Who influences you?

[Punkinhead]

Who influences you right now? How does this differ from your original influences, if it does at all? Why did you start playing?

Lately, I have been thinking a lot about this.

My current biggest influence is Paul Gilbert, and this was really enforced by G3...lol. His newest album is amazing and I'm taking on a song or two on it. Then when thinking about it, for me, if it wasn't for Dimebag (specifically Cemetery Gates) I probably would never have gotten into guitar in the first place.

[mjb]

right now and probobly for the last year or so, it's mainly been Derek Trucks and the wicked slide playing he does. it's so, right on. he's been a real breathe of fresh air for me as far as being inspired to sit and actually figure out how hes doing what he's doing. i've had absolutely no luck AT ALL at this to the point of contemplating taking my guitars out to the dumpster and giving up on playing all together. it's that frustrating to me. to me, its like learning how to play an entirely different instrument and its hard for me to accept that i can't do this even a little bit. doesn't really differ from any of my original influences, all blues guys mainly. its nice tohave someone come along like him to keep the blues alive and hopefully inspire another generation of kids and keep the blues alive. why i started playing? my dad started me with lessons at age 6 because i lwanted to be johnny cash. i did that for a few years till i was 10-12 and then stopped got into other stuff. after my father passed away when i was 14 and the haze cleared i was inspired by a guy in the army at age 18 and have literally played every day since. i owe alot to my buddy i met in germany, and my father for recognizing my passion for music at such an early age. thanks pop!

[bassist_25]

I'm influenced by anyone who has something important to say with music and their instrument.

[DirtySanchez]

Johnny Walker, John Jameson, and all the great folks who make Beefeater, the best gin in the world.

[UNEARTHA7XMatt]

My influences now include Anders Friden(In Flames), Phil Labonte(All That Remains),and Brian Fair(Shadows Fall). I have alot more but Im not listing them.... There really isnt a whole lot of difference between them and my older influences because its still Metal..... Singers like Phil Anselmo, Tom Araya, and Dez Faffara were more along the lines of Straight Screaming ,Yelling,or growling, as apposed to my newer influences who use more of their Vocal talent to sing as well....

[songsmith]

Well, because of my gig, right now I'm influenced by Ralph Stanley, Bashful Brother Oswald, and a local guy from West Virginia named Duane McCumbers.
Overall, I have different influences for different aspects of my career. For frontmen, it's Rob Halford, Steve Whiteman, and Ted Nugent. Vocally, it's John Waite, Paul Rodgers, George Jones and Travis Tritt. On guitars, my dad, Muddy Waters, and Felix. Harmonica: Sonny Boy II and Mickey Raphael. Lap Steel:all the old pedal steel players, and Duane Allman, though Derek Trucks is a huge favorite. Songwriting-wise: gospel hymns, Harlan Howard, Max D. Barnes, Skip Ewing, Doug Forshey, and 70's AM radio.
I think it's important to note that just because you love a certain act or musician doesn't mean you're influenced by them necessarily. I hear a lot of younger players who say they're influenced by whoever is the flavor of the month, and I ask... How? Hell, I love Rush and Floyd, but I can't hear any reference to either of them in my own style or original material. Dig deeper, and think of who you sound similar to. Oops, "...to whom you sound similar." Sorry Captain Grammar. ----->JMS

[lonewolf]

Warren Buffett

[songsmith]

LOL------------->JMS

[BDR]

Mary Jane.

r:>)

[Punkinhead]

I think it's important to note that just because you love a certain act or musician doesn't mean you're influenced by them necessarily. I hear a lot of younger players who say they're influenced by whoever is the flavor of the month, and I ask... How? Hell, I love Rush and Floyd, but I can't hear any reference to either of them in my own style or original material. Dig deeper, and think of who you sound similar to. Oops, "...to whom you sound similar." Sorry Captain Grammar. ----->JMS

I've been copping Gilbert's licks for a couple of years (ever since his I found a copy of his instructional video) and they (or my variants of them) are all over in my playing so it's not a love of the moment by some young punk because of G3 thing. It's been awhile for me....lol.

In the same respect if I love a certain musician/group I almost always go and learn what I love about them. When you take the time to learn something it naturally becomes part of your style and that is pretty much inescapable if you believe anything psychology teaches about learning.

[bassist_25]

Generally, I don't cop riffs just for the sake of coping riffs. It's cool if other people do that or if they use that as part of their practice regime. For me, I only learn songs if I'm going to be covering them in a live situation. I guess that I need some sort of reinforcer to motivate me (there I go talking behaviorism. The significant other hates behaviorism ), and that reinforcer is performing the song live. I've learned half of Portrait of Tracy by Jaco Pastorious and got bored because I knew that I probably wasn't going to be in a situation that would call on me playing POT. Granted, it's a very cool song and sounds impressive to play, but I could spend that time learning something that I'll actually be performing on a gig. Sometimes, I get called on to do freelance/fill-in work, and I always feel like I'm at a slight disadvantage because I don't have this huge repertoire of material like some cats I know. Then I find myself spending time learning new material to play on the gig.

[songsmith]

I probably wasn't going to be in a situation that would call on me playing POT.

We call that BEANS here. And you don't play it. It plays you. ---->JMS

[jangel]

Jager ! hic! hic ! the best influence in years

[metalchurch]

Seems I have a favoriate new band every week. I just go through my cd's and find something and play it on the way to work for a whole week.
Right now it's Wintersbane and Psycho Scream. Last week it was Kansas, and Triumph & .38 Special.
I'm stuck in the older classic rock and 80's-90's metal, no matter how many thousand times I've heard that stuff, I always find something new in a song, that wasn't there before.

[Banned]

Eric Singer from Kiss totally awsome drummer and unpredictable

[orangekick]

I'm working my way backwards through music at the moment and I'm lingering on Frank Zappa and the Allman Brothers. It's a weird trip.