The Most Important Guitarists Ever, and Why

As a guitar player and a fan of guitar music, I've seen hundreds of "best" lists over the years, rating guitarists on everything from chops to coolness. A list of the "best" of anything inevitably creates controversy, and the ones I've seen that rate guitar players are pretty flawed. Usually it boils down to a speed contest, certainly a silly way to measure musicality. Ranking musicians based on technique, physical ability, or some vague notion of "greatness", seems so subjective. How can you compare great players from different genres who do entirely different things? Danny Gatton, Andres Segovia, Steve Vai, Jimmy Bruno, Chet Atkins, Johnny Hiland, Les Paul, B.B. King, Joe Pass - all were amazing but were nothing like each other. Likewise, there are tons of players that didn't have virtuosic technique but were great nonetheless - Angus Young, Duane Eddy, Dick Dale, Link Wray, Albert King, etc. Jimi Hendrix had great skills but his technique was flawed in many ways (and I am a huge Hendrix fan). You could say the same for Jeff Beck, Frank Zappa and Jimmy Page, yet they're all regarded as great players. (I can see some people getting hot under the collar already about this - see what I mean?) Hey, no one rates artists from other media in this fashion - "Picasso could paint faster than Rembrandt, but Renoir kicks his ass!" Why do it to us poor guitar players?

I'm not going to attempt to make a list of "best" guitarists, as I think it's impossible to judge objectively. What I will do is make a short list of the guitarists I consider to be the Most Important - those whose contribution to popular music are the most far-reaching, and who have had the most influence on the greatest number of people. Hopefully it'll be a little less subjective and make a little more sense. Feel free to comment and tell me why I'm full of crap!

Again, these are not the best (indefineable), or the fastest (irrelevant and silly) or even the coolest (Dick Dale, c'mon). They're just the most important, for various reasons. In my opinion. Which is, of course, correct.

THE 3 MOST IMPORTANT ROCK GUITARISTS OF OUR TIME:

1. James Marshall Hendrix.

To most non-musicians, the first real "guitar hero". Changed popular music in more ways and to a greater extent than perhaps any other guitar player in the history of the instrument. One of the most influential popular musicians, period, of the 20th century. Jammed with everyone in rock and jazz at the time, from Clapton to Beck to Larry Coryell to John Mclaughlin to Zappa. Miles planned to record with him. Marshalled in (excuse the pun) a new era in which musicianship in rock music became a selling point to the general public, culminating in the shred-happy metal scene of the 80s and early nineties. His use of effects, feedback, and ambient noise was revolutionary; his playing was, at times, stunningly beautiful, at other times, violently moving. His music became the foundation for the vocabulary of rock guitar. Chuck Berry plus T-Bone Walker times Ziggy Stardust. Come on. Did you really think there would be anyone else in this spot?

2. Chuck Berry.

A close second, too often overlooked by guitarists. His influence on popular music is undeniable.The first pop/rock star to write and perform his own songs, and play the lead instrument in the band - and well! Wrote iconic, quintessential rock songs, and invented an entire genre that could very well be called "Chuck Berry music". Before Stairway, or Smoke on the Water, or Iron Man, there was the ultimate rock guitar star song, Johnny B. Goode - the first tune many guitar players learned and the one that, if you could actually play it right, earned you respect in the neighborhood. For his time, he had serious chops. In fact, he INVENTED riffs that players still steal today. One could make a very strong case that Chuck Berry was, in fact, the most important guitar player in rock history.

3. Edward Van Halen

The time between the death of Jimi Hendrix and the debut of Van Halen was about 8 years, but it seems like it should have been a generation. Eddie took everything Jimi did and did it louder, faster, and crazier. I was a young player when Van Halen's debut album came out, and I can tell you that in a matter of a few months, every single guitar player I knew was tapping, Eddie-style (usually badly). Eddie created shred. He didnt invent tapping, mind you (Zappa was tapping in the solo from the brilliant Inca Roads several years before) but he took it to a place no one had even dreamed of, and really, to this day, he remains the king of the genre. He was the first to customize guitars with boutique pickups, he helped invent the floating tremolo to compensate for his insane whammy bar antics, and he had style that was imitated but never matched. Guitar magazines proliferated, guitar schools popped up on every corner, rock music became more complex, players became more technical, and the level of musicianship in the field went through the roof (unfortunately, the music itself, in many instances, suffered). A greater percentage of the best, most studied, most talented musicians in the world are now guitar players than at any time in history - and it can all be traced back to that 2 minute slice of shred that blew everybody's heads off in 1977 - Eruption.

