Hi everyone, Happy New Year! After a week off from the blog, I thought I would start the year off with another post that allows you to get to know me a bit more as a musician, seeing what has influenced me as a guitarist and music educator. Some of these entries will relate to my playing and writing, others to how I approach teaching guitar, but all very much massive influences on me in general! Naturally, there may be some cross over with the "My Favourite Guitarists" blog, but that just comes with the subject matter! So, here we go, in no particular order!
Scott Middleton
First up, we had the riff lord supreme, Scott Middleton, formerly of one of my all time favourite bands, Cancer Bats! I've spent so much time listening to his songs with Cancer Bats and learning his riffs, it has definitely rubbed off on me and the way I approach riff writing, aiming for a combination of catchy and fun alongside grit and intensity! Despite still loving Cancer Bats and Scott no longer being a member, I have hopes that we will hear from him musically again at some point, he is just too damn talented not to be releasing tunes!
James Hetfield
Anyone who has seen me down picking can attest to this man's influence on me. Metallica were the band that made me first fall in love with metal, which I still adore to this very day and a large part of that is James Hetfield's song writing and guitar playing. Nothing pushed me more than watching videos of him playing Master of Puppets all with all down strokes and me learning it that exact way before realising that was in fact, not quiet the right technique... But we were all young once!
Paul Davids
Paul David's is an incredible guitar player with great tone and great technique. But the way in which I am influenced by him most is as a guitar teacher. His calm and passionate educational videos constantly inspire me with new ways to approach playing the guitar and to better my learning process and in turn, help me become a better tutor to my students. Not only that, but he might be the most chill and calm guitarist I have ever seen which something I really strive to be as a guitar teacher, as I want to provide every student with a calm and patient learning environment.
Billie Joe Armstrong
This one is going to take me way back! I remember it very clearly, it must have been around 2003/04 and I was just starting to get in to music and I heard Green Day's American Idiot album. That was it, I wanted to play every note on that album on every single instrument, the drums were energetic, the bass was powerful, but what stood out the most was the crushing assault of power chords that blew my little mind! Truthfully, the album made me want to be a drummer (Tré Cool rules, what can I say?) but when it was suggested I try guitar instead, I was immediately hooked, with my very first guitar lesson teaching me the chords to 'Boulevard Of Broken Dreams', and from there, I just never stopped playing guitar!
Frank Iero
A few years into the Green Day obsession, I was shown 'Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge' by My Chemical Romance, and I don't know if I have ever been more consumed by an album since. Alongside lead guitarist Ray Toro was co-songwriter and rhythm guitarist Frank Iero who was always the member that stuck out to me the most with his hardcore punk intensity and highly creative counter melodies. Traits which I have long since adopted for myself, in my own way. I have since been a big fan of every project he has been a part of since, whether it be his solo music or his bands Leathermouth and L.S. Dunes, I can't get enough of his highly expressive and unique style of playing guitar!
Rob Scallon
Enough of the flashbacks now! Back to modern day! A guitarist that has influenced me on a very equal level of playing and teaching is Rob Scallon. In regards to playing, I learned a great deal of my double hand tapping technique from learning his songs as well as being inspired by his incredibly fun approach to musical education videos! Whether it be teaching you his songs or creating incredibly in depth musical documentaries about all aspects of guitar and other instruments, he has a way of keeping your attention and that's what really made him stick for me!
Tony Iommi
The legend returns! Before Metallica made me a full on metalhead or Green Day and My Chemical Romance made me want to be a musician, there was Black Sabbath. My dad had a classic rock compilation CD that included loads of great songs, but none got me hyped like 'Paranoid' by Black Sabbath. When I started playing guitar, was a major influence, with 'Paranoid's opening riff being one of the first motifs I ever learned! From there, I was highly influenced by his use of groove, dissonance and resolution of said dissonance.
Kyle Sipress
Another more recent influence, but a big one. In 2015 Kyle Sipress joined The Devil Wears Prada, a metalcore band I was really fond of, but I have absolutely adored every song the have put out since he joined and become one of my all time favourite bands, that doesn't feel like a coincidence. His song writing and riff writing is something that has my ears glued to every song, with unique melodic choices for the genre that has influenced by writing and playing greatly, opening my mind up to a different approach to metal guitar.
Dylan Mattheisen
In the mid 2010's I went through a bit of a musical re-discovery, pushing myself out of my comfort zone of rock and metal, trying many different things from writing orchestral music, electronic music, rap beats but nothing stuck with me more than any other is a small sub-genre refereed to as "Midwestmo" or "Midwest Emo", a style that combines indie, math rock, emo and even some folk elements. The artist that stood out to me the most though was the band Tiny Moving Parts, with their guitarist, singer and song writer Dylan Mattheisen and his eclectic blend of double hand tapping, open tunings, extended chords and odd rhythms. I made a lot of music in this style influenced by Tiny Moving Parts and similar artists that I really should get around to releasing!
Kurt Cobain
This one was probably fairly obvious to anyone who knows me or who has read previous blog posts, as this man just keeps coming up! Kurt Cobain was an absolute idol to my teenage self, diving back, after Sabbath, Metallica, Green Day and My Chemical Romance changed my trajectory, Nirvana got it in a strangle hold, I had CDs, shirts, books and poster, I couldn't get enough of them, Smells Like Teen Spirit being the first song I learned from start to finish and countless hours learning riff after riff, song after song. Kurt is the reason I put so much heart, passion and energy into every guitar performance I can, as that is what I took away from every performance of his. He is the reason I whole heartedly see the purpose of music as an art form, is emotional expression.
And there we have it, 10 guitarists that have influenced me as a guitarist, musician and music tutor. I hope this has been interesting and allowed you know me better as a musician. What guitarists or musicians have influenced you the most? I'd love to know! In the meantime, play loud, stay safe and I will see you all soon!
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