[ProfessorM]

Mr. Van Halen credited Alan Holdsworth for much inspiration and developing some of his techniques that he used. He worshiped him really. Holdsworth is not commercial music so many have never heard of him. VH was commercial so he got the technique, with his own personal refinement, more visibility and getting it to the masses. I credit Eddie for having the taste to even want to listen to Holdsworth. Zappa called Holdsworth one of the most interesting players on the planet. Good enough for me. Pretty hard to come up with new techniques on something that has been around for 100's of years and played by millions, all playing the same notes. They aren't inventing any new notes last i heard so you only have what everyone else has, even playing field. Guess that is what makes someone influential. How they were able to do something different, good, when others didn't see it, but had the same ingredients as everyone else. E VH is a great talent and deserves accolades for mainstreaming a style he took from some influence he got and developing it into his own hybrid style which was then listened to by others and developed into even more refined style's. It is all good, the way it should be. It is what makes music so fun, good, and personal.
Today's players have so much inspiration with all the ways to be exposed to all kinds of music thru albums, remember them, cd's, thousands of radio stations, etc,, It is hard to have your own style without some kind of influence pulling you in one way or another. Just impossible to have a best guitarist but is very possible to be an outstanding influential guitarist. Top 50 ? who knows, not me.


P.