Allan Holdsworth
- Thread starter hofner
- Start date
Humble bow to the maestro...
subversion
Moderator
Holdsworth is the guitarist's guitarist. a very fine player. his live execution is as precise as the studio recordings. my all time favoutite is his live cut: All Night Wrong.
This guy is no doubt one of the most original and phenomenal players ever to walk the earth. And although he himself is not well know, his influence on guitar playing is in its own way, as huge as anyone else, and one can hear today his influence in all styles of music and guitar playing. His beautiful legato sound has been adopted by guitarists of all persuasions including people like Van Halen, Frank Gambale, Scott Henderson, Bill Connors, Shawn Lane, Steve Vai. Satriani etc.
Even with all the hot new players coming up, I don't believe there is really anyone who can stand up to Holdsworth for that linear legato style of soloing. An especially interesting album to listen to is 'MVP - Truth In Shredding' where he plays head to head with Frank Gambale. Holdsworth is so smooth, he makes Gambale's playing sound jagged and rough, and Frank Gambale is a monster player too, for sure.
So all serious guitarists should go and check out Allan Holdsworth work, from his early stuff with Soft Machine and Jean Luc Ponty to his latest works. His music is not always particularly accessible or even enjoyable, but the guitar playing is out of this world, for sure!
Even with all the hot new players coming up, I don't believe there is really anyone who can stand up to Holdsworth for that linear legato style of soloing. An especially interesting album to listen to is 'MVP - Truth In Shredding' where he plays head to head with Frank Gambale. Holdsworth is so smooth, he makes Gambale's playing sound jagged and rough, and Frank Gambale is a monster player too, for sure.
So all serious guitarists should go and check out Allan Holdsworth work, from his early stuff with Soft Machine and Jean Luc Ponty to his latest works. His music is not always particularly accessible or even enjoyable, but the guitar playing is out of this world, for sure!
