I've been fortunate to have seen Clapton live many times through all stages of his musical career....starting with Cream and still strongly feel his musical journey is truly astonishing. As a musician myself, I view his approach to playing not unlike Miles Davis.....whom I saw a number of times...a true genius.....though for me, the similarities were in their approach in that it was always equally important when not to play a note....it's not about speed, which too many young guitarists think....but rather making every note count, that's why EC's solo's are so recognizable and memorable,,,..they're integral to the song and not merely about showmanship. Ginger Baker once said, it was always about the music. That's also why why his good friend and fellow guitarist George Harrison, whom I admire enormously as well for his body of work....also had EC play on his signature song....George recognized EC's incredible talent for bringing something special to every song. As others have noted, EC always credits those who came before him and his quite comfortable handing it off to the next generation of great young guitarists.....that speaks volumes about his character.