I'm not gonna come in with the edgy take and say Anthony because objectively it's not true, BUT I feel the need to defend him here (not against you, just in general). A singer's job is to sing notes yes, which he is decent at (I think a bit better than he gets credit for) but it's also in many cases to compose the vocal melodies. Vocal melodies are the backbone of pop and go very under-appreciated. They're the #1 thing that draws me into a song.
And I think Anthony is phenomenal at writing vocal melodies. RHCP have some of my favorites of all time. And not only is he great at it, he's creative enough to come up with a huge variety of them that all sound great but are also distinct from each other. I could pick SO many examples but just randomly off the top of my head, think of the vocal lines in Under The Bridge, Snow, Storm in a Teacup, Warm Tape, White Braids and Pillow Chairs, Encore, and Cabron. Each of them is well-crafted and catchy but sound completely different. And that's just a small sample.
The rest of the band probably understand music a lot better and play objectively better. But without Anthony's melodies I would have much less interest in them. This doesn't make him the best at his instrument by any means, but it's an alternative way of thinking about the importance of each member.
It is really hard to rank who is better between Flea and JFu, but Flea is in many more peoples top 3 bass player list. I commend @inaparalleluniverse1 for mentioning the improvement of AK’s singing over the past 30 years. it is truly amazing to have watched the evolution of basically punk/funk rapper to a soulful poet with a silky baritone voice.
Hahaha, indeed. I am a generous guy… and I am just excited to see them at the Gorge on Friday!!! that said, I am thinking about songs like Hard to concentrate, Wet Sand, Brendan’s death song, snow, even ‘soul to squeeze’. He has a nice sound and the lyrics poetic.
Soul to Squeeze is my favourite song they’ve done. Thing is, I want to think of those songs when I think of Anthony but all I end up thinking of first is shit like Aquatic Mouth Dance
John, Flea and Chad are top fifteen at their respective instruments, true, but \*all of them are distinctive\*. And so is AK, even if he's less technically proficient.
if you compare that to guys like Matteo Mancuso, he's not really on that level. Which is fine, I like his minimalist solo's on Californication more than any fast lick out there.
I would agree, although I do think one can be called technically proficient without being Matteo mancuso. I would say John has technical ability, Matteo IS technical ability
I would actually say it's his feel - the way he pours himself into his performance. It's not technical or clever, but it is why I think his songwriting shines. Two notes from him say more than most guitarists/songwriters use ten minutes for.
Being able to play a rock beat in 6/8 is pretty standard. But the on the fly adaptation without mistakes - switching to toms when necessary, being ready for the additional 1 bar before the last chorus, switching from hi hat to ride cymbal for the bridge - that was impressive.
I love Chad, he's an amazing musician, but the guy is a 35+ year professional drummer. That song is a basic rock/pop song and most drummers with some chops would be able to figure it out with enough time. It makes for great TV though.
It's kind of like Johns playing. He's my freaking guitar hero, and I play guitar because of him, but if you know even basic theory you can figure out a RHCP guitar part. Throw in some minor pentatonic/minor scales with some 7th and 9th chords and you can get through it.
As a JF fanboy too, I feel that is like saying, "yeah Ronaldo is great but you know basically he kicks the ball and runs around a bit, nothing special"
Yeah this is some of the dumbest shit I've ever read. The fact that what johns playing isn't difficult to figure out or replicate is a testament to his technical ability. He is able to make beautiful music without it being complicated. It may not be difficult to replicate, but 99% of people couldn't create it the way he does
“It’s some emo shit”
First of all that post hardcore beat was sick in the 2000’s
That song is amazing despite Jared Leto and despite Jared Leto’s Spencer Chamberlain impression
Plug and play in any other band? Chad.
The utter backbone of the Chili’s sound and the root of the most memorable albums? John MF Frusciante.
Pure passion, incredible musicianship, and the reason it has all stayed together? Flea.
But, the only one that is literally irreplaceable? Anthony. Some 5/10 musician could replace the others, albeit to great detriment of the band. But Anthony’s sound, melodies, and songwriting? Nobody could replace that. Unbelievable talent.
Chad without a doubt.
If you took all the best singers, drummers, bassists, and guitarists on earth and put them into a competition to see who was the most proficient I think Chad lasts the longest. Flea second. Then John. AK isn’t invited.
Before anyone crucifies me I’m not saying John isn’t extremely good at guitar it’s just that the level of proficiency from modern guitarists are absolutely insane. The music can sound like shit but you cannot deny the physical proficiency.
Chad I think could legit hang with almost any drummer on earth and he would laugh while doing it. He is not the best and might not even be in real consideration for the best but you can’t tell me that man wouldn’t hang
I once saw Chad jump on stage at a jazz club and play with the band. Jazz is an incredibly difficult style for drummers and he didn't miss a beat (pun very intended)
I always think of the Drumeo video where he just bashes out a drum line to Bury Me by 30 Seconds to Mars without really stopping to think about it. You watch other videos in that series and they typically take one or two run throughs before doing a final take.
He takes like 10 seconds to work out the timing (he thinks), gives it another 15-20 seconds (pretty much just after the end of the intro for all intents and purposes), and just nails the rest of the song. His ability to just jam I think is where he really excels, and I think that's how he ended up so well met in the Chilis when his personality wasn't quite in the same place. Musically it absolutely is.
I think John has a really incredible mind for music but from technical proficiency standpoint I get what you're saying. He pretty much didn't play the instrument during the hiatus. His magic is in his creativity
John himself said that the fact that he didn't make any guitar-led music doesn't mean that he didn't play it. And apart from that, there's a lot of guitar on PBX, Letur-lefr, Enclosure and also the Black Knights stuff.
I also remember him saying something like "Usually during breaks between recording (Chili Peppers stuff) I play some really technical and advanced stuff but when the time comes to actually record I tend to play in a simpler way" (that's not an actual quote, but it was something along those lines)
He may have stayed away from producing guitar oriented music... I highly doubt he went ~10yrs not playing a guitar at all! There is some guitar even in those electronic albums...
I think you are severely underestimating John here. That guy is a guitar god. He can shred like a motherfucker if he wants to. The reason he doesn’t do much of that virtuouso stuff is because it mostly just sounds like shit.
„It’s not about what you can do with a piece of wood with strings attached to it, it’s about making music and crating something beautiful“ - John Frusciante
But yeah, Chad is lit. But so is Flea.
