Allan is one of the most amazing musicians ever and the best guitar player I've ever heard. He's redefining jazz and taking it to the next level in all aspects: musicality, melodies, chords, legatos, solos, and technique, but in contrast to so many other guitar players around who's playing to impress he's playing to express and his technique never gets in the way of the music, but is just a means to create some of the most beautiful music on earth. His music touches my heart like nothing else.
see folks,its all music in the end so lets not get hyper over whos playing what..just sit back and enjoy and try to learn as much as we can from these great musicians.....Al Holdsworth came to India and he wanted to learn more about Baul music and Indian classical...its all about learning as much as you can about different styles...this is what makes great musicians..not you complaining fartgrips....
First of all, Van Halen rocks. And how ironic that you point out being narrow-minded when someone doesn't like jazz while simultaneously bashing THEIR taste in music. Hypocrite much? It's just music and opinions are like assholes.
I will never forget when I saw him at the Bottom Line club on W 3rd street in NYC about 25 years ago, the bass player did not look familiar to me, it was supposed to be Jimmy Johnson. After the show I was at bar and the bass player was there too, we talked and as I remember I think his name was Gary Willis, a monster player.
@mehtabb1 Well, glad to hear it!! Many years back, a friend of mine quit playing drums after we went to see Buddy Rich play! Shame. Glad yer still working on it. Good luck!!
Kad Allan pocne da svira svi ostali ispadaju smesni....a i ovaj tip za klavijaturom je strasan i moze da parira Allanu,Poruka za naucene gitariste:uzalud vam trud sviraci....ovde se ne radi o sviranju....
shawn lane and allan holdsworth are/were both monster fucking guitar players in their own right...I don't think it's fair to compare the two really...at his most jaw dropping, shawn was a brilliant shock guitarist whose licks were pretty much impossible to follow or transcribe...allan is more straight ahead fusion with disturbing chord voicings and even more disturbing legato runs...to the untrained ear it's comparable, but if you know what you're hearing, there are definite distinctions
Does Holdsworth play anything else than jazz/fusion? I don't like it and I can't understand the greatness of Holdsworth xD I like Shawn Lane, cause he mixed it up =)
@DerekBallesty Yeah, and Holdsworth said that Shawn was the best player ever. Shawn had better technique, that's for sure. But Allan is probably better at playing Jazz. Shawn played some other stuff too.
@kranen1 better technique? I have yet to see an electric guitarist with as flexible a left hand as holdsworth. I know shawn had amazing technique but i haven't been as blown away by the stuff he did with his fingers as i have by allan. but i do find his sense of melody and harmony is very 'out there' compared to shawn's which can make it a bit hit and miss for the listener.
@MagpieRising I actually think Shawn had better technique. That shit he was doing was so fast and out of this world it just wasn't true. I watched Yngwie, Gilbert, Vai and the rest for some years, but when I saw Shawn it was like a whole new level, or two, or three levels xD And people are talking about Eddie Van Halen's Eruption xD Shawn's technique was very special and unique.
hodsworth reminds me of the great limit poker player ., all math and shapes, but no reading ability and cant "understand" why would he call my raise with 8/2 off-some brains work diff- he is a special player regardless
@SpiritNirvana thats what i thought..yet if you watch instructional videos he is playing with all fingers, but i think he keeps the pick cradled between thumb and index, sort of hidden from view when he's not soloing. do u agree with this?
100 % correct...It blows my mind how he does it, but while executing a flurry of 64th notes or faster, Allan can seamlessly tuck the pick between his thumb and pointer finger without missing a single note. Check out the Live At The Galaxy DVD. There's a few good close up shots of Allan doing just that.
@SpiritNirvana I used to use the same picks until I discovered stone picks. I am still working on getting as fluid as Allan, but every little discovery helps.
Allan is a guitar virtuoso. I developed my legato technique by listening to early EVH, who was influenced by AH. I don't like jazz music in any shape or form. The chords and melodic lead runs Allan plays I generally avoid. His playing is beautifully executed, but also sounds very dissonant (harsh and inharmonious in sound) to my ears. Different cognitive hardwiring translates to different interpretation. So I am interested in how Allan executes his technique, but not in the final result.
@FrozenDoberman Actually, it's that dissonance that I particularly like, and the reason Allan became my favorite guitarist many years ago. But that's cool, vive la difference, eh?
@DJBuglip 'Like' doesn't really mean much, it's just a conditioned response.If you let a kid choose only what he 'likes' to eat he'll eat McDonalds, Pizza & Junk food for life. Later you condition yourself to eat healthy. Allan Holdsworth & Frank Zappa & musicians of that level are the health food of music. They're mind expansion brain food really for people deconditioned enough from junk to be able to appreciate it. Without that deconditioning pure music doesn't even register as valuable.
@FrozenDoberman "I don't like Jazz music in any shape or form." That's your loss being that narrow-minded & afraid of acquiring new tastes.One of the most beautiful musical art forms ever created & some dude would rather listen to Eddie Van Halen party-till-you-puke music. 'Like' doesn't really mean much, it's just a conditioned response.If you let a kid choose only what he 'likes' to eat he'll eat McDonalds, Pizza & Junk food for life. When you feel sick you condition yourself to eat healthy.
