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Cliff Burton influenced me heavily through his aggressive approach to bass, stylistic choices, classical influence (McIver J, 2022), creativity, and evolving tone. Burton's influence taught me to take from every genre unbiasedly and not restrict myself, as well as his tone, which became distorted and less midrange over time. In addition to his technical playing to quickly and aggressively pluck through the strings, creating lots of ‘clack’ in his tone, his classical rhythmic choices and choices with his classical phrasing influenced me.

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Flea has a very straightforward approach to bass that involves playing the bass in a 'technically wrong' way driven by his 'energy' (TheDGuitar, 2010), which results in an aggressive, fast and funky playing style that greatly influenced my perspective on bass and how I approach it. Flea has an extensive music theory background, having played and studied other instruments such as Trumpet and Piano and studying Music Theory, Composition and Jazz Trumpet at the University of Southern California, (Vladimir Nikolic, 2022). Fleas' study of music influenced me to broaden my perspective on music and study other musical instruments, which influenced me as a musician in all aspects.

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Johann Sebastian Bach influenced Cliff Burton through his classical techniques, melodic sense, ornamentation, as well as use of baroque harmony and baroque counterpoint. Burton did not absorb the rules of baroque counterpoint and harmony, which can be seen in Burton's intro to ‘Damage Inc.’, which Kirk Hammet said was influenced by Bach's Come Sweet Death, as Cliff told him (IHeart, 2017). The chord progression in the intro to Damage Inc. shows a lot of parallel and similar motion, whilst, in a Bach piece, you see a lot more contrary motion.

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Lemmy Kilmister was a bass player who significantly influenced Cliff Burton as a musician and bass player through his aggressive style and creativity. Burton has said that he admires Lemmy's use of distortion and finds it new and exciting (Polcaro R, 2021). Cliff's influence of Lemmy can also be seen in his playing, such as using a Rickenbacker and distortion that led to his use of a wah pedal. His fearless way of playing the bass helped him stand out, similar to Lemmy's use of many upper register fills and lead lines.

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Geezer Butler, the bassist of the first metal band, Black Sabbath, notably influenced Cliff Burton in all aspects of his musicianship. Burton admired Butler's ability to make the bass complement massive guitar riffs, a significant element of Black Sabbath's sound (McIver J, 2008). This new perspective inspired Burton to develop unique style, where the bass played a crucial role in his music's overall heaviness and complexity. This influence can be seen in Burton's dynamic control and expressive bass lines.

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Before playing bass guitar, Flea was a jazz trumpet player greatly influenced by Miles Davis. Flea took great inspiration through his playing and composing from Davis's album Kind of Blue, playing with the same ideals as Davis, which included spontaneity and freedom of expression (Coffman, T. 2023). He transcribed these ideals into projects such as Blood Sugar Sex Magic. Flea's playing is similar to that of Davis; he plays it on bass instead of trumpet and brings more aggressive energy, which gives it a new feel.

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Sex Pistols influenced Flea in a way that helped him develop the emotion he brings to his music. This is evident in his lively stage presence, his punk rock aggression to the bass and his playing, and his ability to maintain 110% playing the whole time. Flea had learned to take the influence of the Sex Pistols like this as it sounded closer to dissonant noise than music (Coffman.T 2024).

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Thanks to his work with Sly and the Family Stone, Larry Graham is credited with creating the slap bass technique. This method revolutionised bass playing and became the focal point of funk music. Flea took inspiration from Graham to build his own slap bass method, incorporating Graham's approach with his own fast-paced, aggressive playing style (FleabassMusic, 2009). Songs like 'Nobody Weird Like Me' demonstrate this combination. Graham's approach to the bass guitar greatly influences Flea's aggressive and upbeat playing style.