Amott
Dave Mustaine
Marty Friedman
John Petrucci
Yngwie (just the sweeps, even though he gets really boring really fast)

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.

I completly agree, and even though I am big on the sweeping thing (doing it good, however, I'm not so good at yet ), I really try to do it as cleanly as possible. Before I started getting lessons, I sounded like total shit because I would play as fast as I could, and it was, like you said, one huge mess. After I started getting lessons, my teacher showed me that ANY dumbass can play fast, but playing GOOD is something you have to work on, so I've been trying to play as clean as possible lately, even if it isn't as fast.

 

[dimensionidol]

Originally posted by The ORIGINAL South Of Heaven
my teacher showed me that ANY dumbass can play fast, but playing GOOD is something you have to work

agree...

but sometimes depends on how much fast...

listen to rusty cooley or shawn lane or buckethead...

okay i agree that rusty is not so musical but he is monster fast....

 

[Tool]

My main Guitar influence is Tommy Iommi, Maynard James Keenan for vocals, and Harris/Dickingson (Iron Maiden) for songwriting... Kindof.

 

[Ultima Ibanez Overlord]

Originally posted by Chris Brooks
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

Yip, I'd agree with that 100% Too often sweeping is jammed in somewhere that it shouldn't have been. One of the things I love about players like Gambale, MacAlpine, etc is their phrasing and direction when soloing. They use sweeping very sympathetically to their solo's.
As for players who seem to use it almost exclusively, I too find it a little one dimensional and empty. It's fine for a song or two, but after that, it's good to hear versatility and dynamics.

Just to point out, I wasn't saying sweeping is a technique I don't use or like. I love sweep picking when it's done well. It's just that in rock and metal guitar, I often hear it being used in a way which is 1. difficult to deciphre how well it's being done (i.e lots of distortion and masking the clarity, and the section played so messily it's hard to hear how well it's done) and 2. the arpeggios are often the stock ones that people learn early on with the technique, or are just simplistic chordal forms that seem used only to say "look, this is a fast part".
But I really do like sweep picking when it's good. It's an amazing technique that can produce some of the slickest, fastest sonds around.

Ok, I have hijacked this thread enough.

 

[Demonic Rapture]

Hm. I've only been playing bass for a few years. Here's some guys that inspired me along the way.

Sean Malone (Cynic, Gordian Knot)
Tony Choy (Athiest)
Roger Patterson (Atheist)
Michael Manring (Bunch of weird shit, guy's FAST)
Tony Levin (Genesis, solo)
Jaco Pastorius (Weather Report, solo)
Andy Deluca (Aghora, didn't start playing until he was 18)
Ray Reindeau (Toured with Halford, side projects and solo stuff, best slap bassist I've ever heard)
Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)


Songwriting/Poetry:

Layne Staley/Jerry Cantrell most importantly
Mikael Akerfeldt
Dan Swanö
Goethe (Poet, Songwriter, Philosopher. Not much this guy DIDN'T do)
Maynard James Keenan

 

[Eramaajarvi]

On vocals:
Tarja Turunen (Nightwish)
Yma Sumac (an opera singer)
Kimberly Goss (Sinergy)
Lita Ford (don't like her music as much but she IS an amazing vocalist)
James LaBrie
Doro Pesch (to some point)
Tony Kakko (Sonata Arctica)
Timo Kotipelto
Andre Matos
Freddy Mercury
Vedran Cecelja (Inciter ---> a Croatian thrash metal band; amazing!)

Bass:
Steve Harris (duh)
Marco Hietala (Sinergy, Nightwish)
Lauri Porra (Sinergy, Warmen)

 

[Ultimate_Symphony]

Keyboards (my main instrument)

Pinnella (Symphony X) some of his solos and his orchestrations are a big influence on me

Jens Johansen, sp? (Stratovarius) his atmosphere work mostly

Mozart, Beethoven and some other classical composers

Singing

Russell Allen
Henning Basse-Mostly his low tone singing
Chuck Billy-Growls
Lawrence Mackory-Growls again
Mikael Arkerfelt-both growls and clean singing

Guitar

Kirk Hammet-I started playing guitar because of him, not a big influence nowadays

Michael Romeo-When I heard him I started working reallly hard on tapping and sweeping
Jason Becker-See above

those are my most important influences.

 

[Feanor IV]

Vocals:

Freddie Mercury
Andre Matos
Klaus Meine (I used to like him a lot. Now I don't, but I guess that obviously I must have been influenced )
S. American traditional singing style

Guitar:
Uli Jon Roth
Brian May
David Gilmour

Songwrting:
Can't find, obviously if you listen to my music you will find some, but I cannot. Maybe I'd go for Angra again, for mixing metal with S. American music. I love to focus on orchestral arrangements, but I wouldn't mention Therion as an influence. Maybe Lacrimosa.