@FreepowerUG Yeah but who cares about Van Halen & his recommendation? It's a party-till-you-puke band with a guitar player much too good for it who got stuck in the limited paradigm of that juvenile band & went backwards.. Yeah he made millions of dollars & millions of fans but his art got completely atrophied behind clowns like David Lee Roth & Sammy Hagar. Van Halen is a worse player now than he was 30 years ago. Holdsworth was already a legend by the time he joined Tony Williams Lifetime.
@candlewick163 Screw Edward Van Halen man, I'm sick of hearing about that overrated alcoholic has-been. "Runnin' with the Devil," "Eruption" "You Really Got Me" you call that high-quality music? At least 5 kids in my high school could play "Eruption" note-for-note & sound EXACTLY like EVH. Not one of those guys could play an Allan Holdsworth solo in his dreams. You know that Van Halen gave the world? All the Hair-Metal bands of the 80s. Van Halen is the band they imitated.
@metamorphosis67 haha dude calm down. I'm not saying that EVH is better Holdsworth. I'm just saying he's good. However good EVH is (which I pretty much agree with you, his stuff isn't hard to imitate) he was still very influential. A lot of high school wannabes can imitate his stuff, but that's it. They can imitate it. Anyone can imitate anyone else with enough practice, but the difference between imitating and creating is that the creator was the one who thought of it. No one else did.
@metamorphosis67 Also, it took me no more than a week to perfect the solo from "Devil Take The Hindmost", but does that mean I am anywhere near as good as Holdsworth? No. It just means I can play what he can play. I don't think like him.
@candlewick163 A week! yeah right! John McLaughlin can't play Holdsworth solos but you can!. Let's see a video. Why don't you tell the truth? The truth is you played guitar for a lifetime, at least 10 to 20 years, practicing 6 to 8 hours a day before you could play that solo in 'a week' much slower & with a bad tone. Monkey See Monkey Do. The guys I'm talking about were playing Van Halen solos Monkey-See-Monkey-Do, with the EVH sound after 2 or 3 years of playing guitar in high school.
@metamorphosis67 makes me lol that a holdsworth fan will attack a van halen fan in these musically dubious times , i mean come on guys the appaling shit thats out there and your arguing between two of the guitarists that defined rock and fusion over the last 30 years , GROW THE FUCK UP.
@FrozenDoberman Excuse me... even though I´ve always been a big fan of "inside" playing, (beatles, tommy emmanuel, queen, pat metheny, argentinian music (where i live) brazilian, etc you name it) I personally find those "dissonances" really alluring. Of course it sounded like WTF for a while, but after listening to the studio version of this song (and the whole album Metal Fatigue for that matter) and his REH video...
... reading interviews, listening to his music,I got the feel that there are not such things as "dissonances" and that he just uses the same 6 strings we all use in his own unique way, and that´s what captivates me and it feels great. Many people get snobbish, analytical and forget about what happens inside. In my opinion, it all comes down to the sensation you get when you get in touch with an art form. Great people just make you feel great, isn´t that awesome? Allan expanded my mind.
insaneguitarfreak: Al Di Meola "expanded" my mind, but not Holdsworth. But that's just the way individual minds process external sensory information. Technically they are both advanced players, but entertainment value is another matter. I accept all musical tastes as being perfectly valid. I don't need to justify what music I find entertaining, nor should anyone else.
I met Alan in 1987 at the now defunct Diamond Club in Toronto. Totally unassuming and humble guy. He hung around the stage after the gig to chat with fans and sign autographs. The demand for his presence was so strong that I think Alan actually felt it and obliged.
he line that starts at 2:48 and ends at around 3:30 is simply one of the most incredible accomplishments in the entire history of Guitar. and this man does it Effortlessly …
Incredible talent. Considering that his dad bought him a guitar when all he wanted to do was play the sax ("horn"), as he put it. Hence his legato style. Note for note .... al-a-sax.
@crazyedd123 Actually, Allan picks a lot more than you think. It's due to his godly dynamic control that makes his hammer-on and picking sound so even.
@ShredST i had no idea, it makes sense why you don't see many tabs of his music, it's hard to differentiate the picked notes from the hammers and pulls.
@PhuckHue2 do you really mean that? I've had one of those guitars, and they certainly don't suck. I was wondering if there's something in particular that he doesn't like about them when playing live..
I think he once said that he uses the Steinbergers on tour because he can bring them with him on the airplane since they're so small. I can understand that, feels much safer when your guitar is actually with you instead of going through some airplane-luggage stuff.
Worked at a 'pub' where he was a patron @ '97...COOLEST guy..gave me a copy of Just for the Curious..though I once made some reference to KIng Crimson and he just looked at me and said. 'I hate Robert Fripp..'
@phriend2spin Looks like a Steinberger Spirit or a copy of it. The headless, minimalist guitars were a big thing in the 80s until everyone realised they were completely impractical and uncomfortable.
@Ali360 I've been using one (a GM4T) for 20 years. The TransTrem rocks. I can change all six strings in less than 5 minutes. Impractical? Uncomfortable? Uh, no. It records great (I just used mine all over an album being produced by a guy with three Latin Grammys), is practical on the plane, hardly ever goes out of tune. and the neck is bulletproof. You must have had one! (They DO look a bit geeky.)
@Panufo Never owned one but tried a good few, mainly when EVH and Mike Rutherford went through a phase of using them in the mid 80s. Just couldn't get along with it at all. Guitars are a very personal thing and cool if you like it, I'll stick my Suhrs though : ) Shame more manufacturers don't use the TransTrem though. That part I really did like. Still keep trying to find a ZT3 to try but so few dealers stock them.