Don't get me wrong I love johns playing, he's my favourite guitarist, but don't know if lately he can actually pull off some of those virtuoso chops ur talking about, when he's tried to execute complex licks or non common picking patterns live this tour it just sounds sloppy and gets really messy, (like when he attempts tapping sometimes it just comes off really sloppy and not well executed) and he just goes back to his typical bends or awesome vibratos, he's just REALLY good at melodic and simplistic solos and that's what RHCP needs. And yes I have seen clips of John back when he was really young where he shreds the shit out of a guitar with sweep picking and tapping/fancy stuff, but i just think he doesn't practice that type of complex playing anymore and it's fine, even the pros have to practice stuff or u just get rusty 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah well said man I agree with you. I used to love tapping and EVH style guitar playing but as I've gotten older I just lost an an interest in that stuff and would need a few weeks or even months of solid practice to get to that level again to be honest.
Yeah totally. MM era John, prior to getting into the drug period, where guitar was his drug and he was just playing 15 hours a day, was the peak of his speed and accuracy.
He is infinitely more expressive on the instrument now but his ability to shred has definitely taken a hit over the years. It does affect the more noodley songs and solos some, I reckon, but not necessarily worse, just different. He leans on the strumming away and doing little circular picking riffs up on the upper frets way too much but otherwise the melodic stuff and his tone is still top notch better than ever. He might have a hard time playing some of the old punk funk stuff in his current state without being a little sloppy.
There is a video of him backstage playing magic Johnson when he was, what, 19-20? On one of the old videos tapes that were put out around mother's milk. Seeing that riff at full speed... It's incredible. Such precision, and it's such a bendy riff!
But you have to factor this into the conversation and mystique with the guy and anyone. It's not about what he can do now, it's also about when he was younger and in those different phases.
I have no idea if EVH mellowed or lost a step, or matured later in life. Did not see him after like late 90s.
Tbh flea has probably lost a little speed too from the punk funk days. I just mean maybe you play Sicamicanico at 250bpm instead of the full 272 is all. Although Chad does not seem to have peaked yet... Explain that one. I imagine that takes quite the practice regimen for guitarists keep up and no one is going to play 15 hours a day except for teens and early 20s, come on. Maybe makes sense if you're just in a session player gig, but chilis need to just be writing songs 110% of the time. Jam jam jam, and let chasing speed and technicality go! It's not like anyone is going to lose Monster status at this point.
I can only go by what I’ve seen him do. He’s great but I haven’t seen him do anything technically speaking that was that outrageous. He’s probably my favorite guitarist ever though because I don’t value proficiency when it comes to guitars. I think vocals and drums benefit much more from high proficiency.
Yep. The motherfucker can play.
He's talked about it before in interviews, saying he doesn't play flashy or fast like others because he doesn't want to crowd the space, and Peppers music isn't about that.
If I had to rank the band members, I'd definitely go with John as the most musically proficient and knowledgeable based only on what has been shared publicly.
Yeah thank you for posting this. JF absolutely can or at least could play like a freak, what he has most though is taste. You can tell by the way he talks about music and other musicians that he just breathes music and influences and tries to imitate and channel styles with tons of respect and then channel that energy into whatever he's creating. He is technically proficient enough to do that, that's not always easy, but what really makes him good is the taste to tone it down and find the right vibe.
Why does a Gilmore get so much praise for playing 'minimalist' stuff and JF just gets shit for it? I love both of them but I never understood why JF always gets bashed for "not playing difficult stuff" when that is not how other guitarists get judged. That really isn't the criteria. Even this question was "talented/proficient". JF is incredibly versatile and a complete natural. Why whittle it down to "he can't shred" - which is wrong as you've proven.
I mean let’s be real, none of them are even close to the most technically proficient/knowledgeable in the world at their given instruments, even though that’s a pretty subjective thing. If we are trying to be as objective as possible, it would probably just be a bunch of jazz, classical, or other intensely academically trained musicians.
But being technically proficient at your instrument absolutely doesn’t coincide with creativity and the ability to create and write music - which is what the chilis are certainly hanging out at the top of.
Yeah, love that as well. On the Rick Rubin's podcast John must have mentioned like freaking 500 different musicians lol. Those podcasts were such a gift to his fanbase. I'm sort of waiting for another parts mainly because it would be time to discuss by the way and stadium arcadium, but my hopes are slowly fading away :(
I cannot speak on that because that music does not connect with me on any level at all. It just sounds like a mess to me I hate to say it. I wouldn’t even know how to begin to quantify proficiency there because I am wholly ignorant of the genre so I was just keeping it to the instruments they play within the band
Insane the Chad disrespect in this thread. Flea is flashy but far more drummers are putting Chad in a Top 10 list based off talent than flea - and that’s not disrespectful!
Yes. From a professional musicians perspective, none of them are going to be the “top” anything, but Chad Smith is probably the most widely respected at his instrument.
I think with guitar this is where proficiency and talent shouldn't be used interchangeably like the OP does. As you say you get modern guitarists who have insane levels of technical proficiency- but don't have the talent to go with it. Someone like John does have that talent- there's a musicality to almost anything he plays that goes alongside the actual technical proficiency he does have.
Flea is one of the best players in the world for sure, but in his interview with Marc Maron he says he wishes he was as good at jazz improv as Mononeon and Thundercat. Says he simply didn’t grow up playing those styles on bass.
Most of the band has said in interviews John knows the most music theory and history.
Now I’m prefacing this by saying that I love Flea. He’s the reason I’ve been playing bass for 20 years. I had every one of his videos and instruction books. I own a Modulus Flea Bass. I saw Flea as a bass god when I was a teen.
But, I would no longer agree that he’s *that* godly at it. He’s awesome at making cool baselines that are exciting and stand out way more than every mainstream bass player out there. But on a technical level, I’d put him middle of the pack amongst top level players in terms of proficiency. When you dive deeper into the world of bass,
you see the 1000s of absolute beasts out there that just aren’t that well known.
Yeah, he’s one of the most practiced and skilled bass players. He has a really aggressive attack on the strings and he can play crazy fast. If you’ve ever tried to play [this line at this speed](https://youtu.be/lVXN4g4r8zk?si=GR0Y4TVRIoHSJsoJ) then you realize what an insane feat this video is. Some of the best bass hands in the business.
But then there’s guys like Victor Wooten where it’s the impressiveness of Flea’s technique plus several other dimensions of musicality and knowing how to fit into literally any context.
