# "Musician X is the greatest student of musician Y" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [December 4, 2020, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205 "2020-12-04T15:12:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/21 "2020-12-09T09:28:57Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Satriani literally taught Steve Vai. He taught a whole slew of well-known, highly technical guitarists. Or at least gave them lessons at one time or another. My favorite of the bunch (not necessarily technically the best) probably being Larry LaLonde of Primus. ---
**Author:** ![jaycat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat/32/3015_2.png) [@jaycat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaycat)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/22 "2020-12-09T13:21:16Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > **Billy Bragg** is the greatest student of Woody Guthrie. Nora Guthrie, Woody’s daughter, [agrees with me](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mermaid_Avenue). No offense to Nora, but I’ll go with [Bob Dylan.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrekIlj-Dxk) ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/23 "2020-12-09T14:09:27Z")
Eric Clapton / Robert Johnson Ginger Baker / Ginger Baker **“No one ever influenced my playing – I played my way.”** —Ginger Baker ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/24 "2020-12-09T15:17:55Z")
I’m going to go out on a limb here and say Eddie Van Halen/Steve Hackett My understanding is that after seeing a Genesis concert, EVH was inspired by Hackett’s unique style of playing which included sweep picking and the two-handed tapping technique that Eddie later became famous for. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_S](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@Max\_S](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_S)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/25 "2020-12-09T15:25:03Z")
I immediately thought of Liszt/Czerny. ~Max ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2020, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/26 "2020-12-11T23:38:22Z")
I once read that Les Paul “taught” Steve Miller how to play guitar. ISTM that maybe he could have helped him develop a style…I doubted Les Paul would be showing him how to play a D chord. Looking it up now, I’m not clear but I found this interesting. > > [Miller:] Consider this: when he was just four years old, Steve Miller met Les Paul at a Milwaukee nightclub and got a private lesson in how to play the guitar. [Source: howardstern.com](https://www.howardstern.com/show/2016/06/01/5-rock-legends-steve-miller-met-becoming-star-himself/) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/FdjnK1ur11M/hqdefault.jpg "Bob Rivers Show - Steve Miller plays "The Joker" live") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdjnK1ur11M) ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2020, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205/27 "2020-12-12T04:04:09Z")
Kurt Cobain always said The Melvins were a big influence on Nirvana; Kurt Cobain and Kris Novoselic were even introduced to david Grohl by a member of The Melvins and they practiced in The Melvins’ studio. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/musician-x-is-the-greatest-student-of-musician-y/927205.md?page=1)