Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page is one of the most influential axemen of all time. Whether it be Slash, Kirk Hammett, Alex Lifeson, or even John Frusciante, it’s reflective of his status that almost every prominent rock guitarist cites him as an influence in some capacity. Fusing a blues background with a distinctive technique and ample swagger, Page has written some of the most famous guitar-playing moments out there, from ‘Communication Breakdown’ to ‘Stairway to Heaven’.
Accurately describing what makes Page so brilliant is one of his most famous acolytes, Joe Bonamassa, who described him as the “toughest” guitarist to copy. He said: “In some circles, it’s argued he’s not a very accurate player. I disagree. He’s intrinsically very consistent, so that’s not a question of accuracy. That’s just how he plays. And one of the hardest things to do is copy those idiosyncrasies in his playing, so much so that I’m not going to bother attempting it.”
Whilst Jimmy Page has a unique style, there are things he can’t do, as Bonamassa suggested. This is something the Led Zeppelin guitarist is all too aware of, as he revealed when speaking to Guitar World in 1986. During the conversation, he was asked if he listens to the work of Van Halen guitarist Eddie Van Halen and how he uses the tremolo arm. Notably, Van Halen popularised the string-tapping technique in solos and helped the dive bomb on the whammy bar become a staple of 1980s metal.
Interestingly, the American guitarist once even named Jimmy Page as a hero, telling the same publication in 2011 that one of the British group’s tracks gave him the idea to start string tapping more prominently. He said: “I think I got the idea of tapping watching Jimmy Page do his ‘Heartbreaker’ solo back in 1971. He was doing a pull-off to an open string, and I thought, wait a minute, open string … pull off. I can do that, but what if I use my finger as the nut and move it around? I just kind of took it and ran with it.”
Responding to the question in the 1986 article, Page discussed the brilliance of Eddie Van Halen and said that he took his “hat off to him for working out that technique” regarding his blistering string tapping. He labelled his broader style as “incredible” before saying, “I can’t play like that”.
Page said: “I am extremely aware of him, actually, and I take my hat off to him for working out that technique [referring to Van Halen’s pioneering of the hammer-on technique]. You know, you talk about what I’ve done on the guitar and that’s what he’s done on the guitar. As far as it goes, it’s an incredible technique for what he does. I must say that. I can’t do it. I can’t smile like him either. It’s a really good technique but as I said I can’t play like that. That’s what we were talking about earlier: we’re talking about extremes now. That’s what’s so good about guitar players.”
Watch Van Halen in action below.
