if you were picking these 3 cats just based on there guitar playing and influence ,etc.,.., where do you rank them and why?

who is tops of the 3 and who is the bottom of these 3?

who showed you the most versatility and who did you find to be predictable?

Poll question: Carlos Santana, Eddie Van Halen,Chuck Berry on Guitar rank them

Poll result (2 votes) Chuck Berry (0 votes) Vote Carlos Santana (1 votes) Vote Eddie Van Halen (1 votes) Vote

1. Chuck Berry
2. Eddie Van Halen
3. Carlos Santana

Chuck Berry may not have created "the riff", but in terms of what rock'n'roll is, he is one of the people you point to first.

Eddie Van Halen spawned a million guitarists who not only wanted to play like him, but look like him and want to wrap their guitar in electrical tape like him. Van Halen (the band) released five albums in five years, and in that time helped to take hard rock and heavy metal out of the dinosaur age and into something more vibrant. He helped to give the music life in the 1980's and 1990's.

As much as I am a Carlos Santana fan, I have to put him on the bottom of the list even though he is a major influence. Then again, he was made to be a semi-joke by Frank Zappa in his song "Variations On The Carlos Santana Secret Chord Progression", but... it's a difficult one isn't it? I mean, Santana was a sponge when it came to his influences. Then again, you have people like Prince and Lenny Kravitz who are influenced by Santana in a major way. Listen to those first three Santana albums and a lot of other bands wanted to mix it up like him. Then he got into CARAVANSERAI mode. Then he did LOVE DEVOTION SURRENDER with John McLaughlin. Once he got deep into jazz and spiritual music, you could not stop the man. He may have shunned the mainstream for awhile, but it is that time when he blew everyone away. Then again, while guitarist Neal Schon did his own thing on SANTANA III and eventually left to form Journey, some of Schon's mannerisms and techniques come from Santana's style. The man is more than capable, but he also knows he can pull pop audiences in quite nicely. Even if Santana was never to play again, his output and influence are sealed.





THE HOME OF BOOK-NESS:
http://www.thisisbooksmusic.com/
http://twitter.com/thisisjohnbook
http://www.facebook.com/book1


http://i32.tinypic.com/kbewp4.gif
http://i50.tinypic.com/hvqi4w.jpg

i appreciate the feedback

Santana, is that he might not play as fast as some of the virtuosos like Eddie Van Halen, or even slowhand Eric Clapton, let alone the next generation of guys like Satriani, Malmsteen etc.

but the notes he played were so pure and could be felt with the heart.

when you listen to his slower stuff like Samba Pa Ti you get a real sense of conveying emotion through the guitar and the power of each note

Although yeah I'm influenced by my pops opinion, he would probably agree with my standings:

Santana
Chuck Berry for being a pioneer
Eddie Van Halen for being a virtuoso with no real emotion / soul

Carlos Santana is like Marvin Gaye on a guitar. If you solely pay attention to how he sounds as he plays. They are pure notes. It's not always fancy playing, though he can do that, but its about the notes he chooses to play.

Like on "Dance Sister Dance" he plays a beautiful solo that does everything a solo is supposed to do. However he doesn't play through the whole thing. He kind of comes in and out of the song like on some astral plane, soaring flying space guitar. That solo/song looks/sounds like the cover of the actual album it comes from.

Carlos' guitar playing is like listening to a panther in movement. He has a true, deep mastery of his instrument and if you play, you know. He absolutely bodied the solo to that Vanessa Carlton "Game of Love," song! I never paid attention to it, until I sat and listened to that song the whole way through.

I never heard the Frank Zappa "diss record" but you have to be damn good to make an artist in rock n roll, want to come out and diss you. Isn't that what hip hop's about?

Chuck Berry is an innovator and genius songwriter. His guitar playing is really good and effective. It's more of a matter of fact playing to me than other guitarists who really really go there on a guitar as far as taking it in it's extremes. Not to say he doesn't get off, because there are times when he really does. He's like your uncle who teaches you about women in a "this what you do here...you gotta..."

Eddie Van Halen I can't really speak on since I haven't really delved into his music like I should. I never really knew where to start. Even though his solo on Beat It easily makes the top 20 solos of all time list. I think he double finger taps or something crazy like that.

