Mar 02 2004
100 “greatest” guitarists of all time
Rolling Stone magazine published their 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. The top 10:
- Jimi Hendrix
- Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
- B.B. King
- Eric Clapton
- Robert Johnson
- Chuck Berry
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Ry Cooder
- Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin ["of Led Zeppelin"?! duh]
- Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones [double duh]
Duane Allman?! Chuck Berry?!! If you’re a guitarist, don’t bother looking at the complete list; you’ll want to punch your monitor.
i really want to know if this listing is based on personal choice because accoding to me every guitarist has his own way of playing the guitare for example there are things that can’t be done those listed up guitarists i mean that every lead guitarist is specefied .therefore the best guitarist of all time has no sense to me
Rolling Stone magazine probably did a poll of their readers, asking them who they thought should be on the list. I agree though; there’s no way to judge this objectively due to technics, styles, and even genres. Yet, a lot of people find this page searching for “top guitarists”.
I saw Kurt Cobain at 12, Jack White at 17, and Eddie Van Halen at 70, and that was enough for me to close the window immediately.
page 9th what a fukin joke…. top 3 should be
Hendrix
Page
Clapton
dude wtf? jimmy page at number NINE? hes amazing. given i havn’t heard of like 3 people on the list but wtf jimmy page is amazing
this list looks like it’s for little kids who don’t know anything!!
rolling stone must be stupid to put together this list
cobain was not a good guitarist he was a great song writer but not a great guitarist and hes #12
did he get sympathy or what
the worst thing about this list is that slash from guns n roses who is responsible for 2 of the best solos ever( november rain & sweet child o mine) is not even on the damn list
I know, dude. Slash got totally robbed. WTF, huh? Stupid Rolling Stone.
most of the list is retarded but i think they based a lot of the top ten on influence, chuck berry and b.b. king influenced practically everyone that came after them and both are actually amazing guitarists. and robert johnson, c’mon he’s robert johnson, is he one of the best guitarists? probably not but he had a great sound and is the king of blues. we wouldnt have eric clapton without robert johnson. as for jimmy page being 9th i have no explanation and kurt cobain shouldn’t be twelfth…um and duane allman is a crazy guitarist, incredibly good, maybe listen to some live allman brothers or to “whipping post” or “ramblin man” that’ll explain it.
This list is so out of order, it’s actually sickening. Hendrix is so overrated, one can’t put it into words. Clapton owns that top spot, hands down, strictly off longevity, influence, and versatility. The first and the last, Hendrix lacked (yeah, I know he died of drugs early, but it’s his fault). Jimmy Page at number nine? What a joke, he’s better than Hendrix was (a much superior soloist, at that). Eddie Van Halen at 70? Angus Young at 96? What kind of idiots thought of this? Van Halen is top 10. Young is top 30. And then these idiots put Kurt Cobain, one of the worst ever, at 12. To make it even worse, they have Jack White at 17. I AM A BETTER GUITARIST THAN THESE PEOPLE. Put Cobain and White in a room with a bunch of beginner guitar players, and they fit right in, because they SUCK. Ike Turner? He’s more famous for beating up Tina than anything he ever did with that damned instrument. The Edge is terrible. I notice that there is no sign of Prince, or Slash. Both of them are amazing, and they just completely left them off. Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck being outside of the top ten is complete bull. Keith Richards is a great rhythm guitarist, not a great lead guitarist. Maybe he gets extra credit because he can smoke and play at the same time. John Fogerty? I’m a Creedence fan, but what the hell is wrong with these people? Fogerty is garbage, he’s a weak soloist. Pete Townshead is higher than Keith Richards, easily. David Gilmour is about as good as Angus Young, put him in the top thirty. I don’t see any of the guitarists from Steely Dan on the list, all of them could arguably be top fifty. I’d dare say two of them could arguably be top ten, maybe even as high as six. Steve Howe of Yes is higher as well.
Let’s do a revision here.
1. Eric Clapton
2. Jimmy Page
3. Jimi Hendrix
4. Carlos Santana
5. Jeff Beck
6. B.B. King
7. Eddie Van Halen
And I’m too lazy to make anymore.
I’m wondering why all this traffic on this subject has showed up recently. All you folks from one place?
Sharp: I think you typed wrong: it’s “Clapton is so overrated, one can’t put it into words”, not Hendrix. Haha. Clapton’s a great soloist, but “versatile” – puh-lease. After Cream he seemed to loose his originality, going the “pop” route, except for a few classics like “Cocaine”, which he didn’t even write.
And Jimmy Page above Hendrix?! Hendrix influenced EVERYONE in the top 10, except maybe B.B.
This could be debated forever; it’s too subjective.
What about the top 100 violin soloists? I suppose a lot of people would name Nigel Kennedy. Man, even he stole from Hendrix.
Are you crazy? CLAPTON INFLUENCED HENDRIX. Or did you forget which guitarist Hendrix idolized, and only agreed to come to England if he was able to play with him? That’s right, CLAPTON. CLAPTON INFLUENCED HENDRIX, NOT VICE VERSA. And versatility means the ability to change your style with the times. EC starts with the Yardbirds, doing relatively soft rock. Then he moves on to harder stuff with Cream and Derek and the Dominoes. His solo work has ranged from hard rock, to soft rock, to ballads, to jazz, to bluegrass for Christ sake. You think Jimi Hendrix could have ever come up with two songs as different as White Room and Tears In Heaven? Highly doubtful. I’ll give you Hendrix his due as one of the great rock guitarists (Page ahead of Hendrix is my opinion, by the way, not necessarily true, probably straight out wrong). And if you want to attack Clapton’s ability as a writer, let’s just not forget to remember who wrote Hendrix’s only top 20 hit. Even if Hendrix did write some great songs, I’ll take Clapton’s songwriting in recent years over it.
Whatever though, like you said, it’s too subjective. It all comes down to opinion.
i think top 10 should be
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Jimmy Page
3. Eric Clapton
4. Alex Lifeson(of rush)
5. Duanne Allman
6. Ed Van Halen
7. Slash
8. Joe Perry(Aerosmith)
9. Angus Young
10. Stevie Ray Vaughan
I agree that Jimmy Hendrix Started everything off but, He was’nt the best. I think Angus Young is under rated because he is spinning around and jumping on one foot while playing. And his songs all have awesome solo’s. And AC/DC’s songs are the best songs but that does’nt mean he is the guitarist.
I think the top 10 should be:
1. Jimmy Page
2. Eric Clapton
3. Jimmy Hendrix
4. Steve Tyler
5. Angus Young
6. Eddie Van Halen
7. Slash
8. Carlos Santana
9. Kurt Cobain
10. Stevie Ray Vaughn
I don’t understand this tendency to have Jimmy Page ranked so high, and worse, having Slash in the top 10.
I wonder if the age of those coming up with a list has something to do with who’s on the list; but then, I was never a fan of Guns n’ Roses.
Slash and Jimmy Page are great guitarists — for people who still listen to the same shit they did in junior high, and still think it’s good. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
i understand that carlos santana is very good, but i don’t think that he is top ten material
i think that every one is forgetting about joe perry from aerosmith, and alex lifeson of rush. listen to any of there songs… they are awesome
first of all B.B King was not that great of a guitar player, he was an innovator man, his skill did not compare to other blues guitarists like SRV and jimi hendrix, and i think including a hack like jack white in the list at seventeen was a outrage. Personally i think Jack White should not be on that list. I also disagree with the placement of george harrison and david gilmor of PF. i looked at the list and they really should narrow down the list by putting guitarists into categorys based on the types of music those people played. Rolling Stone hasnt a clue.
I Also Have to add, one person said steve howe of yes and i completly agree, except he should be in the top fifteen. I recently saw them in concert and i have to say that steve howe is one of the best rock guitarists still alive today. He played a steel pedal guitar and his effects guitar and i was mesmorized and i think he should at least be 15 or 14. He and rick wakeman dueled for almost ten minutes and it was unfathomable.
I posted this related entry today: 50 “worst” guitar solos of all time.
I was disappointed Elizabeth Cotton didn’t make the list. Well, not disappointed. It’s a stupid list. But Elizabeth Cotton was an astonishing guitar player.
There were a lot of messed up things on that list. Joe Perry is very underrated, though I don’t think he hits top 10. Angus Young is an amazing guitarist. Steve Howe is also great.
And I don’t understand how you can rank Jimmy Page anything lower than three. The man is the best soloist I’ve ever heard, aside from Clapton. And BB King is as good as advertised, and probably better.
Slash is overrated, simply because he was a good guitarist, but came around when everyone else sucked. That doesn’t mean that he didn’t belong on that list.
And the ultimate measuring stick for a guitarist is their ability to improvise solos on stage, in concert. That’s what brings Jeff Beck and Hendrix down, in my eyes. If you’re better when you play live, you’re something. If you get worse (even if you’re stoned on stage, like Hendrix), it really takes away from your legend. I know somebody who saw Hendrix play the Star Spangled Banner, at Monterey, and he doesn’t look upon it with awe. More like in disgust, which is how a lot of people from the 60’s and 70’s generation of rock, view him. Hendrix and Beck’s solos are basically a bunch of random noises. With Clapton and Page, the speed and difficulty of their live solos just makes your jaw drop.
Seriously, pop culture has too much influence. Dead people are almost always overrated (except Tupac and Elvis). Kurt Cobain? Jimi Hendrix? Jim Morrison? Cobain was a shit guitarist. Even his song writing, while it spoke of desperation, all of Nirvana’s songs were about the same thing: DEPRESSION. Morrison was a hell of a poet, and a great frontman, but I still can’t understand what the hell he’s saying. Hendrix…still just a bunch of noise. Don’t get me wrong, I consider myself a Hendrix fan. But it gets to me when people rank him so high, and seemingly ignore the likes of Clapton, Page, Santana, BB King, etc.
The Edge of U2 is a top 10 contender for this list. NOT 24. he was such a versatile guitarist
The Edge? He’s overrated. As far as I’m concerned, if you can’t spit out a decent guitar solo, you don’t belong on the real list. The Edge could very well be a top 10 guitarist in Rolling Stone’s opinion. Of course, Keith Richards is the 10th best ever, Kurt Cobain is the 12th, and Jack White is the 17th best ever, in their eyes. In the meantime, Eddie Van Halen is at 70? Angus Young at 96? The Edge is definitely not ahead of those two, and I don’t even know if Young is a top 10 guy. The Edge, if anything, is WAY too high on the list, not too low.
i dont get why jack white and kurt cobain are in the top 20 cos they are shit . they cant play compared to people like SLASH and he aint even on the list.
I am very happy that JOHN FRUSCIANTE is at number 18 john is a great guitarist i would put john frusciante at number 10 if it was my list..
i am very suprised that Alex Lifeson of rush didn’t make the list( although that list is terrible) but i mean, alex lifeson is really good. practically all there songs have awesome solos. (unless he is on the list and i missed it but i don’t think he was on there)
Frusciante at number 10? You’re joking, right? Another notable absence. Where’s Robin Trower on that list? If his work with Procol Harum doesn’t get him on that list, then his solo work should. As far as playing style, he’s the only person who sounded exactly like Hendrix. Alex Lifeson, forgot about him. He belongs on there. Another horendous omission.
“first of all B.B King was not that great of a guitar player, he was an innovator man, his skill did not compare to other blues guitarists like SRV and jimi hendrix, and i think including a hack like jack white in the list at seventeen was a outrage. Personally i think Jack White should not be on that list. I also disagree with the placement of george harrison and david gilmor of PF. i looked at the list and they really should narrow down the list by putting guitarists into categorys based on the types of music those people played. Rolling Stone hasnt a clue.”
I’ll disagree with you about BB King. While he wasn’t quite on the skill level of a Page, Hendrix or Clapton, etc. as far as speed goes, but just listen to his stuff. The man is amazing, definitely worthy of a high spot on that list. After all, if you’re going to have Robert Johnson and Chuck Berry (neither of whom are top 10 talent wise either) so high, you can’t forget about the King.
And George Harrison was ranked way too high, definitely. He’s one of the most influential guitarists, no doubt, but on that list, he should be between 70 and 96. (MOVE YOUNG AND VAN HALEN UP ALREADY). Considering that Harrison didn’t even play his own guitar solos sometimes (Clapton fills in for him on While My Guitar Gently Weeps, McCartney does the solo on Taxman).
And another notable absence. John Densmore? Yeah, the dude from the Doors. Where is he? He’s probably not even top 30, but he should be there.
I need to see some Steely Dan guitarists in there as well.
KURT COBAIN IS THE BEST GUITARIST OF ALL TIME AND I FUCK ALL OF YOU
What was I saying. Densmore is a drummer. Ricky something, whatever the guy from the Doors’ name was. He belongs on though.
Screw Kurt Cobain.
Peoples opinion are all different.In my opiion Jimi Hendrix is the greatest guitarist.But to other people eddie van halen might be, but i for one can play eruption wich people say is his hardest song. but i dont think its hard,it sounds good but its not hard. And for the person who said that hendrix wasent good in consert, go fuck yourself. you find me any song that can even compare to machine gun Ill shut the hell up right now. but you wont find a song as hard as machine gun. learn how to play it, ill bet you cant.I dont care how cool the fast stuff sounds,play Little wing,bold as love,castles made of sand, and more. See you have to learn how to play the songs that arent very popular not like Purple haze or Fozy lady there great songs and all but learn how to play songs like house buring down,andmachine gun,and georgia blues now those are hard songs, what Hendrix played was beatiful. I will gladley talk to anyone who wants to talk about there farvorit guitarist. But in my opinion no one can touch Hendrx.
MY TOP TEN
1. JIMI HENDRIX
2. stevie ray vanghe
3.Tom morello
4.Chuch Berry
5.BB. king
6.eddie van halen
7.joe perry
8.jimmy page
9.carlose santanas
10.joan jett
Leaving Jimmy Page off until number eight, leaving Clapton off ENTIRELY, and placing Joan Jett, Joe Perry, Chuck Berry and Tom Morello all in the top 10, automatically made your opinion not count.
And I’m a Hendrix fan, believe me. He’s just overrated. I could listen to his music all day, he’s an amazing guitarist. But his solos were just a bunch of noise. He played some HARD riffs, but no more difficult than the stuff that Clapton or Page played. And once again, there’s no questioning that Hendrix, Page, and even Eddie Van Halen are all better solists than Hendrix. And once again. I know a person who saw Hendrix play the Star Spangled banner in Monterey, and he wasn’t impressed at all. Every person from the 60’s generation that I’ve spoken to about guitar has told me that Clapton is a superior guitarist to Hendrix.
eddie van halen….. no fucking way he is number 70.. he is way the hell better then alot of the people ahead of him. kirk hammett is most definitley worthy of top 5 in the world same with eddie.
I suggest you all LISTEN to Duane Allman before kicking him out of the Top 10. Clapton himself stood up and said Duane Allman was the best, and Clapton was in the Yardbirds, Derek and the Dominoes, AND the BLuesbreakers with Allman. Hendrix had style, but i agree with “Sharp”, his rifts were just noise. AND HOW THE HELL DO YOU LEAVE JERRY GARCIA OFF ALL OF YOUR LISTS?!?!? The Grateful Dead was the best jam band ever
MY TOP 10
1 Duane Allman
2 Eric Clapton
3 Jimmy Page
4 Stevie Ray Vaughn
5 Jimmy Hendrix
6 JERRY GARCIA
7 TREY ANASTASIO
8 B.B. King
9 Eddie Van Halen
10 Jeff Beck
AND ANOTHER THING…dont you think its a little odd “ROLLING STONE magazine” put a guitarist from the ROLLING STONES in the top ten!?!?! I mean…Keith was the man…but no where near as good as Jeff Beck or Jerry Garcia
1 hendrix is out amongst the planets flying high the one they all followed
2 neil young down on earth in all his ragged glory
3 jimmy page live…fantastic
4 clapton although he is a slacker….ask kief richards
5 assorted kings like bb,freddie and the late great albert they are all fantastic
6 richard thompson fluid licks both accustic and electric
7 stevie ray vaughn
8 duane allman
9 jerry garcia
10 pete townsend
all of these players were at their best live,where it counts……not in sterile studios wanking on with technology…
frankly after this you can raffle them…they dont count!
just my opinion but one that can be backed up by people with far more knowledge than myself
Hey Hammer…Neil Young was great, I left him off my list because i dont think he is as good of a guitarist as song writer, but thats just me…and thanks for putting Jerry Garcia in.
i know u guys are all like…yeah weres so an so….but one that is sourly missed….RANDY RHOADS!!! y the hell is he at like 80! thats bs…he could have blown van halen out of the water..and y is van halen at 76?!?!?!
I never imagined this post would receive the most comments, given its subjective matter. I’m thinking I should post a 100 “greatest” [fill in something subjective] of all time every week or so, just to see what kind of response they’d get.
That’s true, Mr. Cairns. And I read said about everyone trying to force their opinion on others, and show why they’re right. You put it off as immature, but that’s the whole point of a message board.
And after that tidbit, Randy Rhoads was great, an excellent soloist, but he’s not ahead of Van Halen, no way. Duane Allman is top 20, maybe even top 15, but not number two, or number one. Same deal for Jerry Garcia.
“Mr. Cairns”? I can’t remember the last time someone called me that (I’ve been called lots of other names though).
Not “immature”, but amusing. The comments are an interesting, funny read because, contrary to your point, there’s no WAY someone can prove they’re right on this topic; and that’s hilarious. I don’t want to deter anyone from adding their comments; it’s a great conversation, although you have to admit it has its absurdity (i.e. Joan Jett in the top ten?!).
just one more to add….. a bloke called harry manx,from canada via india …fantastic accoustic player,also great live
In response to
“And for the person who said that hendrix wasent good in consert, go fuck yourself. you find me any song that can even compare to machine gun Ill shut the hell up right now. but you wont find a song as hard as machine gun. learn how to play it, ill bet you cant.”
by Josh Carper
Just be cause a song is HARD doesnt mean its GOOD, and just because you cant do it doesnt mean its good, for example, i cant do a root canal, does that make that good?
oh yah and learn how to spell buddy
stevie ray vanghe???
carlose santanas???
I just can’t believe that prince was left out of the list. i mean the solos in computer blue and purple rain are just outstanding. i think they left prince out just because he was pretty weird. but the truth is, his songs were so amazing that they could bring goosebumps on your arms . he should at least be in the top 100
Why is’nt Chet Atkins on this list?!?! He is amazing he’s “guitar man”! I mean come on! Jack White shouldn’t be on this list, ESPECIALLY if he’s before John Frudsciante, one of my favorite guitarists in the world. There’s a guy who can improvise on stage. And he could play amazingly at the age of 16. Why isn’t he number 10?? This list is insane!
Ehh, wasn’t sure how to refer to you, so I felt a respectful tone would be best.
And Frusciante is one of the best around now. Of course, the best guitarists of today (i.e. Navarro, Frusciante) were average in the 60’s and 70’s.
In response to
“And for the person who said that hendrix wasent good in consert, go fuck yourself. you find me any song that can even compare to machine gun Ill shut the hell up right now. but you wont find a song as hard as machine gun. learn how to play it, ill bet you cant.”
by Josh Carper
Just be cause a song is HARD doesnt mean its GOOD, and just because you cant do it doesnt mean its good, for example, i cant do a root canal, does that make that good?
Two words: THANK YOU.
And for whoever gave Prince his well deserved due, thank you. Prince is an amazing guitarist. I’ve been told that he goes off on 30-45 minutes solos in live shows. He’s amazing, what you hear on the recordings is nothing but a taste of his ability. He deserves to bein the top 30, not just the top 100.
I found some interesting links about under-rated guitarists:
- thevoid99’s 10 Underrated Guitarists in Rock
- The Most Underrated Guitarists According to Jeffrey Hender
And here’s Guitar Magazine’s 100 Greatest Guitarists.
I like that list; nice to see Joe Pass and Chet Atkins there.
how did you know that this are the real and right statistics?did you made a contest of guitarist
mark knopfler is after hendrix.M.k was eric clapton guitar theacher,and e clapton admited that Mark knopfler is a master in guitar and it is better than clapton.And where is bob dylan and garry moore
SLASH OWNS KURT, WTF JUST BECAUSE SOMEBODY KILLS THEMSELVES AT THERE PRIME DOESNT MAKE THEM GREAT
Anyway, so you know that Clapton was around way before Knopfler, right?
And while those were interesting lists of underrated guitarists, they left off Terry Kath. He died of a self inflicted (accidental) gunshot to the head, after a night of drinking. He was Chicago (Transit Authority)’s original guitarist, the one who plays the solo on 25 or 6 to 4. Excellent, Hendrix even went out of his way to claim that Kath was better than he was. As a soloist, he was with ease. On the brighter side of things, I get to see Chicago (and Earth Wind & Fire) in concert tonight.
rolling stone is b/s the list is:
1. jimi hendrix
2.eddie van halen
3.jimmy page
4. angus young
5.duane allman
6.b.b. king
7.eric clapton
8.stevie ray vaughn
9.jeff beck
10.slash
Jimi Hendrix is definitly #1, but I think David Gilmour is way to under estimated. He deserves to be in the top five.
For the guy who said you have to like the same music you listened to in high school to think page and slash are good… damn dude, get a grip. Can you even play guitar, cause if you can, then go ahead and write me something that is as good or better than sweet child, paradise city, november rain, kashmir, black dog, immigrant song … I could go on and on. Those songs are imortalized in rock history for a reason. They are great rock guitar songs. And for the guy who implied that a great songwriter and great guitarist are different things… please, get a grip also my man. If we are going by pure technical skill then half the list should be classical and flamenco style guitarists who could run circles around half that list. I could sit in my basement for the next 10 years and play scales every day until I am technically amazing but that doesn’t mean I’ll make great MUSIC with my GUITAR. Eddie Van Halen is probably the greatest technical guitarist on that list based on his speed and precision, but quite frankly, if you were to create a list of the greatest rock riffs/solos he would be nowhere near the top of the list. Face it, pretty much everyone on this list is an absolutely amazing technical guitarist – granted, some may be slightly more talented than the next – but it is their ability to create great music using the guitar as an instrument that should dictate their position. That being said, that rolling stone list is a farce that is probably based just as much on musical politics than anything else.
out.
YOU guys (rolling stone) have to think WAY better, first of all RANDY RHOADS IS THE FUCKING GREATEST he can play better then anyone that ever roamed the earth, here IS the top 10
1. RHANDY RHOADS(from ozzy)
2. kirk hammit(from metallica)
3. eddy van halen(from van halen)
4. dave mustaine(from megadeth)
5. slash(from guns and roses/velvet revolver)
6. angus young(from AC/DC)
7. tony iommi(from black sabbath)
8. jimmy page(from led zepplin)
9. jimi hendrix(from jimi hendrix)
10. alex lifeson(from rush)
THERE THOSE ARE THE TOP 10
for all the people who are saying that hendrix’s solos are just a bunch of noise, listen to the solo of the wind cries mary. Its a flowing masterpiece.
Are you going for the longest running thread of all times? The initial post was back in March and you’ve still got people commenting on it…lol.
Ok, now for my opinion!
Don’t like Stones, don’t like Hendrix, never heard of Chet Atkins….I could go on, but you people really need to let sleeping dogs lie.
There….that comment should surely keep this post going on for another few months. I’ll be back at that time to make sure it’s still alive….haha!
Agnus Young should be number1 who ever made this chart has no taste in music Agnus young is a mouth f****n god
OK, here’s my rather uninformed opinion:
1. Jack White and Kurt Cobain, despite being average in terms of technical skill, did have vision and songwriting skill that bests most of the people on this list. If this is a technical-skill contest, just put Joe Satriani or Yngwie Malmsteen at the top and ignore the amazing contributions to rock that Hendrix and Page gave. I think White and Cobain deserve a place on the list, thought probably after #75 or so.
2. Hendrix is undisputedly at the top. Nobody can match the combination of skill, soul, innovation, and all around musicianship that he displayed. Jimmy Page is a very close second, though.
3. Throughout this ENTIRE thread, one contemporary name has yet to be mentioned: Josh Homme, lead guitarist of Kyuss (the best band of the 90’s and probably the most underrated band of all time) and Queens of the Stone Age. In a “modern rock” wasteland of uninspired solo-less work, Homme has kept rock alive. He’s not quite Hendrix, Page, or Van Halen, but he’s definitely up in the top 50. If you haven’t listened to Queens of the Stone Age yet, do so. Kyuss is a bit less friendly to newer listeners, but once it grows on you and you realize the genius of it, you never turn back. Another important thing to be noted about Homme: he plays EVERYTHING. In his first QOTSA album, he played both guitar and bass, and he’s playing the drums for a band called the Eagles of Death Metal. He’s also a great vocalist. Even if he doesn’t have the guitar skill of Satch or Malmsteen or some other scale-shredding maniac, he can do anything necessary to make great rock music. I don’t think there’s a rock instrument he hasn’t played and played well at some point. The man is a GOD.
You guys do, however, realize that most of the guys we are discussing about come from a pretty small part of our planet… we might be missing out a lot. I mean, how many countries are we countin’? Grab a calculator, an encyclopedia and start doin’ the math. Remember we are leavin’ out the most highly populated countries on the face of the earth….
I’d personally like to add a few: Skay Beilinson, Walter Giardino, Marcelo Roascio… and of course, one of the greatest ever… Norberto “Pappo” Napolitano.
Peace out.
PS: We can not beat ignorance, but we can at leat fight it…
YOU guys (rolling stone) have to think WAY better, first of all RANDY RHOADS IS THE FUCKING GREATEST he can play better then anyone that ever roamed the earth, here IS the top 10
1. RHANDY RHOADS(from ozzy)
2. kirk hammit(from metallica)
3. eddy van halen(from van halen)
4. dave mustaine(from megadeth)
5. slash(from guns and roses/velvet revolver)
6. angus young(from AC/DC)
7. tony iommi(from black sabbath)
8. jimmy page(from led zepplin)
9. jimi hendrix(from jimi hendrix)
10. alex lifeson(from rush)
THERE THOSE ARE THE TOP 10
This is why hardcore metal fans irritate me quite often. They have tunnel vision, they only see who they like, and say they’re the best. Randy Rhoades belonged WAY higher on the list, I’ll grant you that. But the list means more than that. Influence, longevity, talent, techinicality, fundamentals the ability to create riffs, the ability to solo, the quality of their live shows, etc., etc., all must be taken into account. I’ve always based my ranking on that…and I’ve always come up with Clapton. Most people really never think of this, but Hendrix’s fundamentals are TERRIBLE. He played with a fire and passion never seen before, and he was probably the most talented rock guitarist ever (for somebody who was as good as he was, he was really humble as well, he was constantly pointing out people he thought were better guitarists than him). The fact that Clapton can satisfy my criteria puts him at number one in my eyes. Hendrix and Page are neck and neck for the second spot. After that, it gets a little hazy for me. If you’re only doing rock guitar, then you’re going to see Jeff Beck, Santana, etc. in there somewhere. If you throw add blues to the mix, then you’re going to see BB King in the top five, hands down, and of course other big names. Stevie Ray Vaughn makes it in there as well. I’d be dissapointed not to see a couple of Steely Dan guitarists in the mix as well.
for all the people who are saying that hendrix’s solos are just a bunch of noise, listen to the solo of the wind cries mary. Its a flowing masterpiece.
I never said that all of Hendrix’s solos were fucked up, just most of them. And while The Wind Cries Mary is an EXCELLENT solo, and I mean that with every bit of honesty in my body, there are better ones out there, tons of them (the worst stuff was Hendrix live, he was so fucking high he couldn’t play. You know that legendary show in Monterey, the Star Spangled Banner one? He was so fucked up that night, he couldn’t play ANYTHING correctly. Everyone who hears that now thinks it was an amazing show, everyone who was there thought it was the worst shit they’d ever seen). Hendrix’s true mystique is his powerful (though fundamentally flawed) riffs. Aside from Robin Trower, there is nobody who carried the same kind of power to their playing that Hendrix did. But power isn’t everything, diversity means something. Page and Clapton are easily superior soloists to Hendrix. The fact that they can play different types of guitar music, should mean something here. Hendrix lacked it, and it would’ve prevented him from changing his style of play with the times, had he not have died.
for all the people who are saying that hendrix’s solos are just a bunch of noise, listen to the solo of the wind cries mary. Its a flowing masterpiece.
Amen.
All Along The Watchtower was a pretty damn amazing solo, too. He blew away Bob Dylan there. Hey Joe? The Wind Cries Mary? He could do more then just “noise”.
And even in his solos where he “just made noise”…what’s wrong with that? I’m a music major, so i love hearing a song that flows smoothly with well articulated notes, but some of the things Hendrix could do with a guitar give me goosebumps. And in a GOOD way.
alright heres mine
1. jimi hendrix (jimi hendrix experience)
2. jimmy page (led zeppelin)
3. slash (guns n roses velvet revolver)
4. kirk hammet (metallica)
5. eric clapton (cream)
6. eddy van halen (van halen)
7. joe satriani (joe satriani)
8. jerry cantril (alice in chains
9. mike mcready (pearl jam)
10. kurt cobain (nirvana)
for all the people who are saying that hendrix’s solos are just a bunch of noise, listen to the solo of the wind cries mary. Its a flowing masterpiece.
Amen.
All Along The Watchtower was a pretty damn amazing solo, too. He blew away Bob Dylan there. Hey Joe? The Wind Cries Mary? He could do more then just “noise”.
And even in his solos where he “just made noise”…what’s wrong with that? I’m a music major, so i love hearing a song that flows smoothly with well articulated notes, but some of the things Hendrix could do with a guitar give me goosebumps. And in a GOOD way.
Sure, he could put on a nice show, but noise is just noise. It’s not real playing. People overrate Hendrix, and I’m not sure why. He was a great guitarist, a sure fire two or three on the list, but number one? I play, and I still say that Clapton and Jimmy Page play harder songs.
And what’s so impressive about blowing away Bob Dylan on All Along the Watchtower? Dylan forte is songwriting, not guitar. Hey Joe, is alright. I like the song, but the solo doesn’t impress me. Hendrix had some great songs, he’s a great guitarist, but I see to many shortcomings to put him over a Clapton or Jimmy Page. He is without a doubt the most influential guitarist ever, but Clapton and Page are close to him in that areas. Considering that EC or Page are above him in most other areas (i.e. techincality, solos, difficulty of songs, large variety of riffs, diversity, versatality, etc.).
alright heres mine
1. jimi hendrix (jimi hendrix experience)
2. jimmy page (led zeppelin)
3. slash (guns n roses velvet revolver)
4. kirk hammet (metallica)
5. eric clapton (cream)
6. eddy van halen (van halen)
7. joe satriani (joe satriani)
8. jerry cantril (alice in chains
9. mike mcready (pearl jam)
10. kurt cobain (nirvana)
SICKENING.
First of all, I wouldn’t expect this list to be anything good coming from Rolling Stones.
I think that when 99% of the people looked at this list and saw Jack White at 17…most of them probably said WTF. And so did I. He might be a good guitarist, but i’ve never heard anything out of him that impressed me. Anyone know where I can hear something half decent out of Jack White??
Yngwie…wtf…not one of the top 100 guitarists of all time? sure…ok
Jimmy page needs to be higher than 9
1) Jimi Hendrix- if u think it is a bunch of noise listen closer and if you stilll think it is you no absolutly nuthin about guitar.
2) Jimmy Page- an absolutley amazing guitarist
3) Eric Clapton- awesome guitarist
those are the top 3 like it or not in that order 2. then u get guys like Alex Lifeson great guitarist but he is not in the top 10 he is amazin though. And Slash as much as i like him he aint in the top 10 he is great though. Eddie Van Halen is definetly in the top 10 same with Angus Young.Jeff Beck is also up there along with Keith Richards but we all know that deep down like him or not HENDRIX IS NUMBER 1.
tony iommi, stevie ray vaughn, guitarist from the darkness is quite goood but although he is not important, are some other good ones
1) Jimi Hendrix- if u think it is a bunch of noise listen closer and if you stilll think it is you no absolutly nuthin about guitar.
2) Jimmy Page- an absolutley amazing guitarist
3) Eric Clapton- awesome guitarist
those are the top 3 like it or not in that order 2. then u get guys like Alex Lifeson great guitarist but he is not in the top 10 he is amazin though. And Slash as much as i like him he aint in the top 10 he is great though. Eddie Van Halen is definetly in the top 10 same with Angus Young.Jeff Beck is also up there along with Keith Richards but we all know that deep down like him or not HENDRIX IS NUMBER 1.
