There is always interest on what footsteps is an artist following, who made and artist choose that way and why. Not easy to choose, but here is the list of my all time 5 favourite guitar players, these men made me the musician i am.
5. Daron Malakian
Born in Los Angeles in 1975, he is an Armenian - American musician, songwriter, vocalist and multi-instrumentist. Known for being System of a down guitarist, second vocalist and main songwriter. There are some trully remarkable things about this man. He wrote most of the music on all system of a down albums, and wrote around 90% of SOAD two last albums, including the lyrics and music. He also formed his own band Scars on Broadway in which he writes and records all of the instruments on the studio by himself. He is also a record producer and great lyricist relying on a lot of activist stuff, he really stands as an unique musician. His guitar playing style is also really unique, using some heavy explosive metal riffs, great soulful melodies on a lot of songs and is also pretty easy to find some armenian - eastern folk music influences on his work, mixing all together with an extraordinary creativity making rock and metal songs that can make anyone start to jump or dance any time he plays live.
4. Chuck Berry
What not to say about the legendary Chuck Berry? This man is arguably the creator of rock and roll itself. If you go to the very basics and the beggining of rock and roll, you're gonna find him. In the mid 50's Chuck started recording songs with his own style inspired by blues musician T-Bone walker, having almost immediate success, hitting no.1 on rythm n blues charts. He redefined rythm n blues style, and created the basis of what would be called Rock n roll. He is an all time classic, and without this guy, probably rock n roll would have been a totally different thing. There are more than a few classic great hits from this man to listen; Nadine, Roll over Beethoven, Sweet little sixteen and many more. If you love that Back to the future scene when Marty rocks the shit out of a red electric guitar....well, it would not exist without the great Johnny B. Goode.
3. Dave Mustaine
One of the greatest metal songwriters and frontmen of all time. Born in California, Dave started playing guitar as a kid, founding a relieve on music from a lot of bad things happening on his life at that moment. He formed a band called Panic when he was a teenager, before finding a newspaper post by Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield, who were looking for a lead guitar player. He called Lars, went to an "audition" and therefore, was formed the greatest thrash metal band of all time Metallica on 1981. He wrote guitar solos and even a full song that were used on Metallica's first album Kill'em all, that was published on 1983, a few months after his dismissal from the band for being too hardcore and violent while he was drunk. But after he went out, he created his band Megadeth and got on his way of becoming on of the most respected and known musicians on metal history. Highly complex riffs full of speed and fast changes, some of the fastest solos of all time are on his arsenal. playing guitar. His lyrics often talk about politics, religion, toxic relationships, drug abuse and a lot of other things. Every single Megadeth song will have something for you to say WOW!.
2. James Hetfield
Metallica's frontman, main songwriter, vocalist and rythm guitarist. Also known on the guitar world as the master of downpicking. He took the punk basics of heavy down-picked fast chords, mixed them with heavy metal speed and feel, and took it to another whole level. He always said that he basically wanted to play drums on guitar, making a highly percussive sound. He also have an extremely gifted ear for beautiful and agressive melodies. His riffs are some of the most remarkable and easily remembered in all metal history. Enter sandman, Seek and destroy, One...are songs that you can recognize immediately...because of their signature riffs. His vocal performance is outstanding, getting better and better as years go by. Hetfield making the melodies and Lars Ulrich making the percussive arrangements, are easily the best creative duo on metal history.
1. David Gilmour
Known mostly for his work on the golden years of Pink Floyd, as their guitarist and second vocalist. For me personally, the greatest guitar player the world have ever seen. If music is supposed to make you feel things, there are so few guitar players that can be compared with this man. You can find tons of unbeliavibly talented guitarists along rock history, but none of them have this man's gift. Gilmour is the living proof that you don't need high amounts of speed or a really complex playing technique, and you don't have to play the most exotic scales in order to be among the greatest. He developed one of the most elaborated, uniques, rich and deep guitar tones of all time (if not the greatest). If you have not seen his concert on Gdansk on 2009, you're wasting time on watching some of the most epic, soulful and deep musical experiences ever. This man can take you to a totally different space within seconds of his guitar playing, he also displays an extremely developed, rich ear for creating soulful and deep - hearted beautiful melodies. He remains as one of the musicians with that golden lesson of playing just the right notes on the right spots, feeling each one of them. He might not have been the guitar player that made me grab a guitar and start playing but he made me love the instrument, and music itself more than anything else. As Dave Mustaine said: "NOBODY can make a guitar sound like David Gilmour does". My biggest inspiration ever.
These are my personal biggest influences on guitar. Do you have an all time favourite that made you grab a guitar and play? Or at least want to.... Feel free to comment and tell why yours is the greatest.
Julian Quintero
ReBörn Frontman
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