60s Classic Rock

Led Zeppelin

Following the Rolling Stones and Jimi Hendrix making their mark on the music world, a lot of people started taking inspiration from them.  A young British guitarist named Jimmy Page was one of those musicians. After the popularity of The Beatles, Cream, The Rolling Stones, and Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy wanted to take inspiration from their album style. At this time, he was a guitarist playing with the Yardbirds; a band that holds a starting point for guitar legends such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page himself, and Jeff Beck. However, he was having problems with the manager, so he left to look for a new band.  After many months of trial and error Led Zeppelin came together for the first time in 1968.

First Live Performance 1968

The band hit the ground running and dropped their first album (Led Zeppelin) in 1969.  What makes Led Zeppelin so influential to me is their ability to flip their energy on and off like a light switch. Their most defining song is Stairway to Heaven. It starts off as such a melodic and chord heavy song. There is a multitude of instruments: the most unique to this genre in my opinion being the flute. However by the end of the song the band has completely switched attitudes, with very active drums and much busier background guitar. Robert Plant (the lead vocalist) is also singing in a much higher octave to match the energy of the song. Robert Plant’s flamboyant energy is one of the reasons that they are so entertaining to listen to. Led Zeppelin is the face of classic rock because of their ability to do this so easily. Their mark on classic rock that has influenced me is the way their classic riffs. Songs like Black Dog and Whole Lotta Love create a sound and energy that is what classic rock means to me. Additionally, learning Jimmy Page’s rapid and sloppy solos have taught me little nuances that I implement every time I play.

Led Zeppelin

Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd Band Members

Pink Floyd is an English Rock band formed in 1965.  It was founded by Syd Barrett, only to later be taken over by Roger Waters. Waters led the band in projects such as The Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, and Wish You Were Here. The band pioneers a new genre that was developing along side classic rock: psychedelic/progressive rock. This is a very influential band to me. Pink Floyd is home to one of my favorite guitarists of all time, David Gilmour. Gilmour’s signature guitar is an all black Fender Stratocaster. I recently purchased a Fender Stratocaster because it is a high quality instrument-but also because of my inspiration from David’s work on the instrument.

My Fender Stratocaster Roadhouse Deluxe

Following in Gilmour’s footsteps has led me to have much better phrasing in any solo parts that I have. His tone is also one of a kind because of its contradictory nature. It manages to be very spacy and distant, but with the simple switch of a pickup it develops a punch behind it.