So what makes Hendrix so great? I’ve gone through this over and over again. He only has two things on Clapton or Jimmy Page; soul, and power to his playing (always very hard, felt like you want to just rock out to them). But what to Page and Clapton have on him? Techincality, fundamentals, superior soloists, better live, more versatile, better at adaptiing to new styles. Hendrix couldn’t have produced songs as strikingly different as White Room tand Tears In Heaven, or Black Dog and Going To California. Hendrix has acknowledged two other guitarists that he felt were better than him: Terry Kath of Chicago, and Phil Keaggy. If anyone has ever heard the solo on 25 or 6 to 4, it’s obvious that Kath was great (although not quite HENDRIX great). Keaggy has some of the hardest songs I’ve ever seen, although I can’t say that I’ve heard him play.
And saying that Keith Richards is up there with Jeff Beck, makes me want to puke. Keith Richards is in the greatest rock and roll band of all time, that doesn’t mean he’s a top 10 guitarist of all time. He’s arguably the greatest rhythm guitarist ever, but not by any means in the top ten, or top, twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty. If you’re going to put a great rhythm guitarist in the top ten, where’s Malcom Young (Angus’ bro)? He’s just as good as Richards is.
Lifeson is excellent. But just because he’s in Rush, that takes away from him, because I really, can’t, stand Rush. The only cover of Summertime Blues that I can stand is the Who’s version. Geddy Lee’s voice just kills me.
Sharp: have you heard their instrumentals? YYZ from Moving Pictures (I used to play that (bass) in a band), La Villa Strangiato from Hemispheres. Brilliant tunes. 20 years ago it took me awhile to get used to Geddy’s vocals, but their musicianship surpasses any annoyance.
Oh, no doubt, the guys from Rush are great instrumentalists. But Geddy Lee’s voice, I’ll never really get used to it. I see them as a sort of less talented version of Cream, really, not that they can’t play, or anything.
this is the most retarted top ten… where the fuck is tony iomi? or eddie van halen, ace frehley, or even pete townsend. this list needs to be burned and never revived. a 100 greatest guitarits list will never be correct due to different peoples styles. plus, rush kicks ass. cream and rush are completely different, sharp. you have no idea wtf ur talking about.
1. Jimmy Page(led zeppelin)
2. Jimi Hendrix(jimi hendrix experience)
3. Tony Iomi(black sabbath)
4. Eddie Van Halen(van halen)
5. Eric clapton(yardbyrds, cream, eric clapton)
6. Angus Young(ac/dc)
7. Randy Rhodes(ozzy osbourne)
8. Pete Townsend(the who)
9. Brian May(queen)
10. Slash(guns n’ roses)
even though no list is right… thats wat i think
Rolling stones, what a complet load! jimmy hendrix would only just made it into the top ten, if he had aged and died instead of DIEING YOUNG .Good use of hermonics and destorion…but thats it he was just a master at sound affects. I’D give 10th place and what is up with kirk cobain BEING so high in the list, truly the greatest vocalist and song writer of all time, but noting exspetional in guitarist skills i’d give him twenty. The edge the master of the solo “the fly” “bullet the blue sky” (buston version 2001)8TH PLACE And where is james hetfield one of the greatest modern guitarist around.Kirk hammett for first place “BATTERY”. Rolling stones is’nt even a proper magazine!
kirk is the best guitarist in the world so fuck that and then comes james
1.KIRK HAMMETT 2.JAMES HETFIELD 3.JIMI HENDRIX 4.JIMMY PAIGE 5.SLASH 6.ME
jimmy page is one
I bet ur terrible at guitar, carlos. kurt cobain kicks ass but the list is just retarted.
“this is the most retarted top ten… where the fuck is tony iomi? or eddie van halen, ace frehley, or even pete townsend. this list needs to be burned and never revived. a 100 greatest guitarits list will never be correct due to different peoples styles. plus, rush kicks ass. cream and rush are completely different, sharp. you have no idea wtf ur talking about.”
Ignorant jackass, I’m referring to instrumental setup, fucker, not style of music. Geddy Lee is the lead vocalist/bassist for Rush. Cream had Jack Bruce doing the same thing. Lifeson supplies the guitar, for Rush, Clapton supplies it for Cream. And of course, Neil Peart on drums for Rush, Ginger Baker for Cream. So before you open your mouth, why don’t you read, bitch.
And you’re right, you can’t really make a list, because of subjective styles. But having Brian May (who is underrated, but not THAT underrated), Slash (once again, cheated by being left off, but he’s not that high, leaving off Slash isn’t like leaving off one of Clapton, Page or Hendrix). And Pete Townshead? Pete FUCKING TOWNSHEAD? PLEASE. I’ve seen the man play LIVE, and I’ll tell you, he’s nothing special, at least compared to the top ten guys. He’s somewhere betweeen 30 and 40, realistically. Tommy Iommi can claim membership to two of the more underrated bands of all time (Jethro Tull and Black Sabbath). But number three, AND ahead of the others on your list…HELL no. Randy Rhoades is Ozzy’s best guitarist, not Iommi. I’ll hand it to you, you give underrated guys their due, but just a tad much. I’ve seen a bunch of no name guitarists that could hand Iommi, Townshead or May their asses on a silver platter.
Once again, I repeat.
1. Clapton – One of the most influential guitarists ever, the greatest rock guitarist of all time, has had one of the longest and most successful careers of anyone in rock history. Regarded as the best soloist of all time by many, excellent live shows. Has the ability to play different styles of guitar (acoustic, hard rock, soft rock, blues, etc.), very versatile, and an excellent songwriter for the cherry on top.
2-tie. Hendrix – Most powerful guitarist of all time, and most influential ever. Not very versatile, or fundamentally sound, but his talent made up for it. His playing was often sloppy, which was especially evident in his solos, and his live concerts (more on the basis of drugs than lack of ability). The fact that he died so young, before he could even truly taste the full extent of his success, has given him a sort of aura, prompting many to place him at number one. Being dead gets you overrated (see Cobain Kurt, and Cartman, he’s not the greatest ever, just because he’s dead. Ever heard of John Lennon or Paul McCartney? Bob Dylan? Cobain can’t hold a candle to those guys).
2-tie. Jimmy Page – I’d like to put him above Hendrix, but, that would be giving in to my personal bias. The man was the greatest instrumentalist, in a band with some damned good musicians. Page is the only person whose ability as a soloist is on the same scale as Clapton. He is still the most versatile guitarist that I’ve ever heard. He could play folksy music in one song (see Bron-Y-Aur Stomp) in one song, soft rock after that (All My Love), hard rock in the next (Whole Lotta Love), semi-metal following that (Trampled Underfoot). He’d dabble in music tinged with cultural flavor (Kashmir). And to top it off, he did it all in one song (Stairway to Heaven). And plus, the double necked guitar is still the coolest thing I’ve ever seen).
4. BB King – No list of great guitarists would be complete without the King. On a list which should be stocked full of rock guitar gods, we see the consumate blues man. He wasn’t as fast as Clapton, as powerful as Hendrix, or as versatile Page. What he was, was just really, damned good, and he has been on a consistent basis, for decade, after decade, after decade. Longevity is not always something to be proud of, but in BB’s case, he makes the list.
After that, it’s a big messy ball of confusion, with Jeff Beck, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Santana, etc. thrown in there.
And putting James Hetfield on the list would just be a crime. I’m not really feeling the presence of anything but leads on there (except with the case of Keith Richards, but he’s too high).
And what if Carlos is Carlos SANTANA?
I’m considering closing the comments for this thread (JUST this one – not the whole site) if the tone continues to be offensive to anyone, whether the author is being serious or not.
Here’s a rule I’ll be enforcing here, quoted from an erudite owner of a site I frequent:
Sorry, Mr. Cairns, but I’m not just going to allow my intelligence to be insulted by a guy who thinks he’s all that because it doesn’t make sense the way he thinks about it. That’s not right.
I know that Hendrix is a great guitarist, but some of the best solos such as Heartbreaker and Stairway to heaven are over any that Hendrix or anyone else has done on that list. Page should be first by a long shot.
1.Page
2.Clapton
3.Hendrix
4.B.B
5.Slash
6.Brian May(ka durf)
1. hendrix
2. santana
3. paige
4. van halen
5. clapton
6. rhoades
7. cobain
“1.Page
2.Clapton
3.Hendrix
4.B.B
5.Slash
6.Brian May(ka durf)”
Honestly man, if you’re oging to talk about great guitar solos by Page, then why Heartbreaker? Why not Black Dog? Over The Hills and Far Away?
I don’t agree with your placing of Slash or May so high. I definitely feel you on the love for the King. That man is underrated. People need to realize theres more to guitar than just rock. There aren’t any classical guys that I can recall listed on there, same deal for the acoustic-only guys. No Phil Keaggy at all, and Hendrix considered him to be the greatest ever.
At least you gave Clapton his due, even if I think he’s number one.
But man, people just really have a tendency to place Slash and May high for some reason. Underrated doesn’t mean that they’re really top 10, but forgotten (although that would be the case for Keaggy).
“1. hendrix
2. santana
3. paige
4. van halen
5. clapton
6. rhoades
7. cobain ”
Not really feeling this list, for some obvious reasons. Santana at number two? COBAIN?!
It comes down to how do you define ‘great guitarist’. IS a great guitarist the guy who can move his fingers across the frets faster than anyone else without making a mistake? That sounds rather robotic and a pretty limiting definition. Is the ‘great guitarist’ the guy who developed an innovative technique that influnced hundreds following behind him? If so, then it biases the analysis towards those who were around for the birth of the guitar. I agree that the R.S. list is B.S. because they throw mediocre talents like Jack White on it. But if we also accept the premise that a kick-ass rocker gets on just because he’s a kick-ass rocker then it devolves into an argument over our favorite guitarists.
Personally, I favor the argument that a ‘great guitarist’ is defined by his contributions to the art because fast, accurate guitarists will come and go and a couple decades later be forgotten. I don’t think we will ever forget people like Hendrix or B.B. King.
OK Jimmy Hendrix deserves number one, but Jimmy Page at number 9? wtf and Eddie van Halen that far down on the list is ridiculous.
1. Jimmy Hendrix
2. Jimmy Page
3. Eric Clapton
4. Eddie Van Halen
5. Stevie Ray Vaughn
Continuing the previous post, I think bluesmen like Elmore James and Son House stand with Robert Johnson. I’ve seen Hubert Sumlin a couple times and I wasn’t blown away. But, that is because the techniques he innovated have been used by hundreds of guitarists and so we ignore his contributions. I agree that Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King deserve to be in the top 10. I saw Jeff Beck with B.B. King last year and I thought he was spectacular. It compelled me to go out and buy his Blow by Blow and Wired CDs, which I had about 25 years ago in album form. There were a couple names that were not on the list that probably belong on there (not in the top 10 of course). Walter Trout is frequently listed as a great guitarist and the guitar magazines rank him much higher than a mass market mag like R.S. Also, one of the most gifted guitarists in his 20s is Joe Bonamassa. He picked up the guitar when he was 3 and opened for B.B. King when he was 12. He’s got some spectacular stuff out there and he’s only 27 years old.
It comes down to how do you define ‘great guitarist’. IS a great guitarist the guy who can move his fingers across the frets faster than anyone else without making a mistake? That sounds rather robotic and a pretty limiting definition. Is the ‘great guitarist’ the guy who developed an innovative technique that influnced hundreds following behind him? If so, then it biases the analysis towards those who were around for the birth of the guitar. I agree that the R.S. list is B.S. because they throw mediocre talents like Jack White on it. But if we also accept the premise that a kick-ass rocker gets on just because he’s a kick-ass rocker then it devolves into an argument over our favorite guitarists.
Personally, I favor the argument that a ‘great guitarist’ is defined by his contributions to the art because fast, accurate guitarists will come and go and a couple decades later be forgotten. I don’t think we will ever forget people like Hendrix or B.B. King.
While your statement is true, no doubt. You can say the same thing for a Page or a Clapton. Just as influential, and more fundamentally sound.
I think Rolling Stones are on crack! ANGUS YOUNG IS AMAZING.. ok his stuff might be straight foward but face it. he can play way faster the Eddie Van Halen and he using 1 hand! also he walks around doing the DUCKWALK WHILE SPAZZING ON THE GROUND STILL MAKING HIS SOLO”S SOUND AMAZING! Young should easily be in the top 10! another thing KURT COBAIN.. WHAT THE HELL!.. ok good song writer but his music didnt take any talent! there just catchy… ALSO JACK WHITE… WHAT THE HELL!!! hes like “do do do do do” hes pethatic! Rolling stones are retated!
I agree Angus Young is way to Underatted!!!…. AC/DC ROCKS!!!
Angus is awesome but not top 10 man maybe close to it but not top 10 like are u idiots forgetting about jimi hendrix, jimmy paige, eric clapton, bb king, stevie ray vaughn, jeff beck, THE ROOTS MY FRIENDS, THEY MAY NOT BE THE BEST NOW BUT THEY WERE THE CREATORS AND THATS WHAT MAKES THEM TOP 10 KEY WORD CREATORS MEANING THEY ARE IMPORTANT FOR INVENTIN THAT STUFF, THEY WERE THE FIRST TO DO IT THEN THERE WERE FOLLOWERS AND THEY CAN DO IT AND MAYBE SOME CAN DO IT BETTER THAN THE ORIGINALS AND U PEOPLE ARE RATING THEM ON THAT, SURE THEY MAY BE ABLE TO DO IT AS GOOD , OR BETTER BUT JUS THINK HOW HARD IT WOULD BE TO CREATE IT AND BE THE FIRST TO DO IT SO THERFORE THEY ARE THE GREATEST FOR THAT VERY REASON…..AND THAT IS WHY HENDRIX IS NUMBER 1!!!”
Personally, I do agree with Hendrix’s placement at 1, simply because he ignored all of the boundaries that guitar players faced in that era and was a truly masterful player. I must also express my utmost outrage about Kobain and White, putting emphasis on the fact that this list is at most a popularity contest and barely assesses actual ability. People like Steve Howe (anyone who has listened to songs like “the clap” and “Mood for a Day” know what I am talking about) and Jimmy Page are technically amazing and should both be higher. Also, I dont know who else actually plays guitar here, but those who refer to clapton as such a God are not analyzing his actual playing. Throughout his Bluesbreaker and Cream years he played nothing but the blues scale (try it out), and barely wrote any of the material. And, furthermore, there is no mention of many of the great jazz players like Charlie Byrd and Wes Montgomery. Oh, and Frank Zappa at 45!?!?! Not only was he a ridiculous guitarist, but an incredible musical genious as well. And, one more thing, Chuck Berry deserves his spot, every rock guitarist on that list was influenced by him, don’t argue it, you’re wrong.
No one has mentioned Alan Holdsworth. A guitarist many of the greatest guitarist look up to.
“Personally, I do agree with Hendrix’s placement at 1, simply because he ignored all of the boundaries that guitar players faced in that era and was a truly masterful player. I must also express my utmost outrage about Kobain and White, putting emphasis on the fact that this list is at most a popularity contest and barely assesses actual ability. People like Steve Howe (anyone who has listened to songs like “the clap” and “Mood for a Day” know what I am talking about) and Jimmy Page are technically amazing and should both be higher. Also, I dont know who else actually plays guitar here, but those who refer to clapton as such a God are not analyzing his actual playing. Throughout his Bluesbreaker and Cream years he played nothing but the blues scale (try it out), and barely wrote any of the material. And, furthermore, there is no mention of many of the great jazz players like Charlie Byrd and Wes Montgomery. Oh, and Frank Zappa at 45!?!?! Not only was he a ridiculous guitarist, but an incredible musical genious as well. And, one more thing, Chuck Berry deserves his spot, every rock guitarist on that list was influenced by him, don’t argue it, you’re wrong.”
I disagree with your assessment of Clapton. He played nothing but blues scales? Clapton in his Cream years was the best rock guitar has ever seen. His riffs are still more difficult than Hendrix’s, and any players I’ve come across besides maybe Phil Keaggy (who couldn’t solo nearly as well). I’ll definitely agree with you about Chuck Berry though. The founding father’s need representation. Also, did I not see Dave Navarro on there? If you’re going to have some of the bullshit guys on there, you have to have Navarro.
Stephen Stills ahead of Roy Buchanan? Yeesh. Ok, here’s my list:
1) Clapton
2) Page
3) Hendrix
4) Stevie Ray Vaughn
5) Eddie Van Halen
6) Chuck Berry (mainly for his influence)
7) Peter Green
8) Dick Dale
9) Duane Allman
10) Frank Zappa
11) Roy Buchanan
12) Albert King
13) Justin Haywood
14) Pete Townshend
15) Jeff Beck
16) Paul Kossoff
17) John McGlaughlin
18) Steve Marriott
19) BB King
20) Ry Cooder
All guitarists suck and you are all morons for putting stupid entertainers ahead of your families. For shame.
Everything is subjective when it comes to music, that is the whole point of genres, different people like different genres or styles (for those of you who dont know what ‘genre’ means). Also it is impossible for anyone to decide who is their favourite guitarist because if for example you like slash – (not one of my personal favourites), you cannot say, “Slash is better than Carlos Santana – (great guitarist) for they have two completely differnt stlyes of play…Therefore it makes no sense. Also Kurt Cobain and Slash should at least be out of the top ten, if you are making lists of the top ten. Joe Satriani (Joe Satriani), David Gilmour (Pink FLoyd), Steve Hackett (Genesis), Jeff (Skunk) Baxter (Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers), Larry Carlton (Steely Dan) and Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits). If you disagree then that is what music is for as I have said, you like what you like.
^^Finally, somebody gives some credit to the Steely Dan guitarists.
hey i am just starting to play guitar i have jus ordered a Fender Standard series arctic whye guitAR is that a good guitar to start on it is my very first guitar and im gonna get lessons and stuff i hav neva played be4 is that a good guitar?
Dear “Sharp”,
First off I’d like to say Bowie, I think your’e in the wrong place, and yes, thats pretty good for a very first, although there are some quality issues with the Mexicans, However, I would recommend an acoustic for the first. As a follow-up to my last statement, I must say that you are quite mistaken there “Sharp”. Clapton’s riffs with Cream are all quite acheivable even to the intermediate guitarist, with Strange Brew being quite possibly the most difficult, yet still nowhere near something like Hendrix’s Little Wing or Castles Made of Sand. I would like to make it clear that this is not an issue of bias (I own all 4 Cream albums and the DVD – “Strange Brew”), I am quite the Clapton fan. It is just that in his solo’s that you all refer to as being so amazing, he always played by the books. Nothing revolutionary there. I personally know this because I have taken the time to figure out damn near every one of them. I have been playing for over 15 years and am currently part of a 6-piece jazz ensemble, I am classically trained and do know what I am talking about. Clapton may have been great at phrasing, but is that worth the top ten?
I agree, as I am a big Clapton fan, I do tend to overstate his achievements a bit. But then again, the tabs you see on the internet of his stuff are rarely correct. White Room is not as hard as I make it out to be, I’m aware of that, but it’s on par with any of Hendrix’s solos. Hendrix once again, is a great guitarist, but VERY overrated. He was all power, nothing else. Talented like nothing we’d ever seen before, but did he honestly do enough in his brief reign of superstardom to put him up as the greatest ever? No, I’ll take Jimmy Page or Clapton’s versatility, speed, etc. over Hendrix’s talent released in brtue force, any day.
And Bowie…why are you starting out with an electric? Start learning on an acoustic, then as you gradually improve, work your way onto the electric.
And Frank…what’s with the quotes?
thanx guys :)
I agree with Sharp, also the acoustic is harder than the electric in a sense that on an electric you dont get the annoying little hums and vibrations that you get on an acoustic or classical if you slightly off hit a fret. So once you master the acoustic it should give you enough grounding to play an electric with more fluency than if you started out by playing the electric first. Hope this makes sense as I was in a rush when writing this!
Top 10 :-
1.Jimmy Page
2.Jimmy Hendrix
3.Frank Zappa
4.Slash
5.Jeff Beck
6.Ritchie Blackmore
7.Carlos Santana
8.B.B King
9.Dave Gilmour
10.Eric Clapton
Another thing I just thought of. Where the hell is Andres Segovia? Without that man, there’d be no such thing as rock guitar, or guitar music in general. That man made the guitar a respected instrument. Fuck Clapton, Hendrix and Page, Segovia is number one now.
hey i am just starting to play guitar i have jus ordered a Fender Standard series arctic whye guitAR is that a good guitar to start on it is my very first guitar and im gonna get lessons and stuff i hav neva played be4 is that a good guitar?
Another thing about that list is that Kirk Hammet and Kurt Cobain are both above Dave Gilmour who playd comfortably numb, one of the best guitar solos ever. Infact Kurt Cobain is 70 places above Dave gilmour, Kurt in 12th and obviously Dave in 82nd, Kirk Hammet although he may be a very good guitarist is in my opinion (and hopefully in most other peoples) not as good a guitarist as Dave Gilmour yet he is in 11th place, it makes a mockery of accomplished and great guitar players. This may sound hypocritical as to my earlier statement of music being subjective but you can distinguish who is better out of Dave Gilmour and Kurt Cobain as they do in some cases have similar styles of play. I also noticed that Yngwie Malmsteen isn’t on the list, he may have been a bit of a weirdo but still played the guitar brilliantly.
Sorry if I kind of came off as an asshole there Sharp, it is noble to you to bring attention to the part that biases play in things like this. It is correct in bringing Segovia in (I actually studied Classical guitar under a man who studied under him), he introduced nearly all of modern technique. Django Rheinhart could also use a mention. Back to Clapton, however. Your comments on his speed are incorrect, calpton was known as “Slowhand” because of his slow approach to his phrasing, if you really want some speed and downright technical difficulty try some Zappa, his solos are always lightngin speed and musically complex. Songs like “Zomby Woof” and “St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast” are staggeringly difficult, and I recomend you check them out (try the albums; Apostrophe and Over-nite sensation and Hot Rats). If I could just lend you some technique for Claptons Cream work; to cover nearly all of clapton’s solos try whole-step forward extentions on the high E, B, and G strings and whole-step downward regressions on the low E and A strings in the Blues scale. You might also find some work into the Pentatonic forms of the scales as well. For instance in Strange Brew, the first 2 noodles start as a hammer on to the forward extension of the B string and then fall back in to the standard blues scale, followed by slide-in turnaround. Hope that helps.
hey i am just starting to play guitar i have jus ordered a Fender Standard series arctic white guitAR is that a good guitar to start on it is my very first guitar and im gonna get lessons and stuff i hav neva played be4 is that a good guitar?
Bowie,
We read you the first time. Please refrain from posting the same comment more than once. Your original inquiry did receive useful responses. Thanks.
No problem Frank, the more people on here that no what they’re talking about, the better.
I know EC is referred to as slowhand, when I refer to speed, I’m referring to his concert solos. I saw him live in Philadelphia on June 26, and it was simply awe inspiring. He went off on at least seven improvised solos that were all in excess of five minutes long, each harder than the next. I’ve heard tons of live recordings of many great guitarists…Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Stevie Ray Vaughn, BB King, Kirk Hammet, etc. Just watching that performance, at least for the solos, was amazing. After that show, my mind was set, I was sold. But then again, I completely forgot about Segovia. People talk about Hendrix’s influence, shit, Hendrix isn’t even 1/8 as influential as Segovia, and people don’t even realize it.
I’ll have to check out Zappa and the other guy you recommended.
hey guys, you all forget that Ritchie Blackmore of deep purple is placed 50!!!!.I don’t think he should be in the top 10, but surelly is 1000 times better than kobain or richards, and he should be aroud the 15-20 place. Instead a man called Frank Zappa is 45!!!!!!!!!.he MUST MUST MUST be in the top 10 cause he’s author of great music, not simple to understand but surelly great.
Yes, I seem to have forgotten the increase in speed that Clapton has shown in many of his recent blues efforts, however I do not own any documetnation of these. Do you have any reccomendations? By the way, that concert must have been fantastic.
how do I find out the top 100 anyway lads?
WTF???? WHERE THE HELL IS KIRK HAMMETT???? ill give u a top 3
1. jimi hendrix
2. kirk hammett
3. slash
AND WHOI THE HELL WOULD EVER SAY THAT KURT COBAIN IS A GOOD GUITARIST???? SCREW HIM AND NIRVANA THEY DESTROYED METAL WITH THEIR GAY LITTLE GRUNGE SONGS!!!! KURT COBAIN IS 1 HORRIBLE ASS GUITARIST!!!
“Yes, I seem to have forgotten the increase in speed that Clapton has shown in many of his recent blues efforts, however I do not own any documetnation of these. Do you have any reccomendations? By the way, that concert must have been fantastic.”
Well, I’m not too familiar with most of his more recent solo work with the blues, outside of his most recent CD, Me and Mr. Johnson (or something like that). Me and Mr. Johnson would probably be the best one to go for, it’s all Clapton covering Robert Johnson material. Good stuff. The concert was really good, but, as it was a tour to promote Me and Mr. Johnson, he didn’t do much of his old stuff. He spent a whole straight 45 minutes of a two hour concert performing the songs of the CD. Which was nice, but most were looking forward to hearing some of his old hits. First song he played was Let It Rain…after that it gets a little fuzzy. I know he did do I Shot The Sherrif, Layla, Cocaine, and Wonderful Tonight. He stayed away from perfomring the classic Cream songs, aside from Sunshine of Your Love (which would have caused a riot had he not done it). He peaked off with a guitar duel with Robert Randolph from Robert Randolph and The Family Band, the opening act. Randolph was on the steel pedal guitar, it was really amazing. If those guys don’t make it big within the next few years, I’ll be surprised.
“WTF???? WHERE THE HELL IS KIRK HAMMETT???? ill give u a top 3
1. jimi hendrix
2. kirk hammett
3. slash
AND WHOI THE HELL WOULD EVER SAY THAT KURT COBAIN IS A GOOD GUITARIST???? SCREW HIM AND NIRVANA THEY DESTROYED METAL WITH THEIR GAY LITTLE GRUNGE SONGS!!!! KURT COBAIN IS 1 HORRIBLE ASS GUITARIST!!!”
Tell us what you REALLY feel, Damir.
I love over biased people, try and squash your blind love for metal, will you? Neither Slash nor Hammet are top ten.
Kurt Cobain? Jack White? What the hell were you thinking? And where’s Brian May?
1.Jimmy Hendrix
2.Jimmy Page
3.Brian May
4.Kirk Hammett
5.Slash
Who’s this carlos guy?
Brian May, Hammet and Slash in your top five…I know people have their opinions and such…but come on people, can’t you just ignore your bias for some common sense?
hey i am just starting to play guitar i have jus ordered a Fender Standard series arctic white guitAR is that a good guitar to start on it is my very first guitar and im gonna get lessons and stuff i hav neva played be4 is that a good guitar? ………..lookin for more responces
Well lets get one thing straight here 85-95% of people here agree that Jimi Hendrix is number one, though he may not have been the most influential guitarist ever, he was undoubtedly the best. Also “brow” and “damir”, you obviously do not have a musical ear for Slash, (most people will disagree with me on this I suppose, but hey) was not in the top 5, also if you are going to include Kirk Hammet in your list then surely his tutor – one of the best guitarists ever should be in the list – Joe Satriani, another of Satch’s pupils was Steve Vai, maybe not as good as Hammet but still a great player. The List should comprise of (not in this order):
Jimi Hendrix
Dave Gilmour
Joe Satriani
Kirk Hammet
Jimmy Page
Andres Segovia
Mark Knopfler
Jeff “Skunk” Baxter
BB King – THE blues guitarist of our time
Eric Clapton
Yngwie Malmsteen
Carlos Santana
Chuck Berry – you may disagree
Steve Hackett
Robbie Krieger
Larry Carlton
And Andrew Latimer – not as good as some of the others but still a very good guitarist.
Anyone with any knowledge about music should know which groups/bands most of these people belong to, If not then piss off; you have no right to be taking part in this discussion.
John, (post 127)
At the top of this page where it says:
100 “greatest” guitarists of all time
Rolling Stone magazine published their 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.
click where it says “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.”
/-or-\
go here: http://www.rollingstone.com/fe.....p?pid=1917
Flibbery Gibbet,
The reason people tend to list Hendrix as number IS INFLUENCE. Besides Andres Segovia, nobody has had quite as profound an influence on guitar than Jimi Hendrix. I still don’t see what makes Jimi that great outside of power and influence, but he’s top three at least, regardless of opinion.
I definitely feel your list of guitarists, but I’m puzzled by Robby Krieger’s presence. You mean as in, the same Robby Krieger of the Doors, I assume. Krieger is underrated, definitely. The fact that the Door’s music were totally dominated by Morrison’s loud vocals, and Mazanerak’s (spelling anyone?) keyboard. Krieger would provide some great improv solos in concert, but was he honestly good enough to be amongst the people you listed…especially ahead of Eddie Van Halen or Steve Vai (give him credit for the whole seven string guitar deal). Van Halen is probably the most original guitarist since Hendrix. He’s top ten, no questions asked. I also don’t understand why you leave Randy Rhoads off.
I saw some guy on PBS yesterday playing a fretless 6 string electric, hitting all the right notes! A great guitarist, too. Sheesh, I’d be lost without the little dots on the 5th, 7th, and 12th frets, let alone the frets gone altogether.
What’s wrong with brian may? he should at least be ahead of jack white and kurt cobain. Also november rain and sweet child o mine are in the top 100 guitar solos of all time, theres nothing wrong with slash. and ONE by metallica is no.5, kirk hammett deserves to be in the top 10 at least, and so should hetfield as he makes up mosy of the riffs.
dont forget paul gilbert
Sharp,
I would agree with you there people put him there because of his influence but he wasn’t the most influential. Also he is the most famous guitarist, if they had have put up segovia, alot of people wouldn’t know who he was so they put one of the most famous guitarists of all time there. Moving on to the Krieger thing, I put him there because in my opinion, the song, “the end” was a great piece of music and the guitaring was good, that was the main reason why I put him in the list. As for Randy Rhoads in honesty I forgot, looking back there are a few people missing that should be there, that list was more a basis of a list of people you could include.
I was surprised to see that the editors and writers even knew who Greg Ginn and Johnny Winter are, let alone put them on the top 100. Rolling Stone blows!
Rolling Stone is just a bunch ignorant beurocrat writers that couldn’t decide talent if it smacked them in the ass. Jack White? Kurt Cobain? And in the positions that they were at? Eddie at 70. I like to see some of these morons who write this sit down and try and do what he did on the guitar. Also how about Joe Walsh I mean he might not be a pheonominon but he practically revolutionized the talk box and is a pretty damn accurate guitarist. RS definatley is an insult.
o hear you go my top ten
1.Jimi Hendrix
2.Eddie Van Halen
3.Stevie Ray Vaughn
4.Jimmy Page
5.Randy Rhodes
6.Kirk Hammet
7.Joe Perry
8.David Gilmour
9.Slash
10.Jeff Beck
My head hurts after slamming into the wall while reading this list.
Everyone seems to have a real tendency to rank guys like Slash and Kirk Hammet real high here.
And just because Duane Allman was ranked too high by Rolling Stone, doesn’t mean he should be off completely. A top ten spot would be more than deserved for him.
don’t forget paul gilbert
The Fact that Angus Young is that low amazed me he is good…here is the top 10.
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eddie Van Halen
3. Eric Clapton
4. Angus Young
5. Jimmy Page
6. Slash
7. Randy Rhodes
8. Kirt Hammet
9. David Gilmour
10. Frank Zappa
jimmy page should be near the fukin top of the list. LED ZEPPLIN KICKS ASS
Personally I’ve read most of this list and come to the conclusion that even though the rolling stone list is a waste of fucking paper, alot of everything else listed here is a bunch of personal favorites. People have to realize that it’s nearly impossible to come up with a list of top 100 guitarist much less a top 10 because just as mentioned before near the beggining of the posts, each guitar great that ever existed had there own seperate-semi-seperate style of playing and was the best at something they could call there own. For instance Jimi hendrix is without a doubt the most amazing innovator of all time (ive never seen somone make a better solo out of the basic pentatonic scale) but that doesnt mean hes even close to being the best. It’s people like Steve vai, John Petrucci and Yngwie Malmsteen that honorably deserve top spots(Vai first for his talent, pretrucci 2nd for his amazing all around playing ability and Malmsteen 3rd for his amazing speed…those are just the main three that stick out in my mind). Of course it’s impossible to forget other guitarists like Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Steve Howe, Joe Satriani, Eddie Van Halen, Eric Jhonson, Steve Morse (all in no particular order) and of course the many other legends of guitar listed on previous posts INCLUDING Jimi Hendrix. In no way could we ever rank this seemingly endless list of guitarists from there indvidual talents (except for the very top few).
I honestly don’t get it…WHY IS EVERYONE RANKING KIRK HAMMET SO HIGH?