Makes me proud to be from Bradford when we have Allan Holdsworth and David Hockney - two of the worlds greatest living artists. I used to live in the same block of flats as Mr Holdsworth in Thorpe Edge, a council estate in Bradfordl. I could listen to this all day.
@4:35, Dude's still got it. 5:10. JaHEEzus. Even though he needs to either start sitting down on a stool, or he's gonna start falling out - the Old Gnarly Geezer. 5:39 the crowd pays respect to a GOD. Old bastard. Love you mate, please come back to Raleigh, North Carolina. Half of NYC lives here now. NO SHIT. I HAVEN'T seen you since 1987 at 9:30 Club DC. And when you come, Bring Gary, just leave the bassist at the hotel, I know the tunes and I want to play.
The guy's in a league all his own. A class by himself. When you look up virtuoso in the dictionary you won't find Holdsworths name because he's really not defineable. He's a virtuoso, but so much more than that. A gentlemen musician!
I've been following Holdsworth since the 70s. Apart from his obvious talent and originality he adds to his image as the consumate professional by not dressin-up in some kind of halloween costume when he performs. Doesn't need it, never will.
@devolve42 Well there all kinds of music out there for every living soul. Some of us will not be as sophisticated as yourself and will find this piece monotonous and boring.
@apophis135 No they dont, when I was about 10 I was obsessed with metallica, I spent hours trying to learn there solos and riffs, I still think they are great and S&M is one of my favourite albums still, whilst kirk hammet is nowhere near alot of players let alone holdsworth, I still have him to thank for getting me excited about guitar and making some music that excited me. Nowadays I can tackle tougher stuff from lane to metheny, and I have metallica to thank, and so do many others,
@apophis135 the do not deserve to be insulted, without them there probably wouldnt be thrash metal as we know it, and btw what deep purple song does not have a simple riff?
I like the Jazzy-feel, very progressive-Jazz.... Amazing smoothness on those frets! He has a great ear for musicality&going all over the place in that guitar, yet staying within the funky-bounds of the music&right key. It's a style that must be acquired for most, but my father is a Sax player, so I grew up with Jazz, Rock&all kinds of music! If it's good music, it's music to my ears!
@musicmydrug10 Sure, Holdsworth is a worldclass grandmaster man - he uses violin techniques (4 fingers per string etc.), is known for complex harmonic understanding, Coltrane-like abilities... like someone stated here, he's the premier electric guitarist...period.
Increadable chord progressions , truly jaming at its best , giving insight !something old -& new ! Hot every one wiil appreciate his playing or composition !--THEY SHOULD !--as a stepping stone ,to discovery within the musical range ! Thank you as to the post and share !
TRY TO SEND THIS TO ANYONE YOU CAN THINK OF THAT WILL WATCH! It only takes that one Listen to change someones life. Holdsworth Is the BAR. Pass it on. He deserves the Utmost respect. They had a church of Coltrane. I say Church of HOLDSWORTH!! everyone just shreds all day lol:)
Everyone knows, or at least they should...that Alan has the coolest chord voicings, dare I say, EVER! Yes indeed, from my perspective as a player now for thirty years, nobody has even come close to his voicings and harmonic motion, let alone his soloing!
I have seen him perform live in Verviers/Belgium yesterday. They all were quite tired at the end of their tour (Tel Aviv still to come), but it was fantastic. He was godly as always, Chad still looks like a teenager, and Ernest Tibbs rocked with his 6-string bass.
He only happens to be the best on earth period!!!!!! Fantastic.....Marvelous and Unequaled! What can you say? He is only Pat Metheny, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani's favorite guitarist ever! Enjoy.....it doesn't get any better....
God existed until he heard Allan play. Then he realized he wasn't all powerful and committed suicide from the embarrassment. True story. It's in one of the back pages of the bible.
God bless him
dallettbowers 2 weeks ago
in this vein of music he is one of the very best... although I do give Al DiMeola a slight edge
thomashood252003 3 weeks ago
this man is insane, i love him
mindmolester7 3 weeks ago
Allan is one of the most amazing musicians ever and the best guitar player I've ever heard. He's redefining jazz and taking it to the next level in all aspects: musicality, melodies, chords, legatos, solos, and technique, but in contrast to so many other guitar players around who's playing to impress he's playing to express and his technique never gets in the way of the music, but is just a means to create some of the most beautiful music on earth. His music touches my heart like nothing else.
funkybeatsify 3 weeks ago in playlist More videos from SpiritNirvana
@funkybeatsify
Yeah, time for some new material already.
Samsgarden 2 days ago
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funkybeatsify 3 weeks ago in playlist More videos from SpiritNirvana
see folks,its all music in the end so lets not get hyper over whos playing what..just sit back and enjoy and try to learn as much as we can from these great musicians.....Al Holdsworth came to India and he wanted to learn more about Baul music and Indian classical...its all about learning as much as you can about different styles...this is what makes great musicians..not you complaining fartgrips....
undertakerstu 1 month ago
Why are people discussing Van Halen on a Holdsworth video blog? Go drop those comments on one of the EVH videos where they belong.
Chromatype 1 month ago
Wow. What a lot of notes.
mindlesspup 1 month ago
First of all, Van Halen rocks. And how ironic that you point out being narrow-minded when someone doesn't like jazz while simultaneously bashing THEIR taste in music. Hypocrite much? It's just music and opinions are like assholes.