To me, they always put Carlos lower on the all-time greats list than they should.Prince said it perfect when he said that he was more influenced by Carlos than Jimi because "Carlos played prettier" it's true.

and not just because you agree with me

>Carlos Santana is like Marvin Gaye on a guitar. If you solely
>pay attention to how he sounds as he plays. They are pure
>notes. It's not always fancy playing, though he can do that,
>but its about the notes he chooses to play.

exactly

>Like on "Dance Sister Dance" he plays a beautiful solo that
>does everything a solo is supposed to do. However he doesn't
>play through the whole thing. He kind of comes in and out of
>the song like on some astral plane, soaring flying space
>guitar. That solo/song looks/sounds like the cover of the
>actual album it comes from.

He's always been a 'spiritual player'. Like how longboard surfers are 'soul surfers' or whatever compared to the dudes on short boards that like to 'shred hard'

>Carlos' guitar playing is like listening to a panther in
>movement. He has a true, deep mastery of his instrument and if
>you play, you know. He absolutely bodied the solo to that
>Vanessa Carlton "Game of Love," song! I never paid attention
>to it, until I sat and listened to that song the whole way
>through.

I really have to check out these two solos

>I never heard the Frank Zappa "diss record" but you have to be
>damn good to make an artist in rock n roll, want to come out
>and diss you. Isn't that what hip hop's about?

Here is an interview where Carlos addresses the diss:

"There's a Frank Zappa instrumental called 'Variations On The Carlos Santana Secret Chord Progression'. Have you heard it?
Oh yes. I've heard it and I laughed my butt off, you know. I thought it was really funny. I met him a couple of times and I was always in awe of his mind. I think his mind, much like Prince, is pretty amazing. I thought it was in good fun. I believe on the same record he made fun of Bob Dylan (presumably a reference to 'Flakes'), so I was just really grateful to be in the company of Bob Dylan and Frank Zappa.

As far as the other kind of stuff, it is true that I'm very limited on the harmony chord texture but at the same time, I'm very grateful that I get to play with John Lee Hooker and Wayne Shorter. I used to be harder on myself for not knowing the things that other people know. Then again, I feel things Frank Zappa could never feel, so I think it's pretty even Stevens. I was sad when he left because I think we need forces like him to show us and share with us Mozart-like operas and Mozart-like involved muscle intellect (laughs).

That's the only way I can put it – 'muscle intellect'. I still gravitate basically towards John Lee Hooker. I'm not a complex person as he put it in the 'Variations of Santana Chords' . I'm not a complicated person and to me, it's like I try to feel my heart and I try to touch yours. That's it! When I first heard the piece, it did disturb me. I felt like it was a put-down, you know. But after a while, I said 'you know, if he feels like that about it, then I'm still complimented I'm on the same record with Bob Dylan ... (even though he isn't -Ed)"

>To me, they always put Carlos lower on the all-time greats
>list than they should.Prince said it perfect when he said that
>he was more influenced by Carlos than Jimi because "Carlos
>played prettier" it's true.


Had no idea Prince said that. That's pretty cool.

yeah that longboard analogy explains his playing perfectly. and the "Dance Sister Dance" solo is more in line with that mentality/spiritual wavelength.

the solo he played on the Michelle Branch (dang it i feel so bad and embarassed for getting her and Vanessa Carlton flipped! AHHHH) song went over my head because it got played so often. i remember thinking it was a typical BIG pop record, and not understanding why everyone liked it so much.

and then recently, knowing and hearing how Carlos captured the essence of the song in his solo made me understand more so what Prince meant. because he does shred like a short board, but it's fluid in that it isn't forced. he did shred because he felt it and to express the feelings, emotions, spirit of the song. not so much to bring light to his virtuosity. so more than anything he's still longboarding but the waves of the song caused him to pick up speed.

it also confirmed to me that he gets put far too low on the top 100 guitarists of all-time lists (according to Rolling Stone) he gets like the 20 spot or something.

his thoughts on frank zappa's interpretation were pretty funny.

I agree with the first part because I was listening to some of black magic woman full album on youtube and liked some of it.

.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^