Allan Holdsworth

This article is about the composer and guitarist. For the musician and disability activist known as "Johnny Crescendo", see Alan Holdsworth.

Allan Holdsworth
Holdsworth in 2012
Holdsworth in 2012
Background information
Born(1946-08-06)6 August 1946
Bradford, England
Died15 April 2017(2017-04-15) (aged 70)
Vista, California, US
Genres
Occupations
  • Musician
  • composer
  • producer
Instruments
Years active1969–2017
Labels
Formerly of
External videos
video icon Oral History, Allan Holdsworth reflects on his worry that he'll some day wake up without new ideas. Interview date June 3, 2011, NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Oral History Library

Allan Holdsworth (6 August 1946 – 15 April 2017)[1] was a British jazz and rock guitarist, violinist and composer. He contributed to numerous bands, including Soft Machine, U.K., The Tony Williams Lifetime, Pierre Moerlen's Gong and Bruford, in addition to solo work.

Holdsworth was known for his esoteric and idiosyncratic usage of advanced music theory concepts, especially with respect to melody and harmony. His music incorporates a vast array of complex chord progressions, often using unusual chord shapes in an abstract way based on his understanding of "chord scales", and intricate improvised solos, frequently across shifting tonal centres. He used myriad scale forms often derived from those such as the Lydian, diminished, harmonic major, augmented, whole tone, chromatic and altered scales, among others, often resulting in an unpredictable and dissonant "outside" sound. His unique legato soloing technique stemmed from his original desire to play the saxophone. Unable to afford one, he strove to use the guitar to create similarly smooth lines of notes. He also became associated with playing an early form of guitar synthesizer called the SynthAxe, a company he endorsed in the 1980s.

Holdsworth has been cited as an influence by a host of rock, metal and jazz guitarists such as Eddie Van Halen,[2] Joe Satriani,[3] Greg Howe,[4] Shawn Lane,[5] Richie Kotzen,[6] John Petrucci,[7] Alex Lifeson,[8] Kurt Rosenwinkel,[9] Yngwie Malmsteen,[10] Michael Romeo,[11] Ty Tabor,[12] Fredrik Thordendal,[13] Daniel Mongrain,[14] John Frusciante,[15] Tom Morello,[16] and Tosin Abasi.[17] Frank Zappa once lauded him as "one of the most interesting guys on guitar on the planet",[18] while Robben Ford has said: "I think Allan Holdsworth is the John Coltrane of the guitar. I don't think anyone can do as much with the guitar as Allan Holdsworth can."[19]

  1. ^ Brandle, Lars (17 April 2017). "Musicians React to Allan Holdsworth's Death". Billboard. Retrieved 17 April 2017.
  2. ^ Obrecht, Jas (April 1980). "Young Wizard of Power Rock". Guitar Player. NewBay Media. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  3. ^ Brown, Pete (2007). "3 Questions – Joe Satriani". The Punch-In. TrueFire. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  4. ^ Burk, Greg (10 July 2008). "Record review and artist interview: Greg Howe.". MetalJazz. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  5. ^ Hallebeek, Richard (March–April 2001). "Shawn Lane + lesson" Archived 7 April 2017 at the Wayback Machine. richardhallebeek.com. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  6. ^ Hallebeek, Richard (19 March 2002). "Richie Kotzen" Archived 13 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine. richardhallebeek.com. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  7. ^ "Biography". johnpetrucci.com. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  8. ^ Guitar World Staff (12 January 2012). "Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee of Rush Choose 22 Songs That Inspired Them Most" Archived 7 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Guitar Player. NewBay Media. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  9. ^ Milkowski, Bill (1 February 2010). "Kurt Rosenwinkel". Guitar Player. NewBay Media. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  10. ^ Rosen, Steven (late 1995/early 1996). "Rock Chronicles. 1990s: Yngwie Malmsteen" Archived 23 April 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Ultimate Guitar Archive. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  11. ^ Edwards, Owen (4 March 2008). "Michael Romeo Interview – A Perfect Symphony Part One: 1970's to 2000." Archived 24 September 2018 at the Wayback Machine. All Out Guitar. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
  12. ^ "Kings X's Ty Tabor: 5 Essential Guitar Albums". 22 November 2016.
  13. ^ "Metal Update, Meshuggah Interview". Retrieved on 6 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain: "When I was 17 or 18, I transcribed Jason Becker's entire Perpetual Burn album. I still have the manuscript – it's about a hundred pages!"". 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  15. ^ Brakes, Rod (July 2021). "Twelve Monumental Tracks That Shaped John Frusciante". Guitar Player. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
  16. ^ "Tom Morello: The Song That Inspired Me to Think Outside the Box as a Guitarist". Ultimate Guitar Archive. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 12 January 2017.
  17. ^ Bosso, Joe (31 March 2014). "Animals As Leaders' Tosin Abasi: 10 essential guitar albums". MusicRadar. Future plc. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  18. ^ Goldwasser, Noë (April 1987). "Zappa's Inferno". Guitar World. NewBay Media. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  19. ^ Charupakorn, Joe (August 2009). "Robben Ford: Soul Tones" (PDF). Guitar Edge. Retrieved 14 July 2016.