R U people stupid? ACE FREHLEY
ACE FREHLEY and MICK MARS should be in the top ten
Sharp-
BECAUSE HE’S A BRILLIANT GUITARIST!
wtf is up wit Jack white at 17, that isa the biggest BS, that I have ever seen Angus it 100 times better than him and he is 97, Rolling Stone is a bunch of crap
I don’t doubt Hammet’s brilliance on the guitar. I just don’t understand why people can’t get it through their heads that he’s not “arguably number one ever” material. He’s not better than Hendrix, Segovia, Clapton, Page, Santana, Beck, Angus Young, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Steve Howe, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, etc. There are more to add to that list as well (i.e. the blues guys, BB King, the guitar pioneers, Chucky Berry, etc.).
Jimi hendrix as number 1 hell yes he is the best guitarist ever and that ever will be and jimmy paige everybody thinks he is so special bc he played with a violin bow i think its alot harder to play with ur teeth and behind ur head then with a fuckin violin bow eric clapton number 4 understandable he was great ok where the hell is slash and zack wylde and ted nugent and jerry cantrell they wasnt in the top 100 thats fuckin pathetic but i do agree with henrix number 1 all the way
Let me get this straight…you think Hendrix is number one, because he can play with his teeth, or behind his head? Shoot, Santana plays behind his head, he did at the Latin Grammy’s a few nights ago. Jimmy Page is great, because he played innovative and difficult solos, not because he played with a violin bow, that was just a novelty, just like Hendrix playign behind the head, or with his teeth. Shoot, I CAN PLAY BEHIND MY HEAD, WITH MY TEETH, OR WITH A BOW. It’s not that difficult. Anyway…the greatest guitarist of all time, off skill and influence, is Andres Segovia. Not Hendrix, Clapton, or Page.
Sharp,
People rank Kirk Hammett high, but if they are going to do that then they must know a little about Hammett, if so they will know that Joe Satriani is an infinitely better guitarist as he taught Hammett how to play the guitar (I must have mentioned this so many times, yet no-one seems to be able to take it in). Also Sharp you are right Segovia is number one!
1.Segovia
2.Hendrix
3.Page
4.Clapton
5.Hackett
6.Gilmour
7.Satriani
8.Santana
9.Rhoads
10.Van Halen
That is the list of the top ten…If you are asking yourself “where are Slash and Hammett?”
They are not on the list because they are not ‘world class’ guitarists, they are good but not as good as the rest of the people on the list.
my top ten
1.eric clapton
2.jimmy hendrix
3.jimmy page
4.santana
5.steve vi
6.joe statoni
7.malmsteen
8.tommy emanual
9.edward van halen
10.jerry cantrel
Well, most of the guitarists on the list can play riffs very well. But I think it comes down to solos; and its something we dont see too much of these days. So from the modern era all we can hear of solos are from the Hawkins brothers from the Darkness, and Tom Morello of Audioslave. All other crap is shit.
1)Page
2)Hendrix
3)Clapton
4)van Halen
5)Aungus Young (the best 10 sec solo – Dirty Deeds done…)
6)Slash
7)Tom Morello
8)Hammett
9)a Hawkins brother (whichevers playing the solos)
10)Munky from Korn (no he cant do jack shit but he rules)
As for Kurt Cobain – he’s overrated as a songwriter to add to the guitars! Bloody hell, Dave Grohl can play better strings than him.
Whoo, props to Flibberty Gibbet for giving Segovia his due. I want Clapton higher, but, hey, I’l take it.
I have been playing guitar for about 20 years and can play the music of most of the guitarists listed here. From my perspective the greatest guitarist should not be judged by which genre of music they play but by the difficulty in the songs they played. You can never really tell how great someone is on their albums. Whenever you see them freestyle live that is when you see what they can really do. Anyways here is opinion on the top ten.
1. Hendrix
2. SRV
3. Jimmy Page
4. Clapton
5. Van Halen (Eruption)
6. Ronnie Van Zant (Freebird)
7. Duane Allman (Clapton played in the same band and even said Allman was the man.)
8. Joe Satriani
9. Eric Johnson
10. Brian May
hendrix could play better than most people on this list with his teeth,
kurt cobain defined the power cord,
jack whites guitar is so fucked people like Page and Clapton would not know what the fuck to do with it but he can play it find and is worthy of his place at 17
100 greatest guitarist of all time. I like pretty much everything I’ve read here, and all the players listed. For my money Hendrix wins hands down. I read sharp’s statements about clapton, and I love clapton he rocks, but he wasn’t jimi.(but he is definitely sitting up there on the mountain of Guitar Gods) When I play solos of various guitar players it’s the “feel” that tells me who is REALLY playing. In that vain, Hendrix is beautiful. Jimmy Page on stairway to heaven, fantastic. Clapton, tales of brave ulysses among others. Hey, but what about Johnny Winter? He’s phenomenal! Stevie Ray,Eddie Van Halen,Roy Buchanan (have you heard Judy off of loading zone? My fingers still hurt!) Hiram Bullock on (window shoppin), Corrado Russtuci(sp) on (the dance of life w/narada michael walden) eddie hazel on( maggot brain, super stupid and his solo version of california dreamin)and of course, in my opinion, the incredibly underrated Ernie Isley. New guys like Dave Fiuczynski,Vernon Reid and many, many others. I just love the guitar, and I will listen to ANYONE who “plays.” It’s all very subjective,(who’s the best)but as I said, I love the “FEELING”, for the player actually becomes the instrument and the MUSIC graces our presence through them.
Just a quick comment on players like Segovia. When I started playing guitar 31 years ago, I made it a point to listen to everyone I could. I love Segovia, Jorge Strunz, John Williams, Christopher Parkening and others. I really don’t place them in the same category I do, Hendrix or Clapton. Don’t get me wrong, they are all guitar players, it’s just what you WANT to do. It’s like the story where John McLaughlin told Stevie Ray Vaughn that he needed to go and practice a little more. McLaughlin is a technical wizard, no doubt, but I have never heard him play anything with the same “feel” as Stevie Ray, it’s just not his style. He kills on Lila’s dance and beneath eternity’s breath, he does a helluva a job on the Hendrix tribute album with Sting on the wind cries mary, but for me, it doesn’t touch Stevie Ray’s version of Little wing. I can play Segovia, I was trained that way, Same with Lee Ritenour and George Benson, (not to say these guys can’t play with feeling) but for Jimi, personally, I need to be in a zone, a real groove, “in the pocket” so to speak. I am going to stay away from rating “who” is the “best”, for different players do different things. Suffice it to say this, I think we all know a “good” player when we hear them. Much respect to all players and all opinions.
J, you really know your stuff, don’t you. I don’t agree with all of it, but I see where you’re coming from. Ernie Isley, as in the Isley Brothers? I’ve heard him play, I never thought of him, but I was definitely impressed by his ability.
Jimi had EC in soul, and power…that’s about it. I really don’t see this magestic thing about him that makes him so great. Excellent guitarist, top three for all time, easy. However, I look at him with a grain of salt…people who die young tend to become very overrated (Kurt Cobain, Biggie, Tupac, even Jim Morrison a little). I think Hendrix falls into that category a little. Clapton owns him in versatility, soloing, and live shows, along with technicality and longevity. Hendrix had one top twenty hit for his career, which was roughly two or three years. In the same time…how many hits did Clapton have? You can’t even compare it. You think Hendrix could have honestly pulled off to mega hits as different as Cocaine and Tears In Heaven?
Hey Sharp. Just finished running some scales. Clapton is one of my favorite players, I love him. Johnny Winter is another. I find it very difficult to judge Jimi v. Clapton based on hits or anything like that. Jimi is long dead, and yes, there is an “aura” surrounding him, but as I am sure you know, Jimi wanted to move into a far different direction than Chaz Chandler wanted. Jimi was talking about music that heals. along the lines of Steve Halperin. I would have to look at Hendrix in that context in order to even begin a comparison to clapton. Have you heard Clapton’s version of burning the midnight lamp? AWESOME. He has feeling and soul. Hendrix did 3 albums (pretty much) are you experienced, axis bold as love and electric ladyland. of course he burns on band of gypsy both 1 and 2. Had he lived, I believed he would have taken guitar playing to another level. Do I believe he could copy JJ Cale and do cocaine, yes. Do I believe he could have written a beautiful ballad like tears in heaven? Possibly, for Clapton was totally inspired by Connor’s loss. I understand the reservation with Hendrix, especially versus Clapton. It was 30 plus years ago, but Hendrix will live on, as will Clapton, for that matter so will Page on Stairway, and Zappa for just being a plain great guitarist and composer. When I look at players today and I examine their progress, Clapton has been a bit commercial, not to take away from his skills,for it is a testimony to his longevity. However, look at Robert Fripp, the guy is ridiculous, he’s out of this world. 21st century schizoid man is a classic. But now he is off into his guitar craft thing. Now as for Ernie Isley, he was taught by Hendrix (partially) very fluid player, and he does wonders with a phase shifter just like another fellow you mentioned in a previous post, robin trower. I really don’t know, maybe if there was a “cutting heads” or your soul goes to hell thing, like in the movie crossroads, then maybe we could really see who has/had the chop, jimi or EC, but minus that, each of them does there own thing. I love playing Clapton more than I do Jimi, but that is because I can pick up on Clapton easier, as I mentioned earlier, Jimi has that “feel” Wind Cries Mary is an excellent example, but Jimi’s lyrics are often forgotten. Jimi reminds me of that guitar gunslinger, flies into town, has a few drinks, a few ladies and is on his way. He helped to revolutionize the sound back then, and when you look at are you experienced ,in terms of, what has become popular, it is like Michael Jackson’s thriller in terms of, the number of popular songs. Hendrix hit the top ten in Britain with Hey Joe, while only having the Dylan cut as a hit here. America wasn’t really accepting him then. He was really out of place. But now go figure, Hendrix kept Roy Buchanan from getting the recognition he deserved. Another player with feeling. I have several buddies that graduated from Berklee, quite accomplished players in their own right, I also remember meeting Vernon Reid when Living Colour was just becoming a hit, and many years ago, I had the privilege of meeting Jazz Player Grant Green, all of them acknowledge certain players as MASTERS, they don’t really get into who is better, but they ALL admire Jimi and Clapton and talk about really wishing they could have played with them, although the opportunity still exists with Clapton. SO rock on my friend, love the instrument and keep the critical eye, for it’s the music that benefits, and through that, WE ALL BENEFIT.
Oh yes, regarding those who have a “majesty” through death. You are correct, it is like we are giving credit for what could have been. But now, Tupac? That guy was a real talent. The genre hasn’t recieved the level of respect it deserves, but there were some that can really “spit”, as they say. Immortal Technique is another one.I am very, very finicky regarding hip/hop, most of what passes for it nowadays is garbage. But as a buddy of mine said this past weekend, if Tupac were alive, alot of these so-called talents wouldn’t eat.(lol) There are some very interesting guitar accents mixed into his music, songs like “last one left”, How long will they mourn me” and “life goes on.”
By the way, how do you feel about country players. guys like danny gatlin, roy clark, chet atkins, to name a few. and some of the female players, joyce cooling, jennifer batten, shannon curfman and jane getter et al?
It depends on how you define ‘greatest’
For influence,
Hendrix, B.B.King, Segovia
For technical ability
Malmsteen
For cool-ass solos
Clapton, Slash, Jimmy Page
For being a grossly over rated grunge waster who anyone with an ounce of guitar training could outplay:
Cobain.
I think we all agree that Jack White shouldn’t be anywhere near this list. Ok so he’s written a few catchy songs, but the White Stripes are only good by todays poor standards, and his guitar playing is nothing special. He won’t be remembered in years to come.
Oh, and Gilmour should be way higher. He’s versitile and extrememly skiled.
Craig, I agree with you on the Gilmour thing…He was totally misplaced. I disagree with you on your idea of slash being inbetween Page and Clapton on you ‘cool ass solos’ bit, people rate slash high for some reason, yes he could play fast but most guitarists can finger tap quite easily, there is not much skill in that…I think Joe Satriani should replace slash (as he plays with more variety than slash) and he is a brilliant guitarist.
Thats my opinion anyway.
I really enjoy reading the comments on this site. For the most part, they show an interest in the guitar, and a depth of knowledge. Let me ask folks out there. What are most of you listening to? Aside from who is the “best”, what different styles are people listening to? I have seen Segovia mentioned and he is classical, Malmsteen, the neo-classical, any jazz? pass, metheny,kessel,christian, coryell,holdsworth,wes montgomery,rene toledo etc..? I mentioned country pickers before, any of that? Any favorite bass players? any favorite blues players? Just wondering?
thanks
Geez, I haven’t heard of half of the names J mentioned. I like Joe Pass. I’m more into piano than guitar, though: Hancock, Spann, Monk, Peterson… plus a lot of classical. I admire a lot of rock keyboardists, too.
Jody Cairns: I also love keyboards, although I am a guitar player. I started out on piano at age 5, then switched to guitar at 13. there is a web site the gives a list of the 100 greatest keyboard (jazz) players. its:
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.co.....piano.html
You can also find the 100 greatest bass players and jazz guitar players. I love music, and I am always interested in what others enjoy. I particularly liked your post on the most underrated guitar players. There were some MONSTER players on those lists. If you like joe pass, you will love some of the players on the jazz guitar list. Pat Martino and Jim Hall in particular. One of my favorites is larry coryell. Extremely underrated player. He does a song called “the Phonse” on an album with drummer alphonse mouzon. I think I had it back in 1975 or 76, the album I think was called “back together again.” although don’t quote me. That song inspired me to play fusion. Rene Toledo is really hot, also. He’s this player from brazil with incredible skills, one of those guys who rips off 16th notes at 250 on the metronome and makes it sound like he’s yawning.
Thanks for the discussing your keyboard interest.
here’s the links to bass players, jazz guitarists, and drummers. If you haven’t seen it already, I hope folks find it interesting.
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.co.....uitar.html
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.co.....zbass.html
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.co.....zdrum.html
sorry. here are links to the best rock bassists, drummers and keyboard players, as well.
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.co.....uitar.html
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.co.....mmers.html
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.co.....board.html
j: Your knowledge about jazz surpasses mine by miles, I jealously admit. I wish I had the time to listen and play more jazz. I appreciate the recommendations, though; I’ll look them up. Thanks.
Thanks very much. I appreciate the compliment. I was trained as a jazz player. Berklee volumes 1-3, leavitt’s modern method for guitar. (Hated it)(lol)I am a rocker at heart.
you may also want to check out this list of the top 100 rock guitar players. It’s more like 250 plus names, and a lot of fine players rolling stone left off like: Buck Dharma of Blue oyster cult, rick derringer, pat travers and eric gales to name a few. I still didn’t see roy buchanan, and that is a real shame. I picked up a cd of his a few years back, having heard him first back in 79. The cd had a sticker on it that read: “the world’s greatest unknown guitarist.” If anyone out there hasn’t heard of him, please pick up something by him. “Loading Zone” was probably his most popular album, produced by stanley clarke. He’s had mega chops.
thanks again
http://www.digitaldreamdoor.co.....uitar.html
Flibberty Gibbet,
I haven’t heard much of Satriani’s playing, to my shame. I’ll have to educate myself. I admit Slash isn’t as skiled a player as Clapton or Page (by some margin), but i’m just a fan of his.
Do any of you own the G3 dvd, with Satriani, Vai and Malmsteen? Is it worth buying?
J,
It’s a good point you make about all of the as-yet-unmentioned styles. Rolling Stones’ list is almost entirely comprised of rock, blues and metal players. I’m suprised Paco de Lucia hasn’t been mentioned on here; if you like flamenco you won’t find much better than him.
No mention for Rolf Harris either!
The G3 dvd is supposed to be good, though I haven’t heard it myself, but you can get it quite cheaply here:
http://play.com/play247.asp?pa.....tle=160083
It is DVD though.
Thanks Flibberty. At that price i’ll take a chance and buy it.
While i’m posting too much, I may as well add my own top ten before I shut up and let someone else talk!
1. Hendrix
2. Clapton
3. Page
4. Gilmour
5. Van Halen
6. Malmsteen
7. Segovia
8. Santana
9. Paco de Lucia (you have to appreciate the genre to appreciate his talent)
10. Zappa
I was told that the whole G3 thing is really good….but Craig…how can Segovia not be number one?
“duane allman is a crazy guitarist, incredibly good, maybe listen to some live allman brothers or to “whipping post” or “ramblin man” that’ll explain it.”
Just noticed this entry from WAY earlier. Duane Allman does not play the lead on Ramblin’ Man, it’s the Allman Brothers’ other guitarist, Dickey Betts, who made that list at 58 I believe.
I challenge anyone on here to listen to “Mountain Jam” or the live version of “Whipping Post”, or for that matter “Layla”, and not tell me that Duane Allman does not belong in the top 5 on that list..For those of you who don’t know, it’s Duane Allman playing lead guitar on “Layla”, and also the slide guitar parts on the piano exit part of Layla, the guy was phenominal..
Oh, Duane Allman is at least top ten no doubt. He’s not moving Segovia, EC, Jimmy Page, Hendrix or BB King out of the top five, though. Duane Allman is great, amazing slide guitarist…but then again, influence, talent, longevity, whatever you want to use as basis…he doesn’t have it on those guys. I’ll give him six, over Eddie Van Halen though, without any qualms. Of course…dying early didn’t help his case for longevity, but still…not quite as immortal as the top five.
clapton ad page are spanked buy allman, hendrix is in a leagues so far ahead of everyone he should not be on the list its insulting to put guitarist near him and if any one was allwoed to be near him it was duane they both understood how to play a song forever while keeping it fresh, plus they had perfect pitch
You’re kidding me…right? Allman and Hendrix could keep songs going on forever, and keep it fresh…what a lie. Allman plays SLIDE GUITAR. That is VERY limited, he was excellent at it…top 10 for all time…but I don’t care what anyone says about him being underrated, or Clapton singing his praises…90 percent of people who know what they’re talking about will pick Clapton over Duane Allman. To say EC AND Jimmy Page aren’t even in Hendrix’s league…is ridiculous. Hendrix, is, let me say this for the umpteenth time…VERY overrated. Like I believe Flibberty Gibbet said a few comments earlier…”majesty by death.” By the limited body of work that Hendrix left us…is he honestly the greatest of all time? You can’t base it on potential…it’s on accomplishment…Hendrix (or Allman) has not accomplished as much as Clapton or Page. Anyway, Andres Segovia takes all.
OH Come on!!! cobain? feather light riffs(even barely), simple solos(even barely too)… not great,he only got famous because he is rebellious and suicidal, teens loved him then. the top should be among dimebag, slash, hammet. some of their songs: cemetery gates, sweet child, master of puppets(both arms hurt when i play this.insane!). check these songs, the solos, the riffs, hearing them make me drip a tear! angus was properly placed, he aint that good, he just influenced. and so did Page(stairway to heaven solo is too simple to be great).
I noticed way back on this forum someone said the Edge “is terrible” and i’ve seen similar comments elsewhere. I don’t know how anyone can validate comments like that. Granted, he isn’t of equal calibur to the likes of Page, Segovia, Clapton etc…. but he’s hardly “terrible”. He has a flair for originality and he’s a pretty decent guitarist. I’m not saying he deserves to be high on the list, but comments like ‘The Edge is terrible’ are just plain wrong.
Pink Floyd fans, how do you think Syd Barrett compares with Gilmour?
We can agree to disagree on many of the guitarists here..but I think most of us agree that Cobain and Jack White have absolutely no business being on this list..Another overlooked addition to this list, who even #1 Hendrix admitted to being one of his favorite guitarists, was Terry Kath of the band Chicago..25 or 6 to 4 has a great solo, and there are a few others that we was great on, another unfortunate early death though..
“OH Come on!!! cobain? feather light riffs(even barely), simple solos(even barely too)… not great,he only got famous because he is rebellious and suicidal, teens loved him then. the top should be among dimebag, slash, hammet. some of their songs: cemetery gates, sweet child, master of puppets(both arms hurt when i play this.insane!). check these songs, the solos, the riffs, hearing them make me drip a tear! angus was properly placed, he aint that good, he just influenced. and so did Page(stairway to heaven solo is too simple to be great).”
You clearly have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about…outside of your going along with the generally held fact that Kurt Cobain is ranked too high. You’re top three list makes me want to vomit. You sing Kirk Hammet, Slash, and Dimebag’s praises, and then you hate on Angus Young and Jimmy Page? Angus Young was properly ranked…HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
HAHAHAHAHA…You have no idea how hard I’m laughing right now. “He wasn’t that good, only influential.” What…you think Rolling Stone ranked Chuck Berry as high as they did because he’s some amazing guitar player? NO, he’s influential. Influence means A LOT, that’s why Segovia, Hendrix, Clapton, Page, BB King, etc. make it as high as they do…not that they didn’t have the talent to back it up. Angus Young is with ease, a top 20, 25 guitarist of all time, at least for rock.
And then you called Stairway To Heaven’s solo SIMPLE. What…you think Kirk Hammet or Slash have ever played a solo that fast, or that hard? I have yet to hear one by them that matches Stairway’s solo (or most of Page’s other solos). I’ve managed to figure out a big portion of the Sweet Child O’ Mine solo…and I’m an intermediate player. I know advanced players that aren’t capable of playing the solo on Stairway to Heaven…those who can, stumble through it clumsily. Once again, the likes of Slash, Kirk Hammet, and dimebag belong in the top 50…nowhere near the top ten. Andres Segovia is without a doubt, the greatest, and most influential guitarist who has ever lived. After that…you can argue it…but it’s going to include Hendrix, Clapton, Page, BB King, Duane Allman, Eddie Van Halen, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Chuck Berry, etc.
Who would ever do the unthinkable, to do Jimmy Page the dishonor of not only placing Kirk Hammet, Slash, Dimebag on the same level as him, but HIGHER than him? Do you even play guitar? That would have to be the ONLY way that you could have such senseless opinions as you do. Don’t talk like you know what you’re saying, when you don’t. Just because you like it, doesn’t make it the best…believe me…I don’t listen to Segovia as a practice…but I know better than to simply count him off because his music isn’t quite my cup of tea.
And to JimmyB, props for giving Terry Kath is recognition. One of the most underrated rock guitarists of all time. Hendrix sang his praises all the time, he even said that Kath was better than him. Jimi has also been quoted saying that Phil Keaggy is the greatest guitarist of all time.
And to Craig:
The Edge isn’t terrible, you’re right. I believe I was the one who made that comment…I overreacted a bit, when somebody went as far to say that he was a top ten contender for the list…which is obviously a blantant lie.
And I’ve never listened to the Pink Floyd recordings pre-David Gilmour…but I have been told that Gilmour is the superior player before.
Dave Gilmour is better than Syd Barrett mainly because Syd was mad, if you have ever heard the song ‘bike’, you will know what I mean…
Plus Comfortably Numb is one of the best guitar solos ever and Syd Barrett could never match up to anything of that standard.
I know none of Syd Barret’s work with Pink Floyd. I do know that somewhere before Dark Side of the Moon, he went legitimately nuts, and went from lead guitarist and vocalist to a drug addicted looney. At that point, Roger Waters took over as the dominant song writer and vocalist, and David Gilmour became the lead guitarist.
I know also that Shine On You Crazy Diamond, on Wish You Were Here, is about him.
Sharp,
I retract my earlier top ten. You’re right, Segovia deserves the number one spot. My original reason for putting him at number 7 is simply that as a huge Bach fan I figured I was biased to Segovia’s music. But having looked into it he’s been even more influential than i’d realised. Hell, if it wasn’t for him the guitar might still be looked apon as a second rate instrument.
And then there’s his rendition of the Chaconne….I challenge anyone to listen to that and then question Segovia’s genius.
While i’m here,
My top five guitar solos,
1. Comfortably Numb – Gilmour
2. Stairway to Heaven – Page
3. Dazed and Confused – Page
4. Beat It – Van Halen (an odd choice, I know)
5. Black Star – Yngwie Malmsteen
Shine on Your Crazy Diamond is about Syd Barret? Thanks, I never knew that. I agree with the above comments about David Gilmour being the better player (and writter). I think Syd Barret tends to be unfairly underated because of the comparison though.
Hey Folks! Gotta quick question. What do you think of Johnny Winter? I am asking this question for a reason. I have been listening to a great deal of his older stuff,playing it and loving it, and I must say this: he’s incredible. not just blues, but pure rock and jammin’ guitar playing. note for note, he’s phenomenal, in a groove. I’m talking stuff like, “still alive and well” D(derringer)’rock me baby’ (broonzy) and “memory pain.” what do you folks think about his playing? what say the blog crew?
as always, rock on!!!!!!!!!!
thanks,
j
just one more comment. Duane Allman? Oh my god!!!!!!!!!! are you kidding? sometimes the guitar thanks people who play it. He is definitely one of them! TONE!!!!!!!! Phrasing!!!!!! a god sent talent! (just my opinion) I just pray one day that I can sit down, “eat a peach” and play some of that stuff with HALF the soul, feeling and love these guys played with. (sorry, but I just love the allman brothers) no disrespect to those who don’t share my “feelings.”
craig. you are correct! the guitar is a unique and beautiful instrument. many GREAT players were “slighted” by rolling stone. I believe that has more to do with the “rolling stone” audience. (no disprespect) I have seen some really great players mentioned. Harris, Paco and others. As a guitar player, and lover of the instrument: I appreciate ALL of those mentioned. I don’t think they would have been mentioned unless someone noticed their immense talent! I could name thousands of players that NO one seems to have mentioned. David Sancious is one. The beauty of this site, and the commentaries that abound is this: the number or artists that NONE of us have heard of, or know very little about! As folks that appreciate the instrument; it behooves us to listen to the SKILLS of all that have been mentioned! That’s one of the reasons that i asked about different players! A GOOD player knows about the ability,style et al of others. why? well hell…..you love your instrument, and one is not only mesmerized by what others can do, but those skills advance “what” was known about the instrument! That is why i am not a “jimi” vs “clapton” disciple! My GOD!!! If it weren’t for Jimi, then I probably wouldn’t be thinking…….. and if it weren’t for clapton……….(same thing) let’s combine everything we hear, and develop our own style!!!! I love everything I hear. From NYC subway musicians to the most celebrate virtuoso! My question to all is this: “what is YOUR SOUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” is Jimi, Clapton et al” lying in the depths of your playing???????? Hell, perhaps “folks” will be discussing “your” playing! The KEY IS THE MUSIC!!!!!! Listen to EVERYONE!!!!! EVEN IF ONE THINKS IT SUCKS! (please pardon my language.) (used for effect!!!!) Music is a REAL tool for GROWTH!!!!! it is mathematical, thus spiritual! What is in the SOUL/SPIRIT (for lack of a better term) in those that have commented on guitar players on this site????? do YOU have a SONG to SING? what resides in YOUR SOUL????? I may sound very idealistic, but hell……GET IT OUT!!!!!!!! YOU’VE GOT THE “MUSIC” in YOU!!!!!!!(pardon the song reference)If you think that Jack White or Kirk Cobain can’t play, then trump them! It takes a lot to critize them. (doesn’t mean you are wrong) just put YOUR stuff out there! If you can’t play, but you have another talent……put it out there!!!!!!!! Artists,(music, poetry,dance,et al, including advertising etc..,) is calling for a VOICE! How much ORIGINAL SH** is out there. I listened to Santana (abraxas) the other day, along with Zappa (overnite sensation) Isn’t it time that we put out something that is comparable? (difficult?) I call it a challenge! everyone on this site has voice a strong opinion. You have a “feeling” in your gut!!!!!! Well HELL, it will NEVER BE KNOWN, unless “YOU” put it out there!!!! Again, I may sound Idealistic, but GO FOR IT!!!!!! NIKE got one thing right, “GO FOR IT!!!!!” Stop the divide and conquer, and GROW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (please forgive my preaching! when I see other folks with a “love” for music, especially the guitar, I get semi “emotional.”
j
Semi? That’s an understatement…and believe it or not…I just read your entire post. I’m with you one hundred percent man…even if you do go a tad over the top (hehe).
thanks sharp. I do appreciate it. you’re right, (just a tad) (lol)! It’s just like this: sometimes, a well placed note can say more than 1000 words. all the players mentioned can fill a million encyclopedias. it’s just great when we can “hear” it.
I too J, am a huge Allman Brothers fan, and I also think that Dickey Betts was too far down the list as well, and Warren Haynes was underated as well, I am interrested though in people posting what they believe are there top 10 guitarists that were LEFT OFF of the list…
Interesting idea…I’ll give it a shot…
Slash (of course)
Brian May (I think he’s there…but I can’t find him)
Robin Trower
Alex Lifeson (can’t recall seeing him either)
Prince
Jeff Baxter (Steely Dan/Doobie Brothers)
Elliot Randall (Steely Dan)
Denny Dias (Steely Dan…he’s more well known for playing the sitar solo on Do It Again)
Any three of the Lynard Skynard guitarists
The lead guitarist of Boston
Also…Steve Vai…and wasn’t Satriani left off?
And on a little side note…Stevie Ray Vaughan concert was on television today on DIRECT TV…damn…that guy was amazing.
(1) JIMI HENDRIX
(2) JIMMY PAGE
(3) ERIC CLAPTON
those are the top 3 like it or not in that order to!! another great un-recognized guitarist is the guitarist from Uriah Heep ……great player listen to a song like rainbow demon, gypsy, bird of prey, or i’ll keep on tryin all by Uriah Heep he is a great guitarist!!
Nirvana sucks why is curt cobain there
Craig, if that dvd has arrived. Was it any good? For i may buy it myself.
hendrix is over rated cmon i can play most of his songs including voodoo child
“(1) JIMI HENDRIX
(2) JIMMY PAGE
(3) ERIC CLAPTON
those are the top 3 like it or not in that order to!! another great un-recognized guitarist is the guitarist from Uriah Heep ……great player listen to a song like rainbow demon, gypsy, bird of prey, or i’ll keep on tryin all by Uriah Heep he is a great guitarist!!”
Excuse me while I vomit. I’m really getting sick of these people who know nothing making a statment like this. You don’t even play Bowie, why should we respect what you say here? Don’t pretend to know what you’re talking about. Segovia takes number one…HANDS DOWN, on contesting it. Hendrix, Page, Clapton…none of them are even close.
are you serious you cant say jimi hendrix is overrated he played some of the greatest music ever. what about Mark Knopfler he had such an original style
HENDRIX IS GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!THEN HAMMETT IS GOD NUMBER 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!AND THEN SLASH RHOADS AND THE REST OF THE GOOD GUITARISTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SO F*** ANY1 WHO SAYS DIFFERENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
are you serious you cant say jimi hendrix is overrated he played some of the greatest music ever. what about Mark Knopfler he had such an original style
Hendrix is overrated, there, I said it. Knopfler is underrated though…I’d say he’s at least top 20.
HENDRIX IS GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!THEN HAMMETT IS GOD NUMBER 2!!!!!!!!!!!!!AND THEN SLASH RHOADS AND THE REST OF THE GOOD GUITARISTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SO F*** ANY1 WHO SAYS DIFFERENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Is there Heaven for idiots?
Damir,
You are an idiot, do you really believe that by posting in capital letters with lots of exclamation marks, is going to get your point across? Apart from anything it was a stupid statement, if you are going to try and post a list about your so obviously great knowledge of guitarists, then at least try and write properly. I can also tell by the fact that you write like a fool and that you made 3 stupid comments that you don’t actually play guitar so you have no right to speak, or even if you don’t play guitar or any instrument, try and make an effort not to make people think of you as a pillock.
I think I probably speak for most of the contributors in this discussion.
