Why is eric clapton considered a guitar god

Almost all the problems that normally go with great celebrity and longevity in the rock business seem to pass him by. His epic consumption of drugs and alcohol never resulted in any but the slightest brushes with the law and did not reach the media until he himself was ready to confess them.

He was always blessed with amazing luck, leaving by the back door just before the police burst in through the front, walking away from car crashes without a bruise or a prosecution, botching serial suicide attempts, narrowly missing a helicopter crash which killed a fellow guitarist, two of his road crew and his agent, being rescued in the nick of time from drowning and diagnosed in the nick of time not only with lethal heroin addiction and alcoholism but bleeding ulcers, epilepsy and pleurisy — all similarly on the quiet.

Only in one area was he unable to keep the covers completely on his life. From his twenties to his forties, he was a womaniser on the scale of Mick Jagger , a sex addict before the term was invented, with a jaw-dropping recklessness all his own.

Then after all those decades of getting off scot-free came a dreadful reckoning. Of course, that is the day Mr. Clapton was born, and there has not been a single year that has gone by without fans and inspired souls sending him warm love and wishes. I decided to get in on the action and write something that reflects back on the spectacular career of this legendary guitarist. You do not have to be old to know Clapton. If you share the same passion for playing guitars, composing music, and performing, Eric Clapton will always remain one of the finest inspirations for us all.

There is just so much to learn from him. Theoretically speaking, if I stop the list right here, it would still be unbelievably impressive. Imagine walking around the world knowing that you are someone who inspired a great legend; wow! However, in the interest of knowledge, and to serve as a tribute, here are some other iconic names that were influenced by Mr. Eric Clapton shot into fame for one very specific reason; his guitar sound.

However, did you ever wonder who on earth gave the world that combination in the first place? Who was it who single-handedly redefined guitar sound? It was none other than Eric Clapton. However, to try out something new, something different, he decided to plug it in with a Marshall amplifier.

The results were simply astonishing. When the sound was made public, guitarists all over the world wanted to copy his style. Everyone wanted a Gibson and everyone wanted a Marshall amplifier. That trend continues even today. He gave the world the traditional sound of a rock guitar, and he used his newly found sound in many, many fabulous hits, some of which are:. Eric Clapton would use a multitude of techniques. He would often play with plectrums, but when needed, he started using the finger-style.

He was fast and, make no mistake, he could play extremely fast when he wanted to. He knew every trick in the book, such as slides, legato, vibrato , bends, and he was a champion at every technique that he used. It also comes with Eric Clapton inspired licks which you can pick up and start playing today! This is the first time a Les Paul guitar and a Marshall amplifier were used together. This particular formula of the Gibson Humbucking pickup and the powerful Marhall amp became the template for all modern rock guitar, blues and blues rock.

An overwhelming number of responses were submitted by email and social media. Many reasons — particularly about his tone and pioneering guitar work — were sited numerous times, although expressed in different words. To the list, the WE! The tracks and albums listed can be listened to on services like YouTube, Spotify, Pandora or similar. Skip to main content.

Eric Clapton founded Crossroads Centre Antigua in to help individuals in the Caribbean and around the world recover from alcohol and drug dependencies. Has kept the blues alive for more than 5 decades. The thick tone, distinctive vibrato and sustain delivered with biting attack and raw emotion were nothing short of revolutionary upon release in He introduced mainstream audiences to the blues of Robert Johnson.

The groundbreaking work of Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker in Cream changed the direction of popular music, established new standards for musical freedom of expression and set the stage for heavy metal. No one else sounds like Eric Clapton. His style and sound is instantly recognizable. Eric Clapton was a guitar prodigy who invented the lightning attack solo in his late teens.

The resulting album became the biggest seller of his career. Plus, his 45 year solo career is still going strong. Many are still trying to nail that tone today. Eric Clapton grew from being teenage wunderkind into a master musician who can write, sing and make you cry with one note from his guitar. In the Sixties, he singlehandedly revived the popularity of the Gibson Les Paul and caused it to be put back into production.

In the Seventies, his extensive use of Fender Stratocasters revived the model's popularity. Eric Clapton wrote the primer on how to use a wah-wah pedal. Few have truly mastered it. Over the course of his career, he has won or shared in 19 Grammy Awards plus picked up a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his work with Cream. Magic happens when Eric Clapton teams up with other guitarists in the live arena or the studio.

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