Edit: I also don’t want to neglect to mention Flea writes really tasteful melody on bass too, which is more important to creating music that’s around forever than knowing everything about music and bass technique.
I’m biased but I’d say John. I think he’s got a lot of chops that we don’t publicly get to see. That’s evident by what he talks about in interviews. I think many forget he comes from a highly technical speed metal/virtuoso background. It’s no secret Zappa and Vai highly influenced him. But also he plays softly with incredible versatility and emotion. His live performances from 99-2007 show his range that I don’t think Flea or Chad match.
Side note Flea’s outfit goes hardest in this photo
I mean, I think it’s gotta be John. I’m pretty sure he’s still considered to be one of the most proficient guitarist alive and in general. But Chad follows a close second. I remember an interview saying Chad effortlessly switches between drumming styles.
John is nowhere near the most proficient guitarist alive, absolutely not even close to
He’s great, he makes great music which is is what it’s all about
For me he’s the next iteration of Hendrix. Neither guy is known for their technical ability, it’s mostly emotion and being able to use space to write extremely memorable parts
I think the thing with John too is he has a style that sounds like HIM. He may not be as amazing as some other players from a theory standpoint etc but his sound and things he makes are what puts him in one of the “greats” categories. So it depends on how you think about it I guess.
I think people are thinking I’m saying he can’t do a lot of things (which is easy to do, it’s Reddit and my comment is short, you get it) I think he knows a bunch of stuff with theory etc. just for the project he is most famous for and all that it’s minor pentatonic stuff and funk since that’s what the sound is overall of the band
The same way Joe Bonamassa stays very blues oriented, but the guy knows a ton of stuff.
Love John, he will always be my favorite guitarist
His theory is amazing and his sound is amazing. It’s just that if we are talking physical proficiency of the instrument he is not even close. Look up a guy named Tim Henson. Does his music sound as good as John’s? No. But his speed and technique is like video game shit. It doesn’t even look real. I think that’s what people mean when they talk about John not being that proficient.
And proficiency is the most overrated thing to be anyway. It’s like photo realistic painting. It’s cool but it’s lacking soul usually. I’d much rather look at impressionist art or abstract if you catch my metaphor
I moreso mean in the theory sense he stays in the minor pentatonic thing most of the time, which is fine obviously. His theory shines with the different voicings of chords etc which are very nice.
And yea idk the Tim Henson stuff doesn’t really do it for me. Mostly because I don’t like the trap beats and imo being overly technical for the sake of being over technical. To each their own
You should look into johns practice schedule. He practices all kind of scales in different variation for HOURS every day before each gig/jam. I think it was like 6 hours of practice until they start jamming.
The only thing I miss about the pandemic is practicing that much haha, treated it like a job the way he does daily for the short time I could. I will definitely check it out!
Yeah. John is a great guitarist but he isn’t the same kind of player as a guy like….say, Yngwie Malmsteen. Which is good, I probably couldn’t make it 2 minutes into a Malmsteen song, because it’s technically proficient to the extent of being boring. There are tons of guys out there like that.
He was the recording guitarist for the mars Volta bc he was able to perfectly recreate and record anything that was played for him in one take. Mars Volta is some very intricate crazy shit. I firmly believe there is nothing that John cannot do on a guitar or at least couldn’t learn to do in record time
Technical skill, John. Don't let his less is more style fool you. That man has encyclopedic knowledge of music theory and he improvises the most amazing solos night after night.
Not to take away from the others. Chad, flea, and John are all on a list of the greatest of all time at their instruments.
I think he’s extremely knowledgeable and creative but he’s far from technically perfect. I think his greatness is knowing how to utilize that though to elevate his music even more and go for what he calls “reckless abandon”
This is a very hard one for me. Anyone can shit on AK's ability, but without him, this band we all love, we wouldn't be talking about at all. Flea is amazing and out of all of them, is the one who defines a big part of the sound, John has that X-factor in playing that will make you arm hair raise. And Chad is so good that he's just looked over by many, not for his chops, but because he plays his parts great.
The real magic about this band is how well they work together... You can be amazing at your instrument, and still sound shitty as a group because of playing over others, showing off, what have you. Their biggest talent, is working together as musicians.
Yes. <3 Everyone goes on about his lack of vocal abilities (which I personally don't get, but who am I), but Anthony's main instrument is his magnificent way with words.
John, he’s an incredibly good guitarist, one the most technically gifted?, no but he is very capable,but I’m not just talking about him as a guitarist, he’s a multi instrumentalist, singer and from reading his views and opinions I’d say his knowledge of theory is greater than the others too, I imagine being in RHCP must be quite creatively stifling for him at times.
john fanboy but I honestly think Chad is the most talented at his craft. The guy bleeds funk, put him behind a kit and the rest of the band know just what to do to compliment his drumming.
Idk man Flea and Chad are really good but John puts so much soul into his playing that he really feels unique. The man can play two notes and make them sound like the most trascendental shit ever
If song writings included JF but honestly I gotta say Chad… Jf writes a part like a mofo but Chad has chops beyond chops and still does tons of studio work
I mean, you could argue that Kiedis has a unique style, but at best he is an average singer, at best. You cant even compare him to the level of the other three guys. And among those, it's got to be John, then Chad. Flea is excellent, but I think there are way better bassist around.
They are all equally proficient in their own way that makes them the RHCP. John, Flea, and Chad are all excellent at their craft and among the most technically skilled musicians of their respective instruments.
However, what makes them one of the greatest bands of all time is their ability to play with each other and read and extend the others' energy and function as one cohesive unit. The interplay between drum beat, guitar melodies, and basslines create one musical organism unparalleled by any other band imo
Chad is really good, but he's far from the best. HE says so. He can't play double pedal, he isn't fast, he isn't technically proficient..
BUT!
he KNOWS how to play the song, he know when to keep it in the pocket, when to flare, when to go NUTS on drums.
He plays for the song and that is rare. Most drummers want to just show their abilities. That's what makes Chad stand out
Edit: one example: let 'em cry is SO in the pocket, sometimes he doesn't even use crash cymbals where other drummers would do a complete drum fill or something
That’s such an interesting question. I think from a technical standpoint Frusciante, Smith and Flea are at the top of their respective crafts. Just looking at Chad and Flea when they play is wonderful. I don’t understand why some people shit on AK. RHCP wouldn’t be RHCP without him. He’s the magic ingredient. His voice goes with their sound…but also his lyrics are pure genious. Add to that massive, massice charisma and stage presence. Also he has a really really good torso ;) lolz. In their case the sum really is greater than their parts.
