The Weight of Influence

[RandomHero]

About the time I started getting into guitar, I was into the alt-pop heavy stuff of early 2000 and late 90's. KoRn, System of a Down, Disturbed, Static-X, things of that like. As a result, I had my Hondo Strat-copy strung up with .060's and tuned to drop-C! I learned the guitar on a lot of that barre-chord riffing, and it still effects my style today no matter how hard I try to get away from it.

The interesting thing is that now, since I've begun playing, I'll listen to a lot more music. Not much of it influences me anymore, although the occassional really good artist from another genre will inspire me to write a song in a similar vein.

I still maintain that Daron Malakian of System and Head and Munky of KoRn are (maybe were) some of the most talented guitarists I've ever heard. ;D

[dunkelfalke]

yep. i have started playing guitar for playing pink floyd tunes

and i still try to copy the gilmour playing style (thinking of him the same you think of daron malakian).

[spitfire23bc]

I started playing guitar and liking Metallica at about the same time, so I learned quite a few of their riffs early on.

Now (about 3 years on) I want to be able to play like Mark Knopfler, and just recently I've been playing lots more bluesey stuff...

I suppose Knopfler is my biggest influence currently - if I'm left to my own devices, I can usually be found playing either some of his songs, or improvising in similar ways; though I still like a bit of the heavier stuff occasionally ;D

[lunaalta]

I started playing way long ago.......
Had the same early influences as Knopfler and many others.
First interest in the guitar came from hearing Django Reinhardt doing some insane stuff (without a full kit of fingers too!).
Then got into a bit of jazz (from the guy next door who was a jazzy guitarist) such as 'Girl from Ipanima'.
Went to a few Ska clubs around the mid sixties (in south London). Loved the Bluebeat and such.
Then I found the blues and R&B.
Then along came the Beatles and the Stones.
Then along came Eric, Jimi, Floyd, etc, phew........ what a heap of influences in that period.
Later (1970s) when funk came along, well, Earth Wind and Fire, The Meters (excellent sound). Was actually playing with an african band at the time (we hung out a bit with Osibisa), we added a bit of serious afro funk into the set, along side the more traditional afro stuff.

Just about all of the above has influenced me in some way, though I try to do my own thing as much as possible.
I've been messing with recording lately and the dozen or so songs I'm working on are almost all completely different styles! I'm not sure what styles they are 'cos they are all mixes of styles. LOL.

Oh, I like the Lee Ritenours of the world too.

Always adding little touches from new guitarists here and there, of course.