Inkawgneegrow 2 months ago 2
wow
donottawaguitar 3 months ago
I will never forget when I saw him at the Bottom Line club on W 3rd street in NYC about 25 years ago, the bass player did not look familiar to me, it was supposed to be Jimmy Johnson. After the show I was at bar and the bass player was there too, we talked and as I remember I think his name was Gary Willis, a monster player.
lionlr1 3 months ago
Holdsworth is why im going to burn all my guitars.
mehtabb1 3 months ago
@mehtabb1 No, man don't think like that. I play too, and we just gotta listen hard, and try to learn what we can.
Its not a competition. I'm sure you got something to "say" with your guitar too.
biggbrattz 2 months ago
@biggbrattz I was kidding! But really his legato is off the wall, one day I'll get that legato :\
mehtabb1 2 months ago
@mehtabb1 Well, glad to hear it!! Many years back, a friend of mine quit playing drums after we went to see Buddy Rich play! Shame. Glad yer still working on it. Good luck!!
biggbrattz 2 months ago
@biggbrattz Thats hilarious!
mehtabb1 2 months ago
Kad Allan pocne da svira svi ostali ispadaju smesni....a i ovaj tip za klavijaturom je strasan i moze da parira Allanu,Poruka za naucene gitariste:uzalud vam trud sviraci....ovde se ne radi o sviranju....
mireguitarsolo 4 months ago
shawn lane and allan holdsworth are/were both monster fucking guitar players in their own right...I don't think it's fair to compare the two really...at his most jaw dropping, shawn was a brilliant shock guitarist whose licks were pretty much impossible to follow or transcribe...allan is more straight ahead fusion with disturbing chord voicings and even more disturbing legato runs...to the untrained ear it's comparable, but if you know what you're hearing, there are definite distinctions
manifestgtr 4 months ago
there lives a wizard among us~
twirlyboggs 5 months ago
Does Holdsworth play anything else than jazz/fusion? I don't like it and I can't understand the greatness of Holdsworth xD I like Shawn Lane, cause he mixed it up =)
kranen1 5 months ago
@kranen1 Shawn Lane is great but he wishes he was Holdsworth. Seriously, I think he would actually say those exact words if you asked him.
DerekBallesty 5 months ago
@DerekBallesty Yeah, and Holdsworth said that Shawn was the best player ever. Shawn had better technique, that's for sure. But Allan is probably better at playing Jazz. Shawn played some other stuff too.
kranen1 5 months ago
@kranen1
Don't be rash now.
Apart from technique, what makes holdsworth atractive is his musicality and his absense from the 'scene' and the imbecile shred circus.
Samsgarden 5 months ago
@kranen1 better technique? I have yet to see an electric guitarist with as flexible a left hand as holdsworth. I know shawn had amazing technique but i haven't been as blown away by the stuff he did with his fingers as i have by allan. but i do find his sense of melody and harmony is very 'out there' compared to shawn's which can make it a bit hit and miss for the listener.
MagpieRising 4 months ago
@MagpieRising I actually think Shawn had better technique. That shit he was doing was so fast and out of this world it just wasn't true. I watched Yngwie, Gilbert, Vai and the rest for some years, but when I saw Shawn it was like a whole new level, or two, or three levels xD And people are talking about Eddie Van Halen's Eruption xD Shawn's technique was very special and unique.
kranen1 4 months ago
@kranen1 Check out his appearances on the last Planet X record!
TheBloomberger 5 months ago
@kikme778... I like that!!! Good one!
MarvinSheats 5 months ago
hodsworth reminds me of the great limit poker player ., all math and shapes, but no reading ability and cant "understand" why would he call my raise with 8/2 off-some brains work diff- he is a special player regardless
badhorsee 5 months ago
Awesome!
jazzfan19605 6 months ago
the best noodler on earth.
powerkor 7 months ago
does allan use a pick?
dwilmer7 7 months ago
Yes...Jim Dunlop 1MM. Black Nylon picks, Allan uses this picks exclusively, because the pick does not generate any extraneous noise whatsoever.
SpiritNirvana 7 months ago
@SpiritNirvana thats what i thought..yet if you watch instructional videos he is playing with all fingers, but i think he keeps the pick cradled between thumb and index, sort of hidden from view when he's not soloing. do u agree with this?
dwilmer7 7 months ago
100 % correct...It blows my mind how he does it, but while executing a flurry of 64th notes or faster, Allan can seamlessly tuck the pick between his thumb and pointer finger without missing a single note. Check out the Live At The Galaxy DVD. There's a few good close up shots of Allan doing just that.
Peace.
SpiritNirvana 7 months ago 6
@SpiritNirvana I used to use the same picks until I discovered stone picks. I am still working on getting as fluid as Allan, but every little discovery helps.
JEr1cks0n 2 months ago
Thus guy's so good, that it's sick!
zwatrif 7 months ago
His playing is really horny
mooping5 7 months ago
Even for Allan, this is one of his more outstanding performances, imho.
dddoty1 7 months ago
has he ever played C-major open strings?
floggymosco13 7 months ago
white steinberger and Allan Holdsworth.......... YUMY!!!!
Chillyfretlesswilly 7 months ago
In the beginning, Holdsworth was the word, and the word was with Holdsworth...
Ardent15 7 months ago
He makes it look so easy... ;) No one can play like this guy.