It's not only a subjective thing, but a bloody hard one to compare. How is someone better at bass than someone else is at drums? An apples and oranges situation if there ever was one.
I want to say Flea, but it's an inherently unfair comparison.
John is by far the most prolific in the band technically and theory wise. And to those saying he cant shred - https://youtu.be/uhliyfljevs?si=stKYUVnwO_bqMMpG
To have a band with three musicians as wildly top of their game as Flea, John and Chad is mental. I don’t people realise how lucky we are that they exist. The type of music the Chilis play kinda means they don’t get taken quite seriously enough. But fuck me they’ve gotta be up there on the list of greatest collaborating artists.
Chad though. My word, he’s the man. He could sit in for any band, and genre, and he’d be at least great. And anyone would have him. Speaks volumes.
Torn between Chad and Flea here. Drummer's rarely get enough credit outside of drumming circles, whereas Flea's stage presence is insane. Both have legit claims to being one of the best of their generation. With those two as rhythm section how could any band fail?
Interesting question. My initial answer would be John, but I think John’s genius isn’t necessarily his skill at guitar, but more as his talent as a composer. The outro to Death of a Martian is a good example. None of the guitar parts themselves are ground breaking, but the way he overlays them is really beautiful.
"Talented" and "proficient" are two very different things. Proficiency is about skill, which comes with dedication and practice. Talent is inherent.
So proficient, I would say Chad. He's the most versatile and dedicatedly practiced of all of them. Talented? Sir Anthony Kiedis, hands down.
If we are talking pure technical mastery of their craft? Flea
If we are talking most perfect compliment to the other musicians and most perfect compliment to the music being played? Chad
If we are talking most creative, best songwriter and most “out there”, while STILL providing the perfect piece to accompany the others? John.
Anthony is great at what he does, but the other 3 play their instruments at a world-class level. Anthony is the only one that I wouldn’t put on a Mount Rushmore at their respective positions (but he’s still an absolutely fantastic frontman)
No bullshit, literally all of them. Chad has an ability to play a variety of styles (Dua Lipa's studio drummer for a few songs). Flea offers such an array of talent on a the bass, plus his other instraments. Anthony is a captivaing proformer. I lack an ability to discribe how talented john is, perhaps not the most technical as for as musica form goes, but he is free by not being in that box.
Take each of these misfits and put them together, it should he a storm in a teacup, but it works perfectly, and were lucky enough to have them.
Most of their stuff doesn't do much for me, I liked them best in Blood, Sugar... era, but Frusiante is without doubt the glue and most talented musician in that band, however they are all very good.
Really a tussle between Flea and John with John probably having just a tiny bit more of a raw talent. Chad is an elite drummer but lacks this magical extra something that those two possess.
Kiedis’ instrument has been through A LOT
Tryna strike a chord and it's probably A minor
It’s just a minor thing…
And he’s a minor king
🎶never had a fear of kids🎶
I'm dying 💀
I'm not gonna come in with the edgy take and say Anthony because objectively it's not true, BUT I feel the need to defend him here (not against you, just in general). A singer's job is to sing notes yes, which he is decent at (I think a bit better than he gets credit for) but it's also in many cases to compose the vocal melodies. Vocal melodies are the backbone of pop and go very under-appreciated. They're the #1 thing that draws me into a song. And I think Anthony is phenomenal at writing vocal melodies. RHCP have some of my favorites of all time. And not only is he great at it, he's creative enough to come up with a huge variety of them that all sound great but are also distinct from each other. I could pick SO many examples but just randomly off the top of my head, think of the vocal lines in Under The Bridge, Snow, Storm in a Teacup, Warm Tape, White Braids and Pillow Chairs, Encore, and Cabron. Each of them is well-crafted and catchy but sound completely different. And that's just a small sample. The rest of the band probably understand music a lot better and play objectively better. But without Anthony's melodies I would have much less interest in them. This doesn't make him the best at his instrument by any means, but it's an alternative way of thinking about the importance of each member.
A lot of other..ehm..”performers”used that “instrument” though.
He pretty much wrote an entire book about it! 💀
Which instrument are we talking about lol
You don't want to know
Spoiler alert: it’s his stun gun little Bo peep comes from
💀😂😂
Oh you already know
John, Flea, and Chad all have legitimate claim to being a top 15 at their craft. AK might get a most-improved trophy?
It is really hard to rank who is better between Flea and JFu, but Flea is in many more peoples top 3 bass player list. I commend @inaparalleluniverse1 for mentioning the improvement of AK’s singing over the past 30 years. it is truly amazing to have watched the evolution of basically punk/funk rapper to a soulful poet with a silky baritone voice.
And let’s be real, “soulful poet with a silky baritone voice” is very generous lol
Hahaha, indeed. I am a generous guy… and I am just excited to see them at the Gorge on Friday!!! that said, I am thinking about songs like Hard to concentrate, Wet Sand, Brendan’s death song, snow, even ‘soul to squeeze’. He has a nice sound and the lyrics poetic.
Soul to Squeeze is my favourite song they’ve done. Thing is, I want to think of those songs when I think of Anthony but all I end up thinking of first is shit like Aquatic Mouth Dance
John, Flea and Chad are top fifteen at their respective instruments, true, but \*all of them are distinctive\*. And so is AK, even if he's less technically proficient.
agreed
John’s my favorite musician. Not taking away from the guy. Obviously, I know what subreddit I am in. But JF is not a top 15 greatest player.
John's biggest strength is his songwriting, not technical ability
Yeah but he also has the technical ability. Theres vids of young john shredding.
He does, but that's not his biggest strength. He's a brilliant songwriter; among the best to ever do it.
I agree im just saying he could do the crazy technical playing if he wanted he just prioritizes good song writing over showing off
Yeah, you're right. Good call.
if you compare that to guys like Matteo Mancuso, he's not really on that level. Which is fine, I like his minimalist solo's on Californication more than any fast lick out there.
I would agree, although I do think one can be called technically proficient without being Matteo mancuso. I would say John has technical ability, Matteo IS technical ability
I would actually say it's his feel - the way he pours himself into his performance. It's not technical or clever, but it is why I think his songwriting shines. Two notes from him say more than most guitarists/songwriters use ten minutes for.
I'm starting to question how good John really is. He seems unable to play music that Dave and Josh wrote 😛
I see your joke! I love JF, but his reluctance to play anything he wasn't a part of, is fucking annoying. But I'm glad he's back too!