Poetry/Lyrics:
Edgar Alan Poe

 

[MusicalArchitect]

I've been playing bass for ummm years...

The first couple of things I heard that really made me want to play bass was.

David Ellefson- Megadeth, back in the day when Megadeth played live He would bust out killer fast bass solos. Plus he had a crushing tone. But anyways, that was one of the first things that bass grabbed me.

Billy Sheehan- Steve Vai/David Lee Roth Era- Watching Billy play insanly fast over the top bass fills in between riffs and shit. That shit was so cool to me. Then i went and seen Billy Sheehan and Paul Gilbert at a clinic...And Realize that some Bass players could get the kind of sound, presence, and speed as a guitar. Billy and Paul dueled for like 30 mins. It was great. Paul was much much faster in the end..But there aren't many who are faster then Gilbert.

Cliff Burton- Well D'uh..

Jaco Pastorious- Great bass player. His sense of beauty in his playing was overwhelming to me.

Geezer Butler- I love how he just doesn't stop. During guitar solos, verses whatever he doesn't care. Most of the time he was really fucking his bass up.

Jack Bruce- Killer bass playing, especial for his time. Beautifully rauchy tone as well.

Geddy Lee- The God of simple but very interesting Bass playing. He made me realize that just because your not playing fast and crazy that you have to play boring.

Those are the main guys...other bassist that i repect..Shawn Malone, Lars K. Norberg, Victor Wooten, Flea, Steve Bailey, Roger Patterson, Tony Choy, Steve Degiogio, Sharlee D'Angelo, Jason Newsted, Tyr, Joe Glossup, Eddie Jackson, Chris Squire, Joe DiBiase, Joey Vera, Steve Harris, Jon Myung.

For vocals..
Garm, Vortex, Jeff Walker, Ray Alder, Matt Barlow, Chuck Shuldiner(sp), Dan Swano, Mickeal Acmkrfieldt(sp), Phil, Ak knutson, Rob Halford, Eddie Vedder, Ozzy, Ian Gillian, Vintersorg, Chuck Billy, John Bush, Anacrusis, Geoff Tate, My Opera teacher, My friend Jason.

Basic musicial influneces. Megadeth, Darkane, Fates WArning, Spiral Architect, Opeth, Dan Swano, Death, Atheist, Testament....

Bobby L. Bryant
Summer Dying

 

[Buzz Fledderjon]

jason newsted suked

 

[Buzz Fledderjon]

I started playing bass 13 years ago because my friends and I thought it would be kool to start a band. I got picked to play bass. I can't remember why.

Funny how it works out, huh?

But anyways, my biggest influences over the years have been my friends, but as far as Pro musicians - John Paul Jones, Les Claypool, Jaco(when I finally found him) and Flea. Of course now, I don't even listen to these guy anymore. (well, maybe every blue moon)

 

[dimensionidol]

Originally posted by MusicalArchitect


Geddy Lee- The God of simple but very interesting Bass playing. He made me realize that just because your not playing fast and crazy that you have to play boring.

simple?

 

[Asmodeus]

I'm a bass guitar player, but my huge influences are mostly guitar players...

Paul Gilbert
Jason Becker
Al DiMeola
Paco DeLucia
John Petrucci
Steve Vai
Yngvie Malmsteen
Eddie Van Halen

Some classical influences...

Claudio Monteverdi
Niccolo Paganini
Isaac Stern
Rimsky Korsakov
Sergej Vasiljeviè Rahmanjinov

Bass guitar players...

John Myung
Jaco Pastorius
Dave LaRue
John Pattitucci

And many many more...

 

[Nocturnal Emperor]

ive been playing guitar for a year and a half and my influences are:
jesper stromblad and bjorn gelotte
alexi liaho
chuck schuldiner (r.i.p)
amott brothers
kirk hammet and james hetfield
dave murray and adrian smith

 

[ShadowLioness]

I've been a musician all my life...I know that most of this board consists of guitarists, but hey, I did see a few vocalists here .

Alanis Morissette (HUGE)
Kim Goss
Janis Joplin
Lisa Loeb
Gwen Stephani
Enya (what an angel)
Cristina Scabbia

A lot of males have influenced me as well....and just people don't influence me...for me music can be my sanity, my outlet, almost my mother. It has been in me since birth, and I really didn't seriously persue singing until college. People influence me, events influence me...I could go on and on. Carry on
.

 

[Dead Winter]

James Hetfield
Dave Mustaine
Jerry Cantrell

Can you tell I'm a rhythm guitarist? LOL!

 

[Break Zero]

Guitar:
Jeff Loomis from Nevermore (my guitar god, and a big influence on wanting to go 7 string)
James Hetfield
Billy Corgan
Dino Cazeras (another 7 string influence)
Dave Mustaine
Dimebag Darrell
Michael and Christopher Amott

Vocals:
Maynard James Keenan
Layne Staley (RIP...)
Warrel Dane
Mikael Akerfeldt