DavidRavenMoon 8 months ago 3
The Greatest!
astrobuddy1 8 months ago
Allan is a guitar virtuoso. I developed my legato technique by listening to early EVH, who was influenced by AH. I don't like jazz music in any shape or form. The chords and melodic lead runs Allan plays I generally avoid. His playing is beautifully executed, but also sounds very dissonant (harsh and inharmonious in sound) to my ears. Different cognitive hardwiring translates to different interpretation. So I am interested in how Allan executes his technique, but not in the final result.
FrozenDoberman 8 months ago
@FrozenDoberman Actually, it's that dissonance that I particularly like, and the reason Allan became my favorite guitarist many years ago. But that's cool, vive la difference, eh?
DJBuglip 8 months ago
@DJBuglip 'Like' doesn't really mean much, it's just a conditioned response.If you let a kid choose only what he 'likes' to eat he'll eat McDonalds, Pizza & Junk food for life. Later you condition yourself to eat healthy. Allan Holdsworth & Frank Zappa & musicians of that level are the health food of music. They're mind expansion brain food really for people deconditioned enough from junk to be able to appreciate it. Without that deconditioning pure music doesn't even register as valuable.
metamorphosis67 8 months ago 2
@metamorphosis67
Well said
ExtremeBogom 7 months ago
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Samsgarden 8 months ago
@FrozenDoberman
I think I like Allan for that exact reason.
Samsgarden 8 months ago
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Samsgarden 8 months ago
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Samsgarden 8 months ago
@FrozenDoberman "I don't like Jazz music in any shape or form." That's your loss being that narrow-minded & afraid of acquiring new tastes.One of the most beautiful musical art forms ever created & some dude would rather listen to Eddie Van Halen party-till-you-puke music. 'Like' doesn't really mean much, it's just a conditioned response.If you let a kid choose only what he 'likes' to eat he'll eat McDonalds, Pizza & Junk food for life. When you feel sick you condition yourself to eat healthy.
metamorphosis67 8 months ago 24
@metamorphosis67 Eddie Van Halen, of course, one of THE biggest Holdsworth fans out there. ;)
FreepowerUG 6 months ago
@FreepowerUG Yeah but who cares about Van Halen & his recommendation? It's a party-till-you-puke band with a guitar player much too good for it who got stuck in the limited paradigm of that juvenile band & went backwards.. Yeah he made millions of dollars & millions of fans but his art got completely atrophied behind clowns like David Lee Roth & Sammy Hagar. Van Halen is a worse player now than he was 30 years ago. Holdsworth was already a legend by the time he joined Tony Williams Lifetime.
metamorphosis67 6 months ago
@metamorphosis67 I'm a thrilled that you are intelligently defending Jazz to the ignorant public, but please do not talk down about Eddie Van Halen.
candlewick163 6 months ago
@candlewick163 Screw Edward Van Halen man, I'm sick of hearing about that overrated alcoholic has-been. "Runnin' with the Devil," "Eruption" "You Really Got Me" you call that high-quality music? At least 5 kids in my high school could play "Eruption" note-for-note & sound EXACTLY like EVH. Not one of those guys could play an Allan Holdsworth solo in his dreams. You know that Van Halen gave the world? All the Hair-Metal bands of the 80s. Van Halen is the band they imitated.
metamorphosis67 6 months ago
@metamorphosis67 haha dude calm down. I'm not saying that EVH is better Holdsworth. I'm just saying he's good. However good EVH is (which I pretty much agree with you, his stuff isn't hard to imitate) he was still very influential. A lot of high school wannabes can imitate his stuff, but that's it. They can imitate it. Anyone can imitate anyone else with enough practice, but the difference between imitating and creating is that the creator was the one who thought of it. No one else did.
candlewick163 6 months ago
@metamorphosis67 Also, it took me no more than a week to perfect the solo from "Devil Take The Hindmost", but does that mean I am anywhere near as good as Holdsworth? No. It just means I can play what he can play. I don't think like him.
candlewick163 6 months ago
@candlewick163 A week! yeah right! John McLaughlin can't play Holdsworth solos but you can!. Let's see a video. Why don't you tell the truth? The truth is you played guitar for a lifetime, at least 10 to 20 years, practicing 6 to 8 hours a day before you could play that solo in 'a week' much slower & with a bad tone. Monkey See Monkey Do. The guys I'm talking about were playing Van Halen solos Monkey-See-Monkey-Do, with the EVH sound after 2 or 3 years of playing guitar in high school.
metamorphosis67 6 months ago
@metamorphosis67 ok nevermind, im done with you.
candlewick163 6 months ago
@metamorphosis67 makes me lol that a holdsworth fan will attack a van halen fan in these musically dubious times , i mean come on guys the appaling shit thats out there and your arguing between two of the guitarists that defined rock and fusion over the last 30 years , GROW THE FUCK UP.
Dazzler59 5 months ago
@Dazzler59
They should make a youtube diatribe button.