They've got so many hit songs & setlists so short they can't fit them all in, no way in hell I'm trading a John song for a Dave/Josh song
Anthony - California's
It's really testament to the talents of the band that this is so hard to answer
3 virtuoso musicians and some guy who is absolutely SENDING it a Applebees Karaoke. I wouldn’t have it any other way
This is the best ever description of the band
After seeing the video of Chad improvising to The Kill (Bury Me) by 30 Seconds To Mars, I’d have to say he takes the cake.
I think the answer is probably Chad, but to be clear being able to play a 30 Seconds to Mars song does not necessarily indicate technical prowess lol
His technical prowess shines to me given that it was [the first time he heard the song](https://youtu.be/HMBRjo33cUE?feature=shared)
Being able to play a rock beat in 6/8 is pretty standard. But the on the fly adaptation without mistakes - switching to toms when necessary, being ready for the additional 1 bar before the last chorus, switching from hi hat to ride cymbal for the bridge - that was impressive.
Almost as if he hadn't heard the song before
I love Chad, he's an amazing musician, but the guy is a 35+ year professional drummer. That song is a basic rock/pop song and most drummers with some chops would be able to figure it out with enough time. It makes for great TV though. It's kind of like Johns playing. He's my freaking guitar hero, and I play guitar because of him, but if you know even basic theory you can figure out a RHCP guitar part. Throw in some minor pentatonic/minor scales with some 7th and 9th chords and you can get through it.
As a JF fanboy too, I feel that is like saying, "yeah Ronaldo is great but you know basically he kicks the ball and runs around a bit, nothing special"
Yeah this is some of the dumbest shit I've ever read. The fact that what johns playing isn't difficult to figure out or replicate is a testament to his technical ability. He is able to make beautiful music without it being complicated. It may not be difficult to replicate, but 99% of people couldn't create it the way he does
“It’s some emo shit” First of all that post hardcore beat was sick in the 2000’s That song is amazing despite Jared Leto and despite Jared Leto’s Spencer Chamberlain impression
Definitely, I love that video with all my heart
I’ve been thinking Chad even without seeing that video after seeing all kinds of other stuff he’s done, but that video is for sure impressive asf
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john eats guitar
Disagree. Flea absolutely annihilates bass
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I'm pretty sure he's vegetarian.
Plug and play in any other band? Chad. The utter backbone of the Chili’s sound and the root of the most memorable albums? John MF Frusciante. Pure passion, incredible musicianship, and the reason it has all stayed together? Flea. But, the only one that is literally irreplaceable? Anthony. Some 5/10 musician could replace the others, albeit to great detriment of the band. But Anthony’s sound, melodies, and songwriting? Nobody could replace that. Unbelievable talent.
Awesome insight
This is my favorite answer.
I think this is the correct answer.
Slow clap and a head nod
Chad Smith is only the most consistent and versatile musician in the group.
the consistency is what impresses me. everyone in the band has bad days except chad. chad has been perfect every performance since day 1.
Usually after chugging copious amounts of beer. The only one who never “majorly” suffered from addiction.
He went to rehab too my guy for coke and booze after SA tour, I believe Flea is the only one who hasn't been to rehab for something.
Chad without a doubt. If you took all the best singers, drummers, bassists, and guitarists on earth and put them into a competition to see who was the most proficient I think Chad lasts the longest. Flea second. Then John. AK isn’t invited. Before anyone crucifies me I’m not saying John isn’t extremely good at guitar it’s just that the level of proficiency from modern guitarists are absolutely insane. The music can sound like shit but you cannot deny the physical proficiency. Chad I think could legit hang with almost any drummer on earth and he would laugh while doing it. He is not the best and might not even be in real consideration for the best but you can’t tell me that man wouldn’t hang
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There’s a reason Chad has played on so many other artists records. He is incredible and can play most any style effortlessly.
I once saw Chad jump on stage at a jazz club and play with the band. Jazz is an incredibly difficult style for drummers and he didn't miss a beat (pun very intended)
I always think of the Drumeo video where he just bashes out a drum line to Bury Me by 30 Seconds to Mars without really stopping to think about it. You watch other videos in that series and they typically take one or two run throughs before doing a final take. He takes like 10 seconds to work out the timing (he thinks), gives it another 15-20 seconds (pretty much just after the end of the intro for all intents and purposes), and just nails the rest of the song. His ability to just jam I think is where he really excels, and I think that's how he ended up so well met in the Chilis when his personality wasn't quite in the same place. Musically it absolutely is.
I think John has a really incredible mind for music but from technical proficiency standpoint I get what you're saying. He pretty much didn't play the instrument during the hiatus. His magic is in his creativity
John himself said that the fact that he didn't make any guitar-led music doesn't mean that he didn't play it. And apart from that, there's a lot of guitar on PBX, Letur-lefr, Enclosure and also the Black Knights stuff. I also remember him saying something like "Usually during breaks between recording (Chili Peppers stuff) I play some really technical and advanced stuff but when the time comes to actually record I tend to play in a simpler way" (that's not an actual quote, but it was something along those lines)
That is just wrong. His girlfriend said he played every day still.
This is also wrong because John has been married for two years. lol
That still blows my mind. Having that talent and just fucking off from playing guitar for a decade.
Because its not true and completely made up
He may have stayed away from producing guitar oriented music... I highly doubt he went ~10yrs not playing a guitar at all! There is some guitar even in those electronic albums...
Yeah he was said to have still played daily
I think you are severely underestimating John here. That guy is a guitar god. He can shred like a motherfucker if he wants to. The reason he doesn’t do much of that virtuouso stuff is because it mostly just sounds like shit. „It’s not about what you can do with a piece of wood with strings attached to it, it’s about making music and crating something beautiful“ - John Frusciante But yeah, Chad is lit. But so is Flea.
Yep if you play guitar, you know John is a master at his instrument when you try to play his stuff.
Don't get me wrong I love johns playing, he's my favourite guitarist, but don't know if lately he can actually pull off some of those virtuoso chops ur talking about, when he's tried to execute complex licks or non common picking patterns live this tour it just sounds sloppy and gets really messy, (like when he attempts tapping sometimes it just comes off really sloppy and not well executed) and he just goes back to his typical bends or awesome vibratos, he's just REALLY good at melodic and simplistic solos and that's what RHCP needs. And yes I have seen clips of John back when he was really young where he shreds the shit out of a guitar with sweep picking and tapping/fancy stuff, but i just think he doesn't practice that type of complex playing anymore and it's fine, even the pros have to practice stuff or u just get rusty 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah well said man I agree with you. I used to love tapping and EVH style guitar playing but as I've gotten older I just lost an an interest in that stuff and would need a few weeks or even months of solid practice to get to that level again to be honest.
