| | | Hey Friend,
Who are your musical influences? We usually look at the guitarists that we most identify with or want to emulate as musical geniuses. But do you ever stop to consider who these guitarists look up to? Would you be surprised by what you find if you did some digging? Ever give any thought to how you might never have made the connection?
When you start looking at musicians in the context of the people they started out trying to play like, you can find some very interesting connections.
Reminds me a little of the old song that supposedly taught you how the bones go together?
The head-bone connected to the... neck-bone,
the neck-bone connected to the... back-bone
The backbone connected to the... thigh-bone
the thighbone connected to the... knee-bone
the kneebone connected to the... leg bone
the leg bone connected to the... foot bone
From "Dem Dry Bones"
Since we're getting close to that time of year when all the little beggars come around looking for candy, and we're talking about connections...
I got to thinking about Halloween and skeletons, and how the old bones are connected, which of course brought this little ditty to mind...
And that ties us right back to the connections we have not just with the artists we like, but with the artists they listen to and learned from. Am I stretching the whole connection thing? Maybe, but hey, work with me here!
We typically see these iconic artists (our influences) as being the first in line, serving us tasty music and guiding not only what we listen to but what we want to learn on guitar.
But have you ever thought about traveling down the family tree to see who influenced our heroes? It can be an eye-opening experience.
Let's look at an example...
There are innumerable artists that list The Beatles as a major influence in developing their style. I'm in total agreement, as The Beatles helped change how music is made and created such an important interest in music that they literally caused a huge demand for musical instruments. When Beatlemania hit the US, kids across the country began picking up an instrument and starting bands.
But who influenced The Beatles? What music did they listen to during their formative years? How did their era in time affect the music and create opportunity?
The story goes that back in the 1950s when the guys were growing up, the popular form of music in Britain at the time was Skiffle, which was folk based with a faster tempo. The premier artist in Skiffle was Lonnie Donegan.
Take a quick watch at this video then come back... I'll wait.
Now think about the first few hits The Beatles had in 1963 and 1964. Very similar styling , clearly showing the influence Lonnie Donegan and Skiffle had on the Beatles - and us. Watching a couple more videos gives us an idea of where John Lennon got his stage presence and audience interaction.
Here's an example that sounds a lot like Lonnie Donegan - I Saw Her Standing There
And the stage presence - Twist and Shout
In addition to the music they grew up with, The Beatles had a fascination with music from America, primarily the blues based rock and roll that Elvis Presley was making popular. Elvis was quite influenced by gospel and southern blues music, so that fed into his development as an artist. Since The Beatles were drawn to American Rock & Roll, they would certainly be inspired by the music helped create rock and roll.
Access to American music at the time was limited only to records that were brought back to the UK by sailors. Since The Beatles were from Liverpool (a port town), there were always ships coming to port, so the opportunity to get their hands on new music was better than if they had lived in London.
Sure, they had access to musical styles popular in Britain, but being teens, they were on the lookout for music that had it's roots in America. Why? Because their musical heroes were influenced by the music that developed in America, particularly the old Blues. Listen to a few more songs by Lonnie Donegan if you want proof.
The influx of this American music was likely one of the catalysts that really fed their creative minds and allowed them to come up with music that grabbed the world. When you can combine various musical styles to come up with something new and create excitement around it, you've got a hit. And The Beatles did!
It's a different environment now. We have so much more access to all styles of music than our heroes had. With online services at our fingertips, it's so easy to check out the artists and songs that had an effect on the development of the musicians we listen to.
Here's something to think about. What if you did the research and found out who your favorite artist listened to during their formative years? You pop that artist into a web browser and take a listen to their music. But you don't happen to like the style or sound...
So here's the question: If I had simply pointed you to a video of Lonnie Donegan without any preface about The Beatles, what would you think? Do you think you would listen to any more of his music? Would you enjoy it on its own?
The younger me wouldn't have. In fact, if I saw it on Youtube, I'd probably click off it withing 10 seconds. I can't say I would have gone looking for it.
But knowing that Skiffle was a key ingredient to The Beatles unique sound of the time, I see the connection and have a new-found appreciation for the style. I doubt I'd buy a Skiffle album, but knowing the musical journey The Beatles took not only helps me understand a little more how their music came about, but also teaches me a little more about myself.
We never know where inspiration will come from. It's up to each of us to keep our minds and ears open. New musical style's are going to emerge, melding old genres with modern sounds and techniques. There's no reason you can't be the one to come up with a completely new vibe based on the culmination of sounds that have inspired you.
All this to say, when you hear some music that you don't particularly like, before you dismiss it completely, think about where it came from. Maybe there's a connection buried somewhere...
I guess I'll have to give Rap a second chance...
Rock on, good people - have a great weekend!
Peace~
Dave
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