1. hendrix
2. page
3. clapton
4. beck
5. knopfler
6. gilmour
thats what i think but thats just me
did anonymous say that hendrix is “overrated?” WOW! that’s deep! please define overrated? are you talking about phrasing, technique, what? With all do respect, okay, so you can play jimi. so can i. i can also play satarani, beck. clapton and page, and numerous others. HOWEVER, i didn’t create that stuff. moreover, as a guitar player i don’t know what you are saying. REALLY, i don’t! jimi hendrix is a BEAUTIFUL player. please listen carefully. (not to say you haven’t) but such a comment. WHOA!!!!!!!!! What do you think of another of my favorites, johnny winter? what about larry coryell? You’ve got hutzpa! REAL CHUZPTA!!!!! BUT, it’s your opinion, and I don’t agree. Anonymous, who are your favorite players and why. but this time, I want to hear all the “technical reasons.” let’s talk guitar. what makes a good player in your mind????? Hell, I can play “flight of the bumblebee” better than satarani, does that make me a better player? I THINK NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Anonymous, folks like Sharp have “paid their dues” via their comments. He has made some interesting arguments regarding hendrix and clapton. I understand why he would call hendrix overrated, for he has made his point clear. I don’t agree with him either, but I do understand where he’s coming from. what’s your angle? NO PLAYER i have ever known, called hendrix overrated, other than some comments made by eddie van halen. he also explained his reasons. he is also a guitar innovator, like hendrix. to each his own, I don’t agree with van halen, but I love his playing, but far be it for ME to say he could improve. why? I have never played with him. I really don’t know what he can do. here are a few names. since you found jimi overrated, please, if you have heard these players, give me your feedback. also understand that I am not trying to disrespect you, i don’t do that. I just “gotta” know where you are coming from.
roy buchanan
eddie hazel
larry coryell
david sancious
julian brehme
johnny winter
roy clark
les paul
charlie christian
joe pass
george benson
randy rhodes
dicky betts
keith richards
jimmy vaughn
scott henderson
django reinhardt
neil schon
carlos santana
frank zappa
earl klugh
if you have listened to all of them, let me know what you think of them and their styles. moreover, do you think that zappa is more than a guitarist? perhaps one of the TRUE musical geniuses of our time?
peace and play on!
please note: I am referring to the anonymous post on september 21st, not the 22nd.
thanks,
j
anonymous, forgot a couple of players. Sorry!!! I’ll stop here, but I could go on for decades!
glenn phillips
peter green
Jimi Hendrix IS overrated without a doubt, Andres Segoiva as we had previously established is number one, when I say overrated, I mean he is too publicly pronounced, if you ask someone on the street, they will most likely say Hendrix, but doesn’t that show something, the fact that he is popular makes him number 1, I am not saying that he wasn’t one of the greatest guitars of our time but I am saying people say he is number one because he is well-known, Segovia is well known, but not as well known. It is a weird comparison, yet if you look at david beckham, people said he was the best player ever and all that crap, yet he wasn’t, he was just in the media’s eye and he was a good public role model, he was well known…not saying that hendrix is a role model by anymeans! Anyway you should see what I’m getting at, although I admit I didn’t phrase it particularly well.
Impossible list. It can’t be done. Guitarists, just like guitars, should be catagorized by style and type. The stupidity of the list is only exceeded by some of the rediculous posts. How coincedintal that most of the posts regarding Kurt Cobain contained at least one “f Bomb”. Pretty much summarizes what little guitar ability he had as well as his fan base.
80 of the guitarists on the list would have to practice for years to learn even the most simple things that a Chet Atkins or Merle Travis did. Anyone hear of Joe Pass, or Wes montgomery. I see some of you actually mentioned Andre Segovia, probably because it’s the only name you know associated with Classical guitar. I love Jeff Beck, like Jimmy Page, thought Hendrix was grossly overated, and Mark Knoffler very much underrated. There is one guitarist on the list who truly is capable of all styles of guitar and is without question the best overall guitarist in the world. That would be Steve Howe. An absolute master of styles and techniques.
I like your usage of the term “publicly pronounced!” With that, I do agree. I think that Hendrix became the guitar, although there were others out, at that time. I remember the reaction my older sister and others had regarding hendrix. it was as if the world had FINALLY discovered the guitar. So in the sense that his playing and his legend has been “hyped” I am in full agreement. He is the standard that many “guitarists” are judged by. Your point regarding segovia is also well taken. Few people know him, unless you are into classical music or guitar, and many guitarists don’t know him. Unfortunately, the term “overrated” has a very negative connotation. perhaps “overhyped” is a better way to phrase.
there appears to be much discussion on the topic of Hendrix. I would just like to throw my hat into this discussion. First on the topic of Segovia… there are few that could match his ability. When talking or discussing this artist we must keep in mind the AUDIENCE that listens and/or even understands what he is doing. This displays to those who listen to the likes of Segovia …probably have or listen to Julian Bream, and so on as “j” has pointed out earlier. SOOOO….What about those player ,ie, Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker who when compared to the classical Genre would appear illiterate; however, produced a whole new form of music, unlike Segovia who “borrowed” his technique from the likes of dinosuars such as Bach, Mozart, Handel and the like. When we discuss guitar and music we must remember to incorporate the impact the artist had on the ACCEPTANCE and perpetuation of THE INSTRUMENT. people such as JIMI, Clapton. SRV, Eddie Van Halen have caused others to pick up the instrument thusly producing more art forms emanating from the guitar causing more to play, and so on, and so on….! Now Segovia I don’t think toooo many people other than guitar players and/or people in music even can recognize his playing. But you know JIMI!!!!!
Bravo Captain X!!!! Since I know you personally, your love of music, your mastery of the guitar and your depth of musical knowledge. The points that you make are very relevant to this discussion. That is why I have asked, “what” is one talking about regarding the guitar. technique, phrasing,creation or inspiration? I have everything Jimi has done, along with clapton and others. I have had several segovia recordings, those of john williams, julian bream and others, but that is not what “inspired/motivated” me to pick up the instrument. Of course, we could argue the “popular” vs “something else.” but I think the point has been made.
Also to FG, I responded to your post, although I forgot my handle, thus it came out as anonymous. that response again was:
I like your usage of the term “publicly pronounced!” With that, I do agree. I think that Hendrix became the guitar, although there were others out, at that time. I remember the reaction my older sister and others had regarding hendrix. it was as if the world had FINALLY discovered the guitar. So in the sense that his playing and his legend has been “hyped” I am in full agreement. He is the standard that many “guitarists” are judged by. Your point regarding segovia is also well taken. Few people know him, unless you are into classical music or guitar, and many guitarists don’t know him. Unfortunately, the term “overrated” has a very negative connotation. perhaps “overhyped” is a better way to phrase.
lee hulse, I disagree with hendrix being grossly overrated, especially compared to steve howe, who I love. “Yes” was a phenomenal band, Howe, like you said, a master of many styles. I started listening and playing him in the 70’s. Your other comments are well received, minus the “hendrix” stuff. (smile) moreover, I’d like to point out that JIMI was an ARTIST! he was much more than a guitar player! His lyrics are incredible! If he were alive today, I honestly don’t think ANYONE would be saying he was overrated. He started playing at what, 12, died at 26 and MOST EVERYONE LOVES HIM! WHY???? because he did something that few before him can lay claim to. He made people LISTEN and respect the guitar. Not that Chet Atkins and others didn’t, but there in NO argument that they didn’t receive the acclaim Jimi did. we could argue right place at the right time, but why!!!!!! If Jimi were alive, I believe he would laugh at these posts. Moreover, I believe that he would have moved the instrument to another level that has yet to be discovered!!!!!!!! Most of the post re: Jimi are “emotional.” why do you think that is? I submit that it is because he made people FEEL SOMETHING!!!!!! He wasn’t the most technically proficient guitarist, but he was the BEST “i” have ever heard. why? He WAS THE MUSIC. Robert Fripp, a MASTER, that few folks have mentioned, and one who can play circles around most of the players folks have named, said that Jimi was the music, but “couldn’t handle the energy.” ( I am paraphrasing here) It’s the music! I often detect contempt and disdain in many of the posts, but I ask all of you…..Honestly……. what brought you to the instrument? then ask yourself, what brought the person you “consider” good, to the instrument? No one on this site could outplay Jimi, now, or then, case closed! I am sorry to be so frank, but it is TRUE!!!!!!! You must consider what you know, the “time” (meaning 2004) etc.., SH**, if you want an argument about THE BEST, Segovia et al, consider charlie christian. Hell, he was only 21 when he left us. HAS ANYONE LISTEN TO HIS PLAYING!!!!!!!!! I was very pleased when captain x joined this discussion, for I know him, and he has played with some major names, and is a helluva player. He inspired me to start playing again after many a year layoff. That’s what the instrument is about. FINDING YOUR VOICE!!!!! I kneel at the feet of almost everyone folks have mentioned (except jack white and kirk cobain), but that is only as a guitar player. as lyricists, innovators et al, I love them. I have studied this instrument for 31 years on an off. I have met and talked to some of the finest players around. I am HUMBLED by their humility. occasionally, I am shocked by their arrogance, but it doesn’t matter. It’s about ZEN GUITAR!!!!!! (smile) Love who you love. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, share your HONEST thoughts and feelings, but give credit where credit is due. If you think Jimi or others are “overrated”, please “clarify” what you mean. FG did that, and I see where he is coming from, although, I believe Captain X’s response is exceptionally relevant, for he points to JIMI’s influence, which is why most “layfolk” say “HENDRIX!” TO FG, I respond, “doesn’t that tell YOU something?” Segovia can play, but “what has he done for me lately?” He must be studied, but so must JIMI.
If I could turn the discussion just a little. If folks aren’t afraid of being “attacked”, I want to know what players have people listened to in different genres. jazz, rock, classical, flamenco, steel, slide, blues et al. I folks don’t mind…. I personally, would love to hear more about “your” personal influences. Jody Cairns mentioned keyboard artists. what are people listening to???? I love keyboards, violin, saxophone, bass, and of course guitar. oh yeah, drums. What about trumpet et al? anybody know any oboe players? (smile)
I mean, hey….if folks want to have “arguments”, cool. we can do that, but i prefer not to, for feeling get hurt, and criticisms get personal. I can agree to disagree, but i will demand “back up” for one’s position. I am just trying to learn and grow as a guitar player.
peace
j
True…overhyped may more appropriately describe Hendrix.
The thing about Segovia is…he’s influenced everyone, whether they know it or not. I mean…when you think about guitar pioneers…people like Chuck Berry, BB King, etc. come to mind. What about Andres Segovia? I mean…there are pioneers, but Segovia is THE pioneer. NOBODY of ANY major notability came before him. Classical guitar is VERY unheralded…rock guitar is likely the most overrated form of playing. Classical demands stuff from your fingers that rock, blues, jazz, etc. could never ask for. There is nobody who I have ever heard, that can play classical guitar quite like Andres Segovia. The man’s talent puts him at number one, and the fact that he is the most influential guitarist ever, cements him there.
1. Page
2. Hendrix
3. Adrian Belew
4. Jerry Garcia
5. Knopfler
6. Allman
7. Richards
8. Young
9. Santana
10. Berry
I have to differ with you sharp re: segovia. He is not the influence you say, at least in my opinion. Very few people heard of him. they didn’t start playing because of him, they began to appreciate him as they played. Did you start playing because of him? You called him influential. In what way? I agree he is an incredible talent, but where is he influential, to who? not me, you?? I had NEVER heard of him when I started playing in 72/73. It wasn’t until my teacher told me to check him out that I began listening to him. Moreover, a case could be made for django reinhardt in that case. What makes segovia the greatest? other than many teachers et al claim this. technically, what puts him in this category. arguably their are many other classical artists that rival his talents. Could he be HYPE???? is he legend? Did you see the movie the “sweet lowdown?” sean penn plays this great guitarist? yet he always says he is the best, except for this “gypsy” guy. (django) Please, I implore you, what makes segovia the best? precision? certainly not creativity, songwriting et al. what??? nobody wants to take up this argument. what makes this guy the best?? I appreciate him, but he bores me. the real hype is “classical” guitar and the “myth” surrounding the discipline. it is eurocentric and xenophobic. because a guy plays the quote “classics” makes him the best???? In the movie, “mona lisa smile” a student comments on what makes art…she says, (and I am paraphrasing) “when the right people, or the right people make the decision.” I personally find it more difficult to get the “feel” of blues than to constantly practice scales and play the classics. it is a “breeze” for me. I don’t have to feel, I just need to be mechanical! that’s easy, my subconcious picks it up easily. so I ask again, what about segovia’s talents make him a better player than a charlie christian? or other classical artists like bream, parkening or williams???? There is this mythology surrounding classical music that annoys me. as in the movie “crossroads” with ralph macchio and joe seneca. the macchio character is discussing his instrument with his pretentious julliard professor. “to be expert in “primitive” music, you must be “born” to it.” he says. Meaning what? that there is a special mathematical sequence to some Bachian music? well there is, but it has also been shown that playing music, especially bass or drums at a certain pace ignites melanin. is that an explanation for people of color having rhythm? My point is this: In my opinion, most of this, “who is best stuff” is garbage. it is subjective. segovia ain’t playin’ hendrix, and jimi wasn’t playin segovia, but as a player, what do you think would be an easier transition? Malmsteen and other neoclassical artists tend to favor my argument for a movement to getting a certain “feeling” is more difficult, than constant repetition, which the classical discipline demands. (in all fairness, all guitar demands)you also mentioned that classical guitar demand stuff that from ones fingers that other disciplines don’t? do you play gypsy or flamenco?? like what? what are you talking about? nowadays, music is very hybrid. the guitar is the guitar. many of the elements used in MUSIC is used in MUSIC. Different fingerings??? how much jazz have you studied or played? How many of us out there on this blog were trained jazz or classical? I was. The theory I learned has been an immeasurable assistance, and YES, much of what is done is rock music is “easy” compared to the other disciplines, but NOT THE FEEL. there is NOTHING worse than sounding like segovia, playing hendrix or clapton!! that is another discipline altogether. certain things aren’t done in various genres, “perse” like string bending et al, but that doesn’t mean an artist can’t do it. one must ask, “does it fit what I am doing?”
anyway, it doesn’t matter, you have your opinion, and I have mine. neither one of them will get us a ride on a NYC subway unless we have 2 bucks.(lol)
I believe their are better players than segovia in his genre. I don’t believe there was a better player than jimi, in his time, that includes clapton, although I am dealing with apples and oranges here, and if I had a band that needed a lead and clapton showed up on tuesday, and jimi said wait for me until wednesday, I would probably have missed him and been “happily” playing with clapton. ah, whatever!!!
you mentioned chuck berry. he moved 50’s rock into another era. hendrix did the same thing to music in his era. I hate to keep referencing movies, but “back to the future”, that movie shows chuck’s supposed cousin calling him on the phone as michael j fox plays. what does he say? “hey chuck, you know that NEW sound you are looking for, well listen to this!” Blues existed long before BB KING, it was just more accepted by the mainstream with him. Sharp, you are a clapton fan, well he was a robert johnson fan. hendrix, lightin’ hopkins, NOT SEGOVIA! So again, what makes him the “greatest of all time?” mind you, I am not denying his greatness, I just need to know why, in your opinion, he is the greatest of all time. what is it about his “playing” that makes him such. It certainly can’t be what he played, for he “aped” everything, for the most part.
I understand the segovia argument, but come on, what is it really. Oh, he was more clean, he hits his notes with more precision, he’s playing quivers, this is HOW THE INSTRUMENT WAS MEANT TO SOUND. Says who???? some idiot that never picked up an instrument in their lives? I am pleased that segovia is even mentioned, for this stream started as the 100 greatest guitarist of all time, but it was based on a “rolling stone” poll. when rolling stone acknowledges segovia, britney spears will be occupying the white house, and not as first lady!
I respect your position, but I respectfully disagree. Now talk about guitar sacrilege!(lol)
again, better playing to all of us.
here is a quick excerpt on the life and playing of the magnificent segovia. It can’t be denied that he was a master, and had influence (mainly limited to the classical genre) but I believe it is important to see that he like hendrix influenced a segment of the instrument. So if one wants to argue that because of segovia, the guitar became a “more” acceptable instrument, I will go with that, considering the time he played and the mentality of people. I think it becomes obvious that segovia was an integral part of the development of the instrument. he put forward transcriptions that are known for their dexterity and difficulty to master, although, MANY HAVE MASTERED THEM, and play them perhaps better than he had envisioned. Does this make him the best ever? arguably yes, and arguably no.
decide for yourself.
Andrés Segovia (1893-1987) is considered to be the father of the modern classical guitar movement by most modern scholars. Many feel, that without his efforts, the classical guitar would still be considered a lowly bar instrument, played only by peasants.
Segovia’s quest to elevate the guitar to a prominent position in the music world, began at the early age of four. His uncle used to sing songs to him and pretend to strum an imaginary guitar in his lap. Luckily for us, there was a luthier nearby and Segovia took an instant liking to the guitar. Although discouraged by his family (according to them he should play a “real” instrument), he continued to pursue his studies of the guitar. He set a goal for the guitar and himself early in life. It was, to bring Guitar studies to every university in the world, have the guitar played throughout the world, on every major stage, just as the piano and violin were, and lastly, to pass on his love of the guitar to generations to follow. He considered himself to be the messenger that would complete this impossible quest.
He succeeded in all respects.
Segovia gave his first concert in Spain at the age of sixteen, with his professional debut at the age of twenty in Madrid. His original program included transcriptions from Tárrega, as well as his own transcriptions of Bach and others. Many so called “serious” musicians believed that Segovia would be laughed off of the stage, because the guitar could not play classical music. In fact, Segovia astounded the audience. The only problem he had, was that the guitar could not produce enough sound to fill the hall. Over the coming years, Segovia would perfect his technique and push luthiers to experiment with new woods and designs, that could increase the natural amplification of the guitar. With the advent of Nylon strings, the guitar could produce more consistent tones, while also being able to project the sound much farther.
Segovia’s quest lead him to America in 1928 for his first concert in New York. Again he overwhelmed the audience with his technique and musicianship, and converted more dissenters to the classical guitar. His rousing success in New York led to offers for more appearances in America and Europe, and a trip to the Orient in 1929. Segovia, and the classical guitar had arrived.
As Segovia traveled the world, he and the guitar became more and more popular. Composers such as Heitor Villa-Lobos began to compose original pieces specifically for the guitar. With their dark and melancholy mixture of dissonance and cello-like phrasing, Villa-Lobos’ compositions in particular, seemed to fit the guitar perfectly. Segovia had also begun to transpose the masterpieces for the guitar. In fact his transcription of Bach’s Chaconne, has become one of the most famous and difficult pieces to master. His transcription makes the Chaconne seem as if Bach originally intended it to be played on the guitar instead of the violin. Segovia’s repertoire was increasing, as was the guitar’s. His goal was becoming a reality. All that was left was the third and final part of his mission… to pass on the legacy to a new generation.
Segovia had many students throughout his career. Among the more famous are Christopher Parkening, John Williams, Elliot Fisk and Oscar Ghiglia. These students, along with the many others, carry on Segovia’s tradition, while at the same time expanding the classical guitar’s presence, repertoire, and musical boundaries.
Segovia not only taught students himself, he indirectly taught and influenced thousands and thousands of guitarists world wide. He is truly the father of the classical guitar.
I think you’ve misunderstood what I meant.
Segovia has obviously not influenced anyone directly, besides classical guitarists. But, in some way or another, he has influenced ANY person who has ever played guitar. Segovia MADE the guitar, not literally, but figureatively. He made the guitar a respected instrument…before Segovia, it was nothing but an instrument only played by the poor in Europe. Then little Andres comes around, gets a guitar, and happens to be really good at it. Then he begins recording, and the guitar begins to gain credibility.
Without Andres Segovia…there is no rock guitar, or blues guitar, or jazz guitar, or bluegrass guitar, or country guitar, etc. Influence isn’t just limited to future generations hearing your music and emulating it.
Look at it this way…if some kid who just started playing basketball NEVER heard of Michael Jordan…does that mean he’s not influenced by him? No, because Michael Jordan has left his mark all over the game, you simply can’t avoid his influence. Michael Jordan to basketball, is like Andres Segovia to guitar.
Another not guitar example…any rapper who comes out today, and has somehow never heard of Run DMC…does that mean they’re not influenced by them? HELL no…EVERYONE who comes after is influenced by Run DMC, because they made the genre of hip-hop popular.
Just imagine what happens should Andres Segovia never show up. Imagine he became a…say, a violin player. Sure…somebody else could step in and fill the position Segovia served, but that won’t necessarily happen. If nobody makes the instrument popular, who the hell is going to want to play it? No Segovia, means no Hendrix, Clapton, Page, Young, Santana, Rhoads, Gilmour, Van Halen, Hammet, Satriani, Vai, Keaggy, Perry, Prince, Steve Howe, Robin Trower, Iommi, Robby Krieger, Alex Lifeson, Tom Scholz, George Harrison, Pete Townshend, Brian May, Chuck Berry, BB King, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Knopfler, Slash, Jeff Beck, John Fogerty, Jeff Baxter, Denny Dias and Elliot Randall. Imagine if none of those guys EVER came around because Segovia never existed…The Experience, The Yardbirds, Cream, Derek and the Dominoes, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Santana, Ozzy, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Van Halen, Metallica, Aerosmith, Yes, Procol Harum, The Doors, Rush, Boston, The Beatles, The Who, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Dire Straits, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Steely Dan, and Lynard Skynard. Those bands all go away without Segovia (of course, no Segovia means no Good Charlotte, Sum 41, or New Found Glory, but who would sacrifice good ol’ classic rock just to get rid of modern pop punk?).
Anyway, to put what I said in a nutshell, Segovia influences every guitarist indirectly, in by some means. When I started, I didn’t even know of Segovia…but, that doesn’t stop me from seeing that he one of the most skilled, and the single most influential guitarist of all time. He may be the most influential musician of the 20th and 21st centuries.
And once again…you say that Segovia might not be the best in his genre…I don’t know enough classical guitar to argue with you there. But, I can say this…you talk about Hendrix, Clapton, Page, etc. being the top of their genre. You must also keep in mind, like I said before…that classical guitar, is WAY WAY WAYYYYYY harder than rock guitar. Segovia pieces are much more difficult than anything I’ve ever heard by even the likes of Page, Clapton or Hendrix. The “best at what they do” argument is pretty much irrelivant, man. Look at it this way…Dirk Nowitizki is the best shooter for his size in the NBA…should that make him a top 25 NBA player (when he can’t rebound, pass, or defend)?
I understood you argument, and I must say that I enjoyed reading your examples, for they make some sense. I definitely wouldn’t go as far as saying No Segovia, No Hendrix et al, but I see your point, which is why I posted the excerpt. Now the discipline of classical guitar vs others has always been a question. However, it is the “music”, meaning the quote Masters compositions, not so much the “technique.” Although, there is no argument that a considerable technique is required to play those compositions. Steve Vai can attest to that. The “neoclassical” artists like Malmsteen and others have shown that those who pursue the “rock” genre can easily adapt to the “compositions” of the “Masters”, Bach,Mozart,Beethoven et al. But I must insist that guitar playing is now very “hybrid.” Thus Clapton, Hendrix and others have borrowed techniques from other genres. Moreover, Clapton,Hendrix and a few others are by FAR, more “listenable” than many of these so-called new virtuosos. Most of them, I honestly can’t take for more than 30 minutes, that includes Petrucci, Satriani,Malmsteen and a whole host of others. I respect their technique, but they are definitely not on my “desert island survivor” must have classics.
Segovia on the other hand definitely gave the guitar a certain “credibility” in the eyes of the “elite” of the western world. So again, I see your point about a “pioneering” influence, and he MUST be given credit for that accomplishment, but to use your example of basketball players, George Mikan changed the game “in his time” he definitely made it the type of game we see today. (somewhat) But your Michael Jordan’s, Larry Birds etc.., Picked up the ball as a direct result Bill Russell, Cousy, Baylor and others. Run DMC “crossed over” doing something with Aerosmith that was LONG overdue, and should be done more, they made Rap/HipHop popular to the mainstream paving the way for more exposure and dollars, as did (and I hate to say it) MC Hammer, but anyone living in NYC will tell you that Kool Herc, Afrika Bambaata, Kurtis Blow and others put the genre on the map.(yet it was underground and hadn’t received the “stamp” of approval of the moneymen promoters) This is a very interesting subject, for the issue of “class” and general “politics” must come into play. Note from your own example re: Segovia, and the excerpt I posted. The guitar was seen as an instrument played by poor people in Europe. “GYPSYS”, let’s just tell the truth here. Segovia played the “King’s Music” on this supposedly “unknown” instrument. Unknown to who??? Not to those gypsys, not to many a slave in the deep south. To many people, still to THIS day, the guitar, unless it is played in the “classical” sense is NOT a respectable instrument, for it carries that “primitive” music connotation. So if you wish to say that Segovia, in a sense, “rammed the instrument” right up the elite’s proverbial A**, making them sit up and take notice, then as a consequence the guitar gained a certain “credibility” within the classical genre and folks who for the most part could afford to have an editorial or review written on his performance, I am fully on board with you. But I believe that many of the guitarists and bands you mentioned would still be here today based on the influences of say a Robert Johnson, and others like him, much moreso, than Classical Master Segovia. although, I will concede that the “guitar” as an instrument of quote “respectability” would have had a MUCH more difficult time gaining “acceptance” amongst the “right” people
(those with money who choose to dress up in black tie,fund foundations and pontificate to the rest of us about what we “should” listen to, what is acceptable art, and what a “cultured” person would do)
without Segovia’s mastery and clever pursuit of the instrument by showing it’s versatility in all forms of music.(i.e. it’s adaptability to the classical genre)
Also, are segovia’s transcriptions any more “difficult” than some of the stuff Frank Zappa did? and Zappa wrote his stuff,(and played phenomenal guitar on them) segovia merely transcribed music written by classical “masters.”
But anyway, your points are well-taken. Segovia definitely deserves his place amongst the Greatest the GUITAR has ever known, right along side the person that worked out the instruments unique tuning system and the subsequent logic of the instrument, and other Masters of different genres making the instrument what it is today.
I think that the rolling stones list is such bullshit…wtf is kurt cobain doing at number 12? He was indeed a great song writer, but nowhere near the top in guitarists…i agree that all off these comments are based on opinion, but i think that slash should definately be in the top ten, along with page, hendrix, srv, clapton, and kirk…but eddie van halen? why is he ranked so low? who the hell is rating this shit? eddie should easily be in the top 5, seeing him is an amazing thing. It makes me wonder why i even wasted my time reading this article, and it makes me feel good to know there are more level headed people out there that also believe rolling stone is a bunch of shit…
Never thought of this until I read your past comment, J…but if the guitar was invented in Egypt so many thousands of years ago (or so I heard)…there probably were some crazy ancient guitarists or something.
I can see where you’re coming from with the whole Robert Johnson thing, even if I don’t agree. Someone really does need to make the instrument accessible…through making it respectable (ahem, Segovia, hehe).
And really…while rock guitarists are great, and some can do classical guitar, simply our of pure talent, or they’re classically trained. But then again…I seriously doubt someone with pure latin influences like Santana, or self taught blues players like Stevie Ray Vaughan couldn’t play classical guitar easily. Even Hendrix would probably have some difficulty. There are a few exceptions…I believe Clapton is classically trained. I know Jimmy Page is self taught, but seeing how some Zeppelin songs show classical influences (i.e Stairway To Heaven, the Rain Song, etc.), I wouldn’t doubt that Page could play it. Guitarists like Ritchie Blackmore, while he’s an excellent soloist, he doesn’t have “composer” like qualities, the way a Clapton or Page do.
1-angus young
2-eric clapton
3-jimmy page
4-hendrix
5-malmsteen
And thinking about it, by what I’ve said, Robert Johnson should be 2nd on the list. My opinion changes yet again.
Are u f’ing Kidding me the besr should be detemined by wat they can do with the instrument not on a personal level here is the real top ten
1.Jimi Hendrix (obviously)
2.Jimmy Page
3.Kirk Hammet of Metallica (Pure Speed)
4.B.B. King
5.Eric Clapton
6.Carlos Santana
7.Chuck Berry
8.Stevie Ray Vaughn
9.Slash
10.Randy Rhodes
There is the absolute perfect top ten if u wanna argue go ahead believe me i give major respect to Paul,Young,Allman,etc. But as guitarist these men are the all time greatest
i think the rolling stone list is bull shit I mean slash isnt on it that is crap and I men jack white what the f uck has he done ,bull shit same as joan jett i mean she f uckin sucked and I mean eddie Van Halen and Randy Rhoads aren’t in the top ten are you kidding me? I mean Eruption was amazing. Also David Gilmour and Angus Young in the 80’s and 90’s what is rolling Stone smoking.And Frank Zappa he is an excellent guitarist, wierd but amazing, and Page at 9 hes one of the greatest guitar players Stairway to Heaven alone was just amazing.And this guitarist named Joe Satriani is so amazing I saw him live and I’ve never seen any ones hands move that fast.Kurt Cobain should not be so high on the list He was ok but definently not top 30 and Kirk Hammett is amazing. Also, BB king at 3 I Dont know he was good but not better than Page or Clapton for that matter. duane allman at 2 he was very good but not top ten and Jeff Becks amazing. and I mean Tony Iommi of Sabbath at 87 or whatever he was very good top thirty derfinently my top 10
1 Hendrix Is just God His all along the watch tower kicked Bob Dylans Ass
2 Clapton Is very good one of the most influential guitarists
3 Page Played for one of the greatest rock bands was amazing and Stairway was awesome
4 Srv He was a very good guitarist
5 Jeff Beck Is Just so good
6 VH did so many unforgettable things in his guitar noises
7 Slash is just so good and November Rain and Sweet child o Mine are great and I like Velvet Revoler
8 Joe Satriani If you heard him youd agree
9 Jerry Garcia I loved him I thought he was excellent in a weird way
10 Kirk Hammett Excellent guitar player One is an awesome guitar solo
honorable 11 – 15
11 Keith richards
12 Pete townshend
13 Zappa
14 gilmour
15 Tom Morello
ok. david gilmour?, eddie van halen?, angus young?, allen collins, gary rossington, wtf??, and quit ripping on kurt cobain, even if he wasnt most skilled guitar player, his guitar had the best sound of the 90s
oh yeah slash too
Well – the intelligent, literate arguments were interesting while they lasted, thanks to Sharp, J, flibberty gibbet, and a couple of others.
1 Hendrix Is just God His all along the watch tower kicked Bob Dylans Ass
2 Clapton Is very good one of the most influential guitarists
3 Page Played for one of the greatest rock bands was amazing and Stairway was awesome
4 Srv He was a very good guitarist
5 Jeff Beck Is Just so good
6 VH did so many unforgettable things in his guitar noises
7 Slash is just so good and November Rain and Sweet child o Mine are great and I like Velvet Revoler
8 Joe Satriani If you heard him youd agree
9 Jerry Garcia I loved him I thought he was excellent in a weird way
10 Kirk Hammett Excellent guitar player One is an awesome guitar solo
honorable 11 – 15
11 Keith richards
12 Pete townshend
13 Zappa
14 gilmour
15 Tom Morello
You know your stuff, but you’re missing the point. Influence is also a quite handy thing here. That’s why guys like Chuck Berry, and Robert Johnson belong so high, even though they’re not great great talents. BB King is an interesting case. He has virtually unlimited influence, he probably is the most important electric guitarist of all time. He has never really innovated, even if he is a pioneer, if that makes any kind of confounded sense. He doesn’t have the skill level of a Hendrix, Clapton, Segovia, Page, etc. but he can match any of them pound for pound with influence. He’s top 10, guaranteed, arguably top five. Top three is a stretch though, but as usual, Rolling Stone managed to break that simple rule as well.
I’ve noticed that people on this board have a tendency to rank the likes of Slash, Kirk Hammet, Tommy Iommi, etc. really high. You can’t make an argument for any of those guys, really. THe most you can argue for that trio is top 40. Randy Rhoades (who you said is in your top ten, and then you failed to list him) can cut it at top 20. Slash…I equate him to the NBA’s Ricky Davis. Great numbers…bad team…except in Slash’s case, it was being a great guitar player, when guitar was pretty damned dead. It’s not very hard to look great when you’re surrounded by pitiful excuses for guitarists (see Cobain, Kurt). Shoot, if you sent the guys from Good Charlotte and Sum 41 to an island full of people who’d never seen a guitar before, they’d think they were the best musicians of all time.
Anyway…the top ten HAS to include Segovia, Johnson, Clapton, Page, Hendrix, King, SRV, Van Halen…that leaves about 2 spots for anyone else. It’s a tough list.
(Editor’s suggestion to all commentors: When you’re quoting another comment, it’s easier to read if you distinguish the quote using the BLOCKQUOTE and/or EM tags, as I did above; readers may find it hard to determine what you wrote in reply to someone’s comment. Also, quoting only a small portion of a comment should be sufficient; even better would be to just include a link, something like “In reply to comment 238:”. – your friendly website administrator, Jody)
Ok here my top 5 shoot it down at will :)
1. Jimi Hendrix (for gods sake the man restrung a right handed guitar to be left handed he’s gotta get props for that)
2. Eric Clapton longevity and the ability to change styles puts him over the other 3
3. Stevie Ray Vaught true a lot of his songs were Hendrix cover but the man can flat out play
4. Slash how he could see the guitar string I’ll never know
5. Les Paul for anyone who doesn’t know who Les Paul is try and find the song called Brazil he plays 6 guitar parts in a virtuoso demonstration and would be the pioneer of multi track recordings.
Short and too the point guess I’m too lazy to elaborate anymore.
Will people please read before posting on here, we have previously established Segovia as number one, people are rating hendrix as he is Publicly Pronounced (as I have mentioned (in the exact same words) earlier), please also qualify why you believe that guitarist deserves that spot, otherwise you do not have a valid reason, look at Sharp – he has never posted anything without qualifying why he said what he did. This was posted by shocker (post 243)…
“1. Jimi Hendrix (for gods sake the man restrung a right handed guitar to be left handed he’s gotta get props for that)”
…that is not a valid reason, that is just being, I would say, rather Pretentious, why do such a thing? I know this wasn’t your point but anyone can re-string a guitar but does that give them the right for number one? Does it bollocks!