OTHER MOST IMPORTANT GUITARISTS, BY GENRE:

Jazz:

Charlie Christian - the original.

Django Reinhardt - peerless.

Wes Montgomery - the tone. still imitated.

Blues:

Robert Johnson - the first!

T-Bone Walker - bridged the gap between blues, jazz, and rock.

B.B.King - the most well-known blues player ever and figurehead for the genre

Country:

Merle Travis - invented an entire style.

Chet Atkins - world-class virtuosity.

Classical:

Andre Segovia - I don't know anything about classical guitar, but I know who Segovia is. That should say something.

Cross-genre:

Les Paul - Maybe the most important figure in modern music history, if you count his technical innovations. An amazing, groundbreaking player as well.

Remember, these aren't the best necessarily, or the fastest, or the coolest, or even my personal favorites - just the ones who mattered the most.

Flame on, people. Let's hear what you think!

Please visit my website at www.tommein.com.

Tips for a Successful Gig Part 2: Gig Tools and Tricks

This is the second of 2 posts on the subject of Gig Tips. As I wrote in the previous post, I've been playing playing gigs since I was 17 (this year I turn 50). The past few years I've been averaging around 200+ paying engagements per year. That seems like a lot, but many of my friends play more than that, and have been doing so for many more years. Still, it's a lot of gigs. There are lots of practical things you learn playing on a gig that aren't always written in instructional books or taught in private lessons or music school. These things can be just as important to having a successful gig - and to maintaining a successful career - as are your playing skills.

Here's a new list of things to remember:

Gig Tools and Tricks: Bring Lots of Stuff, and Remember Murphy's Law

1. Things go wrong. Stuff breaks. Bring spares. Just as with knowing the material, you cannot be over-prepared for a gig. Anything that can break, you should have a spare set of on hand - strings, tubes, fuses, etc.

Get a tool box and put in it at least one of everything that you know could break or wear out during a gig. Over the years, bad situations arise, and I'll be stuck on a gig without, say, a fuse or a tube or something. Every time something happens and I don't have something I need, I remember it, and put one in my tool box. Its now stuffed with all sorts of crap, but I know I have something for whatever situation arises. Make sure you keep in it spares of everything that can break or wear out:

• Strings
• Cables of any and all varieties
• Tubes
• Fuses (whatever your amp or rig takes, find out and keep several on hand)
• Picks
• Batteries (AA and 9volt)
• Power adapters for foot pedals (these are notorious for going bad, and if they fail in the middle of a song you're screwed)
• Extra mic, cable, and clips (in case soundguy doesnt have one for your amp or vocals)
• Music stand lightbulb

You should also keep the following tools on hand:

• A mini-flashlight (super important - especially in dark clubs)
• Screwdriver with multiple heads (phillips and flat)
• A set of allen wrenches
• A soldering iron and solder (yes, I've used this on a gig)
• Wirecutters and a string winder so you can change strings QUICKLY
• Needlenose pliers
• Duct and electrical tape!!! (can't do without it)
• A rag or towel
• 50 foot extension cord

Finally, these items sometimes can't be overlooked. I guarantee there will be a gig where someone will be asking for one:

• Throat lozenges (for singers with a sore throat)
• Aspirin
• Clips (for holding sheet music in place if there's a windy day on an outdoor gig)

I know there's probably other stuff too. When you're on a gig and don't have it, you'll know. So after the gig, get one and put it in there.

2. Don't break your back. Get a cart. Best $75 I ever spent. I've had to haul my equipment up elevators, across parking lots, through kitchens, and uphill 2 blocks from the parking lot to the gig. You will be glad you have this. Get the kind that comes apart and can roll horizontally with 4 wheels on the ground; they hold more.

3. Get an amp stand, or angle your amp toward your head. Putting your amp flat on the ground gives you a false impression of what the audience is hearing. I've got an amp stand that raises my little combo off the ground and angles it upward. The tone and volume are completely different, plus you can hear yourself onstage better.