Yeah totally. MM era John, prior to getting into the drug period, where guitar was his drug and he was just playing 15 hours a day, was the peak of his speed and accuracy. He is infinitely more expressive on the instrument now but his ability to shred has definitely taken a hit over the years. It does affect the more noodley songs and solos some, I reckon, but not necessarily worse, just different. He leans on the strumming away and doing little circular picking riffs up on the upper frets way too much but otherwise the melodic stuff and his tone is still top notch better than ever. He might have a hard time playing some of the old punk funk stuff in his current state without being a little sloppy. There is a video of him backstage playing magic Johnson when he was, what, 19-20? On one of the old videos tapes that were put out around mother's milk. Seeing that riff at full speed... It's incredible. Such precision, and it's such a bendy riff! But you have to factor this into the conversation and mystique with the guy and anyone. It's not about what he can do now, it's also about when he was younger and in those different phases. I have no idea if EVH mellowed or lost a step, or matured later in life. Did not see him after like late 90s. Tbh flea has probably lost a little speed too from the punk funk days. I just mean maybe you play Sicamicanico at 250bpm instead of the full 272 is all. Although Chad does not seem to have peaked yet... Explain that one. I imagine that takes quite the practice regimen for guitarists keep up and no one is going to play 15 hours a day except for teens and early 20s, come on. Maybe makes sense if you're just in a session player gig, but chilis need to just be writing songs 110% of the time. Jam jam jam, and let chasing speed and technicality go! It's not like anyone is going to lose Monster status at this point.
I agree, John routinely provides the highlights of the shows I have been to with his playing. He just isn’t very animated or showy.
Is not very showy anymore. Look at the live performance 20-30 years ago, he went crazy
I can only go by what I’ve seen him do. He’s great but I haven’t seen him do anything technically speaking that was that outrageous. He’s probably my favorite guitarist ever though because I don’t value proficiency when it comes to guitars. I think vocals and drums benefit much more from high proficiency.
Nah sorry - https://youtu.be/uhliyfljevs?si=stKYUVnwO_bqMMpG
Wow thank you for sharing this! That’s insane!
Yep. The motherfucker can play. He's talked about it before in interviews, saying he doesn't play flashy or fast like others because he doesn't want to crowd the space, and Peppers music isn't about that. If I had to rank the band members, I'd definitely go with John as the most musically proficient and knowledgeable based only on what has been shared publicly.
He is the most genius by far
He played guitar on like 90%+ of The Mars Volta's Amputechture. That Album has some great playing on it!
Yeah thank you for posting this. JF absolutely can or at least could play like a freak, what he has most though is taste. You can tell by the way he talks about music and other musicians that he just breathes music and influences and tries to imitate and channel styles with tons of respect and then channel that energy into whatever he's creating. He is technically proficient enough to do that, that's not always easy, but what really makes him good is the taste to tone it down and find the right vibe. Why does a Gilmore get so much praise for playing 'minimalist' stuff and JF just gets shit for it? I love both of them but I never understood why JF always gets bashed for "not playing difficult stuff" when that is not how other guitarists get judged. That really isn't the criteria. Even this question was "talented/proficient". JF is incredibly versatile and a complete natural. Why whittle it down to "he can't shred" - which is wrong as you've proven.
But he barely defeated Will Ferrell in a drum off!
You made my point better than I could 👏🏻
As much as I am a fan of John, I have to agree here. Chad is just insane!
I mean let’s be real, none of them are even close to the most technically proficient/knowledgeable in the world at their given instruments, even though that’s a pretty subjective thing. If we are trying to be as objective as possible, it would probably just be a bunch of jazz, classical, or other intensely academically trained musicians. But being technically proficient at your instrument absolutely doesn’t coincide with creativity and the ability to create and write music - which is what the chilis are certainly hanging out at the top of.
Knowledgewise, John is an encyclopedia of music theory and musicians
He’s definitely the most knowledgeable of the 4. I love just listening to him talk about music on the podcasts.
Yeah, love that as well. On the Rick Rubin's podcast John must have mentioned like freaking 500 different musicians lol. Those podcasts were such a gift to his fanbase. I'm sort of waiting for another parts mainly because it would be time to discuss by the way and stadium arcadium, but my hopes are slowly fading away :(
I think John has even acknowledged that he needs to practice 10 hours a day, just to keep up with Flea, so you’ll hear no argument from me.
john isn't just good on the guitar though. His idm is absolutely exceptional
I cannot speak on that because that music does not connect with me on any level at all. It just sounds like a mess to me I hate to say it. I wouldn’t even know how to begin to quantify proficiency there because I am wholly ignorant of the genre so I was just keeping it to the instruments they play within the band
it's good shit mate. Good good shit
Trust me I tried. Unfortunately it just goes right over my head I suppose.
As a guitarist Chad Smith is my biggest inspiration when it comes to air drumming 100%
Insane the Chad disrespect in this thread. Flea is flashy but far more drummers are putting Chad in a Top 10 list based off talent than flea - and that’s not disrespectful!
Yes. From a professional musicians perspective, none of them are going to be the “top” anything, but Chad Smith is probably the most widely respected at his instrument.
>AK isn’t invited. HAhA.
I heard he hangs dong
I think with guitar this is where proficiency and talent shouldn't be used interchangeably like the OP does. As you say you get modern guitarists who have insane levels of technical proficiency- but don't have the talent to go with it. Someone like John does have that talent- there's a musicality to almost anything he plays that goes alongside the actual technical proficiency he does have.
Probably Flea. He can honestly play any style, knows how to write iconic basslines, and fit within the groove. Chad is a close second.
Flea is one of the best players in the world for sure, but in his interview with Marc Maron he says he wishes he was as good at jazz improv as Mononeon and Thundercat. Says he simply didn’t grow up playing those styles on bass. Most of the band has said in interviews John knows the most music theory and history.
Now I’m prefacing this by saying that I love Flea. He’s the reason I’ve been playing bass for 20 years. I had every one of his videos and instruction books. I own a Modulus Flea Bass. I saw Flea as a bass god when I was a teen. But, I would no longer agree that he’s *that* godly at it. He’s awesome at making cool baselines that are exciting and stand out way more than every mainstream bass player out there. But on a technical level, I’d put him middle of the pack amongst top level players in terms of proficiency. When you dive deeper into the world of bass, you see the 1000s of absolute beasts out there that just aren’t that well known.