Just another thing–
I’m sure Email wasn’t required to post before, yet it is now? Why?
> I’m sure Email wasn’t required to post before….yet it is now? Why?
It helps prevent some spam from being posted. The email address isn’t posted. I may change this requirement once I program better spam filters into the site.
Update (a few hours later): Only a name is required now.
Where is Slash…i cant find him
Ok here my top 5 shoot it down at will :)
1. Jimi Hendrix (for gods sake the man restrung a right handed guitar to be left handed he’s gotta get props for that)
2. Eric Clapton longevity and the ability to change styles puts him over the other 3
3. Stevie Ray Vaught true a lot of his songs were Hendrix cover but the man can flat out play
4. Slash how he could see the guitar string I’ll never know
5. Les Paul for anyone who doesn’t know who Les Paul is try and find the song called Brazil he plays 6 guitar parts in a virtuoso demonstration and would be the pioneer of multi track recordings.
So re-stringing a right handed guitar for a lefty makes Hendrix the best ever? Man, I thought it would have been actually playing the damned instrument. I sure was wrong there. *eyes roll*
And you’ve got to really think that we’re stupid, if you go on a board discussing guitarists, and you think that we don’t know who Les Paul is. Don’t insult my intelligence. The man has had one of the most lasting effects on guitar…ever. And anyway…he had some NICE instruments. ANY guitarist would kill for a Gibson Les Paul. But even with that said…he’s not top ten, let alone top five.
Look the comment about Hendrix as about slash was purely in jest not to be taken too seriously. I haven’t read all 250 posts just thought I would express my opinion which is exactly that my opinion. I am sure some casual internet surfers might read the post about Les Paul the comment wasn’t made specifically to anyone. Sorry again to step on someones toes if your trying to encourage more people to post your definitely going about it the wrong way.
I don’t mean it to insult you…but then again, if you want to be taken seriously, you have to post seriously. Don’t just mock the subject, maybe I’m being a little to intense, but nobody in here is trying to kid.
Like I said before this is my opinion on what I find most appealing to myself. This isn’t based on influence difficulty etc. I’m not exactly sure how you go about judging different genres its like tyring to decide who is a better painter Da Vinci or Van Gogh. They both paint totally different ways Van Gogh with vigorous powerful strokes which you could liken to Hendrix. Da Vinci on the other hand uses so many techniques while giving you a balanced classical looking piece which you could liken to Segovia. How are you to distinguish between the two the answer is you can’t you may like one more than the other but you can’t say a certain style of painting is more difficult than the other. The same can be said here Hendrix while not as precise and technically sound has more emotion I believe you said that he played “powerfully”. Where as classical guitar is more difficult than most other styles (which is why nearly anyone who gives lessons starts with rock then advances to classical). I am not mocking the subject but then again I am not trying to force my opinions down others throats wether I put Hendrix, Segovia, Montgomerey or whoever first that is up to me to decide. If you want my reason for putting Hendrix first it is because he seems to convey more feeling into his guitar (maybe that is due to his music being solely based around it whereas someone like Page who had Plant constantly wanting his vocals to be the focal point of the song) he is a passionate player who I happen to enjoy listening too more than the others.
So Page isn’t as good because Zeppelin had a good front man? I know it’s your choice, but honestly man…what does that have to do with anything? Is Michael Jordan not the greatest basketball player of all time because he played with Scottie Pippen, who also happened to be damned good? I wouldn’t say that Plant tried to make his vocals the most prominent part of the band either, anyway. They’re not the Rolling Stones; they’re frontman isn’t the true personality of the band. Zeppelin is Page and the double-necked Gibson…not Plant and his shrill, but amazing vocals.
For one I never said Page wasn’t good Stairway to Heaven is probably the best guitar solo ever. But in my opinion when I listen to both Zeppelin and Hendrix I am drawn more to Hendrix’s guitar than I am Pages. Now that doesn’t mean what Hendrix played was just heads and shoulders above Page because he is not nor is anyone else. I am not saying Hendrix stuff is harder to play than Pages (I can’t play either so there both equally hard to me :)) I am just simply saying that that my personal preference is too listen to Hendrix because as you have said earlier the power. I do disagree when I think of Zeppelin I think of both Page and Plant as well as Bohnam and Jones it was truly the combination that made Led Zeppelin. On a side note Pippen was not such a great player Jordan made him a seem like a great player I don’t think he made it to an all-star game without Jordan.
You Boys can only speak, speak and speak.
Have you ever heard Duane Allman? All modern slide is ALLMAN!
Rollin’ Stone give comments for all the guitarists he cited….Why don’t you read it????????
The Rollin’ Stone Magazine list is about musician’s influence on modern music….and certainly Duane influenced very lot……..surely more than Page that used to do Hendrixian licks…….
Another guitarist who influenced very, very much is RY COODER……ALL acoustic guitarist have something in common with RY……..
Before speaking try to HEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
1Jimi Hendrix
2 Duane Allman of the Allman Brothers Band
3 B.B. King
4 Eric Clapton
5 Robert Johnson
6 Chuck Berry
7 Stevie Ray Vaughan
8 Ry Cooder
9 Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin
10 Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones
11Kirk Hammett of Metallica
12 Kurt Cobain of Nirvana
13 Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
14 Jeff Beck
15 Carlos Santana
16 Johnny Ramone of the Ramones
17 Jack White of the White Stripes
18 John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
19 Richard Thompson
20 James Burton
21 George Harrison
22 Mike Bloomfield
23 Warren Haynes
24 The Edge of U2
25 Freddy King
26 Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave
27 Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits
28 Stephen Stills
29 Ron Asheton of the Stooges
30 Buddy Guy
31 Dick Dale
32 John Cipollina of Quicksilver Messenger Service
33 & 34 Lee Ranaldo, Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth
35 John Fahey
36 Steve Cropper of Booker T. and the MG’s
37 Bo Diddley
38 Peter Green of Fleetwood Mac
39 Brian May of Queen
40 John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival
41 Clarence White of the Byrds
42 Robert Fripp of King Crimson
43 Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic
44 Scotty Moore
45 Frank Zappa
46 Les Paul
47 T-Bone Walker
48 Joe Perry of Aerosmith
49 John McLaughlin
50 Pete Townshend
51 Paul Kossoff of Free
52 Lou Reed
53 Mickey Baker
54 Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane
55 Ritchie Blackmore of Deep Purple
56 Tom Verlaine of Television
57 Roy Buchanan
58 Dickey Betts
59 & 60 Jonny Greenwood, Ed O’Brien of Radiohead
61 Ike Turner
62 Zoot Horn Rollo of the Magic Band
63 Danny Gatton
64 Mick Ronson
65 Hubert Sumlin
66 Vernon Reid of Living Colour
67 Link Wray
68 Jerry Miller of Moby Grape
69 Steve Howe of Yes
70 Eddie Van Halen
71 Lightnin’ Hopkins
72 Joni Mitchell
73 Trey Anastasio of Phish
74 Johnny Winter
75 Adam Jones of Tool
76 Ali Farka Toure
77 Henry Vestine of Canned Heat
78 Robbie Robertson of the Band
79 Cliff Gallup of the Blue Caps (1997)
80 Robert Quine of the Voidoids
81 Derek Trucks
82 David Gilmour of Pink Floyd
83 Neil Young
84 Eddie Cochran
85 Randy Rhoads
86 Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath
87 Joan Jett
88 Dave Davies of the Kinks
89 D. Boon of the Minutemen
90 Glen Buxton of Alice Cooper
91 Robby Krieger of the Doors
92 & 93 Fred “Sonic” Smith, Wayne Kramer of the MC5
94 Bert Jansch
95 Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine
96 Angus Young of AC/DC
97 Robert Randolph
98 Leigh Stephens of Blue Cheer
99 Greg Ginn of Black Flag
100 Kim Thayil of Soundgarden
This is the entire list……………..and it’s good………
I have been following the posts here for a few weeks and find most of the comments to be lucid and relevant. My favorite guitarists have been mentioned many times over the course of this thread. A couple of names that have not been metioned I would like to post and see what this group thinks of them.
Al Di Meola
Eliot Fisk
Paco Pena
Michael Hedges
First off…I’d say that it’s safe to assume that anyone on this board whose opinion matters, has heard Duane Allman play, because I sure as hell know I have. Obviously…he’s great…but now, let me remind you…rock is almost dead, right now. How much do you honestly think Duane Allman’s talent and skill has influenced Good Charlotte, or Sum 41, when they can only play four chords? Allman is an immortal guitarist, but he wasn’t big enough to influence people after the genre had faded (like a Robert Johnson, Segovia, Clapton, Hendrix, Page, Santana, etc.).
You are absoultely insane, to say that Duane Allman has had more influence than Jimmy Page. If you’ve never checked, Led Zeppelin is one of the, if not the, greatest selling band…EVER. They have the the most radio airplay…EVER. They made the song with the most radio airplay…EVER. The Allman Brothers are great, don’t get me wrong, I love them. But compared to Led Zeppelin, they’re a pimple on an elephants ass. For rock bands, Led Zeppelin, The Who the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are the templates. Drummer, two guitarists (one of which can be a base player), and a frontman (who can also play if necessary). That has been established as the meat and potatoes of rock…and other bands have simply expanded on it (i.e. Chicago’s horns, Jethro Tull’s flute, keyboards/synths with the Doors and Pink Floyd). The Allman Brothers…in typical southern band fashion (see Lynard Skynard) have way more than the typical five members. Skynard, and the Allman Brothers, close to ten or so.
I just wanted to say this: as always, “sharp” is “on point”, (no pun intended) I would also like to say that both “charlie and steve” have excellent taste in guitar players! (sorry, but I do have my opinions)(lol) I love it when players names get mentioned who most folks would sit back and say….”what the He**?” Although, with Dimeola, I met him many years ago shortly after elegant gypsy. Great player, poor attitude. at least back then. He’s very clean, but I found him a little pretentious, but hey, with those chops, I guess it’s allowed. I am not as familiar with paco pena, could you recommend some stuff? Shocker, Les Paul has a guitar named for him, enough said. (MAJOR PLAYER) good point!
Just one more point. I love Duane Allman, and the allman brothers. I was playing “blue sky” 2 days ago! Sometimes a song is written and played, and if “listened” to, goes beyond the “average” thing. Those guys could play. Although, as much as I love the Allman brothers, “I” don’t think they were as influential as Page and Zepplin. I remember the Zepp fury. Jimi was dead, and music was “stagnant.” (it really wasn’t) but…………Led Zep hit the scene and it was “partytime” with good ol’ music again. They are major influences. Look at Living Colour’s “desperate people”, that is all Zepplin influenced. Arguably, the great rock band of all-time.
Well, I am going back to teach myself a simple, yet classic Funk/soulful cut by john lee hooker called, “funky mabel.”
keep on pickin’
As for Steves post I have heard Duane Allman play and he is a terrific player in my top 10 but was he really that influential certainly not in today’s scope. I have not read the rolling stones article but if they are truly going on influence they may have hit a little closer to the mark (i.e. Cobain and Richards). But they do leave off such jazz guitarists like Wes Montgomery and Allan Holdsworth. If they were judging on influence is surprises me they didn’t put Ledbelly (influenced Neil Young and Cobain) or Muddywaters or many other blues players. Although neither are great guitarists they were heavily influential (at least in my opinion). When you were speaking of non-traditional templates on bands although you were just speaking of bands who added on to the normal template Nirvana could be mentioned since they only had 3. As for Cobain he is not generally regarded as a great guitar player but his style of music didn’t call for long solo’s that may have attributed to him not being highly regarded.
What gets people down on Kurt Cobain isn’t his lack of ability as a soloist, it’s his lack of ability in general. The man was self taught, but he never learned, basically. But then again, like it was said, Grunge doesn’t call for long winded solos, unless it’s Pearl Jam. Just throwing his in for the heck of it, as my friend said…”Smells Like Teen Spirit is the ultimate jam song for people who suck.” Word.
And just as a little finishing touch to my Allman vs. Jimmy Page argument…how many slide guitarists do you see in today’s music? Do you think the idiots from New Found Glory have any idea what in the hell it means to be a slide guitarist?
I just want to add the comment on being sincere as guitarists about whichever decision you guys and gals take due to de overflow of subjectivity this topic brings… I love an X guitarist’s style, but not necessarilly it means automatically that it’s the best guitarists on the face of earth. Before I take a decision I take in hand many aspects for my selection. “Feel”, Technique, correct usage of notes (i.e., harmonic/melodic sense), versatility, sound, etc. Then I could throw in some “show”, which IMO is not really the most important aspect. That’s why I can say for myself, I do not agree with any of your preferences, because they are selected by means of “liking” them. Thank you
“First off–I’d say that it’s safe to assume that anyone on this board whose opinion matters, has heard Duane Allman play, because I sure as hell know I have. Obviously “he’s great” but now, let me remind you – rock is almost dead, right now. How much do you honestly think Duane Allman’s talent and skill has influenced Good Charlotte, or Sum 41, when they can only play four chords? Allman is an immortal guitarist, but he wasn’t big enough to influence people after the genre had faded (like a Robert Johnson, Segovia, Clapton, Hendrix, Page, Santana, etc.).”
THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND & DUANE ALLMAN INFLUENCED ALSO PEOPLES LIKE STEVE MORSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SONNY LANDRETH, ONE OF THE GREATEST SLIDE PLAYERS TODAY IS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY ALLMAN…….ERIC CLAPTON’S ELECTRIC SLIDE IS INFLUENCED BY ALLMAN TOO (AS HE SAYD IN MANY INTERVIEW)……AND I CITED ONLY A FEW PLAYERS……….IN THE ‘70′S EVERYBODY WANTS TO SOUND LIKE THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, NOT ONLY THE “SOUTHERN BAND” BUT EVERYBODY!!!(AS MIKE STERN SAYD IN A GUITAR MAGAZINE’S INTERVIEW IN 1981)!!!
HAVE YOU HEARD THE “BIRDS” IN JEFF BECK’S “YOU HAD IT COMING”?
DO YOU KNOW WHO WAS THE FIRST PLAYER DO IT?
DUANE ALLMAN IN “MOUNTAIN JAM”…………
Paco Pena plays flamenco guitar. You can read about him at http://www.pacopena.com. Regarding Duane Allman, he was a fine guitarist and the piece I enjoy playing is “Jessica”. Glad to see someone drop John Lee’s name here. My friends and I wore black arm bands the day he passed away. IMHO one of the very underrated guitarist is Lindsey Buckingham.
Earlier in this thread someone asked about favorite bass players. Below is my list of 10 + 1. They are listed in alphabetical order.
Stanley Clark
Bootsy Collins
Billy Cox
Donald “Duck” Dunn
Roy Estrada
Dusty Hill
John Paul Jones
Greg Lake
Geddy Lee….hate his voice…love his work
Felix Pappalardi
Verdine White
“Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin ["of Led Zeppelin"?! duh]
Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones [double duh]”
_______________________________________________________________
These players out of their bands do nothing special……….
When we think at Page we think at his works with Zeppelin not at his solo career……………
“Chuck Berry?!!”
________________________
Chuck Berry influenced a lot of guitarists like Winter and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin ["of Led Zeppelin"!? duh] eh, eh!
Helluva “bass” player list. Love them all! Also, I did do a google search on Paco Pena, went to the site you mentioned. I am going to pick up some of his stuff. Thanks!
“j”…you’re welcome
THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND & DUANE ALLMAN INFLUENCED ALSO PEOPLES LIKE STEVE MORSE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SONNY LANDRETH, ONE OF THE GREATEST SLIDE PLAYERS TODAY IS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY ALLMAN. ERIC CLAPTON’S ELECTRIC SLIDE IS INFLUENCED BY ALLMAN TOO (AS HE SAYD IN MANY INTERVIEW) — AND I CITED ONLY A FEW PLAYERS– .IN THE 70′S EVERYBODY WANTS TO SOUND LIKE THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND, NOT ONLY THE “SOUTHERN BAND” BUT EVERYBODY!!!(AS MIKE STERN SAYD IN A GUITAR MAGAZINE’S INTERVIEW IN 1981)!!!
So what? I’ll give Duane Allman his due as a top ten, twenty guitarist for all time…but there’s no way he tops Segovia, Johnson, Clapton, Page, Hendrix, BB King, or Eddie Van Halen. And then again, it’s questionable if he tops Satriani or SRV, who both contend for similar positioning. And this may be simply my opinion, but I’d say that you could argue that Santana, David Gilmour, Angus Young, or Jeff Beck may all be ahead of Allman too (keep in mind that guitar world, or some website like that ranked Beck and NUMBER TWO).
And I’m damn well aware that Allman was influential, as was the band. But don’t play yourself into thinking the Allman Brothers are even in the same universe as Pink Floyd, Santana, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Aerosmith, the Grateful Dead, etc. in scope of influence. If you were to rank the greatest fifty bands of all time (as Spin magazine did almost as poorly as Rolling Stone ranked guitarists), the Allmans wouldn’t be coming up in the top ten, or top twenty.
I think it’s damn obvious that your an Allman fan. Don’t be a blind fan; Clapton and Page are my two favorite guitarists by far, but you don’t see me ranking them at one two do you? I rank them as reasonably as I can, and I think I have them placed very appropriately.
And that old idea that never got off the ground. The top ten guitarists who did NOT make the list…anyone care to continue it?
“So what? I’ll give Duane Allman his due as a top ten, twenty guitarist for all time…but there’s no way he tops Segovia, Johnson, Clapton, Page, Hendrix, BB King, or Eddie Van Halen. And then again, it’s questionable if he tops Satriani or SRV, who both contend for similar positioning. And this may be simply my opinion, but I’d say that you could argue that Santana, David Gilmour, Angus Young, or Jeff Beck may all be ahead of Allman too (keep in mind that guitar world, or some website like that ranked Beck and NUMBER TWO).
And I’m damn well aware that Allman was influential, as was the band. But don’t play yourself into thinking the Allman Brothers are even in the same universe as Pink Floyd, Santana, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Cream, Aerosmith, the Grateful Dead, etc. in scope of influence. If you were to rank the greatest fifty bands of all time (as Spin magazine did almost as poorly as Rolling Stone ranked guitarists), the Allmans wouldn’t be coming up in the top ten, or top twenty.
I think it’s damn obvious that your an Allman fan. Don’t be a blind fan; Clapton and Page are my two favorite guitarists by far, but you don’t see me ranking them at one two do you? I rank them as reasonably as I can, and I think I have them placed very appropriately.
And that old idea that never got off the ground. The top ten guitarists who did NOT make the list…anyone care to continue it?”
___________________________________________________________________________
Sharp, believe me, I’m not a blind fan……….but the influence Allman had in the world of slide guitar is the same Hendrix had for the lead…..this is not an opinion……..it’s a fact………Do you know how many guitarists used to play slide? very lot. And when they play slide sound like Allman.
To me Allman is certainly in the top 10 (I’d never say he MUST be at 2), but the peoples who said the contrary must heard much music………
I’ll give you only an example of the Allman’s influence in music. Do you know “Johnny Winter And” group? Surely yes. The battle between Johnny and Rick Derringer comes from the Allmans. The rest is history…….like Wishbone Ash and the Iron Maiden…………
Sharp, I have read some of your precedent posts and you speak only about “LEAD GUITAR MAN”.
Probably you don’t like slide guitar……(I don’t want to criticize you, to me you are a friend).
If I can tell you who are the most influential MODERN LEAD guitarists, this is my personal list:
HENDRIX
BECK
CLAPTON
B.B.
VAN HALEN
VAUGHAN
and PROBABLY MALMSTEEN (I say PROBABLY ’cause his sound in some parts came directly from VAN HALEN & RANDY RHOADS).
Like you can see there isn’t DUANE ALLMAN.
I’m sorry but I think Jimmy Page wasn’t so influential as peoples like HENDRIX, BECK and CLAPTON……….These players MADE the LEAD GUITAR…
I just wanted to add at link on the subject of “steel guitar” because of the debate I see going on about “slide” guitar. I enjoyed the site, and if folks haven’t visited it, it does provide some good information, and mentions some of the greats.
http://www.well.com/user/wellvis/steel.html
also, I have been REALLY trying to name ten of the greatest guitarist that didn’t make the RS list, but I just can’t do it! I end up with another list of 100! (lol)
Also, I would like to reach out to “jazzLOCO.” I read your post, and I see where you are coming from, but I ask, “who are the players that “you” appreciate, and most importantly, why?”
Look, the only comment i agree with so far is comment #162. Their right, a guitarist should be judge by difficulty of their songs. They should also be judged by manual dexterity and originality. Also speed doesn’t neccissarily make a good guitarist although it helps. here’s my list.
1. Hendrix – his style, speed, and blues driven rock guitar inspired a generation
2. SRV – he is flat out as good as Jimi, but Hendrix was more original
3. Malmsteen – for speed, there is nobody faster but he deals mostly in singele notes
4. Johnny Winter – i can’t really appreciate his style, but he is one hell of a guitarist
5. Clapton – while clapton is the best pure blues guitarist there is… he lacks originalty or a good stage prescence.
6. Jimmy Page – Where would metal be without this guitar god?
7. Angus Young – great guitarist, great performer
8. Carlos Santana – longevity and skill, he seems to play effortlessly
9. Slash – while he isn’t the best guitar player, i enjoy his stlye and his solo licks a good
10. Johnny Ramone – Possibly the shittiest guitarist ever, but his three cord power houses were a breath of fresh air in the late 70’s
Oh yea, i saw the unknown kid after i did this gig in pennsylvania, he helped clean up the stage and he picked up a guitar, then i heard him play, i swear to god this kid is going to be better than hendrix someday. His name was like joe or jon somethjing with a j.
with all do respect to some of the comments made regarding the “difficulty” of what a player plays. First, NO JAZZ PLAYERS are mentioned. Unless we have a panel of “what” constitutes “difficulty”, AGAIN, it may be subjective! Some players adapt to various techniques more quickly than others. Sharp pointed out the skill of Clapton v. Hendrix, and while I can play Clapton much easier than Jimi, I will admit, (at least to me) Clapton has some more intricate stuff going on, yet I feel that Jimi is the better player! Yes, maybe we have become caught up in ‘rock’ players. However, let’s be real. Jimi, as much as I LOVE him (my favorite player, along with larry coryell, clapton and johnny winter) what he played IS NOT DIFFICULT! what’s difficult is HIS FEEL!!!!!!!!!! One just can’t play Jimi, unless you are Robin Trower or SRV (who by the way, said his dream would have been to play with Jimi) Moreover, LIVE jimi was the man. Did any of these post ever see him live????? I did! I was too young to even appreciate it, but it was powerful! I think “band of gypsys” both I and II give us a very good idea of Jimi live. Yet, had he lived, I believe he would have explore MANY different genres. Segovia left us in 1987, we might have seen Jimi play with him. We know that Miles Davis wanted to play with him, and vice versa. CAN YOU IMAGINE???? However, If we are talking “difficulty” let’s go to joe pass, charlie christian, frank zappa, and I could go on. there is something to be said for “clean” playing with speed and accuracy! I would like to make a “recommendation”, if I may be so bold. Wolf Marshall has a book/cd called 101 jazz riffs. he also has the same for blues licks. I suggest, (if folks haven’t already)pick it up and play the licks with the same level of skill and cleanliness as many of those players. one, it will add to anyone’s playing, but also, a real appreciation for “guitar” playing (in all genres) is accomplished! I guess what I am saying is: “what constitutes difficulty?” Unless one has listened to “everybody” or at least a WIDE variety or sampling, and has played the instrument (which many on this site say they have or do)it is very “difficult” to discuss “difficulty!” Honestly, Jimi was sloppy at times. He even walked off stage once because in his estimation, “he didn’t have it!”
we all have our “opinions”, and that’s cool. For me, (although I don’t agree completely with all the comments i have read) I appreciate them, I “think” I understand them, and I hope (for the most part) they will be taken “appropriately” and used to either improve one’s playing or elevate their awareness of the instrument! But PLEASE, let us realize that for the most part, our comments (mine included) are “subjective!” Hey, I think Michael Angelo Batio is a faster player than Malmsteen, yet I have seen posts that say he’s a better player than Hendrix. That’s someone’s opinion, and so be it. I don’t agree, but I have seen his “speed kills” video, and he merits “respect” for speed, style, being able to play with both hands, and a few other techniques! It pains me when I see “dogmatic” commentary on players. we all, “obviously” love the guitar, music and many of the players mentioned. I just wish I could see more comments “specific” things about players, what folks liked and disliked and WHO they think has improved upon those things, and WHY!!!!!!! Maybe I am wrong, but isn’t it all about the MUSIC? the elevation of the instrument and one’s connection to “that” which inspires the “beauty” that comes from the “keys, strings et al?”
I don’t want to offend anyone (and that won’t always be the case) but I do believe that we all can agree to disagree and make cogent arguments as to “why”, that will add to and inspire all of us.
sharp u dont know S*** about wtf ur talking aobut….go listen to ur little soft rock treehugging bullsh*t elsewhere…..and for the ppl that say not to talk sh*t about kurt cobain…FU*K U!!!!!!!!!!!
I feel what you’re saying about Hendrix live, J, even if I don’t agree with it. I think that what you feel is more on the basis of the fact that it was Hendrix himself on the stage. The experience is breathtaking, but the noise that is made isn’t. Hendrix was more often than not too tripped out on some heavy drug to play to his ability. That’s where you get the non-melodic renditions of his own material…or say, the Star Spangled Banner. At Woodstock, in ‘69, everyone looks back on that moment where he played our national anthem as a high point in rock. I would agree, had it not been for his unecessary forays off into grunt sounding loud noises. Then, leading into Purple Haze, instead of playing his standared 6 on the E, and 8 on the A, repeated four times, it sounds like a bunch of scratchy noises with no resemblance to the regular lead in. While I would pay a million dollars to see Hendrix live…I’d pay two mill to see him live AND sober.
And I agree with you about the commentary on the players. While it would be a much better world if we were able to compliment guitarists for their good qualities, rather than focusing on their bad ones, but then again, that’s human nature for you. As far as I’m concerned, if you can give reasonable proof for your beliefs (not like: Kirk Hammet is the best ever because I said so) then your opinion deserves to be considered. But then again, one can hardly expect everyone to do that, or to be really knowledgable enough to do so.
Steve…give the Allman stuff a rest. I know he has influence…but seriously, you’re giving him too much credit. You can try to argue it all you want, but until you can offer reasonable proof that Duane Allman has had more influence on guitar than the likes of Segovia, Robert Johnson, Chuck Berry, Eric Clapton, Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Gilmour, BB King, Santana, Jeff Beck, Angus Young, SRV, Van Halen, Satriani, and even guys like George Harrison and Keith Richards, I’m not believing you, and most people won’t. You’re not influential just because someone saw something you did, and emulates it on a few of their songs. If I see a little kid pissing on the toilet seat, and I tell him to put it up before he takes a whiz, am I a life changing influence on him? Have I sat down and molded him in my image? HELL NO. I just told him to put up the damned seat before he goes pee. So is Duane Allman the greatest ever just because of that? I don’t hear Allman Brothers songs in commericials (if you want to talk pop culture). Clapton has put Sunshine of Your Love in Toyota commercials, Page has Rock & Roll in Dodge and Cadillac commercials. The Who has everyone of their damned hits as a CSI theme, or a car commercial. I like the Allman Brothers, seriously, I do. I’d give up a leg to be able to play the way Allman or Betts can. Of course, I’d give up two legs to play like any of the guys that I mentioned.
Sharp, being the “FATHER OF MODERN SLIDE” for a thousand of slide players is not like pissing………….
Anyway we give our opinions, I disagree with you and you disagree with me but it’s OK!
Tell me a thing, who are these players influenced so heavily by Gilmour and Santana?
Even if he is the father of modern slide…there are no slide guitarists in rock today…but like you said, agree to disagree.
Gilmour’s case is difficult to argue, as Pink Floyd isn’t the kind of band that made pop songs (i.e. the Who, the Stones, Zeppelin) that are going to appear in car commercials years later. However, serious guitar players, who listen to old rock can all claim influence to Gilmour (which would actually be true for Allman too). Santana is a very easy case to make, simply considering the fact that he’s the only one of the great guitarists from the 60’s and 70’s who is still a hit making force today.
The people at Rolling Stone Magazine are a bunch of Frickin’ Aholes….How in the hell did JOE SATRIANI not make this list??? Not only should he be on this crappy list, but he should be in the #2 slot right behind Jimi Hedrix, being that Satriani was 99% influenced by Hendrix. I highly recommend that everyone go see Satriani live at least once in their lives, he is that amazing. If you don’t believe me, just go rent or buy his “Live In San Francisco” DVD, and revel in his greatness. He plays with such incredible speed and technique, it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. If you still don’t think Satriani is one of the greatest guitarists of all time, just think about this. Most guitar players are in traditional bands where there is a lead singer who carries most of the song with his voice. Satriani barely has any songs that he sings in, 95% of his music is purely instrumental which means that he alone is carrying the whole song on his guitar through it’s entirety. I would like to see any of the other musicians listed try this and succeed. Oh yeah one more little item, not only is Joe Satriani an incredible guitar player, be his is also an incredible Bassist, Keyboardist and Drummer. So, kiss my ass Rolling Stone!!!!
I’m sorry….I just have one more thing to add regarding JOE SATRIANI. Not only is he one of the GREATEST guitar players of all time, but he also tours and makes albums with one of the greatest bass players, Stuart “Stu” Hamm, and an equally great drummer, Jeff Campitelli. These three guys make an awesome trio, and crank out some of the “koolest” sounds your ears will ever hear. So, KISS MY ASS again you Rolling Stoners!!!!!
I know enough about Satriani to know that he’s damned good…but shit, Hendrix doesn’t even deserve the number one spot, and Satriani isn’t number two. When it comes down to it, nobody has more influence than Robert Johnson, or Andres Segovia. You’re not going to beat them…no matter how popular and highly touted Hendrix has become. Anyway, I’d say that Satriani’s exploits as a teacher are just as big as his actually playing the damned instrument. I mean, the man taught Vai and Hammet…that’s insane. Indirectly, you could say that Satriani has been one of the most important people to metal…as metal is a genre defined by Metallica, a band that is defined by Hammet’s playing. STILL, though…while Satriani can match any of them pound for pound in skill…he will lag behind in influence when compared to the likes of Clapton, Hendrix, Page, Gilmour, Angus Young, Steve Howe, SRV, etc.
But Satriani does belong in the top ten, no doubt in my mind.
“The people at Rolling Stone Magazine are a bunch of Frickin’ Aholes….How in the hell did JOE SATRIANI not make this list??? Not only should he be on this crappy list, but he should be in the #2 slot right behind Jimi Hedrix, being that Satriani was 99% influenced by Hendrix.”
____________________________________________________________________________
Wo, don’t forget the Beck’s influence on Satriani…….
Hear for example Jeff’s “There & Back” album……..
50% Hendrix – 50% Beck
No dubt about it!
“Even if he is the father of modern slide…there are no slide guitarists in rock today…”
___________________________________________________________________________
All “Blues – Based” guitarists used to play slide in some tracks…
Also Allman played “slide” in SOME tunes…….For the most part he was a lead guitarist……….
Anyway…..thanks for the information about Gilmour & Santana’s influence…
See you…….
I wish when some of you comment on guitarists you pay attention to what songs they played on..It has been said here more than a few times that Duane Allman plays good on “Jessica” and “Ramblin Man”, when he was deceased when both songs were recoreded….The Allman’s did not have 10 or so members when Duane played, they had 6, 2 drummers, bass, keyboards, and Duane and Dickey on guitar. They were also not a “Southern Rock” band when Duane was with them, they were almost all blues. They became Southern when Duane died and Dickey Betts began writing the songs..I am a Duane fan and I realize that his carrer was not that long, but to characterize him solely as a slide guitarist is way off the mark, try listening to him on “Loan me a Dime” by Boz Skaggs, and then tell me if he wasnt a great blues guitarist.
Yeah JimmyB, I agree with you!
Many people here speakin’ about Duane said: “I like him when he played Jessica and Ramblin’ Man”, when the Allmans recorded the album “Brothers and Sisters” Duane was dead! The slide parts in this album are by LES DUDEK (one of the players influenced by Duane).
I know that Duane was a great blues guitarist but, speakin’ of innovations, the most important thing Duane do in his all too brief career was took the Slide Guitar to another level.
I agree also with the fact that the Allmans aren’t a “Southern Rock” act, but of course they introduced this style, like “Cream” do with hard-rock.
