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Top Three Musicians Each Instrument?

tch

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Since we're offering up evidence/entertainment:

 

Lorenzzo

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I've been streaming up a storm off the mentions in this thread. Thanks everyone. While there are some that get obvious nods as among the greats, the next tier is awesome as well. Among those it's hard to separate style from accomplishment.
 

Tony S

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Funny how genre constraints are assumed... or something. Great guitarists. No one mentioned Julian Bream, Sharon Isbin, or Christopher Parkening. Or, for that matter, Django or Les Montgomery. Just saying ... not to take anything away from the many greats already mentioned. Great to hear from the Doc Watson fans.
 

Dave Petersen

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I like Steve Harris from Iron Maiden on bass:
IMG_2156.JPG

...and flea
IMG_2157.JPG

and Mike Dirnt
IMG_2158.JPG

Guitar:
Vernon Reid
IMG_2159.JPG

Johnny Ramone
IMG_2160.JPG

Joe Strummer
IMG_2165.JPG


Drums:
Tre Cool
IMG_2162.JPG

Dave Grohl
IMG_2164.JPG

Steven Adler
IMG_2163.JPG
 
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skibob

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Funny how genre constraints are assumed... or something. Great guitarists. No one mentioned Julian Bream, Sharon Isbin, or Christopher Parkening. Or, for that matter, Django or Les Montgomery. Just saying ... not to take anything away from the many greats already mentioned. Great to hear from the Doc Watson fans.
I think I mentioned Django. Or I only thought it. Regardless, spot on.
 

Philpug

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This all comes down to the era of music we like. I am not an afficianado by any means but this is who I like:

Guitar:
Steve Howe
Brian May
Jimi Hendrix
All were so distinct on their playing that you knew it could only be them

Drums:
John Bonham
Carl Palmer
Phil Collins

Keyboard/Vocal/Writers
Elton John
Bill Joel
(But the early years when both were angry.)
Paul McCartney

Best backup bands:
Anyone who played with Steely Dan, When get a chance watch Classic Albums Steely Dan - Aja.
The Blues Brother Band, amazing studio musicians.
 

Jim Kenney

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Such a subjective area and since I'm just a listener, not a musician, I feel like a novice skier being asked to rank the world's most challenging ski areas. From my baby boomer perspective, Lorenzzo's nominations look pretty good.
As a person who lived through the Jimi Hendrix era, I gotta say he was really special. Probably surpassed technically by Stevie Ray Vaughn and many others since in the blues/rock genre, but Hendrix was an innovator - so different from the bubble gum music that preceded him - and given more time, who knows where he would have gone. From what I know he picked up the guitar fairly late, age 15 or 16, and developed the skills the world knew him for in just a few years using a freak-of-nature, left handed, upside down technique. What he brought to electric guitar playing with distortion, amplification, feedback, speed and sheer volume was unlike anything before in pop music - a psychedelic paradigm shift:)
Good 2013 PBS documentary about him:
 

agreen

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I'm late to the party but can we include vocals to the discussion?
Robert Plant, I know I know a little cliche
Steve Tyler
Bono, favorite would be the song Bad
 

Shifterkart

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Ask me this on any different day and I will probably give completely different answers for some instruments depending on whatever genre I have been listening to most that day..

Guitar:
Jeff Beck
Steve Vai
Stevie Ray Vaughn

Guitar is difficult, there have been many great guitarists and then you have various disciplines, genres and tastes but I would put Michael Hedges on the list. Not as well known but an amazing guitarist whose time ended to soon.
 
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TS
crgildart

crgildart

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Guitar is difficult, there have been many great guitarists and then you have various disciplines, genres and tastes but I would put Michael Hedges on the list. Not as well known but an amazing guitarist whose time ended to soon.
Ya, Earl Klugh and Al Di Meola belong on a lot of best guitar lists as well. I went for "fun to watch" and pleasant to listen to as a main descriptor, perhaps weighted even a bit heavier than OMG unbelievable technical chops and speed. I've seen Ingvie live in a smaller club. Dazzling and amazing.. but not as fun for me to watch or listen to as my top 3 personally.