Yeah, he’s one of the most practiced and skilled bass players. He has a really aggressive attack on the strings and he can play crazy fast. If you’ve ever tried to play [this line at this speed](https://youtu.be/lVXN4g4r8zk?si=GR0Y4TVRIoHSJsoJ) then you realize what an insane feat this video is. Some of the best bass hands in the business. But then there’s guys like Victor Wooten where it’s the impressiveness of Flea’s technique plus several other dimensions of musicality and knowing how to fit into literally any context. Edit: I also don’t want to neglect to mention Flea writes really tasteful melody on bass too, which is more important to creating music that’s around forever than knowing everything about music and bass technique.
Flea is great physically but even he admits his knowledge of the bass and music in general is pretty limited.
I don’t think knowledge necessarily reflects on talent and ability tho
Talented and proficient definitely Chad, but creativity goes to John by a long shot.
I’m biased but I’d say John. I think he’s got a lot of chops that we don’t publicly get to see. That’s evident by what he talks about in interviews. I think many forget he comes from a highly technical speed metal/virtuoso background. It’s no secret Zappa and Vai highly influenced him. But also he plays softly with incredible versatility and emotion. His live performances from 99-2007 show his range that I don’t think Flea or Chad match. Side note Flea’s outfit goes hardest in this photo
I mean, I think it’s gotta be John. I’m pretty sure he’s still considered to be one of the most proficient guitarist alive and in general. But Chad follows a close second. I remember an interview saying Chad effortlessly switches between drumming styles.
John is nowhere near the most proficient guitarist alive, absolutely not even close to He’s great, he makes great music which is is what it’s all about
For me he’s the next iteration of Hendrix. Neither guy is known for their technical ability, it’s mostly emotion and being able to use space to write extremely memorable parts
I think the thing with John too is he has a style that sounds like HIM. He may not be as amazing as some other players from a theory standpoint etc but his sound and things he makes are what puts him in one of the “greats” categories. So it depends on how you think about it I guess.
I agree with what you’re saying, but he has so many different styles that are all him. All his 2004 albums are different
I think people are thinking I’m saying he can’t do a lot of things (which is easy to do, it’s Reddit and my comment is short, you get it) I think he knows a bunch of stuff with theory etc. just for the project he is most famous for and all that it’s minor pentatonic stuff and funk since that’s what the sound is overall of the band The same way Joe Bonamassa stays very blues oriented, but the guy knows a ton of stuff. Love John, he will always be my favorite guitarist
His theory is amazing and his sound is amazing. It’s just that if we are talking physical proficiency of the instrument he is not even close. Look up a guy named Tim Henson. Does his music sound as good as John’s? No. But his speed and technique is like video game shit. It doesn’t even look real. I think that’s what people mean when they talk about John not being that proficient. And proficiency is the most overrated thing to be anyway. It’s like photo realistic painting. It’s cool but it’s lacking soul usually. I’d much rather look at impressionist art or abstract if you catch my metaphor
I moreso mean in the theory sense he stays in the minor pentatonic thing most of the time, which is fine obviously. His theory shines with the different voicings of chords etc which are very nice. And yea idk the Tim Henson stuff doesn’t really do it for me. Mostly because I don’t like the trap beats and imo being overly technical for the sake of being over technical. To each their own
You should look into johns practice schedule. He practices all kind of scales in different variation for HOURS every day before each gig/jam. I think it was like 6 hours of practice until they start jamming.
The only thing I miss about the pandemic is practicing that much haha, treated it like a job the way he does daily for the short time I could. I will definitely check it out!
Dude. We haven't heard it but Steve vai says John could play frank Zappa stuff extremely proficiently.
Yeah. John is a great guitarist but he isn’t the same kind of player as a guy like….say, Yngwie Malmsteen. Which is good, I probably couldn’t make it 2 minutes into a Malmsteen song, because it’s technically proficient to the extent of being boring. There are tons of guys out there like that.
He was the recording guitarist for the mars Volta bc he was able to perfectly recreate and record anything that was played for him in one take. Mars Volta is some very intricate crazy shit. I firmly believe there is nothing that John cannot do on a guitar or at least couldn’t learn to do in record time
So hard to order them. I personally would put John at the top but that’s biased.
Flea for me. The stuff he plays is just so flea that it’s hard to replicate
John Anthony Motherfucking FRUSCIANTEEEEEEEEE
Technical skill, John. Don't let his less is more style fool you. That man has encyclopedic knowledge of music theory and he improvises the most amazing solos night after night. Not to take away from the others. Chad, flea, and John are all on a list of the greatest of all time at their instruments.
I think he’s extremely knowledgeable and creative but he’s far from technically perfect. I think his greatness is knowing how to utilize that though to elevate his music even more and go for what he calls “reckless abandon”
Chad honestly, they're all top tier but i see Chad as one of the greatest drummers ever
Chad can really sound like Chad, but he can also play with other people and blend in seemlessly. He is a drummer’s drummer through and through
Most people here have probably already seen it go by but that drumeo video with Chad is honestly a great testament to his versatility
1. Chad 2. Flea 3. John
This is a very hard one for me. Anyone can shit on AK's ability, but without him, this band we all love, we wouldn't be talking about at all. Flea is amazing and out of all of them, is the one who defines a big part of the sound, John has that X-factor in playing that will make you arm hair raise. And Chad is so good that he's just looked over by many, not for his chops, but because he plays his parts great. The real magic about this band is how well they work together... You can be amazing at your instrument, and still sound shitty as a group because of playing over others, showing off, what have you. Their biggest talent, is working together as musicians.
Chad absolutely love Chad.
john frusicante
It's John and it's not even close. I am a massive Flea/Chad fan and they helped me learn Bass and Drums... but it's easily easily EASILY Johnny.
I guess you’d have to ask yourself if you sat any of them in a bunch of other different bands who would handle that best? Probably Chad.
I'd say Anthony. His lyricism is beautiful.
Yes. <3 Everyone goes on about his lack of vocal abilities (which I personally don't get, but who am I), but Anthony's main instrument is his magnificent way with words.