The influence of the ABB is visible in many styles……….
once again I find myself really appreciating the comments on this site! It’s good to see the knowledge of the slide and Duane Allman! Moreover, the Allman brothers could be classified as a “fusion” band, for they hit upon many styles, and played everything well! REAL TALENT!
I do find it quite entertaining when people cite Ramblin’ Man as one of Duane Allman’s greatest pieces of work, when Betts does lead on that song.
And Steve…the whole Allman argument has been enjoyable, I see your point, even if you don’t agree with you…and it’s cool because you have the same first name as me (assuming you really are Steve).
Hey Sharp! It’s fantastic to speak with friends like you and other peoples on this site! Anyway yes, I’m really Stevie
Isn’t it nice to have a friendly debate on this without someone writing HAMMITT IS THE BEST EVER!!! RHOADS!!! SLAYER KIKS ASS!! EVERYONE ELSE SUCKS!! These people have probably never even listened to half of the guitarists we talk about on here….
Agreed. Heavy metal fans usually can’t see anything good outside of what they like (like my idiot friend…if he doesn’t like it, it sucks).
Well, this place has sure gone dead…isn’t there anyone who wants to say something stupid to stir up some turmoil?
guitar isnt that cool anyways i mean cmon guys please…. but really stevie ray is good and so is eric clapy but really who cares??? they get enough credit in my mind even the most underrated guitar player gets alot of credit for what they do I think its cooler to see someone play bass and make it sound really good then guitar but thats just me i think bass is harder to impress people with meh.. you guys are kind of foolish all together… bye
oh i think i covered that
That was a pathetic attempt…try it with sincerity.
how about you suck.
That’s failed to strike a nerve as well. Anyway…I guess I’ll have to make due with what you’ve provided. Giving props to only Clapton and SRV is pretty sad…there are a lot of amazing players out there. People look at them with envy because they music, that’s why it’s a big deal, they love the music. And if you don’t believe me, go read any of J’s extended lectures on the beauty of guitar.
(inresponse to comment 274) All i would like to say is that you aren’t the only one who saw a band of gypsys live at the filmore that new year’s eve in 69. In response to your saying Jimi’s music isn’t difficult to play, i’d have to say you’re partially right. It isn’t, in terms of technique and speed, the hardest music to play. However, if you intend to truly capture the song, you must put your love, your hate, your pain, and your soul into it. You could pick up a guitar and be the most skilled player in the world, but if you don’t put yourself into your playing, you might as well be play a kazoo. Now, you may say Hendrix’s songs are not hard to play, however, you cannot deny the fact that he is most definatly more skilled than Clapton. Clapton has even said this himself on several occasions. The first time Jimi played with Eric, Jimi played ten bars and then Clapton walked off stage. There he sat ina slump and when Chas Chandler asked him what was wrong clapton said, “Is he that fucking good?”
Hendrix also easily picked up difficult numbers such as Killing Floor by Howlin wolf which clapton said “He did “Killing Floor” a Howlin Wolf Number I’ve always wanted to play, but which I never really had the technique to do.” My point is Jimi was one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of the 20th century, in stage prescense and technique.
there are plenty of unknowns better than any of these guys
Just because I want this thread to become “Longest Ass Thread Ever” (ooo, another list)…
You can name a lot of guys based on technique. But to me, the Vai’s, the Yngwie’s…they don’t get me viscerally. It doesn’t touch my soul. It’s just notes. There’s nothing behind those notes. I feel the same way about Jimmy Page as well…to use the overused term of the decade, he didn’t have much in terms of “soul”…whether they had much of it in their playing, or they touched others. And I have to agree with whomever talked about “liking the same music in junior high”…that’s when I thought Zep was pretty cool. Nowadays, to me, they’re merely a rather overrated band, although I like Bonham and Jones.
And another thing: Clapton ain’t that versatile. Even when he was excellent from the ‘66-’68 Cream era, Jimi had just arrived in England and simply was better. I’ll grant the influence that Eric had as a kid with Mayall, but in terms of Mayall, I think Peter Green was better than Eric.
In terms of those guys who can touch your soul: Hendrix is one. B.B is another. Peter Green can. Kurt Cobain (despite his lack of “conventional” guitar talent) could. Eddie Hazel, who was the lead guitarist for a few years in P-Funk, was really good-witness “Maggot Brain.” I guess what I’m trying to saying, somewhat meanderingly, is that I generally like the players who can get you in the gut-not just in an aural sense.
While I don’t like what you said about Zep, it’s true. You see kids running around with the shirts, playing their stuff…when all they know is Stairway To Heaven. I mean…seriously, Zeppelin does fall in Nirvana in the way that, today’s teenage rock guitar wannabes have done much in disgracing their music. http://www.mxtabs.net is probably the best example of wannabe kid guitarists ruining classic songs. Their five star rated tab of Stairway to Heaven…is wrong. Little wannabe kids have ruined classic rock. Same with Nirvana…shit like this ate at Kurt Cobain’s mind. He made music for the desperate outcasts of the world, and you’d see popular kids and jocks, who the music doesn’t even apply to, listening to it, and going to the concerts. It’s a disgrace, pop culture is, really.
And about Clapton not being versatile. It really depends on how you define it. Clapton’s rock songs really don’t “touch the soul,” as Hendrix did. But then again…I’d say the emotion felt in Tears In Heaven, is greater than every Hendrix song combined. Clapton is versatile in his ability to play different genres of music, which a lot of guitarists (Van Halen, Rhoades, Hendrix, etc.) can’t.
For guitarists who can touch the soul…I’d also put down Randy Rhoades, Robin Trower, Stevie Ray Vaughan and David Gilmour.
i read on a site that the rolling stones top 100 guitarists list was based on style and influence, there cannot be a number one guitarist, there will always be a dispute over it and is intirely based on opinion.
i read on a site that the rolling stones top 100 guitarists list was based on style and influence, there cannot be a number one guitarist,
there will always be a dispute over it and is intirely based on opinion.
Yeah, we know that…but it’s much more fun our way.
haha sorry to ruin you fun dudes
Haha
By the way, anyone else think that mxtabs is a disgrace?
1.Frank Zappa
2.Eric Clapton (Cream)
3.Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple)
4.Ron Bushy (Iron Butterfly) ( IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA!!!)
5.Jimi Hendrix
6.Jimi Page (Led Zeppelin)
7.Alvin Lee (Ten Years After)
8.Mick Box (Uriah Heep)
9.Robert Fripp (King Crimson)
10.Muddy Waters
11.Vinnie Martell (Vanilla Fudge)
12.BB King
13.Robert Johnson
14.Steve Vai (Frank Zappa’s band)
15.David Gilmour (Pink Floyd)
16.Alosza Awdiejew (you don’t know him, Russian)
17.Robbie Krieger (the Doors)
18.Guitarist from Slade (I forgot his last name)
19.Jeff Lynn (Electric Light Orchestra)
20.Carlos Santana
My Guitar wants to kill your mama.
Zappa rules.
Official was done by some stupids. Zappa 45??? Clapton 3???? Blackmore 55??!!?!?!? Where’s Ron Bushy?? Where Box? I think the greatest – no the most popular. (I know, A.Awdiejew is no popular in USA, but Alvin Lee is acknowledged as the fastest left-handed guitarist on the world!
(sorry for possible language mistakes, I’m still learning.)
Uuuups, about 300 postings and nobody misses Rory Gallagher. What a shame, this guy was so brillant to be at least under the top 20.
I think that you guys are forgetting about Randy Rhoads. Hes amainzing, not an Eddy Van Halen but hes definlaty at least to 15. To me he is number one.
Nobody’s forgotten about Randy Rhoades. And honestly, I’d say Rhoades is better than Van Halen, just less original.
And 14 Year Old From Poland, Zappa is great and all, but a tad high. IRON BUTTERFLY? IRON FREAKING BUTTERFLY? Just because they’re unheralded doesn’t mean that they rank high.
who is zappa?
Oh dear, I forgot to mention Peter Frampton because of thinking a lot about Rory Gallagher :-D. These two were the main reason for me picking up my first guitar!
Frampton…ugh. Well…at least he could make the thing talk, right?
@sharp
Yea right :-D, Mr. Talkbox himself! But I wish that Frampton would be more famous for his virtuose guitar play. This list is truly bullshit :-(! Cobain on 12 on the other hand Rory Gallagher, Frampton, Roth, Prince not ranked…..
I’ll through out another underated guitarist, Lindsey Buckingham..say what you will but that guy can play
Frampton is nice and all, but even then…he’s borderline top 100. There are a lot of better players than him who aren’t ranked, really. Martin Barre, Slash, Tom Scholz, Alex Lifeson, etc.
1) Jimi Hendrix- like it or not!!
2) Jimmy Page- Face it im right!
3) Eric CLapton- Disagree ur wrong
those are just the top 3 like it or not they are, and a comment on Angus Young dont get me wrong he is an amazing guitarist and i love him he is great but he is known by so many people because of his uniform and his sho he puts on not his guitar show his runnin around rollin on the ground shit…….. he is a good guitarist but not top 3 or 10
For the last time Bowie…you said you were just starting out playing, how would you know? How about you learn a few of the major chords first before trying to lecture us on guitar.
first of all…on a scale from 1 to kurt cobain sucks my left nut…kurt cobain sucks my left nut…neil youn in the 70’s…why don’t we listen to “like a hurricane” or “cortez the killer” heres my list
1. Jimi Hendrix
2. Eric Clapton
3. Duane Allman
4. Jimmy Paige
5. B.B. King
6. Stevie Ray Vaughn
7. Neil Young
8. Chuck Berry
9. Jerry Garcia(missing a finger give him a break)
10. David Guilmour
11. George Harrison
o screw this
and kurk cobain
no Ron Bushy, but Eric Brann (not BRAUN!). sory for mistake
On the brighter side of things, I’m listening to Robert Johnson right now.
Clapton #1? Hell no, jimi henidrix is by far the greatest guitar player ever, but besides that, i think Trey Anastasio should be higher on the list than #73. Don’t pay attention to any of Phish’s studio songs, pick out a live Phish CD, any one you want, and any of tem will blow you away. Trey’s creativity is un matchable by any guitarist today, even Carlos Santana agrees. I also think Jerry Garcia should maybe be in the top ten, but #13 is close enough. Also, be ware of the newest member to join the list in a couple years, Jake Cinnenger of Umphrey’s Mcgee, im telling you he is one the best shredders of out time. Check him out at http://www.umphreys.com
HAHAHAHA, give some justification please, for a change. I know Anastasio is an excellent guitarist, I’ve heard him play. But…he was ranked accurately, it’s just that a lot of people weren’t. And Clapton isn’t number one, Segovia is…then Robert Johnson, THEN Clapton. Hendrix posses nowhere near the skill and influence of Segovia, or the influence of Johnson, or the versatility of Clapton and Jimmy Page. Hendrix is a great guitarist, but you can’t see back farther than 1969 if you think he’s the best ever.
wooo, im back, after a rest, anyway, **WILL PEOPLE PLEASE READ EARLIER POSTS** We have established andres segovia as number one, ok? Plus no-one has yet come up with satisfactory evidence to prove me wrong.
Most of you come out with ths sort of things DAMIR says…his posts are ammusing, mainly for the fact that no-one really pays attentiont to them! Anyway, keep debating…
I personally am disgusted by this list. To say that some one like Kurt Cobain or Jack White is a better guitarist than all time greats like Carlos Santana, Eddie Van Halen, Slash(who rolling stone didnt even but on the list) is an outrage. The top 5 should at least be:
1.Jimmy Page(without a doubt)
2.Eric Clapton
3.Jimi Hendrix
4.Stevie Ray Vaughn
5.Eddie Van Halen
(in response to post #298) “Stratcat”, I don’t think that we disagree. I see everything you are saying in your post. I agree, without a doubt Hendrix is arguably one if not the MOST influential guitarists of the 20th century. HANDS DOWN. I only say arguably, because the Robert Johnson’s and Eddie Van Halen’s must be given their proper respect for their innovations,as well. I am a major Jimi fan. What seems to impress me the most was his “depth.” For example, most folks would think that “purple haze” is all about Jimi tripping on LSD, but it ain’t! It’s actually about a dream he had. A much more indepth explanation can be found in R. Gary Patterson’s book, “Take a walk on the Dark Side”, Rock and Roll myths, legends and curses. in the chapter entitled, if 6 was 9. Jimi was way out there, and I don’t mean “drugged out.” The book also discuss the fact that Hendrix did NOT die of a quote “drug” overdose, but of asphyxiation caused by inhaling his own vomit as he slept. He had taken 9 sleeping pills along with some wine to help him sleep, then as we know, he wasn’t adminstered proper medical care on the way to the hospital, which was a much longer distance, than necessary, as another medical facility was only a few blocks away. Much of his music came from his dreams in combination with his belief in UFO’s, numerology and esoteric studies. Hendrix was “in touch” with the “music.” a Philosophy quite similar to the one espoused by guitarist John Mizzaroli, http://www.guitarzan.co.uk Music is definitely something that one should put ALL THEIR EXPERIENCES INTO, I believe the results will be unique and impressive.
Also to the young 14 year-old from Poland. An impressive list! You are exposing yourself to a fairly good variety of players, and that will do nothing but help your own playing. As I have written in previous posts, Zappa is one of the finest players ever to pick up the guitar, and I believe in years to come, he will not only be recognized for his phenomenal axemanship, but as one of the premiere composers and arrangers of our time! Keep on listening to as MANY PLAYERS in as many GENRES as possible! Hopefully, folks will be having this discussion and including your name!
Zappa is one of the most underrated players of all time, realistically. I’d like to hear more of his stuff.
In response to Slack, comment number 324…very good list, I’m happy that you can see beyond Hendrix at number one. I think that’s an excellent and reasonable list, but for rock guitar. Segovia and Johnson have to be up there for the general list.
I agree with J on his comment about the 14 year old from poland. I doubt most around that age in the U.S. would even know who Zappa was. I have actually seen other forums such as this with teens who have listed the guy from system of a down (don’t know his name).
How the hell are you supposed to take this list seriously if it puts Cobain at 12, and then leaves Slash out completely ??
If they’re listing guys like Tom Morello really high, their opinions really don’t count because…
A. They most likely don’t play.
B. If they do they suck.
C. If you asked them who Duane Allman was, they’d say “Huh?”
i havent seen rhandy rhoads on anyones list you guys are morons
and i dont think crazy train is his best song it either beliver or diary of a madman!!!!!!!!!!
have any of you every tried to play slide? its a lot harder than duane allman makes it sound. and how about derek trucks? He’s one of the current guitarists for the allman brothers. Not many people could have replaced duane allman but he’s come pretty close if you ask me. go buy “the allman brothers band live at the Beacon theatre” if you disagree.
Slide is very difficult, I’ll second Sky Dog’s opinion, as I know from experience.
And Trevor, Randy Rhoads makes my list, which goes as follows:
1. Andres Segovia
2. Robert Johnson
3. Eric Clapton
4. Jimmy Page
5. Jimi Hendrix
6. BB King
7. Eddie Van Halen
8. Duane Allman
9. Stevie Ray Vaughan
10. Jeff Beck
11. Chuck Berry
12. Frank Zappa
13. Steve Howe
14. Joe Satriani
15. Carlos Santana
16. Ritchie Blackmore
17. Randy Rhoads
18. David Gilmour
19. Angus Young
20. Mark Knopfler
21. Ry Cooder
22. Prince
true, Cobain is WAAAYYY overrated, and shouldve been further along on the list, and true, the list also had many other flaws, but theres one person you all left out. Kim Thayil, Soundgarden. fairly good riffs, better than most, but his solos are the most amazing, original sounding solos ive ever heard. most rock guitar solos sound exactly the same, just dancing around the fretboard in the same pattern as everyone else, but Thayil adds a whole new, crazy dimension to his solos. an example, listen to the solo about 2 and a half minutes into Rhinosaur on the Down on the Upside album. youll see what i mean.
oh… and i almost forgot to mention… #100?!?!?!?!? LAST PLACE?!?!?! BEHIND COBAIN?!?!?! AACK!!! ROLLING STONE CAN JUST GO AND @#)(%*)@#$(%&) and by the way, i listened to Rhinosaur again and the solo is 2 minutes in, not 2 and a half. truly amazing solo… LAST PLACE?!!?!?!??!??!??!?!?
and i also wouldnt mind seeing Trey Anastasio from Phish moved up a few spots. maybe move him up to… say….#4 or so. maybe even 2. really amazing guitarist. i saw a big special on PBS about Phish, and they zoomed in on Trey’s fingers during his solos sometimes. pretty incredible. oh yeah, and by the way, about Kim Thayil, ……….LAST PLACE!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!??!
Hey man, its not the worst list ever. Most of those people shouldnt be there, they were great. And Chuck berry was very original and was popular in his day and thats why he’s considered great, not to mention very influenterary in rock and roll. That is a bad list, any list with Hendrix number 1 is a bad list. People seem to care more for what a guy can do to his guitar, rather than what he can make come out of it. Besides, who can take a the rolling stones magazine seriously when they are writing about justin timberlake (recent cover).
Django Reinhardt( in my non biast opinion) was the best guitarist ever. The man who invented intense Jazz, with 2 fingers he applied arpeggios better than Yngie (not faster mind you..) Without that man, the world of music would be more diffrent that you could imagine. Genius. Oh and for the record my favorite guitarist Is Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) haha.
The most Accurate top 100 guitarist list is guitar worlds battle of the axes…(which unfortunatly has hendrix as #1 once again, but its still extremly accurate). My only debate is Brian May is amazing and should be top 50.
A lot of Phish fans appear to be showing up lately. Trey Anastacio is actually ranked pretty accurately, it’s just that a lot of people aren’t. Phish is a great band and all, but there are a lot of players that are better, or more influential than him.
‘Tim’, I know what you mean when you mention “brian may.” He’s a great player. Not just his “known” stuff, but his lesser known work on things like “it’s late” or “dragon attack.”
For me, it is just too difficult to create a list (numerically) of guitar players. I give all the credit in the world, to those of you have have tried and succeeded! I just can’t. The list would never stop! I would have to try to divide it up in some form of relevant order. such as, amazing virtuosos, which would include hendrix, pass, segovia, clapton,vai and many, many others. virtuosos II which would include a few others that I missed in virtuosos one etc…, Everytime I sit down to formulate a list, another amazing player that I had forgotten about pops into my head!
Also to “trevor” who mentioned randi rhodes. First, Ozzy has NEVER played with a poor guitar player! From Iommi, Rhodes, Wlyde et al, he just doesn’t have someone who isn’t enormously skilled and can just flat out PLAY. I think if you review all the posts on this site, quite a few players have been mentioned thanks to the diverse level of opinions on the site. Rhoads has been mentioned several times. (although I realize that sorting through 300 plus posts is probably the last thing on one’s mind).
On that list that I made already, so many stuff has shifted around in my mind, it would be different if I wrote it now.
And another thing…some guitarists who haven’t been given the love they deserve here…
Guy from Styx
Tom Scholtz from Boston
Prince
Anyone noticed besides me that the people who come on and say “This is the real list, and if you try and argue with me, you’re an idiot, and you suck,” are all metalheads? Ignorant donkeys (and no offense to you intelligent metalheads).
this is something for everyone in this room: no matter how much we argue about who’s the fastest, most skilled, or influential guitarist of all time, we’re never going to agree because there is no right answer. Everyone has their own opinion as to who’s the greatest, and often they measure it against their own skill as a guitarist.
I also don’t think it’s possible to have one “ultimate” guitarist. With so many various styles, there are masters for all, but no one can be the best at all of them. Don’t get me wrong, there are some great guitar players that have broken musical boundaries, but there is not a single one who is the best in every field. As far as adaptability to different styles goes and being awsome in many areas, i would say the best guitarist is Johnny Winter. I recently bought his cd Second Winter and it blew me away. He has technique, feeling, and versitility.
Also part of guitar is not just how fast you can play and your technique, it’s also knowing the guitar and knowing when not to play. B.B. King for example is not the most skilled guitarist but he knows when not to play. You could be all over the fret board and it could still sound like crap because you’re playing too much. If you really have a feel for guitar you know when speed is appropriate and when it’s not.
My point here is there is not an “ultimate” guitarist(although some may come close)
Oh, is it just me, or are there no new good guitar players?
“stratcat” gotta give you a “high five” on Johnny Winter, he’s incredible! I was listening to “second winter” a few days ago, oh man!!!!! He does not get the recognition he truly deserves. He is one of the finest guitar players ever!
As far as good new players, there are a few, but most are trying to be “somebody else.” Dave Fiuczynski is very good. Then of course there are about a million “shredders.” http://www.digitaldreamdoor.com tries to provide a number of lists, and many of the posts mention some new players, but I am not very familiar with some of them. Also, I don’t know if you ever heard Johnny Winter do “still alive and well” and Rock me Baby, but once again, he leaves you just sitting there looking at your guitar “kinda” bewildered by his mastery, and the stuff we’re talking about was back in the 70’s!
Oh yes, another good guitar player is Eric Sardinas. He has a heavy Hendrix, Winter influence. The album “black Pearls” has several really catchy tunes. Just another note on Johnny Winter and Jimi Hendrix. A lot of the stuff that we hear is from over 30 years ago, without all the electronics et al, and it is AMAZING. Same can be said for the Clapton stuff with Cream and Derek and the Dominos.
“Tim” Django was an amazing guitar player. His spirit still lives on. most recently I went to a festival in his honor. the line up:
Spirit of Django Reinhardt 2004
With:
Stochelo Rosenberg, Lead Guitar; Dorado Schmitt, Lead Guitar; Ludovic Beier, Accordion; Brian Torff, Bass; Roby Lakatos, Violin; Samson Schmitt, Rhythm Guitar; and Gordon Lane, Brushes.
Special Guest: Joe Lovano, Tenor Saxophone
At Alice Tully Hall
Lincoln Center
http://www.lincolncenter.org
there is another at Birdland in NYC in November, and I understand they have them all over. If you haven’t been to one, do yourself a favor and go. The music is great and the musicians phenomenal.
listan to frank zappa every dam day, he is the greatest guitar player ever
my favorite zappa solos are “dirty love” and “montana” from overnite sensation. To those Zappa Fans, what are yours?
fools
listen to Frank Zappa’s Son Of Mr Green Jeans the solo is has fast has hendrix but has clear has page!
Here’s a relatively unknown fact for you…
During the recording session for Layla, Clapton and Allman were drunk off their asses. If anyone has ever wondered why the slide solo right before the piano part is so wacked out, that’s why. They were completely missing the frets.
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My favourite Frank Zappa solos are every one off Joes Garage and SON OF MR GREEN JENES !!! Its my birthdaytoday im 17!!!
In my opinion the greatest guitarists of all time are
1. Jerry Garcia proves himself in the studio accoustic and live.
2. Duane Allman responsible for all the graet guitar playing on layla.
3. Eric Clapton proved himself in many different ways and said D.Allman and Garcia were better.
My personal favourite are
1. Frank Zappa
2. Jorma kaukonen
3. Kurt Cobain who proved himself live unplugged and in the studio
“Sharp” I can’t remember the comedian’s name, but I believe he was from Scotland, and he has since passed away. Anyway, he was reminding many fans of the music of the late sixties and early seventies. Essentially, he told the crowd, “hey, all you major music fans of all that “good” music of the 60’s and 70’s, you guys loved that stuff right? When you go back and listen, you can feel how those guys grooved, right? Well, you should remember one thing, those magnificient artist were r-r-r-r-r-r-R-R-R-R-EALLY HIGH!!!!!!!!!
Some stuff is “wacked out”, but some stuff is inspired. Ray Charles said that some of the best stuff he ever did was while he was high on heroin. Now, I don’t condone drug use, to each their own, just wanted to add that to the discussion.
Also, Harry, yes, zappa was a “genius”, and I don’t say that lightly. I mean that sincerely. I don’t know of a better overall composer and arranger. Moreover, his lyrics????? The “slime” is SO RELEVANT I can’t even say! Creativity? Man, the guy is unmatched.
Oh yes, Sharp, please, if you can, check out Sardinas’ use of the slide. He’s a pretty talented player. I’d like to know what you think.
Hendrix was a good player but never proved himself has he never played accoustic and used to much technical help and any way you only need an average guitarist with a creative mind to make a good rock band e.g kurt cobain, pete townsend, and dave davis!
Harry, first off, Jimi did play acoustic, and WELL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please reference the acoustic version of Hear my train a comin’. Moreover, I don’t understand what you are saying when you say: “used to much technical help” I can’t respond to that, because I don’t understand what you mean. So, I really don’t know what you mean when you say Jimi never proved himself. How much Hendrix have you listened to? No disrespect, but what have you heard?? I’ve been listening to jimi since 1967-68. I have tried to hear everything he has done, even those outtakes. Any great player I have ever met, I asked them about other players, and jimi was always one of them. The comments are pretty much the same, simply an amazing talent.
the track list to Jimi Hendrix: Blues, released in 1994
Tracks:
1. Hear My Train A Comin’ (acoustic) 3:06
2. Born Under A Bad Sign 7:37
3. Red House 3:43
4. Catfish Blues 7:47
5. Voodoo Chile Blues 8:47
6. Mannish Boy 5:21
7. Once I Had A Woman 7:49
8. Bleeding Heart 3:26
9. Jelly 292 6:24
10. Electric Church Red House 6:13
11. Hear My Train A Comin’ (electric) 12:09
Dear Harry, you don’t know, you really don’t. I didn’t think Hendrix could do much as far as acoustic goes, and then I actually heard him. The man could play acoustic, and like J said, well. While he’s not the best rock/acoustic guy (I think thag guys like Page, Clapton, etc. are better with acoustic guitar). You gotta’ know before you make bold statements like that. Hendrix on electric is definitely much better, though.
And I’m not familiar with the slide guitarist you mentioned, J, I’ll have to check him out.
Sardinas has a web site:
Eric Sardinas Texas and Delta blues slide guitarist based in the Los Angeles, California area.
http://www.ericsardinas.com/
you can hear a few snippets. I am not fond of small sections, for you never really get to hear what an artist can do, but you can hear a few things. The Black Pearls cd is listed along with two others, and you can hear a little of the cuts I mentioned, “flames of love” and Liar’s dice blues, along with several other cuts. Quick snippets, but something, nevertheless.
Harry, Happy belated birthday. Second, you do have very good taste in guitar players, although I have never really been a jerry garcia fan. I had a roommate in college that loved the Dead, so I sort of “acquired” a taste for them. Joe’s Garage is a great LP/CD. Have you ever listened to overnite sensation? it was one of my first introductions to zappa, although I had heard bits and pieces prior to it. I used to have the 8 track tape. Yes, I said 8 track tape. It would cut off in the middle of the Dirty Love solo, click over and then proceed. Needless to say, I learned that first half of the solo complete with excellent wah playing, quite well, but it wasn’t until I purchased the LP and heard the entire thing nonstop I was a better player.
anyway, keep on playing and exposing yourself to as many players as possible.
Just wanted to post some Zappa Lyrics, since we have been discussing him. This maybe my all-time favorite. it’s the “slime.” considering the “garbage” that passes for entertainment these days on the TV, I think this song is still very relevant.
THE SLIME
I am gross and perverted
I’m obsessed ‘n deranged
I have existed for years
But very little had changed
I am the tool of the Government
And industry too
For I am destined to rule
And regulate you
I may be vile and pernicious
But you can’t look away
I make you think I’m delicious
With the stuff that I say
I am the best you can get
Have you guessed me yet?
I am the slime oozin’ out
From your TV set
You will obey me while I lead you
And eat the garbage that I feed you
Until the day that we don’t need you
Don’t go for help…no one will heed you
Your mind is totally controlled
It has been stuffed into my mold
And you will do as you are told
Until the rights to you are sold
That’s right, folks.. Don’t touch that dial
Well, I am the slime from your video
Oozin’ along on your livingroom floor
I am the slime from your video
Can’t stop the slime, people, lookit me go
Sharp you said your self hendrix was overated and any way you put van halen at number 7 ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha i think it is you that knows nothing, Clapton would be ashamed to be on the same list has him yet alone that close has would the others on your list and id like to see you achieve has much has jack white or kurt cobain even though i do agree that they should not be ranked that high.
Dear J what i mean by hendrix used to much technical help is that in my opinion he over used such gadets has fuzzboxes, octavia foot pedals etc were has guitarists such has Garcia and Allman kept thier use to a minimum or did not use. What i mean by hendrix did not prove himself is that had he lived he could have developed and just before his death was considering forming a big band. In my opinion has an influential guitarist Hendrix is certainly right up there at the top if not the greatest influential guitarist of all time.
sharp how old r u man like im 13 and i no a hell of alot more bout music thatn u……….test me
How about you post your list then? I don’t know about everyone else but I hate the use of r and u when posting take the extra half second and type the whole word. If your going to call him out you’ve got to give us some reasons.
okay Harry, I see what you mean. However, I think Jimi used “effects” because of his experimentation with sonic power/sound. That’s part of jimi. As far as, living up to his potential, I am inclined to agree with you, jimi went WAY before that time! He didn’t get his chance to play with miles davis, and after hearing band of gypsys, that is all miles wanted his guitarist to do, “sound like jimi!” He didn’t get to experiment with music that “heals” which was very important to him, thus the use of many “effects.” From your “favorites” list, I think I understand where you are coming from. You like the Dead, Airplane/starship, Hot tuna, Nirvana et al. Jimi wasn’t only effects, though. Some of the more recently released stuff, outtakes etc, show his versatility. He played with stephen stills, another fantastic player who gets very little recognition, and Johnny Winter, one of my favorite living players. I also agree that Jimi was a major influence. I am a Jimi fan, because it was his music that made me play the guitar. The first tune I remember enjoying was an old cut by a blues player named Slim Harpo called, “scratch my back.” after that, I really didn’t hear much that moved me, other than some old “sam and dave” stuff, but one day I heard Purple Haze on the radio. I turned to my sister who was a lyrically trained classical soprano and said, “what, they make music like this?” she said, “yeah, that’s jimi hendrix, I have his album.” needless to say, I raided her stash, and stole the jimi album. I have the original to this day. several as a matter of fact. I knew then that in order to “express” myself, I had to play the guitar. I really appreciate Hendrix, he is GREAT, but with all his greatness, I still idolize Lee Ritenour, Johnny Winter, Earl Klugh, larry coryell and Zappa. I say that to say this, Jimi influenced me to play the guitar, as I progressed, I began to appreciate his style and skill even more. When I read up on him, I realized that the world had been blessed by his presence with the guitar. There was no one like him, and there will never be another, however, there are millions of imitators. I take the lesson that I find in his life, and apply the good things, and dismiss the negative. I listen to as many guitar players as possible. My first teacher taught me this. I analyze their styles, learn from them, and by that, I gain a deeper respect, not only for them, but for music. To me, a really good player, can play ANYTHING, and play it well. not only that, one becomes what one is playing. So if I am playing speed metal, I am there, if I am playing rockabilly, I am there, IF I am playing classical, I am there, and so on. Very feel players have a REAL “feel.” You know them when you hear them. Jimi, SRV, Clapton, Klugh, Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Corado Rustici, Wes Montgomery, and many, many others. Hopefully, your favorites, along with others will help you to develop your “own” unique sound. Like Neil Young, whether you like him or not, you know him when you hear him.
I’ll be looking into this Sardinas fellow, J, thanks for the link.
And Harry…you think you’re so smart, eh? I’m sixteen, by the way.
Jethro Tull? You know them? What future heavy metal guitar legend was a member of Jethro Tull for a total of two weeks?
And by the way, Harry. Van Halen, even if his band has been put off as nothing but overglorified glam metal at times, the man is one of the biggest innovative guitarists in rock history. He is the biggest thing to happen to the electric since Hendrix, I mean that when I say it.
And more trivia for you, since you seem so confident that you know everything, even though your rather senseless opinions would suggest otherwise…
George Harrison plays guitar on which Cream song?
What disease does Jason Becker suffer from?
Ron Wood has been a member of what two major rock bands over his career?
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young was a collection of some of the great American rock bands…what band did Neil Young play in before joining CSNY?
Who plays the guitar solo on Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ In The Years?”
After leaving Cream, bassist Jack Bruce teamed up with what guitarist who was formerly part of the great Motown rock band?
Jimmy Page, as a session guitarist in the mid sixties, plays the lead on which classic song by the Who?
Why did Randy Rhoads refuse to play maple neck guitars?
What happened to Pink Floyd’s original guitarist/lead singer?