I like that MWPete mentioned Trey Cool. As a drummer primarily, he doesn't do anything way out of my wheelhouse but he does it FASTER with a way tighter pocket than I've ever had. Super fun to watch and listen to all around kick ass punk drummer.
 

Crank

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I go for musicality over technical ability any day. I have been playing guitar for about 50 years and have gotten to be fairly decent. Of the top 3 guitarists I am listing 2 have been major influences in my playing and the last one is too young to have influenced me much but has taught me some slide techniques.

Guitar:

Eric Clapton
Jerry Garcia
Derek Trucks

Bass:

Flea
Oteil Burbridge, Allman Bros. Dead and Company, incredible player.
Either John Paul Jones or Paul Mcartney

Keys:
Chuck Leavell, played with Allman Bros, Clapton, Stones
Jeff Chimenti, From the Dead family and arguably the best musician on the stage in any of their recent configs.
George WInston

Drums:
John Bonham
Stewart Copeland
Kieth Moon, possibly more for his out sized personality than his drumming. Saw an interview with Pete Townsend where he claimed to hate Kieth's drumming because he was so all over the place and thus it fell to Pete to keep a steady rhythm on guitar. That said, Pete Townsend has been said to have the best right hand in rock guitar which is, in many ways a percussion instrument.

I know nothing about horn players other than loving Miles Davis and John Coltrane.
 
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rcc55125

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I think this old guy playing with Jeff Beck at least deserves an honorable mention. After all, there is a guitar design named after him and he has a street named after him in his home town.

BTW, Glen Campbell was a pretty good studio musician and played back up for a lot of people.
 

surfsnowgirl

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Here's another vote for Flea for bass. I love the late Randy Rhodes on guitar with Kirk Hammet for second. Neal Pert for drums with an honorable mention to the late Eric Carr. No keyboardist comes to mind. I'll pick Josh Todd (lead singer buckcherry) for vocals. Musically his voice isn't the best in the biz but he hits all the notes and is the perfect guy for buckcherrys songs. Besides he's one hell of a frontman so a show with them is never boring. Backup choice would be David Draiman, frontman and lead singer for Disturbed.

Ask me tomorrow and my answers could be different.
 
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snofun3

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Hate to say this, but Phil was almost right.

Guitar- Steve Howe - Always underrated. Yes 1-2-3. OMG
Jimmy Page. C'mon, that's the right answer.
#3 - So hard between SRV and Jimi - so very, very hard.

Drums
John Bonham- Simple
Keith Moon - I mean is there REALLY any question?
Carl Palmer - I saw ELP in 1974. Religious experience. Welcome back my friends.

Keyboards -
Rick Wakeman
Garth Hudson - If you're confused, listen to "the last waltz"
Keith Emerson. Again, so simple.

Vocals
Robert Plant. If you're confused, listen to LZ 1,2,3 ++++
Steve Perry - I'm not a big Journey fan, but the boy can sing.

To Bill Talbot - I grew up in New Haven and went to Toads place all the time. Can't remember how many times I saw NRBQ. Such a terribly underrated band.
 

Posaune

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Any room here for a jazz fan? I can't say who is "best" but I can say who I like best.

Sax:
Charlie Parker ("Bird")
John Coltrane
Branford Marsalis

Trumpet:
Wynton Marsalis
Louis Armstrong
Miles Davis

Tombone:
J.J. Johnson
Frank Rosolino
Carl Fontana

Piano:
Oscar Peterson
Thelonious Monk
Art Tatum

Bass:
Stanley Clarke
Jaco Pastorious
Victor Wooten (this was the most difficult category for me)

Drums:
Art Blakey
Jack DeJonette
Mel Lewis
 

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