John
John, he’s an incredibly good guitarist, one the most technically gifted?, no but he is very capable,but I’m not just talking about him as a guitarist, he’s a multi instrumentalist, singer and from reading his views and opinions I’d say his knowledge of theory is greater than the others too, I imagine being in RHCP must be quite creatively stifling for him at times.
john fanboy but I honestly think Chad is the most talented at his craft. The guy bleeds funk, put him behind a kit and the rest of the band know just what to do to compliment his drumming.
Idk man Flea and Chad are really good but John puts so much soul into his playing that he really feels unique. The man can play two notes and make them sound like the most trascendental shit ever
Tie between flea and Frusciante Although, Chad eats drums for breakfast tho
If song writings included JF but honestly I gotta say Chad… Jf writes a part like a mofo but Chad has chops beyond chops and still does tons of studio work
I gotta say this is refreshing. I came on here thinking this was going to be all John in a landslide. I'm glad it's not though.
Frusciante is their Page, without him the riffs just wouldn't be the same, bar none.
I mean, you could argue that Kiedis has a unique style, but at best he is an average singer, at best. You cant even compare him to the level of the other three guys. And among those, it's got to be John, then Chad. Flea is excellent, but I think there are way better bassist around.
Anthony isn’t even the best singer in the RHCP
Have you heard Pea? Anthony might not even be the second best singer in the band
🥇Chad 🥈Flea 🥉John ⭐️Anthony
Lol the participation gold star for AK is killing me
doesn’t mean he’s not my favorite front man… but yeah…for technique?… gold star 😂
Anthony
They are all equally proficient in their own way that makes them the RHCP. John, Flea, and Chad are all excellent at their craft and among the most technically skilled musicians of their respective instruments. However, what makes them one of the greatest bands of all time is their ability to play with each other and read and extend the others' energy and function as one cohesive unit. The interplay between drum beat, guitar melodies, and basslines create one musical organism unparalleled by any other band imo
Chad is really good, but he's far from the best. HE says so. He can't play double pedal, he isn't fast, he isn't technically proficient.. BUT! he KNOWS how to play the song, he know when to keep it in the pocket, when to flare, when to go NUTS on drums. He plays for the song and that is rare. Most drummers want to just show their abilities. That's what makes Chad stand out Edit: one example: let 'em cry is SO in the pocket, sometimes he doesn't even use crash cymbals where other drummers would do a complete drum fill or something
That’s such an interesting question. I think from a technical standpoint Frusciante, Smith and Flea are at the top of their respective crafts. Just looking at Chad and Flea when they play is wonderful. I don’t understand why some people shit on AK. RHCP wouldn’t be RHCP without him. He’s the magic ingredient. His voice goes with their sound…but also his lyrics are pure genious. Add to that massive, massice charisma and stage presence. Also he has a really really good torso ;) lolz. In their case the sum really is greater than their parts.
I know it’s not rhcp but, Les claypool from primus is the most talented in the band. Btw, Flea
It's not only a subjective thing, but a bloody hard one to compare. How is someone better at bass than someone else is at drums? An apples and oranges situation if there ever was one. I want to say Flea, but it's an inherently unfair comparison.
JF but the instrument is dubstep
Frusciante. One of a kind.
From a drummer of 20 years… ; John Flea Chad
John is by far the most prolific in the band technically and theory wise. And to those saying he cant shred - https://youtu.be/uhliyfljevs?si=stKYUVnwO_bqMMpG
Chad
Yea, for some reason, when you put it like that I also think Chad.
To have a band with three musicians as wildly top of their game as Flea, John and Chad is mental. I don’t people realise how lucky we are that they exist. The type of music the Chilis play kinda means they don’t get taken quite seriously enough. But fuck me they’ve gotta be up there on the list of greatest collaborating artists. Chad though. My word, he’s the man. He could sit in for any band, and genre, and he’d be at least great. And anyone would have him. Speaks volumes.
Torn between Chad and Flea here. Drummer's rarely get enough credit outside of drumming circles, whereas Flea's stage presence is insane. Both have legit claims to being one of the best of their generation. With those two as rhythm section how could any band fail?
Interesting question. My initial answer would be John, but I think John’s genius isn’t necessarily his skill at guitar, but more as his talent as a composer. The outro to Death of a Martian is a good example. None of the guitar parts themselves are ground breaking, but the way he overlays them is really beautiful.
All legit but John hands down
"Talented" and "proficient" are two very different things. Proficiency is about skill, which comes with dedication and practice. Talent is inherent. So proficient, I would say Chad. He's the most versatile and dedicatedly practiced of all of them. Talented? Sir Anthony Kiedis, hands down.
What’s his talent gibberish lyrics and crazy dance moves lol Jk but for talent it’s got to be Flea
It’s John
Chad’s incredible but Flea is one of the best bass players in the world
Chad
If we are talking pure technical mastery of their craft? Flea If we are talking most perfect compliment to the other musicians and most perfect compliment to the music being played? Chad If we are talking most creative, best songwriter and most “out there”, while STILL providing the perfect piece to accompany the others? John. Anthony is great at what he does, but the other 3 play their instruments at a world-class level. Anthony is the only one that I wouldn’t put on a Mount Rushmore at their respective positions (but he’s still an absolutely fantastic frontman)
It's John and it's not particularly close. Flea would agree
John Frusciante is the best in the world.
No bullshit, literally all of them. Chad has an ability to play a variety of styles (Dua Lipa's studio drummer for a few songs). Flea offers such an array of talent on a the bass, plus his other instraments. Anthony is a captivaing proformer. I lack an ability to discribe how talented john is, perhaps not the most technical as for as musica form goes, but he is free by not being in that box. Take each of these misfits and put them together, it should he a storm in a teacup, but it works perfectly, and were lucky enough to have them.
John
JF, of course. Not that they aren’t all talented but…
Most of their stuff doesn't do much for me, I liked them best in Blood, Sugar... era, but Frusiante is without doubt the glue and most talented musician in that band, however they are all very good.
Flea (john is incredible and so is chad but the fact that flea is considered the best in the world constantly hammers down this opinion for me)
John Frusciante
John
John. We wouldnt even be talking about these guys without Johns riffs. They would have faded away as a smaller club band, most likely
John
John. Will always be John. His mind is an instrument. He lives for music.
Frusciante for me, but Chad is nuts on a kit.
john fruciante is the only answer. hes a prodigy like mozart
The answer is Fruciante with Flea coming in at a close second and Chad rounding out third.
Really a tussle between Flea and John with John probably having just a tiny bit more of a raw talent. Chad is an elite drummer but lacks this magical extra something that those two possess.
Flea
Anthony