Samsgarden 5 months ago
@Samsgarden ha ha! good one! so very true! call up the google app developers!
jamesedwardtheobald 4 months ago
@FrozenDoberman Excuse me... even though I´ve always been a big fan of "inside" playing, (beatles, tommy emmanuel, queen, pat metheny, argentinian music (where i live) brazilian, etc you name it) I personally find those "dissonances" really alluring. Of course it sounded like WTF for a while, but after listening to the studio version of this song (and the whole album Metal Fatigue for that matter) and his REH video...
insaneguitarfreak 6 months ago
... reading interviews, listening to his music,I got the feel that there are not such things as "dissonances" and that he just uses the same 6 strings we all use in his own unique way, and that´s what captivates me and it feels great. Many people get snobbish, analytical and forget about what happens inside. In my opinion, it all comes down to the sensation you get when you get in touch with an art form. Great people just make you feel great, isn´t that awesome? Allan expanded my mind.
insaneguitarfreak 6 months ago
insaneguitarfreak: Al Di Meola "expanded" my mind, but not Holdsworth. But that's just the way individual minds process external sensory information. Technically they are both advanced players, but entertainment value is another matter. I accept all musical tastes as being perfectly valid. I don't need to justify what music I find entertaining, nor should anyone else.
FrozenDoberman 6 months ago
I met Alan in 1987 at the now defunct Diamond Club in Toronto. Totally unassuming and humble guy. He hung around the stage after the gig to chat with fans and sign autographs. The demand for his presence was so strong that I think Alan actually felt it and obliged.
69torus 9 months ago
One of the best human beings ever
SimulacronX 9 months ago 5
This has been flagged as spam show
he line that starts at 2:48 and ends at around 3:30 is simply one of the most incredible accomplishments in the entire history of Guitar. and this man does it Effortlessly …
Joey Lodes
joeylodes 9 months ago
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joeylodes 9 months ago
Allah Holdsworth
hcholm 9 months ago 8
Where have you been all my life Mr. Holdsworth?
cwisor30 9 months ago
is he even using distortion?
HiImJerry8 9 months ago
@HiImJerry8 only during the solo -- the recording is terrible
devolve42 9 months ago
@HiImJerry8 yes
bobbygoesbig 9 months ago
man he looks exactly like jeff dunham's walter hahahaaha or those dummies on genesis's land of confusion video hahahaha
HiImJerry8 9 months ago
ALLAN HOLDSWORTH IN LAS VEGAS ON APRIL 3RD 2011
matt89102 10 months ago
This is beyond human. Allan Holdsworth is absolutely incredible.
danitaly 10 months ago 3
Those Steinburgers are about the size of a small canoe paddle. They look abnormally small on anyone.
ZeppelinRules 10 months ago
Anyone have a HQ version of Tokyo Dreams? Would like to see that.
LodoGrdzak 10 months ago
Hi, I have the same guitar teacher, jejejeje.
Good Bye
kapitanmorgan 10 months ago
And he plays the whole damn thing with his eyes closed!
dufty08 10 months ago
Incredible talent. Considering that his dad bought him a guitar when all he wanted to do was play the sax ("horn"), as he put it. Hence his legato style. Note for note .... al-a-sax.
simontatt 10 months ago 4
i havent seen hands that made a guitar look so small since i saw a video of tal farlow
HiImJerry8 10 months ago
I think this is a Nirvana or Green Day cover song.
bitcheznhos 10 months ago
@bitcheznhos HAHAHAHA!!!! LMAO!!!
funkcongress 10 months ago
what is the neck scale of that guitar?
jcfbell3001 10 months ago
@jcfbell3001 25.5 inches, like a Strat
ijoan 10 months ago
@ijoan
really??? it's looks smaller to me...maybe it's just allan making it look easy lol
jcfbell3001 10 months ago
@jcfbell3001
I own a Steinberger, and the headless design throws you off, as it seems so small, but it really is standard scale. Allan has large hands anyway.
ijoan 10 months ago
One day I said "God, what is the meaning of life? and he said "Shut up, im listening to Holdsworth!"
kikme778 11 months ago 86
@kikme778 So true!!!!!LOL
TheScunion 9 months ago
@kikme778 You are funny and correct! HAHAHAHAHA!!!
EvilMarler 5 months ago
his fingers look like a giant spider running on a train track.
it's hard to believe how this is mostly just legato (hammer-ons) notes. it's such a unique tone and playing style
crazyedd123 11 months ago
@crazyedd123 Actually, Allan picks a lot more than you think. It's due to his godly dynamic control that makes his hammer-on and picking sound so even.
ShredST 7 months ago
@ShredST i had no idea, it makes sense why you don't see many tabs of his music, it's hard to differentiate the picked notes from the hammers and pulls.
plus he changes key for every chord. O_o
crazyedd123 7 months ago
That was huge.
scarydoor 11 months ago
This man sure knows exactly what he's playing!
TravellerInTime1987 11 months ago
every time i listen to allan, (when he starts improv) i get a big smile!
1komanche 11 months ago
so why doesn't he ever play his carvin guitars?
MyLifeChanger 11 months ago
@MyLifeChanger because they suck
PhuckHue2 11 months ago
@PhuckHue2 do you really mean that? I've had one of those guitars, and they certainly don't suck. I was wondering if there's something in particular that he doesn't like about them when playing live..
MyLifeChanger 11 months ago
@MyLifeChanger he doesnt like the tone
PhuckHue2 11 months ago
@PhuckHue2 Congrats you've been wrong twice now.
gitarmats has it right, but Allan still uses the Carvin in the studio a lot of the time.
PudWud1 10 months ago
@MyLifeChanger
I think he once said that he uses the Steinbergers on tour because he can bring them with him on the airplane since they're so small. I can understand that, feels much safer when your guitar is actually with you instead of going through some airplane-luggage stuff.
gitarmats 10 months ago
@gitarmats so does he do all the rigging himself? doesn't even bring a guitar tech with him? wow. that's rare nowaways...
