Guitar Legends-The Giants Whose Shoulders We Stand On

Historic Guitar Virtuosos





One thing that has always interested me has been the


history of the guitar and the legendary guitar players.





When I started playing I tried to find the original innovators


of each style to learn from because I felt guitar knowledge was


cumulative.





So I assembled a list of guitar players that I felt would


lead me towards the modern era that I could build on and


eventually add to.





Here is the list:





Early Jazz Guitar: Charlie Christian - I dig Charlie because


not only did he bring the electric guitar to center stage,


he is mythical in that he set the world on its ear at the


young age of 21 and then died at age 23. His playing still


holds up today. If you subscribe to my newsletter you will


find his biography posted.





Jazz Guitar from another planet: Django - I was fortunate


enough to have an in depth discussion with Jerry Garcia


about Django and he said it best:





`You just can`t cover the cat`.





Despite having only 2 working fingers on his fretting hand


he was able to to play riffs and runs most people with 4


fingers (and thumb) still can't play.





Country finger picking: Chet Atkins - His beautiful melodic


style held up for over a half a century.





Bluegrass: Lester Flatt - Flatt and Scruggs - one of the


reasons bluegrass music is successful today There are few


guitarist/lead singers who are better known in bluegrass


music than Lester Raymond Flatt-probably none.





Blues: B.B. King - His reign as King of the Blues has been


as long as that of any monarch on earth.





General all around: Les Paul - An innovator both as a


musician and as a technician.





Modern influences:





Carlos Santana - His blend of rock and latin music sets


him apart from other guitar players of the modern era.





Jerry Garcia - His playing covered every style and created


a whole genre.





Clapton, Page and Beck - Major influences of Rock. They


brought the blues into the mainstream. The early bluesman


owe as much to them as they owe the early bluesman.





These are the guitarist that influenced me.








Article written by A.W. Koblick.





phil fischer - phil fischer - phil fischer