I’m impressed with that Sardinas fellow, I’d like to see more of him. When he was playing the slide with the beer bottle…geez. I could only hope to be that good one day.
well i dont play guitar, but im bored so ill just say my top ten
1: eddie van halen
2: jimmy page
3: randy rhodes
4: jimi hendrix
5: kirk hammett
6: slash
7: steve vai
8: yngwie malmsteen
9: angus young
10: carlos santana
well Sharp, I have no doubt that you too will be able to do a video commercial like Sardinas. Just keep playing. SLide is not an easy thing to master, but it comes. I am glad you found him interesting. He’s not that well-known, but quite talented. I am always on the “lookout” for good players that are not known to the mainstream. AND while I won’t answer any of your questions to Harry, the soloist on “reeling in the years” had a really “crappy” solo release back then. I remember reading about him in guitar player magazine, purchased his LP and put it in the back of my collection, and it’s still there. I say “crappy” because he did NOTHING like that solo. maybe he has done some other stuff since then, but I never paid him much attention since then.
Sharp i did not ask for your age an idiot who goes by the name of sharp your an idiot did so look again at entery 363! To the guy who wrote entery 363 grow up unless you want to contribute something useful!
1. Tony Iommi [Yes i've heared of Jethro Tull].
2. Badge. [Eric Clapton had written one last, unnamed song for Cream as the group was breaking up, and he asked George to play guitar on it. In the studio, George said the song needed a bridge and so he penciled in some additional lyrics on a copy of the song lying around. By the time he finished, Clapton had gone off somewhere. George stuck the lyric sheet where Clapton would find it, and scrawled "Bridge" at the top. Clapton found it later on, and not only dug the bridge but thought George had found a title for this otherwise nonsensical song. He couldn't quite read George's handwriting, though. And this is why Cream's final single was titled Badge.)
3. ALS.
4. TheRolling Stones and the Faces.
5. Crazy Horse
6. Elliot Randalls
7. Leslie West [the band was called Mountain]
8. He Played rhythm on A-Side “I Can’t Explain” and lead on the B-Side “Bald Headed Woman” because he would’nt let Townshend borrow his fuzzbox.
9. I dunno maybe he liked maple trees lol.
10. He took to much LSD and so left the band in april 1969.
Sharp would you like some questions from me ?
Wow, you guys know some trivia!! I was sitting here with Captain X reading and watching you fellas go at it. Impressive. We did a search and found a fairly good list of questions. So to try and diffuse the Harry Vs. Sharp rivalry, we submit the following for both of them. Once you guys answer the questions, (which we have no doubt you will) answer this one question.
What have you listened to by the artists, and what do you think of their styles?
Here goes:
Great Guitarists: Part II
Crafted by Trivia Architect wmshipman
Category: Guitarists
<< Return to Homepage
Introduction:
“This quiz covers great guitarists from a number of styles. Soul, blues, classical, you name it. If you think you know great guitar players, try this on for size. I dare you.”
——————————————————————————–
Question 1:
This cat was an amazing songwriter, but most folks tend to forget what a wonderful guitar player he was (even though he’s almost always pictured with his Fender Strat). Who is the soulful guitarist who had such hits as “Move On Up” and “Future Shock”?
Curtis Mayfield
Graham Green
Al Green
Gordon Parks, Jr.
——————————————————————————–
Question 2:
This Louisiana-born guitarist made his name in the City of Big Shoulders — Chicago. Playing with blues artists such as Junior Wells, what is the name of the guitarist who drinks TNT, smokes dynamite and recorded “Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues”?
Buddy Guy
Muddy Waters
Hubert Sumlin
Magic Sam
——————————————————————————–
Question 3:
Born at the end of the nineteenth century, what guitarist is sometimes called the “founder of the delta blues”? Here’s a hint: It is not Robert Johnson.
Charlie Patton
Robert Jr. Lockwood
Honey Boy Williams
Lighning Hopkins
——————————————————————————–
Question 4:
Alright, time to mix it up a little bit. What singer/guitarist was the front man, and creative mastermind, behind the UK outfit called The Jam?
Chris Parry
Bruce Foxton
Paul Weller
Rick Buckler
——————————————————————————–
Question 5:
Okay, time for an easy one. What guitarist/singer, who I feel to be the best living rock guitarist, wrote and recorded such hits as “Pop Life”, “Cream” and “Controversy”?
Eric Clapton
Prince
Keith Richards
Howard Alden
——————————————————————————–
Question 6:
What guitarist, who was a crucial component of Booker T. & The MGs, co-wrote such funky soulful hits as “Green Onions” and “In The Midnight Hour”?
Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy
Steve Cropper
John Williams
Neil Hubbard
——————————————————————————–
Question 7:
What guitar player, who has played with a variety of artists ranging from Tom Waits to Elvis Costello, formed Los Cubanos Postizos in the 1990s to record Cuban music by the likes of Arsenio Rodriguez?
Marc Ribot
Mick Mars
Tommy Tutone
Raymond Gomez
——————————————————————————–
Question 8:
Time for a change of pace. This guitarist, who was born in Paraguay, went on to compose a number of masterful pieces for classical guitar — including “La Catedral” and “Villancico de Navidad”. What is his name?
Andres Segovia
Agustin Barrios
John Williams
Eliades Ochoa
——————————————————————————–
Question 9:
Which well-known guitarist is fascinated by various international musical styles, recording with Mali-based guitar virtuoso Ali Farka Toure and playing guitar with the now famous Buena Vista Social Club?
Bonnie Raitt
Steve Vai
John McLaughlin
Ry Cooder
——————————————————————————–
Question 10:
This guitar virtuoso, who died in a jail cell in Reston, VA in 1988, was a guitarist who was famous primarily among other guitarists. He recorded an entire album with Charlie Daniels that was eventually scrapped (though great recordings from those sessions still exist), and wrote the beautiful guitar-song “The Messiah Will Come Again”. Who was he?
Allan Holdsworth
Danny Gatton
Roy Buchanan
Charlie Byrd
——————————————————————————–
report error/typo/spelling mistake (new window)
——————————————————————————–
Copyright, FunTrivia.com. All Rights Reserved.
Terms & Conditions
Great Guitarists: Part II
Crafted by Trivia Architect wmshipman
Category: Guitarists
<< Return to Homepage
Introduction:
“This quiz covers great guitarists from a number of styles. Soul, blues, classical, you name it. If you think you know great guitar players, try this on for size. I dare you.”
——————————————————————————–
Question 1:
This cat was an amazing songwriter, but most folks tend to forget what a wonderful guitar player he was (even though he’s almost always pictured with his Fender Strat). Who is the soulful guitarist who had such hits as “Move On Up” and “Future Shock”?
Curtis Mayfield
Graham Green
Al Green
Gordon Parks, Jr.
——————————————————————————–
Question 2:
This Louisiana-born guitarist made his name in the City of Big Shoulders — Chicago. Playing with blues artists such as Junior Wells, what is the name of the guitarist who drinks TNT, smokes dynamite and recorded “Damn Right, I’ve Got The Blues”?
Buddy Guy
Muddy Waters
Hubert Sumlin
Magic Sam
——————————————————————————–
Question 3:
Born at the end of the nineteenth century, what guitarist is sometimes called the “founder of the delta blues”? Here’s a hint: It is not Robert Johnson.
Charlie Patton
Robert Jr. Lockwood
Honey Boy Williams
Lighning Hopkins
——————————————————————————–
Question 4:
Alright, time to mix it up a little bit. What singer/guitarist was the front man, and creative mastermind, behind the UK outfit called The Jam?
Chris Parry
Bruce Foxton
Paul Weller
Rick Buckler
——————————————————————————–
Question 5:
Okay, time for an easy one. What guitarist/singer, who I feel to be the best living rock guitarist, wrote and recorded such hits as “Pop Life”, “Cream” and “Controversy”?
Eric Clapton
Prince
Keith Richards
Howard Alden
——————————————————————————–
Question 6:
What guitarist, who was a crucial component of Booker T. & The MGs, co-wrote such funky soulful hits as “Green Onions” and “In The Midnight Hour”?
Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy
Steve Cropper
John Williams
Neil Hubbard
——————————————————————————–
Question 7:
What guitar player, who has played with a variety of artists ranging from Tom Waits to Elvis Costello, formed Los Cubanos Postizos in the 1990s to record Cuban music by the likes of Arsenio Rodriguez?
Marc Ribot
Mick Mars
Tommy Tutone
Raymond Gomez
——————————————————————————–
Question 8:
Time for a change of pace. This guitarist, who was born in Paraguay, went on to compose a number of masterful pieces for classical guitar — including “La Catedral” and “Villancico de Navidad”. What is his name?
Andres Segovia
Agustin Barrios
John Williams
Eliades Ochoa
——————————————————————————–
Question 9:
Which well-known guitarist is fascinated by various international musical styles, recording with Mali-based guitar virtuoso Ali Farka Toure and playing guitar with the now famous Buena Vista Social Club?
Bonnie Raitt
Steve Vai
John McLaughlin
Ry Cooder
——————————————————————————–
Question 10:
This guitar virtuoso, who died in a jail cell in Reston, VA in 1988, was a guitarist who was famous primarily among other guitarists. He recorded an entire album with Charlie Daniels that was eventually scrapped (though great recordings from those sessions still exist), and wrote the beautiful guitar-song “The Messiah Will Come Again”. Who was he?
Allan Holdsworth
Danny Gatton
Roy Buchanan
Charlie Byrd
——————————————————————————–
report error/typo/spelling mistake (new window)
——————————————————————————–
Copyright, FunTrivia.com. All Rights Reserved.
Terms & Conditions
sorry, it didn’t come out, so here:
1. this cat was an amazing songwriter, but most folks tend to forget what a wonderful player her was. (even though he’s almost always pictured with his fender strat) who is the soulful guitarist who had such hits as “move on up” and “future shock”
graham green
al green
curtis mayfield
gordon parks jr
2.this lousiana born player made his name in the city of big shoulders-chicago. playing with blues artists such as junior wells, what is the name of the guitarist who drinks TNT, smokes dynamite and recorded, “damn right, I got the blues?”
Muddy waters
buddy guy
magic sam
hubert similin
3.born at the end of the 19th century, what guitarist is sometimes called the “founder of the delta blues?” Hint, Not robert johnson
Charlie Patton
Robert Lockwood Jr
Honey boy Williams
Lightin hopkins
4.alright, time to mix it up a bit. What singer/guitarist was the front man, and creative mastermind,k behind the UK outfit called the Jam?
Paul Weller
Bruce Foster
Chris Parry
Rick Buckler
5. Okay, time for an easy one. What guitarist/singer, who the author of this test feels is the greatest living rock guitarist, wrote and recorded such hits as, “pop life”, “cream” and ‘Controversy?”
Eric Clapton
Prince
Keith Richards
Steve Vai
6. What guitarist, who was a crucial component of Booker T and the MG’s, co wrote such funky soulful hits as “green onions” and “in the midnight Hour?”
Matt Guitar Murphy
Steve Cropper
John Williams
Neil Hubbard
7.What guiar player, who has played with a variety of artists ranging from Tom Waits to Elvis Costello, formed Los Cubanos Postizos in the 1990s to record Cuban music by the like of arsenio rodriguez?
Marc Ribot
Mick Mars
Tommy Tutone
Ray Gomez
8. Time for a change of pace. This guitarist, who was born in Paraguay, went on to compose a number of masterful pieces for classical guitar – including “La Catedral” and “Villancico de Navidad”. What is his name?
Andreas Segovia
Agustin Barrios
John Williams
Eliades Ochoa
9. Which well-known guitarist is fascinated by various international musical styles, recording with Mali-based guitar virtuoso Ali Farka Toure and playing guitar with the now famous Buena Vista Social Club?
Bonnie Raitt
Steve Vai
John McLaughlin
Ry Cooder
10. This guitar virtuoso, who did in a jail cell in Reston, VA in 1988, was a guitarist who was famous primarily among other guitarists. He recorded an entire album with Charlie Daniels that was eventually scrapped (though great recording form those session still exist)’ and wrote the beautiful guitar song “the messiah will come again” who was he?
Alan Holdsworth
Danny Gatton
Roy Buchanan
Charlie Byrd
so there are the questions crafted by Trivia Architect wmshipman. ( I am not taking credit for these questions, they aren’t mine. all credit to shipman)
However, for a bonus question:
The answer to question #10 also did a cover of what song that is mentioned in this list of questions. Hint, the cover was done in 1979. Double Bonus: What other guitar player who is also mentioned in these questions played with The answer to question #10, on the same album the the cover song comes from?
enjoy!
oh yes. I was wondering, didn’t neil young play with buffalo springfield?
note: the question # 10 reads: “who Died in a jail cell” (not who did in a jail cell) trust me, when you have about 30 people asking you questions, hospitals calling you etc.., it’s a little hard to type! (lol)
my top 10 are:
1: slappy mcgee
2: me
3: ediie van eeg
4: mrs burke
5: i think so
6: satan
7: B.B. Burger King
8: stash
9: charlie brown
10: :-)
11: croG
Yes J Neil Young did play with Buffalo Springfield for a while. Not sure exactly what songs he helped in the writing of but I am pretty sure For What its Worth wasn’t one of them.
Dear J the answers to your questions are as follows :
1. Curtis Mayfield
2. Buddy Guy
3. Charlie Patton [Screeming and Hollerin the Blues ! ]
4. Paul Weller
5. Prince
6. Steve Cropper
7. Marc Ribot
8. Agustin Barrios
9. Ry Cooder
10. Roy Buchanan
a. Green Onions [it was actually done in 1977 and can be found on Loading Zone]
b. Steve Cropper
Ah good harry! but the answer I was looking for on the double bonus was ray gomez, but cropper did play on the LP so Kudos to you! But what about the second part of the question. What have you heard by them and what do you think of their styles? And riddle me this and I will be impressed. Who is the NYC based guitar, now a visiting professor at Berklee (that should give it away)known for his use of middle eastern scales/modes. Moreover, his band was a member of the former Black Rock Coalition. Also name the band. And once again, once you answer the question, if you have heard him, what do you think of his style? This is a tough question and I know you will look hard to find the answer, but I am really more interested in your opinion on the playing, both in this question and the previous ones.
I could agree with hammers list at entery 38 , richard thompson blew me away when i first heared him play !
thanks shocker on neil young.
and Harry, I tried to trick you on loading zone and the year, but you caught that….GOOD! Therefore, I assume you have heard the LP. What’s your opinion of Judy, Done your daddy dirty, adventures of brer rabbit and tar baby and ramon’s blues?
Harry, you’ve definitely impressed me with your knowledge, and I apologize for insulting you earlier.
But seriously…Hendrix could play acoustic, and well. And even if Van Halen isn’t your personal favorite…simple off technical skill and influence, he belongs on that list.\
And didn’t one of the members of Buffalo Springfield die recently? Or so I heard.
Sharp, You have shown yourself to be a TRUE gentleman! You are going to go VERY FAR! As you know, we don’t agree on everything, but I think we can agree on this: you’re a “class” act. Keep on playing, studying,learning et al. I hope I have a discussion about you one day.
oh yeah. Harry, Sharp, the guy from poland and anyone else, if it interests you. (you folks mentioned your age, as I have in various posts.) when I was around that age, I met Grant Green, a jazz guitarist, and ranked amongst the greatest ever, and boy was he. He was playing at a small club in Pittsburgh, and my sister was singing vocals. she introduced me to him. Well, I really didn’t care, because he wasn’t Hendrix, Howe, Winter, Buck Dharma, Jimmy Page or someone from parliment/funkadelic, but I knew he was really famous, at least at one time (smile) So I asked him, “what can YOU tell me about being a “GOOD” guitar player?” He asked me who did I like. I said, “Hendrix,Howe,Trower, Clapton, Winter, Eddie Hazel, Lee Ritenour, Larry Coryell, Roy Buchanan, Earl Klugh, Frank Zappa, Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore.” I also said I like almost anyone I heard, but I liked certain “Types” of music. ( I am dating myself) He looked at me, smiled and said, “young fella, JUST KEEP PLAYING, NEVER STOP PLAYING, no matter how discouraged you become, JUST KEEP PLAYING!” He was right! Just keep playing! Make the time, JUST KEEP PLAYING. Believe me, one day you will wake up, and you will be GOOD!!!!! and your appreciation for the “music” and the instrument will be all the more.
No insult taken, i hope none given, thanks very much sharp !
Eddie Hazle rocks maggot brain is one of my favourite solos !
J is the answer to your final question jazz guitarist / composer Pat Metheny i cant find the name of the band and have heared nothing by him.
Harry, I respect the effort. But it was not pat metheny, but that’s a helluva go. It was Dave Fiuczynski. and the band, the “screaming headless torsos.” Check out “jazz punk” do a google search on his name. You have a great deal of knowledge regarding rock, and that is very RESPECTABLE!!!! My question was somewhat unfair. Moreover, if you like maggot brain, I am sure you would like “super stupid” and if you haven’t heard Hazel’s only “real” solo release, games, dames and guitar thangs” it has finally been released on cd. I have the LP from 1977. It is very ‘funky’, more parliment, than funkadelic, but his work on california dreamin, so goes the story, physical love, and she’s so heavy is worth the purchase. plus the funky intro to frantic moment is GREAT!
Harry, I still ask, if you have listened to the other artists mentioned, what do you think of them. If you haven’t, no big deal, you have plenty of time to hear SO MUCH STUFF!!!!!!! You remind me of ME, I knew about everybody, and kept listening. Didn’t like everything, but I grew to appreciate it. If you haven’t listened to nguyen le, you should. check out “purple” a tribute to jimi hendrix. You, much like sharp have shown yourself to have knowledge, desire and maturity in your opinions. keep on posting, listening. I am really interested in what you think. plus you listen to zappa. with all due respect, how many of your contemporaries listen to zappa? That in and of itself shows that you are something special.
thanks.
I’ve actually heard of that Grant Green fellow, J. I don’t know where or why, or even if I know his stuff, but I’ve definitely heard the name.
Sharp, here’s a brief bio on Grant Green.
Grant Green
Grant Green was born in St. Louis on June 6, 1931, learned his instrument in grade school from his guitar-playing father and was playing professionally by the age of thirteen with a gospel group. He worked gigs in his home town and in East St. Louis, IL, until he moved to New York in 1960 at the suggestion of Lou Donaldson. Green told Dan Morgenstern in a Down Beat interview: “The first thing I learned to play was boogie-woogie. Then I had to do a lot of rock & roll. It’s all blues, anyhow.”
His extensive foundation in R&B combined with a mastery of bebop and simplicity that put expressiveness ahead of technical expertise. Green was a superb blues interpreter, and his later material was predominantly blues and R&B, though he was also a wondrous ballad and standards soloist. He was a particular admirer of Charlie Parker, and his phrasing often reflected it. Green played in the ’50s with Jimmy Forrest, Harry Edison, and Lou Donaldson.
He also collaborated with many organists, among them Brother Jack McDuff, Sam Lazar, Baby Face Willette, Gloria Coleman, Big John Patton, and Larry Young. During the early ’60s, both his fluid, tasteful playing in organ/guitar/drum combos and his other dates for Blue Note established Green as a star, though he seldom got the critical respect given other players. He was off the scene for a bit in the mid-’60s, but came back strong in the late ’60s and ’70s. Green played with Stanley Turrentine, Dave Bailey, Yusef Lateef, Joe Henderson, Hank Mobley, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, and Elvin Jones.
Sadly, drug problems interrupted his career in the ’60s, and undoubtedly contributed to the illness he suffered in the late ’70s. Green was hospitalized in 1978 and died a year later. Despite some rather uneven LPs near the end of his career, the great body of his work represents marvelous soul-jazz, bebop, and blues.
A severely underrated player during his lifetime, Grant Green is one of the great unsung heroes of jazz guitar. Like Stanley Turrentine, he tends to be left out of the books. Although he mentions Charlie Christian and Jimmy Raney as influences, Green always claimed he listened to horn players (Charlie Parker and Miles Davis) and not other guitar players, and it shows. No other player has this kind of single-note linearity (he avoids chordal playing). There is very little of the intellectual element in Green’s playing, and his technique is always at the service of his music. And it is music, plain and simple, that makes Green unique.
Green’s playing is immediately recognizable — perhaps more than any other guitarist. Green has been almost systematically ignored by jazz buffs with a bent to the cool side, and he has only recently begun to be appreciated for his incredible musicality. Perhaps no guitarist has ever handled standards and ballads with the brilliance of Grant Green. Mosaic, the nation’s premier jazz reissue label, issued a wonderful collection The Complete Blue Note Recordings with Sonny Clark, featuring prime early ’60s Green albums plus unissued tracks. Some of the finest examples of Green’s work can be found there.
Here’s some other recommended stuff by green. just remember, we’ve been talking about rock artists primarily, and green is strictly jazz. totally different ‘flavor’ but great skills nevertheless.
Recommended recordings :
Idle Moments Blue Note
Green Street Blue Note
Introducing Grant Green Blue Note
Matador Blue Note
Complete Quartets with Sonny Clark Blue Note
Solid Blue Note
Feelin’ the Spirit Blue Note
I want to hold your Hand Blue Note
Ballads Blue Note
Alive [Live] Blue Note
Best of Vol. 1 Blue Note
Best of Vol. 2 Blue Note
Grantstand Blue Note
Born to be Blue Blue Note
Standards Blue Note
Carryin’ On Blue Note
Green is Beautiful Blue Note
Talkin’ About Blue Note
Blues for Lou Blue Note
Grant’s First Stand Blue Note
First Session Blue Note
Reaching Out 1201 Music
His Majesty King Funk Verve
Iron City 32 Jazz
note that most of his recordings were on the “blue note” label, except the last 3 mentioned on 1201 music, verve and 32 jazz.
J i have heared many of the artists work mainly when my dad has been playing them but can honestly say have not listened to them closely enough for me to comment others i have never heared of before.
That’s fair, Harry. You mentioned your dad. Does he have an opinion on guitar players? If he has some of the folks I mentioned. He must be a fan, player etc.., Also, if you haven’t really heard them, and you play the guitar, it could do nothing but “good” by checking them out. One reason I like posts about guitar players and music in general, is: I get to learn! I have listened to thousands of players of the years, and it never ceases to amaze me, but there’s another one out there who is equally as good, just unknown. Do you ever read, “guitar techniques” magazine out of the UK? They have some great stuff, and they are always giving information about various players and their styles.
anyway, keep listening, keep posting.
Eric Clapton sucks crap. Steve Vai, Satch, Malmsteen, Nuno, zappa, and Holdsworth would kick claptons ass any day. None of the guitarists, bar zappa come close to these guys. even Hendrix wasent that good (great preformer though).
made music for the desperate outcasts of the world, and you’d see popular kids and jocks, who the music doesn’t even apply to, listening to it, and going to the concerts. It’s a disgrace, pop culture is, really. Sharp……. u obviously now ur music quite well but i am a jock and i no alot about music i learnt it all from my dad he has over 5000 records from when he was a kid we have built in shelves in our house for them. i agree with you but with the exception of some. i do no my music quite well and i wear shirts and go to concerts and when people talk to me bout music then find out i am only 13 they normally are shocked!!!
Not to sound condescending here, but…so what if you know about music? It doesn’t really matter how much you know about music, or how many bands’ shirts you own, or how many concerts you’ve been to, in order to make yourself a bigger authority on music, or guitar. You’ve said it before yourself, not even two months ago, that you had just bought your first guitar, and were learning how to play. Considering that in that time, nobody should have learned so much that they become a so called “expert” on the instrument, how can we use a relatively new players judgement as the ultimate authority, which you are putting yourself out as. I’ve only been playing for a year or two…and I’m no expert, hell…compared to J, or some of the guys on here…I’m a rookie.
No musican, who in any capacity understands the heart and soul of music would ever even think to make such a childish list.
In the rock scene most the players you all speak of have something, but the rock scene is dull, primitive and uninspired .
A few true wonderfully players would be, pat metheny, andres segovia, elliot fisk, pepe romero, wess mongumery, joe pass, to list a few.
Grow up all of you, art isnt a competition, its a means of comunication, expression and sharing. Your kind makes my heart weep, art can give a human being the chance to explore there soul and spirt in infinate way. The guitar can be an insturment of beautiful harmony and tone quality, your kind gives it bad name in the world of true art.
Im a classical guitarist, and i undertsand my music may not be for everyone, and to each hes own of course, but dont turn the most wonderful means of expression known to man into some childish excuss to bicker, its dissgraceful.
We all appreciate your interest, Bah…but then again, I really don’t think you quite understand why we do this. We know we’re never going to agree…that’s the point. We want to debate with other people who are knowledgable and interested about/in guitar.
And it’s great to have a classical guitarist on here…but then again, in your willingness to uphold the integrity of your preferred genre, you discount other genres.
You called rock guitar dull, primitive, and uninspired. Maybe I’m just misinterpreting what you’re saying…but that’s not a very open minded point of view. I’m well aware that classical guitarists look down upon rock guitar, and blues guitar…and pretty much all genre that isn’t classical guitar. But then again, for all the things that classical guitar has that those other genres don’t…those other genres have things classical guitar can’t even touch upon.
Classical guitar requires extreme dexterity, and sufficient knowledge of musical theory. Ok…sounds professional. But it doesn’t have the emotional edge of blues guitar. It doesn’t have the improvisational qualities of jazz. It doesn’t have the free spirited feeling of rock guitar (which is ANYTHING but what you describe it as…maybe modern “rock” which you may be thinking of, is).
Sure, classical is considered a higher and more respectable genre by a lot of big wigs. But in the end, I think they’re all equal in the great scope of things.
I thoroughly agree with sharp, could not have been put any better !
Eddie Van Halen #70!!!WTF.David Gilmour #82!!!WTF.Heres the real top 15…
1.Jimi Hendrix
2.Jeff Beck(The Yardbirds,The Jeff Beck Group,Solo)
3.Eric Clapton(Cream,The Yardbirds,Derek And The Dominoes,Solo)
4.Jimmy Page(Led Zeppelin,The Yardbirds,The Firm)
5.Eddie Van Halen(Van Halen)
6.Stevie Ray Vaughan(Stevie Ray Vaughan & The Double Trouble)
7.John Satrinai
8.John Pertucci(Dream Theather,Liquid Tension Experiment)
9.Steve Vai(David Lee Roth,White Snake,Solo)
10.Randy Rhodes(Ozzy Osbourne,Quiet Riot)
11.David Gilmour(Pink Floyd)
12.Eric Johnson
13.Slash(Guns n’ Roses,Velvet Revolver)
14.Carlos Santana
15.Angus Young
For those who feel that “rock” is uninspired, primitive, dull, banal, pedestrian et al:
1. the dance of life – narada michael walden
2. lila’s dance – mahavishnu orchestra
3. window shoppin’ – hiram bullock from the 1986 release, from all sides
4. beneath eternity’s breath – mahavishnu orchestra
5. judy – roy buchanan
6. jazz punk – dave fiuczynski
7. california dreamin – eddie hazel
8. rock me baby – johnny winter’s version circa 1973
9. stairway to heaven – led zepplin and stanley jordan’s version
10. forever – rene toledo
11. soulmate – funkadelic
12. get off your ass and jam – funkadelic
13. rainbow in the dark – dio, vivian campbell lead guitar
14. sienna – tdf
15. anything by frank zappa
16. technicolor nightmare – christian Mcbride
17. Hendrix. PERIOD!!!!!!!
18. Hell, Ball and Biscuit by the white stripes. pure energy
and I could go on forever! all music is inspired. I can’t say it any better than “sharp” said it.
Inspire us! don’t degrade us! Music is about the “essence.” don’t fall into the xenophobic, racist foolishness that declares something “primitive.” why? because it excites something inside of you that in the 16th and 17th century was taboo????? Bruno, Galileo and others were called heretics because they taught the earth was round and not the center of the universe. Eschewed in their day, revered today. Embrace don’t disgrace. If music raise consciousness, PROVE IT!!!!!! Socrates was quoted as saying, “I only know what I don’t know.” think about it. This is the “earth” plane, the “heart” (anagram) of the universe perhaps. we are all just tryin’ to find our way home. You will catch more flies with sugar, than you will with salt.” Add to, don’t subtract from, agree to disagree, and respect EVERYONE, no matter what they may say, because, YOU NEVER KNOW!!!!!!!
This is just somethings i want everyone to take in to consideration. I think everyone is too pressed about solos. Solos do show off the skill of a guitarist and they definately help in how i rate them, but sometimes its not all about solos or leads. Sometimes we must look for a guitarist who can write incredible songs and have a variety of styles, someone who is more focused on what his band sounds like rather than what he alone sounds like. This is why i am a huge fan of John Frusciante. Note: I AM DEFINATELY NOT SAYING HE IS BEST, OR EVEN TOP 15. I am very happy with his spot at 17. Also I feel you all misunderestimate Kurt Cobain. I agreee 12 is way too high, he shouldnt be on this list but that doesnt mean he sucks, like you are all saying, since when does someone suck if theyre not top 100? Also kurt cobain started a revolution in the history of rock. I do agree that Dave Navaro shouldnt be on this list, lots of the verses in his songs from J.A. are just a few chords strummed a lot, his solos are simple, and his music doesnt have too much of a flow. And i like Slash a lot. He should be somewhere in top 50. you may not think he is too good, but he has written some of the best riffs ever such as Sweet Child, And also really catchy riffs like night train. Kirk Hammet is also very good, though maybe not deserving spot #11. I love how Kirk has a flow from ranging to really hard rock parts to beautiful riffs. Such as the songs one,..and justice for all, fade to black, the unforgiven,
Please reply i would like to hear your opinion on my opinion
WHAT IS GILMOUR DOING AT 82nd SPOT every note he plays is like if he was saying something rolling stones put guys like cobain before Gilmour im sorry but this list is nothing but SCRAP!!!!
Sharp, I know you are a big Clapton fan, as I am. Have you ever heard of TDF or total dysfunctional family? The CD is called “retail therapy.” It is really EC in disguise. His entry/experiment with electronica/techno. However, he shows his “soulful” playing a one cut in particular called “sienna.” It definitely requires one to get the “feel” in order to play it successfully. It really isn’t something one can just copy note for note and play without “feeling.” You can probably find a sample on amazon.com, but it will only be 30 seconds, and you should really hear it to appreciate it.
Josh W, you have asked people to comment on your comments. Well, with Frusciante I agree, same with Hammet, although I really think those guys have a very long way to go to catch some of the all time greats, but again, “rankings” are subjective. From your post, it seems that there are certain types of players that catch your attention. For instance, Cobain did a great deal from “rock” music, he was “one” of those special people. Was he a guitar “great.” well, no, not in that sense, but finding someone with that type of lyrical talent is difficult. Elvis Costello is one. I am not as familiar with Navarro, although I have listened to a great deal of the chilli peppers, some jane’s addiction, and deconstruction. I never really took to him, although some years back, I had a roommate and very good friend who was a Berklee grad, that found him interesting. it is really difficult for me to comment on what you have said, because you were very succinct in you commentary. I think Slash is very loud, and overall, I am not very impressed with his playing, but I must admit, he rocks and the stuff he plays is catchy. It’s like jack white, sometimes some good ol’ “slop” is just what the doctor order. I like the guy from weezer a great deal also, but I like stuff that “rocks.” it doesn’t have to be the best stuff out there, but if it has that “primal” something, I’ll give it a go. It’s like the old paul revere and the raiders song, “just like me.” I love that song, as I do most of the 60’s and 70’s stuff. T-Rex, Status Quo, Vanilla Fudge, Electric Prunes and others. You appear to like very “melodic” players. That tends to show a very “good” ear, especially for including “accents” into the music. If you can find a cut by larry coryell called “redwing”, while somewhat commercial, his excellent guitar “accents” make the song. Sometimes you hear a note in your head, and when it is “there” in a song, you really get a feel for it. Joe Walsh said he used to hear things that way. If you have ever heard “funk 49″ by the james gang, you know what I mean. one other thing, metallica, is an unbelievably talented band, at least in my opinion. they are REALLY GOOD! a lot of groups are just okay, those guys are damn good! Please understand, that nowadays, for me, it is hard to keep up with all the bands. I don’t watch MTV, VH1 and others like I did when they first started and I was in college, but I do catch them from time to time. Moreover, I got “kinda” sick of all the “shredders” and the same ole same ole. Everyone was becoming a copy of the other. I came up with Hendrix and clapton, page, blackmore, winter et al. Folks weren’t trying to sound alike. Then later Van Halen came out and changed things a bit. Suddenly, the Steve Howe’s, Pages et al were forgotten. Buck Dharma was like a what, new age philosophy? (lol) anyway, you might like craig chaquico, he is very melodic, but he is off into a new thing these days. I suggest checking out as many “best” guitar sites you can find, and listening to the folks you don’t know, especially the older, dinosaur guys, (lol) see how many fit your criteria. You might find some real gems.
I haven’t ever heard that, J, I’ll have to check it out. Clapton does have a thing for going under different names, doesn’t he? Derek, and now this.