MyLifeChanger 10 months ago
@MyLifeChanger
I have no idea! I just remember reading somewhere that this is why he uses the Steinbergers... It might just be a rumor, who knows?
I think asking Allan himself would be the safest source of information.
gitarmats 10 months ago
@MyLifeChanger Because Carvin won't make him headless guitars. Allan REALLY likes headless guitars, it seems.
ShredST 7 months ago
Nice to see this coment on Allan's web site: "Allan will be in the studio during the spring of 2011. "
moodlifter 11 months ago
gotta get out and see him again. Great musician and person.
Bifrons 11 months ago
@mikesmithson - I actually heard that God was gonna play guitar himself when he'd done creating, but he heard AH and said "To hell with it"!
geespar1 11 months ago
slack -jawwed
DVincentW 11 months ago
can this really called a guitar? Don't like these Steinbergers...
MarkOpee1 11 months ago
@MarkOpee1 It's not the tool, but what you make with it.
Bass5el 11 months ago
Some of his stretches are extrem.
Nevigo 11 months ago
i usually have to work to enjoy listen to holdsworth but this is really rockin! hes actually playing with the bands dynamics
dankgeetar 11 months ago
what are the scales he's playing does anyone know? the chord progressions are crazy to!
shanebai 1 year ago
is he from this planet??
MrWilander88 1 year ago
Worked at a 'pub' where he was a patron @ '97...COOLEST guy..gave me a copy of Just for the Curious..though I once made some reference to KIng Crimson and he just looked at me and said. 'I hate Robert Fripp..'
gothos1000 1 year ago
Jesus. My left hand hurts like hell just LOOKING at that shit.
alexmortland 1 year ago
Heard this a bout a year ago and blue my fucking mind.
funknotik 1 year ago
Is that a travel or kids guitar?
phriend2spin 1 year ago
@phriend2spin Looks like a Steinberger Spirit or a copy of it. The headless, minimalist guitars were a big thing in the 80s until everyone realised they were completely impractical and uncomfortable.
Ali360 1 year ago
@Ali360 I've been using one (a GM4T) for 20 years. The TransTrem rocks. I can change all six strings in less than 5 minutes. Impractical? Uncomfortable? Uh, no. It records great (I just used mine all over an album being produced by a guy with three Latin Grammys), is practical on the plane, hardly ever goes out of tune. and the neck is bulletproof. You must have had one! (They DO look a bit geeky.)
Panufo 1 year ago
@Panufo Never owned one but tried a good few, mainly when EVH and Mike Rutherford went through a phase of using them in the mid 80s. Just couldn't get along with it at all. Guitars are a very personal thing and cool if you like it, I'll stick my Suhrs though : ) Shame more manufacturers don't use the TransTrem though. That part I really did like. Still keep trying to find a ZT3 to try but so few dealers stock them.
Ali360 1 year ago
Makes me proud to be from Bradford when we have Allan Holdsworth and David Hockney - two of the worlds greatest living artists. I used to live in the same block of flats as Mr Holdsworth in Thorpe Edge, a council estate in Bradfordl. I could listen to this all day.
fieldfullofthistles 1 year ago
I like the trio stuff. More of a focus on guitar which is always exotic!
twistswitch 1 year ago
i heard that this guy was a kirk hammetts student..
is that true?
(joking guyz , plz dont kill me )
guitarralaraja 1 year ago
Untouchable.
312chicagoadam 1 year ago
@312chicagoadam
still bingein' on this too!!
Timotheedle 1 year ago
i think that allan holdsworth is chuck norris in disguise.
jamesha175 1 year ago 2
His triads are amazing.
deadithink 1 year ago
@4:35, Dude's still got it. 5:10. JaHEEzus. Even though he needs to either start sitting down on a stool, or he's gonna start falling out - the Old Gnarly Geezer. 5:39 the crowd pays respect to a GOD. Old bastard. Love you mate, please come back to Raleigh, North Carolina. Half of NYC lives here now. NO SHIT. I HAVEN'T seen you since 1987 at 9:30 Club DC. And when you come, Bring Gary, just leave the bassist at the hotel, I know the tunes and I want to play.
playguitarlars 1 year ago
The guy's in a league all his own. A class by himself. When you look up virtuoso in the dictionary you won't find Holdsworths name because he's really not defineable. He's a virtuoso, but so much more than that. A gentlemen musician!
n8tureboy 1 year ago 4
I've been following Holdsworth since the 70s. Apart from his obvious talent and originality he adds to his image as the consumate professional by not dressin-up in some kind of halloween costume when he performs. Doesn't need it, never will.
oxdrift76 1 year ago
6 people spend every single Saturday playing "Smoke on the Water" and "Orion" in their local Guitar Center.
devolve42 1 year ago 55
@devolve42 Well there all kinds of music out there for every living soul. Some of us will not be as sophisticated as yourself and will find this piece monotonous and boring.
BGSoccerMagic 1 year ago
@devolve42 LOL! That made me laugh. Thumbs up!!!
KHGuitarFreak1988 11 months ago
@devolve42 LMMFAO!
Apolyion 11 months ago
@devolve42 Did you just insult Deep Purple and Metallica?
