# Allan Holdsworth



## Herzeleide (Feb 25, 2008)

Allan Holdsworth is one of the greatest ever electric guitarists. Influenced mainly by jazz players other than guitar (he actually always wanted to play the saxophone) he's developed a style of immense originality, with an extremely legato soloing style which mimics the reed sound of a saxophone or clarinet, and a chordal style more akin to the piano. Through mimicing instruments other than the guitar, he has transcended the guitar's possibilities, which has made his style inimitable and his music very difficult to play. This latter point is intensified by complex rhythms and changing time signatures, and the fact that his approach to harmony is _sui generis_ - unschooled in traditional jazz theory, he's formulated a harmonic system not unlike some post-tonal composers, which has been called 'harmelodic' - i.e. harmony from melody and vice versa, which bears some resemblance to the idea of the _bloc sonore_ of Boulez, or Scriabin's dissolving melody into harmony and vice versa. What this means in practice is that his very rich harmonic language never settles anywhere, never seems to have a beginning or end, but rather seems to perpetually modulate into new, distant harmonic regions. Such a concept is influenced by John Coltrane, who I believe is Holdworth's biggest influence.

For his chordal style, check out these:











Some of my favourite tunes (available on youtube):





















Some of his free-jazz improv:






Enjoy!


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## Herzeleide (Feb 25, 2008)

Just found this ridiculous clip of a young Allan with prog-jazz-fusion group Soft Machine:






Oh, and did I forget to mention he only started playing the guitar when he was 17? 

Proof of innate ability (and lots of hard work) coming through regardless of age.


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## JTech82 (Feb 6, 2009)

He's a good player, but I don't find his playing that remarkable or even that memorable. I own many of his recordings, but I find myself getting pretty annoyed with him in about 4 minutes or so. A pretty typical "shredder" by definition.

In terms of jazz guitar, I prefer Bill Frisell, John Abercrombie, Pat Metheny, Ben Monder, Wes Montgomery, Jim Hall, and Ed Bickert. These are the only jazz guitarists that matter to me.


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## Herzeleide (Feb 25, 2008)

JTech82 said:


> A pretty typical "shredder" by definition.


Not at all! Perhaps you haven't seen the 'shredders' that I have, but Holdsworth's fluid, floating lines, influenced more by instruments other than the guitar, are a million miles away from the clinical and headache-inducing produced by 'shredders'.


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## JTech82 (Feb 6, 2009)

Herzeleide said:


> Not at all! Perhaps you haven't seen the 'shredders' that I have, but Holdsworth's fluid, floating lines, influenced more by instruments other than the guitar, are a million miles away from the clinical and headache-inducing produced by 'shredders'.


I gave my opinion as to why I don't like him Herzeleide and I've felt this way for 15 years. I don't see that opinion changing anytime soon.


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## ecg_fa (Nov 10, 2008)

I like Holdsworth a lot-- if I think of him overall more as progressive rock player than jazz player-- but in a good way . & certainly he's influenced by jazz/free jazz too. Thanks for YT links-- wouldn't have expected to find him there but cool. I like Soft Machine probably the most w. him-- 'Bundles' & 'Floating World Live.'

Ed


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## Herzeleide (Feb 25, 2008)

ecg_fa said:


> I like Holdsworth a lot-- if I think of him overall more as progressive rock player than jazz player-- but in a good way .


Indeed! Which is why jazzbos more often than not don't get Holdsworth. 
We could call him a range of things... but really he's _sui generis_, and thus indefinable.


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