4. If possible, bring an extra guitar, have it tuned and onstage in case you break a string. I know this isn't always possible and can be a hassle, but it's come in handy a bunch of times. You can force your way through a song if a string breaks, put your guitar down and plug in the other one and be playing 6 strings again in 10 seconds. Then you can change the string on break.

5. Have some picks very handy in case you drop one. I've got one of those little pickholders stuck right on my guitar just in case. This happens all the time. I also keep a pick in my pocket just in case.

6. Double check that you've got everything BEFORE you leave the house. Nothing worse than getting to the gig and finding out you've left your music, or amp, or god forbid your guitar, at home. Another reason to make it a practice of bringing a spare of everything.

7. Buy a nice power strip with a power conditioner and a fuse on it, and USE IT ALL THE TIME. Even if someone else has a power strip, I plug all my stuff into mine and then into theirs. Assume that the club/venue will have crappy power issues, and protect yourself from noise, spikes, and shorts.

8. If you do a lot of gigs, buy instrument insurance. It's relatively cheap ($250/yr for up to $30,000 worth of stuff), no deductible, and covers in case of theft, damage, or if your amp rolls into the lake accidently when you're playing on a barge (it happens). Your car and homeowners' policies will NOT cover this stuff, no matter what your agent says, and in fact probably won't even cover it if it's stolen from your car or home. I recommend Clarion Music Insurance; they've done great by me. Full replacement cost, no deductible. www.clarionins.com

If you have some tips and advice to add to this, please comment with them! I read this type of stuff and other musicians do too, and any advice we can get can only help. Thanks!

Please vist my website at www.tommein.com.

Tips for a Successful Gig Part 1: Gig Behavior

I've been playing guitar for a long time, and playing gigs since I was 17 (this year I turn 50). The past few years I've been averaging around 200+ paying engagements per year, almost all small gigs. That seems like a lot, but I know some of my friends that play more than that, and have been doing so for many more years; I didnt always play this often. Still, it's a lot of gigs over the course of 33 years. There are lots of practical things you learn playing on a gig that aren't always written in instructional books or taught in private lessons or music school. These things can be just as important to having a successful gig - and to maintaining a successful career - as are your playing skills. Know and use them, and you should have no trouble getting gigs, which is what we all want.

Here's a list of some important things to remember:

Gig Behavior: Just Be Nice

1. Get there early. An hour before the hit time is usually a good rule of thumb. This allows you plenty of time for set-up, check volume levels, find the power outlets, and generally scope out the venue for issues. Too early is better than late.

2. Know the material. This seems obvious, but you'd be surprise how many musicians show up to a gig with a half-ass attitude toward the music. If you're playing a sub gig (espeically), try to know the songs inside out. There is no such thing as over-preparation. I'm not the best player in the world, but I prepare for every gig as hard as anyone. The other players ALWAYS appreciate this, and you will gain respect for it, and may get called again because of it.

3. Meet the owner and staff, be friendly, and treat them with respect. The people that work at the venue will remember you if you go out of your way to be nice, clean up after yourself, etc. They are working hard and deserve respect just as you do. Often they'll let the owner know that they like you, and you may get more gigs because of it. If it comes down to 2 acts, and one guy is a jerk, who do you think they're gonna call? Be sure to let the person in charge that night know who you are and ask if they have any concerns. Thank everyone when you leave.

4. Tune your instrument before you go on, during the show in silence, and don't noodle in between songs. This is a hard thing sometimes for guitar players; we're noodlers. But resist the urge. It looks and sounds unprofessional.

5. Dont drink or get high before the gig. Whatever you want to do after the gig is up to you. It's a job, and if you showed up to regular job drunk or high, you'd get canned. Duh.

6. Double check after you pack up that you have everything. You'd be amazed how many cables, stands, tuners, etc. get lost this way.

7. Dress up. This is just me, but its nice to see musicians who respect their audience enough to dress up in front of them. I kind of think that I should be dressed in such a way that I look different than the audience. People pay to see live music as well as hear it. This could mean dressing in a wild outfit for a rock gig, or dressing in a suit and tie for a jazz gig. Hard to be overdressed.

