AboutMike Caldwell Expertise Fortunately, or unfortunately, there are no Led Zeppelin questions I can't answer. My immediate specialty (or proclivity as it may be) has to do with concert performances and lyrical interpretations.
Experience Countless hours of biographical research and personal interaction with relevant individuals. Avid contributor to Led Zeppelin newsgroups since 1997 (check Google groups!)
Publications Bullseye News Magazine. The Vapid Voice.
Question How did jimmy page get so good on guitar?
Answer He developed his skills through a few ways, and it mostly has to do with his development in the early and mid 1960s. He started by listening and playing along with lots of legendary blues and folk records. His guitar pretty much never left his side, even when he was going to school, and it was frequently confiscated from him by teachers. From there, in the early 1960s, he developed further skills by jamming with other great guitarists, usually at the Marquee. He was informally seen jamming with the likes of Beck and Clapton at this venue, and one way to get better at guitar is to play with others, of course.
From there, he was a very busy session player for studios. To that end, he had to be a versatile soloist for a variety of songs by a variety of artists. For further information, you can rather easily look up lists of artists for whom he recorded backing guitar and solos. This mid 1960s era of tireless, almost daily, session work, is where I think he honed his playing the most. By the time he got to the Yardbirds in 1966, he was already the Jimmy Page we know and love, and most of his "growth" from here was in recording and production techniques.
