[Hantra]

Okay:

Let's kick things off here with a thought-provoking question.

Who is your inspiration for your playing, or who pushes you to get better?

For me, it's Tony Rice.  I had always wanted to play guitar since I was a kid, but until a few years ago, it was ust one of those things you wanted to do, but didn't.  I have always been the biggest Clapton fan, but EC did not inspire to pick up a guitar.  It was when I was introduced to Tony Rice, and to newgrass that I actually got really into guitar.  

Hearing Tony play is like musical magic.  The man is the only person in the world who can do it amazingly fast, and still maintain every bit of smoothness of EC.  There are many guitarists who are fast, like DiMeola for example, or DeLucia.  Bryan Sutton is another fast one.  These guys are technical masters of guitar, but they can't do what Tony does.  Tony can take a piece, and technically make it explode, but still communicate through it, and not lose a bit of musicality or smoothness.  He is able to run anywhere on the fretboard, and throw in a jazz chord or two even while running 32nd notes like no one's business.

Tony keeps me on my toes, and keeps me playing.  I will never be as good as TR, but every step I take closer to his mastery, I feel much more satisfied with my playing.

What about you guys?

B

[WilliamL]

Great performers and musicians who inspire me.....

Martha Agerich,
Thelonius Monk,
Charlie Parker,
Mikhail Pletnev,
Philadelphia Orchestra,
Kirov Orchestra,
Paco DeLucia,
Oscar Peterson,
Ray Charles,
Ravi Shankar,
James Taylor,
Ali Akbar Khan,
Gaspar Djivan,
Joey DeFrancisco,
Frank Zappa,
Jaco Pastorius,
Kitaro,
on and on.....................................

[WilliamL]

Who could forget about the Shaggs..................????

The ledgend lives on.....

http://www.shaggs.com/

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00000I0QQ/qid=1051499486/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/102-6233841-6979344?v=glance&s=music

   

[grub]

My current inspiration right now comes from several monster bass trombone players--Ben Van Dijk (from Rhotterdam Phil), Blair Bollinger (from Philidalphia Orchestra), Randy Hawes (from Detroit Symphony Orchestra), Charlie Vernon (from Chicago Symphony Orchestra), and some commercial guys like Phil Teele and Bill Rhiechenbach (I think I spelled that right).  

The last two cats are big-time recording guys, Bill did the X-men and X-men 2 soundtracks, as well as countless others, and Phil Teele has played in the recording bands for practially every major movie in the last 10 years, he also did the Batman cartoon series stuff, which has some big-time bass bone parts in it.

Lots more inspiration out there, but these are the current sources.
-->grub

[DTH]

As far as what I am trying to accomplish with the guitar I'd say I am influenced mostly by:

Neil Young
Keith Richards
Ira Kaplan(Yo La Tengo)
Jay Farrar(Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt)
Django Reinhart
Doc Watson

Songwriters:

Neil Young
Bob Dylan
Steve Earle
Paul Westerberg

Etcetera, who can name them all?

[jqp]

Norman Blake - amazing and a real love of traditional acoustic/American Primitive

Doc Watson - same as above, great baritone voice, great attitude and sense of humor considering he is blind - the Ray Charles of acoustic guitar

Leo Kotke - how can one man make all those amazing sounds come from an acoustic? Creative, intense, yet mellow

David Grisman - even though he only plays a girly mandolin...

Neil Young - how can his seemingly simple songs be so expressive?

...
Keith Richards
...

Sorry dude - the only thing Keith Richards inspires me to do is not smoke or do heroin   j/k DTH