8. Respect the other players. Don't step on the other musicians. Listen when they solo and play supportively. Don't take a long solo break, especially if you're new. Don't try to show people up! It's ok to be play your best, but music should be a group endeavor, not a competition. A little playful back-and-forth is ok, but too much showing off is going to piss off the other players and doesn't look good to the audience. I say this as an unabashed ham; when I'm in a rock band I do a lot of audience interaction, running into the crowd, etc. But I try to do it within the context of the group, to interact with the other players as much as possible, and to stay out of the way when it's their turn to shine. In a jam session context, don't take 7 choruses for your solo, or intentionally try to one-up the next guy; play off of each other and encourage each other. The music will benefit and so will the audience. ALWAYS be complementary and accept complements with humility. Remember, no matter how good you are (or think you are), there's guys out there that can and will wipe the floor with you. And those guys are usually the most humble, supportive and complementary players you'll meet, even to average players like me.

If you have some tips and advice, please comment with them! I read this type of stuff and other musicians do too, and any advice we can get can only help. Thanks!

Please vist my website at www.tommein.com.

next: Gig Tools and Tricks: Bring Lots of Stuff

My Musical Heroes: Wes Montgomery

As a kid, I wasnt exposed to jazz much. I grew up listening to hard rock, punk, metal, etc. The first time I heard Wes Montgomery, I was immediately taken with jazz guitar. His tone, feel, swing, phrasing, and always interesting lines make him, for me, the archetypal jazz guitarist. He was the first to really make guitar a valid and unique voice for jazz. Many guitarists take the approach of trying to sound like another instrument in order to play jazz - a sax, or piano. While he surely got his inspiration from other instruments, Wes' playing is definitively guitar-centric; he played things that belonged on guitar. To this day, players who want to get a jazz sound on their guitar cop HIS sound.

John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery (March 6, 1923 – June 15, 1968) was an American jazz guitarist from Indianapolis, Indiana. He came from a musical family; his brothers, Monk (bass) and Buddy (vibraphone and piano), were jazz performers, and they released a number of albums together as the Montgomery Brothers. Although not skilled at reading music, he could learn complex melodies and riffs by ear. Montgomery started guitar at the late age of 19, and learned by listening to the recordings of his idol, guitarist Charlie Christian. Known for his ability to play Christian's solos note for note, he was hired by Lionel Hampton for his band. Montgomery toured with Hampton but the stress of touring brought him back home. To support his family of eight, Montgomery worked in a factory from 7:00 am to 3:00 pm, then performed in clubs from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am. Cannonball Adderley heard Wes in an Indianapolis club and was floored. The next morning, he called producer Orrin Keepnews, who signed Wes to a recording contract with Riverside Records. Montgomery recorded with his brothers and various other players, including the Wynton Kelly Trio (which previously backed up Miles Davis).

John Coltrane asked Wes to join his band after a jam session, but Montgomery continued to lead his own band. He also made contributions to recordings by B3 organ great Jimmy Smith. Later in his career, he would occasionally turn out original material alongside jazzy orchestral arrangements of pop songs. This late period earned him considerable wealth and created a platform for a new audience to hear his earlier recordings. He didn't have very long to live to enjoy his commercial success, however; on June 15, 1968, while at home in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, he died of a heart attack.

Wes often approached solos in a three-tiered manner: he would begin with single note lines, play octaves for a few more sequences, then finish with block chords. He had little knowledge of scales or modes, mostly using superimposed triads and arpeggios as the main source for his soloing ideas and sounds. His innovative use of octaves (playing the same note on two strings one octave apart) became his signature sound. Montgomery was also an excellent "single-note" player, and was very influential in the use of block chords.

Wes eschewed the pick and plucked the strings instead with the fleshy part of his thumb. He developed this technique not for technical reasons but for his wife. He worked long hours as a machinist before his career began and practiced late at night while his wife was sleeping. He played with his thumb so that his playing would be softer and not wake her. Ironically, this technique enabled him to get a mellow, expressive tone that would come to define the sound of jazz guitar.

Many fellow guitarists consider Wes the most influential of all the modern jazz guitarists. Pat Metheny has praised him, saying "I learned to play listening to Wes Montgomery's Smokin' at the Half Note." Joe Pass said, "To me, there have been only three real innovators on the guitar—Wes Montgomery, Charlie Christian, and Django Reinhardt". In addition, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Johnson, Joe Satriani, Jimi Hendrix, and Pat Martino have pointed to him as an influence. While many jazz players are regarded as virtuosos, Montgomery had a very wide influence on other virtuosos who followed him, and enjoyed respect from his contemporaries.