Georgio448 10 months ago
@Georgio448 Metallica deserves to be insulted and he's not insulting Deep Purple, he's just saying that one of their songs has a very simple riff.
apophis135 10 months ago
@apophis135 No they dont, when I was about 10 I was obsessed with metallica, I spent hours trying to learn there solos and riffs, I still think they are great and S&M is one of my favourite albums still, whilst kirk hammet is nowhere near alot of players let alone holdsworth, I still have him to thank for getting me excited about guitar and making some music that excited me. Nowadays I can tackle tougher stuff from lane to metheny, and I have metallica to thank, and so do many others,
Sxrule 10 months ago
@apophis135 the do not deserve to be insulted, without them there probably wouldnt be thrash metal as we know it, and btw what deep purple song does not have a simple riff?
HiImJerry8 10 months ago
don't try at home, you're arm will fall off...
Holdsworthy 1 year ago
@Holdsworthy "your"
ClassicRocknRolla3 1 year ago
man, shawn lane copped so much of the last of that fast section.
TruthSurge 1 year ago
Find two differences between God and Allan Holdsworth.
ShivySokol 1 year ago
@ShivySokol I have compelling evidence that Allan is a really good musician and actually exists. God however ...
doisdjoai 1 year ago 4
I like the Jazzy-feel, very progressive-Jazz.... Amazing smoothness on those frets! He has a great ear for musicality&going all over the place in that guitar, yet staying within the funky-bounds of the music&right key. It's a style that must be acquired for most, but my father is a Sax player, so I grew up with Jazz, Rock&all kinds of music! If it's good music, it's music to my ears!
musicmydrug10 1 year ago
@musicmydrug10 Sure, Holdsworth is a worldclass grandmaster man - he uses violin techniques (4 fingers per string etc.), is known for complex harmonic understanding, Coltrane-like abilities... like someone stated here, he's the premier electric guitarist...period.
Listendudeok 1 year ago
GENIUS, i think there' s no other word.... don' t you???
lory7211 1 year ago
The premier electric guitarist...period!
pooperscoopr69 1 year ago
Increadable chord progressions , truly jaming at its best , giving insight !something old -& new ! Hot every one wiil appreciate his playing or composition !--THEY SHOULD !--as a stepping stone ,to discovery within the musical range ! Thank you as to the post and share !
:)) gus
gusthebroken2 1 year ago
Well... I think 6 people who watched this are JB fans.
fernando103s 1 year ago
TRY TO SEND THIS TO ANYONE YOU CAN THINK OF THAT WILL WATCH! It only takes that one Listen to change someones life. Holdsworth Is the BAR. Pass it on. He deserves the Utmost respect. They had a church of Coltrane. I say Church of HOLDSWORTH!! everyone just shreds all day lol:)
MaXaNoMaLoUs 1 year ago
Love Holdsworth but hate to see all my idols getting old!! You can imagine AH with a flatcap (he is a yorkshire man after all!!)
great posting
jonannlou 1 year ago
Everyone knows, or at least they should...that Alan has the coolest chord voicings, dare I say, EVER! Yes indeed, from my perspective as a player now for thirty years, nobody has even come close to his voicings and harmonic motion, let alone his soloing!
69torus 1 year ago
if GOD plays guitar, he sounds like holdsworth. maybe not that good.
1komanche 1 year ago
This is so good....to see him doing this close-up like this.
GuitarBobMonterey 1 year ago
gosh!!!
badass good
MichelVonBerlin 1 year ago
Allan is a awesome guitar player with bad profile. A real musician.
missymonroe72 1 year ago
Thank GOD for alan holdsworth....do u think alex machacek can fill his shoes????
zozo2341 1 year ago
overrated
montybus20 1 year ago
@montybus20 "overrated"? How do you mean? His the best electric guitarist in the known universe. End of discussion.
SimulacronX 1 year ago
@montybus20 you must be joking, man...
22fret 1 year ago
@montybus20 Nonsense, who is better in this genre?
road2ruins 1 year ago
I have seen him perform live in Verviers/Belgium yesterday. They all were quite tired at the end of their tour (Tel Aviv still to come), but it was fantastic. He was godly as always, Chad still looks like a teenager, and Ernest Tibbs rocked with his 6-string bass.
22fret 1 year ago
Mr. Holdsworth u are guitar god :')
arbinotik 1 year ago
An appreciative crowd and one of the greatest musicians of this or any generation having an extremely good night. Thanks for posting.
Good to see the Steinberger back.
fourplusseven 1 year ago
and on the seventh day, God created Alan Holdsworth. He heard him play and said "Damn, this shit is good!"
mikesmithson 1 year ago 37
@mikesmithson Dude he is soooo under raded. I'm glad he's still around. ...Fan
bigchief812 11 months ago
@mikesmithson FUCK YEAH!!!
matt89102 10 months ago
nice to see him @Tante Ju Dresden. Absolutely great..
deepimplosion 1 year ago
the alien has landed
tomosoos 1 year ago
@tomosoos haha! good comment!
fanqueen 1 year ago
He only happens to be the best on earth period!!!!!! Fantastic.....Marvelous and Unequaled! What can you say? He is only Pat Metheny, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani's favorite guitarist ever! Enjoy.....it doesn't get any better....
worldtravelers8 1 year ago
God existed until he heard Allan play. Then he realized he wasn't all powerful and committed suicide from the embarrassment. True story. It's in one of the back pages of the bible.
ianadels 1 year ago 3