Check out Wes' flow on his great tune Four on Six:

Most versions of this song have longer solos, all filled with beautiful, totally swinging single note & octave lines and chord work. I picked this video because its got a great view of his hands and shows his amazing thumb. I hate that the solo ends so quickly; I could listen to his soloing for hours. I love this tune and often play it in my set.

Wes Montgomery was and remains the major jazz influence on my playing and on thousands of other players' as well.

Information in this post was taken from various sources including Wikipedia.

www.tommein.com

My Musical Heroes: Dick Dale

Recently I had the honor of attending a master class held by another one of my musical heroes, Dick Dale. I've met Mr. Dale several times before, at NAMM shows and concerts, and he has always been kind and generous with his time. Here's a little bit about him.

Dick Dale is an American surf rock guitarist, known as The King of the Surf Guitar.

Dale was a surfer and originally wanted his music to reflect the sounds he heard in his mind while surfing. While he is known for introducing the use of reverb that would give the guitar a "wet" sound, now a staple of surf music, it was Dale's staccato picking that was his trademark. Since Dale was left-handed he was initially forced to play a right-handed model, like Jimi Hendrix. His outrageous style on stage was an influence on the young Hendrix. However, he did so without restringing the guitar, instead playing the guitar upside-down (while Hendrix would restring his guitar); he often played by reaching over the fretboard rather than wrapping his fingers up from underneath. Even after he acquired a proper left-handed guitar, Dale continued to use his reverse stringing. Dale is noted for playing his percussive, heavy bending style while using extremely heavy gauge string sets. His desire to create a certain sound led him to push the limits of equipment: He experimented with reverberation and made use of custom made Fender amplifiers, including the first-ever 100-watt guitar amplifier.

Dale's 1961 song "Let's Go Trippin'" is often regarded as the first surf rock song. His first full-length album was Surfers' Choice in 1962. The album was picked up by Capitol Records and distributed nationally, and Dale soon began appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show, and in films where he played his signature single "Misirlou". He later stated, "I still remember the first night we played it ("Misirlou"). I changed the tempo, and just started cranking on that mother. And...it was eerie. The people came rising up off the floor, and they were chanting and stomping."

Though surf rock became nationally popular in the United States briefly, the British Invasion began to overtake the American charts in 1964. Though he continued performing live, Dale was soon set back by rectal cancer. In Jimi Hendrix's song "Third Stone from the Sun", the line "Then you'll never hear surf music again" was Hendrix's reaction upon hearing that Dale was battling cancer, intended to encourage his friend to recuperate. Dale, in gratitude, later covered this song as a tribute to Hendrix. Though he recovered, he retired from music for several years. In 1979, he almost lost a leg after being injured while swimming when a pollution-related infection made the mild injury much worse. As a result, Dale became an environmental activist and soon began performing again. He recorded a new album in 1986 and was nominated for a Grammy. In 1987 he appeared in the movie Back to the Beach, playing surf music and performing "Pipeline" with Stevie Ray Vaughan. The use of "Misirlou" in the 1994 Quentin Tarantino film Pulp Fiction gained him a new audience.

Dale says he has never used alcohol or drugs, and discourages use by band members and road crew. He has studied martial arts for 30 years. At age 74 he still puts on a physically energetic live show. In early 2008, Dick experienced a recurrence of cancer and is still undergoing treatment. Despite his health problems, he maintains a busy performance schedule.

Dale is associated with the Fender Stratocaster . Fender makes a signature model, the Dick Dale Custom Shop Stratocaster, fitted with "Custom Shop '54" pickups, which are supposed to recreate the sound of the first "Strats". Dick uses a reverb unit with the signal split between two Fender Dual Showman amps. As of 2010, Dale continues to play with his original reverb unit and Showman amps from the early 1960s.

Here's a a link to video of me playing rhythm guitar for Dick Dale at the master class I attended. A thrill for me.

Tom Playing rhythm guitar for Dick Dale

Dick Dale is the King of Surf Guitar and American Icon.

www.tommein.com