By the way, I was fortunate to be able to play a guitar used by Randy Rhoads a few days ago. Great instrument.
wow, really? do you mean a copy model or the actual instrument? If the actual, then I know that was a tremendous experience because every great player has their instrument set to “their” specifications, and it is a very different ballgame. What did you like the most, the action, sound, tone, overall feel, what?
The actual instrument. It wasn’t one of his main guitars though, just a little one that he never used very much.
Fernandes with a Strat body. Personalized for Rhoads. It has special hardware, and the knobs and pickup switch is different as he requested. The tone is excellent…it’s just an excellent instrument in general, everything is great.
There’s an interesting story behind it. The guitar was a gift to Rhoads in the early 80’s. He started playing around with it, until he realized one distinctive feature about it…a maple neck. Eddie Van Halen (who Rhoads HATED with every bone in his body) used maple neck guitars. At that point, Rhoads refused to use it, and it was given back.
Ok look this is in my oppinion the top 10 guitarists. Now I mean I agree with alot of the comments on this but I also disagree too. First of all I think Hendrix should be the top guitarist because even though probly some people are better than him now,he was good for his time and he invented most of what there is now. And I think Clapton is also NO DOUBT the top 5 also because he has some of the cleanest strokes ever. So anyways here is my list:
1. Jimi Hendrix
2.B.B. King
3.Eric Clapton
4.Stevie Ray Vaughn
5.Carlos Santana
6.Jimmy Page
7.Eddie Van Halen
8.Jerry Garcia
9.Prince
10.Steve Vai
Now I mean this is my oppinion, but there are soo many ways to judge the top 10 because its mainly all oppinion. Now I dont agree that slash should be top 10 because I mean yeah he was good but he sorta sucked at the same time compared to the top ten that I have here. But see these are different styles too. And I feel SRV should be top 5 material for a couple of reasons. For one hes my favorite guitarist..lol, two he plays with more passion and “heart” than any guitarist I have ever seen or heard, he is the only guitarist I have ever heard that can take a Jimi Hendrix song and clean it up and make it better and newer (Ex:Voodoo Chile,Third Stone Away From The Sun Etc.), and Stevie also influenced alot of guitarists as well. Umm the whole Jack White or W/E his name is should DEF not be top 20..hell it shoudlnt be top 75! Same with Cobain, Cobain is more of a 62 to me. Steve Vai..well it just sounded good to me for shits and giggles.
Again you can argue and argue, but this is oppinion. I can guaruntee that if you asked any of these guitarits that are 6 and down (my and Rolling Stone’s list), they would say that the Top 5 are their main influences…but thast just my oppinion.
Later
Oops, I spelled SRV’s name wrong….VAUGHAN**…….my bad
matt,
your “opinions” are your opinions. I think they are great! check out dave fiuczynski “jazz punk” he does a version of third stone from the sun, tell me what you think. also have you heard, “power of soul” a tribute to jimi hendrix? here’s the line up:
1.musiq – are you experienced
2. santana- spanish castle magic
3. prince – red/purple house
4. sting with john mclaughlin – the wind cries mary
5. earth wind and fire – voodoo child
6. boosty collins – power of soul
7. eric clapton – burning the midnight lamp(and he really does)
8. lenny kravitz – have you ever been to electric ladyland
9. devoted spirits(featuring george duke, and they are jammin’) who knows
10. robert randolph and the family – purple haze
11. velvert turner – going home
12. chaka khan and kenny olson – little wing
13. sounds of blackness – castles made of sand
14. eric gales – may this be love
15. cee-lo – foxey lady
16. john lee hooker – red house
17. SRV and double trouble – little wing/3rd stone from the sun
good covers! many you may like more than jimi!
so sharp, that is why rhoads didn’t play maple necks? interesting? now I have great respect for rhoads because maple neck are typically a little faster than rosewood. I like them more, but I do need to get used to them after excessive maple playing! Maybe you can do me a favor. MANY years ago, I remember reading something about johnny winter. he was one of the few players that could play two songs at the same time on different strings. I know one was yankee doodle dandy, i can’t remember if the other was the star spangled banner or dixie, but I just want to confirm it. i read it in a little book from guitar player magazine back in 1974. obviously, it shows JW’s incredible talent. Well, if you or anyone out there ever comes across it, please let me know.
thanks!
No problem…I’ll be looking for that.
At the current time, I lucked into finding a Bob Marley CD laying on the ground after school today, so that shall be my day’s soundtrack.
Hey J!
Thanks for agreeing with me…or so I thought you were..
Its really hard to sit here and say whos the best because there is so many things to judge a guitarist on besides solos and style. I mean like I said about SRV, he plays with so much passion and heart that I DEFINENTLY feel he should be like 4 or 5 on the list. But as I sit here and think, I would say that Billy Gibbons from ZZ Top and Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits could be up there also. It just depends on your style and your form of music. But anyways, thanks for the list of songs…I will check them out! I never realized so many groups and bands did their own versions of Jimi’s songs. I guess its because I am only 16..lol. Tell me what your list of top ten guitarists would be.
Later
-Matt
You can’t ask J to come up with a top ten list. Everytime he tries, he winds up with a list of at least 40, and he can’t pick his favorites. Hehe.
Seriously though…most everyones list will have the same people here.
top 5 are
1. Jimi Page he played with so many differnet tunings and styles
2.Jimi Hendrix who can not put him in the top 2
3.Stevie Ray Vaughn this guy is a god only reason he is not 1 is because he mostly plays two styles but he is the best i ever heard
4.Eric Clapton awesome
5.Jeff Beck great
Matt, Sharp is absolutely right. I can’t do it! I have tried and tried, but I just can’t do it. The list ends up being like 40 or 50 people, and that’s just the top 10. I like Billy Gibbons a lot, as well. I have favorite solos like: Corrado Rustici – the dance of life. Eric Clapton – white room, layla, sienna, miss you and about 100 others. Beck-led boots, most of the stuff of wired, Hendrix – wind cries mary, machine gun,hear my train a comin, everything on band of gypsys one and two, SRV’s version of little wing, voodoo chile, couldn’t stand the weather, lenny, soulmate by funkadelic, lila’s dance by john mclaughlin, window shoppin 1986 version by hiram bullock, damn near everything by wes montgomery and joe pass, godzilla by buck dharma and BOC, Judy and ramon’s blues by roy buchanan, magic sam by robben ford, still alive and well, memory pain, rock me baby, by johnny winter, born under a bad sign, by pat travers, cold feet by albert king, sweet thang by shuggie otis, going for the one by steve howe and yes, rainbow in the dark by dio with vivian campbell, super stupid and maggot brain and california dreamin by eddie hazel, hope you feel better love, climbing up the ladder by ernie isley, cosmic slop live by michael hampton and funkadelic, a lot of les paul, kenny burrell, tal farlow, barney kessel, strunz and farah. see, I can’t even do this, for the more I start thinking of favorite solos, the more that come to mind, I like cult of personality by vernon reid a lot, and I love his solo release “mistaken identity.” europa by santana, bambi by prince, always you , always me by joe satriani, blue shadows by BB King, eight miles high by steve hunter(not the byrds) Just too much stuff. I have like 8 or 9 thousand pieces of music including cassettes, albums and cds. that doesn’t include what I have downloaded on computer. most of it has some hot guitar player. oh yeah, Nguyen Le the vietnamese guitar player has a very good cd I like a lot called “purple” another hendrix tribute. and two tappers, enver izmailov and stanley jordan. Jordan does an awesome version of stairway to heaven. so you see, it’s very difficult for me! I like pretty much everyone that has been mentioned on this and other sites. I am going to try something though. Classic players: Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, Zappa, VaN Halen, Steve Howe, Robert Fripp,Johnny Winter, Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons, Ritchie Blackmore, Tommy Iommi
New Guys: Vai, Malmsteen,Nguyen Le Holdsworth, Satriani,Gilbert,petrucci,vernon reid,dave fiuczynski
Bluesy Guys: Roy Buchanan,SRV, Buddy Guy, albert king
ah forget it, to many are coming to mind and I really can’t make up my mind which order. I have already changed this thing 6 times.(Rflol)
Thanks man,
You know the funny part of this all is that I dont even play guitar..lol. I sure wish I did and I have always wanted to, but my dad thinks I should be focussing on paying for my gas for my car rather than buying a guitar and taking lessons. I only know half of the people you were talking about, and I wouldnt even know that much if it wasnt for my uncle who got me into all of this. I should probly give him this link so he can comment…I swear the man knows everything about classic rock and guitar playing legends + solos. Heck he was the one who got me into SRV..with out him I wouldnt be such a fan of Stevie’s music. If only he was still alive! God you have no idea how bad I would have loved to go to a SRV concert, all I have are the SRV DVDs of him playing at concerts (Ex:Live at the El Mocambo, Live in Austin Texas). Speaking of SRV Live in Austin, have you ever seen it? Or own it? Because the last song is Little Wing, and I just llove watching it because for one the song is great..but I really like seeing all the guitar legends they show and I love seeing all of the videos of Stevie that I have never seen before in my life. But anyways…Hah I would have thought that you all would have been surprised that I would even know half of these people due to me only being 16. Most of my friends listen to that rap crap and Punk Rock.
But anyways, I oughta get out of here and due some Homework..ha
Thanks for everything, I have officially added this to my favorites now so we can chat about this kind of stuff.
Later
-Matt
P.S.-Do you all like Peter Framptons songs? I think hes a pretty good guitarist too!
As a musician myself… all you people really are doing is picking the artists with the best ability to make scales stand out.. scales are all fairly simple.. but its the way u play them, and how fast, which effects, etc… You need to take to consideration all the artists who are playing super hella hard chords, and who are jammin out on the slide.. delay effects, etc.. what im really trying to say is.. Lets get a current lsit.. not with older-dead artists… so.. Tim Reynolds should go up there, and as in a good style of music.. so should Dave Matthews..
Not really, CTR. But if that’s how you want to look at it…your choice.
Matthews is actually very good, but then again…nothing out of the ordinary. Good guitarist, not a legend or anything though.
Sharp-
i see what your going towards.. but as in terms of acoustics.. check out tim reynolds.. hes pretty damn good… and on the terms of dave.. id have to dissagree. his style varies from a lot of modern day acoustic artists.. look at some of the chords shapes, and how he makes his own variations to get that “special” sound..
Matt, you can buy an inexpensive Kramer guitar for about $79. (strat copy) as far as lessons go, depending on what you want to play (type of music) there are some great guitar sites that offer free lesson, very inexpensive lessons, as well. some great DVDs are available like doug marks metal method. CTR, I don’t agree that folks are pointing out merely “scale” players, none of the guys listed would be here for the scale playing ability only. Keith Richards has been mentioned, as has jimmie vaughn. Rhythm guitar is an art, but I believe that all the players here have pretty much mastered the art. I have always been fond of chords, and I am partial to jazz chords, like those in mickey baker’s books jazz guitar 1 and 2. as far as, putting variations on chords, most professionals do that, for it can “add” something to their sound. The guys from Fishbone use a varitey of odd chords, as do many jazz/rock fusionist. When you say “acoustic” guys, are you referring to those who play the acoustic guitar as the main instrument as opposed to electric?
here was one group’s listing of the top 100 acoustic guitar players. Now, I don’t necessarily agree, I am just posting it here for discussion.
1. Michael Hedges
2. Leo Kottke
3. John Fahey
4. Chet Atkins
5. Phil Keaggy
6. Adrian Legg
7. Nick Webb
8. John Renbourn
9. Bert Jansch
10. Merle Travis
11. Norman Blake
12. Doc Watson
13. Preston Reed
14. Laurence Juber
15. Tony Rice
16. John Martyn
17. Sandy Bull
18. Martin Carthy
19. William Ackerman
20. Tommy Emmanuel
21. Sean Harkness
22. Don Ross
23. Billy McLaughlin
24. Doyle Dykes
25. Peter Finger
26. Jorma Kaukonen
27. Peter Lang
28. Peter Rowan
29. Alex deGrassi
30. Davy Graham
31. Martin Simpson
32. Monte Montgomery
33. Pat Kirtley
34. G.E. Stinson
35. Pierre Bensusan
36. Kaki King
37. Muriel Anderson
38. Edward Gerhard
39. Craig Chaquico
40. Greg Carmichael
41. William Coulter
42. Al Petteway
43. Peter Huttlinger
44. Benjamin Woolman
45. Stephen Bennett
46. Bill Mize
47. Roy Harper
48. Doug Smith
49. Tim Farrell
50. Steve Tibbetts
51. David Bromberg
52. Richard Smith
53. El McMeen
54. Andrew York
55. Eric Tingstad
56. Artie Traum
57. Stefan Grossman
58. Peter Ostroushko
59. Tommy Jones
60. D.R. Auten
61. Dirk Freymuth
62. Dan Schwartz
63. Peter Roller
64. Paul Geremia
65. Douglas Niedt
66. David Grier
67. David Wilcox
68. Arlen Roth
69. Joni Mitchell
70. Chris Smither
71. Miles Gilderdale
72. Jerry Reed
73. Gayla Drake Paul
74. Tim Reynolds
75. Richard Johnson
76. Thom Bresch
77. Kelly Joe Phelps
78. Kenny Sultan
79. Steve Baughman
80. Buster B. Jones
81. Robbie Basho
82. Peppino D’Agostino
83. Pat Donohue
84. Mike Dowling
85. Tony McManus
86. Dave Mallany
87. Tim Sparks
88. Michael Dunn
89. Orville Johnson
90. Brooks Williams
91. George Villiers
92. Rick Ruskin
93. Greg Neaga
94. Dorian Michael
95. Charles David Alexander
96. Tom Long
97. Richard Gilewitz
98. Tim Earp
99. Tracy Moore
100. Andy Abad
I also wanted to comment on peter frampton. when I was in high school, Frampton Comes Alive was THE album! EVERYWHERE you went you heard that album. EVERYWHERE! He had also done Frampton’s Camel, but nothing had the success of Frampton Comes Alive. So it is unfair for me to comment on Frampton, because I was inundated with him. He added a lot to rock music at that time. It wasn’t until Fleetwood Mac “rumors” came along a couple years later that you saw another LP with that much staying power, although groups like Kiss and Yes did their thing, as well. Moreover, Frampton used the vocal box thing that was a real oddity back then. Back then we had album rock stations, so you could hear Blue oyster cult, Black Sabbath, Journey, Black Oak Arkansas, Jethro Tull, The Runaways with joan jett and lita ford and the more “bad”(lol) bands on those stations, Frampton was played on both. the more pop stuff on am and fm rock stations, the deeper album cuts on album rock stations. He definitely had some great stuff, and I appreciate him more today than I think I did then. Moreover, Matt, if you want to play the guitar, you have plenty of time. take it from the perspective of the book “zen guitar” make it a “lifetime” learning thing. as I am sure anyone on this site will tell you, it’s a lot of fun. just don’t get “pressured” to play well, take you time and all things will fall into place. Just make sure you learn how to practice and what to practice, and above all, HAVE FUN!
Thanks J,
I have been wanting to get the Stevie Ray Vaughan series guitar but its expensive though. I know you have probably been asked this before, but who is your absolute favorite guitar player? I mean of every guitarist, if there isnt one..what is your favorite 3 or whatever you have. Like I said before, Stevie is by far my favorite. I love Jimi, Peter Frampton, Eddie Van Halen, and Eric Clapton….but Stevie is the only one who has been able to “catch my eye” with his guitar playing and his emotion to it. I mean hell I wish this was an all SRV poll because thats all I wanna talk about..haha. J, if you could..fill me in about SRV a bit. Just incase you know stuff about him and his music that I may not.(Ex:good songs, where he died, Etc.) I noticed that you and Sharp seem to be the 2 main people of this site, and I wanna thank you guys for helping me out. Oh and J I have a question for you, I take it that you play guitar. Can you play Voodoo Chile by Jimi, 5150 by Van Halen, or Eruption? I mean they all look and sound hard to play. From your experience as a guitarist, are they? And what does it take to play them?..lol
Thanks guys
-Matt
Oh and something to add about that last thing I said about voodoo chile and all the other stuff. I mean I have tried playing Voodoo chile on my cousins guitar just by watching my SRV video that I have of him. I mean I coudlnt get the first part of the song where he mutes his strings..its probly cause I dont have a wah pedal or whatever its called..lol. I mean if there is any song that I would like to play without taking lessons, its Voodoo Chile. That was my very first SRV song I had ever heard. It was on his COULDNT STAND THE WEATHER cd and my uncle and I were listening to it and I was just amazed because I thought there was like 2 or 3 guitarists playing when there was only 1. From then on I have just been suckered into his music, I just got his TEXAS FLOOD cd for my birthday and I wear it out all the time in my stereo.haha Ahh I take that back, I would like to play almost all of Stevies songs especialy Texas Flood, Lenny, Crossfire, Little Wing, and a new song that I was watching Stevie playing on my DVD called “Leave My Girl Alone”. He really got into that song HARDCORE, I mean the guy was just tearing that guitar up!
Thanks dude
-Matt
Ahhhh I better shut up, Im sure Im getting annoying by now lmao
Haha…you are definitely a big SRV fan. Question…you do know that Voodoo Child is a Hendrix song, right? SRV simply does an excellent cover of it…I daresay better than the original.
And if you’re starting out, with no lessons…Stevie Ray Vaughan material is very difficult stuff for a beginner. If you’re able to play that even slightly well, I applaud you. I do suggest getting lessons, however. If anything, it will seriously improve your fundamentals. A good bit of classical technique never hurt anybody (although, as I’m sure you’re aware, your boy SRV never had a lesson in his life, and he turned out fine).
And although I’m not positive about this…SRV might have layered tracks on Couldn’t Stand The Weather. That might be the reason that it sounds like there’s more than one guitar playing.
There’s a lot of songs that do that. Over The Hills and Far Away, White Room, Dancing Days, etc.
Matt, I just wrote this incredibly long message, and entered the wrong authorization code, so let me try again, although, I don’t think I can write everything I had written. let me start with the guitar stuff.
yes, I can play those songs, and so can you. it takes dedication, desire and patience. I recommended the following things:
1. play and practice SLOWLY, I can’t say enough for slow practicing. it develops muscle memory and allows the subconscious mind to pick up on what is going on. speed will come
2. pick up things like “the principles” by jamie andreas. it will help to develop a “bottom” to your playing, giving you the fundamentals needed to ensure a proper start. things like how to relax, find tension spots, hold the guitar etc..,
3. take a few minute each day to site read. I recommend Berklee vol. 1-3 a modern method for guitar by wm leavitt. notice I said a FEW minutes, spend most of your time playing
4. the guitar alliance website has a lot of SRV stuff broken down. it give complete transcriptions, but also riffs, videos etc.. and makes it easier to learn your favorites.
5. andrew koblick has a great dvd on practice techniques. while boring, the stuff will really help your playing, A LOT!
6. kevin downing has a book called “secrets of successful practicing” it’s a great read.
7. the magazine guitar techniques tuition, out of the UK offers great tips and techniques of all you favorite players, one issue was entitled,”play like van halen” it comes complete with a cd of all the lessons.
8. a good ear training program is immeasurably helpful. having both perfect and relative pitch is essential and gives you that “edge” you need.
9.PRACTICE SLOWLY, I can’t emphasize it enough. all things come in time
10. when practicing chords, don’t strum immediately. start with the fretting hand and change from chord to chord until you learn the chord and fingerings. economy of movement is important, so study the chord and the chord changes and see which fingers are moving. do you need to lift all the finger off the fretboard or might you only need to move one or two. once you have the fingering and changes down, you can add the strumming technique.
11. learn all the basic rhythm patterns. you might not be into reggae or latin etc.., but once you learn the strumming pattern you will gain a tremendous appreciation for that style of music and what the players are doing. then your versatility and creativity increase ten fold.
12. don’t become frustrated. practice everything at a SLOW SPEED. it will come!
13. keep your guitar on a guitar stand, out where you can see it. it will make you play it more
now playing Hendrix or Vaughn isn’t difficult, but it will take time to get their feeling! Familiarize yourself with double stops, string bending, glissando and basic blues techniques. hammer-ons, pull -offs are also essential. for van halen you will need to know how to tap. there are plenty of good video out there nowadays to teach the tap technique. don’t get frustrated. take your time
My favorite players are Hendrix, Clapton, Winter, Coryell, Eddie Hazel, Earl Klugh, Ernie Isley, Lee Ritenour. I also like Jeff Beck, Roy Buchanan, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, Pat Metheny, Frank Zappa and Buddy Guy.
You might want to study effect pedals. the guitar alliance site has some good information on that as well. I am not a slide player, but arlen roth has some excellent teaching material on slide guitar. Definitely watch as many players as possible, watch their hands. SRV used his thumb a lot, and most teachers will tell you not to do this. However, you need to find out what works for you. so:
I recommend getting the “principles and the path” by andreas to get you started off correctly.
then koblick’s dvd is excellent to help you develop the right and left hand.
doug marks metal method is great if you want to sound pretty good quickly, and it will provide a fair amount of information, and can be completed in 6 months. It also will provide you with enough theory to GET STARTED. You will need to study theory as time goes on. Dave Celentano has a book called power rhythm guitar that can teach some rhythm patterns, but I wouldn’t recommend it for a few months. you need to strengthen your fingers first, and you don’t want to jump in to deeply at first. PLAY SONGS!!!!!! learn them. take time to try to learn a new song each week, once you get the fundamentals down. Downing’s secrets of successful practicing outlines a practice schedule for beginners, intermediates and advanced players. PRACTICE EVERYTHING SLOWLY. Andreas’ material is good for teaching you just how slow SLOW really is! for SRV start with stuff like crossfire, the intro. it’s funky and easy to play. Hendrix, try burning the midnight lamp, great for picking and string switching. Van Halen is a bit more complicated. You will also need to familiarize yourself with the whammy or tremolo bar. I highly recommend the guitar tuition techniques magazine. Whammy takes practice. Hmmm? I am trying to remember what I have forgotten from my first attempt at writing this post. anyway, I hope it is helpful. If I remember anything I forgot, I will post it later. If anything didn’t make sense, just ask.
okay. also, learn stairway to heaven. it is a rite of passage!(lol) it is very elegant and will give you the opportunity to work on using your right hand (i assume your right handed)to develop a “fingerstyle” approach to the guitar. Doug marks shows and excellent way to hold the pick or plectrum in the metal methods videos, so does jamie andreas. all this stuff can be google search, for I don’t know if I am allowed to give out actual sites. break you playing DOWN. no more than 15 minutes at a time on any one thing. get up, stretch etc.., if possible, always have you instrument around your neck. practice riffs, and techniques like those on the koblick video when you are watching tv etc.,, scales are good for that, as well. By the book “zen guitar” and read it from cover to cover, it is philosophical, but it will sink in over time! one of the best times to practice is in the morning. always, always, always, use a metronome, it helps you develop an internal sense of rhythm. all this stuff is in Downing’s book secrets of successful practicing. also, take your favorite type of music and listen to EVERYBODY in the genre, good and bad. once your playing improves, make sure to listen to as many players as possible. you might not like classical or folk etc.., but you will have a better idea of what they are doing and the difficulties involved. Concentrate on your SOUND, your tone. play clean, practice clean not sloppy. guitar alliance also has some other connected sites, like riff-o-matic and guitarmojo. you can learn all your favorite riffs, and hear them as you play along. guitarmojo will teach you the blues. there is a small fee for joining, but the subscription is for one year, and you can learn a lot. I also like SRV a lot and I think his version of voodoo child is better than Jimi’s but I give credence to the advanced electronics. His little wing is incredible. there is this unwritten rule that you don’t try and copy Hendrix, unless you can really copy Hendrix and make the song your own. Malmsteen, Vai, SRV, Clapton and others have been able to do that while keeping the integrity of the music, so has ozzy and frankie marino. I still have forgotten stuff, so I will post later.
top 15 reight here
1. ANGUS YOUNG!!!!
2. MICK THOMPSON!!
3. JIM ROOT!
4. jimmy page
5. SRV
6. yngwie malmsteen
7. steve vai
8. Eric clapton
9. Randy Rhoads
10.Slash
11.Zakk Wylde
12.Allen Collins
13.Jeff Beck
14.kirk hammet
15.joe satriani
From post 432:
> all this stuff can be google search, for I don’t know if I am allowed to give out actual sites
Sure, why not? However, your post maybe flagged as spam (therefore won’t be displayed) if there are too many links within it.
BUT: comments flagged as spam are saved, permitting me to change their status to non-spam, making them displayed as a normal comment. SO…. go ahead and post something. If it doesn’t show up and it’s not spam, it’ll show up after I review it.
Just to supplement what J said to Matt earlier…you have to know your meat and potatoes stuff. Stairway to Heaven is obviously a must for any guitarist. There’s a couple other little songs, licks, riffs, etc. you should know, just because it’s standard stuff. If you don’t know the classic stuff, you’re going to raise eyebrows. Crazy Train, Back In Black, Sunshine of Your Love, Sweet Child O’ Mine, Aqualung, Iron Man, Purple Haze, My Generation, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Oh Pretty Woman, I Walk The Line, Day Tripper. Know ALL THE LED ZEPPELIN STUFF. All of that stuff is relatively simple, you might even know some of it already.
The best stuff for beginners to learn is Beatles music, however. Nothing overly complicated, but it presents all the major chords in songs that everyone knows. Rolling Stones stuff is good as well.
1.Jimi Hendrix
2.Eric Clapton
3.Jimmy Page
4.Carlos Santana
5.Trey Anastasio
6.Jerry Garcia
7.Duane Allman
8.Keith Richards
9.George Harrison
10.Slash
I wonder why everyone still regards Trey Anastacio and Phish as “rock’s big secret,” when pretty much everyone knows their name, they’ve made appearances on Saturday Night Live, and their “farewell” concert was a Yahoo headline. Trey Anastacio was appropriately ranked, other people simply weren’t.
Out of boredom, I was reading the earlier comments (1-256) and I noticed that J constantly asked us about Johnny Winter…and we constantly ignored him. My apologies dear friend, one, for ignoring you, and two, for not being familiar with his playing.
ACTUALLY, the reason that Slash is not considered one of the greats is because he a. Wasnt as original as other players (and since some people are too naive to register that, lets clarify..Every guitar player is original in his own way, but slash had nothing for an “all-time” list), also, slash is said to have stolen some licks from Jimmy Page. And that would be why he is not on The rolling stones top 10 like you said.
Guitarists shouldnt be ranked on speed, which era they come from, or whether they’re popular or not (which would be one of the last criterias if they did), they should(and do for the most part) rank guitarists on:
a. Originality
b. Influence
c. Tone
d. Chops
And then popularity,style,stage presence, mastery
Thats why I think My list is very accurate:
1……Django Reinhardt (As original as it gets,father of improvisation and intense jazz. -Created unorthodox techniques. First to masterfully apply arpeggios. Great accompanyist. Famous Tone, great influence.) Notable tracks: Minor Swing, Limehouse blues.
2…..Jimmy Page (Highly Original [bow,style], also popular for improvising skills, brought together the acid rock and roll. Not just chosen for Zeppelin, also successfully filled the place of Clapton in the Yardbirds. Also, Famous Tone, greatly influential) Notable tracks: Dazed and Confused, Stairway to heaven(sorry but its true)
3…..Robert Johnson (As original as it gets. Father of delta blues(or blues in general), and slide guitar. creative tunings, virtuoso like fingerpicking, incredible influence) Notable Tracks: Dust my broom, Hellhound on my trail.
4…..Jimi Hendrix- Listed top on alot of lists, but also take into consideration that he was the first musician to O.d, which lifted him to godly levels of popularity, and in my books, that doesnt relate to music. Moving along: (Highly Original as seen through his rock/blues/gospel fussion, and through the wah-wah,STudio Magic,genius applications of blues tricks,good tone, inventive of new techniques,incredible influence) Notable tracks: Voodoo child, Little Wing.
5…..Wes Montgomery (One of the great innovators for Jazz and Blues. One of the first great Tones. Most popularely known as the first great applicator of Octaves. Had incredible Margins of influence) Notable Tracks: Four on Six, Caravan.
I can’t type anymore I’m too tired. But yeah anyways I’m confident that’s fairly accurate, I read alot and give my opinion from a non bias point of view. But anyways Thank you for reading hope it was atleast something.
-Tim (and yes I play the guitar, the piano, and flute)
And also, sorry to drag on. For the people who said The great trio is what made Page, also look at The Yardbirds..And the fact that Jimmy also had on the greatest drummers of all time (Mitch Mitchell) AND, the fact that you almost always see Eric Clapton with a guest artist. If you’re going to look at something one way, look at everyone that way.
Nobody whose opinion matters is seriously putting Slash in the top ten.
And I definitely respect your opinion here, Tim, but I shall respectfully disagree.
Jeff Beck replaced Clapton, not Page, by the way.
I’m not familiar enough with Reinhardt or Montgomery to argue with you there, but I can have my say on Page, Hendrix and Johnson.
Robert Johnson is a shoe in at the number one or two spot, simply off influence (him and Andres Segovia, who I’m sure you’ll argue didn’t create his own music). Those two are the most important guitarist ever, even if they might not be the most talented or versatile. Without them…nothing ever happened around the guitar. You don’t have modern classical guitar, rock, jazz, bluess, you name it. I wouldn’t have that nice little Ibanez that is currently laying on my bed.
Page is the 70’s guitar hero, so I suppose he’s ranked accurately, though I’d say he’s a tad high. If you’re going to have Page here, then Clapton has to be with him…because realistically, they pretty much do the same stuff. Very similar styles, strengths, weaknesses, etc.
And the violin bow on Dazed and Confused wasn’t originally Page’s idea. One of Page’s friend’s fathers suggested it. I’ll have to check the book I have from the Complete Studio Recordings.
Well I finally get to have an argument with someone who knows what they’re talking about. :) This makes me happy. And I agree that Eric Clapton should be up there, To be honost if I had time I would have put him next. But it’s hard to make a list
To help you out there Django Reinhardt and Wes are basically the Robert Johnsons of Jazz.
I have an Ibanez Too! And my bad on the Page facts. Anyways I got hockey I’ll check up later.
Great to have you around, Tim.
I’ll have to check up on Montgomery and Reinhardt.
And you’re going to love talking to J.
Well thats cool. I often have rediculous conversations about music. Even musicals haha. Like the Pirates of Penzanse (spell?).
And for me, Buying The Reinhardt compilation from a random pick of Jazz artists was the single best random pick I’ve ever made. Which led to a million other Jazz artists. Speaking of which, did you See Ray? The movie on Ray Charles.
And one more thing, I take it you play? Band? Anyways enough grilling I’m out!
no one has mentioned vaughan, he is top8 material no matter what your taste is, his improv is amazing not to mention his speed and straight up ability
Hey Sharp! Thanks for the Johnny Winter comment. He’s a top-notch player, but he really hasn’t received the recognition he deserves. There are several players like that. I have tried to mention many of them ; Ernie Isley, Eddie Hazel, Steve Howe, Roy Buchanan, Robert Fripp, Jesse Johnson of the Time, Robin Trower, Larry Coryell.
As for jazz, I have mentioned a little, but this particular site didn’t seem to really lend itself to “jazz” players, although there are several posts referencing Reinhardt, Fisk and a few others. Regarding Montgomery and Reinhardt. If you are going that direction you should consider “the ulitmate wes montgomery”, as chosen by George Benson on Verve Records. also, The Best of Reinhardt, on blue note records. Both give a great overview of their talents. Furthermore, if that’s a direction you really want to pursue, you MUST pickup some Charlie Christian, there are a couple of really good “box” sets out there. Same for Joe Pass, Virtuoso 1 and 2 are excellent choices. If you like jazzy rock, check out Lee Ritenour’s “into the night” the song ‘wicked wine’, in particular, but the entire LP is good, as are several of his older albums. Captain Fingers, Captain’s Journey, He has a greatest hits collection as well, find something that has “the sauce” he plays pretty well on that cut. You had mentioned Ernie Isley some time back, he has a solo release called “high wire” that shows his chops. Also, if you are just looking to hear him in general checkout; “Hope you feel better love”, the long version. “Summer Breeze” the long version, “Ballad for the fallen soldier”, CLimbing up the ladder” and Voyage to Atlantis. He has plenty of others, but these give you some indication of his playing style. Jesse Johnson has a cd called, “bare my naked soul” here, he really lets loose and shows his rock playing skills. Johnny Winter, “second winter” and “still alive and well” are excellent introductions done in 1969 and 1973 respectively. Pure blues, uncut, “nothing but the blues”, but it is not flashy, it’s Johnny Winter showing his TRUE mastery of the blues.
Have you listened to Enver Izmailov, the tap guitar player? real good. same with Nguyen Le, his album “purple” is a tribute to Hendrix, and the guy is really a hot player. Female players haven’t gotten much discussion. Occasionally, I’ll see a post about Lita Ford, but there are some really hot female players out there. Jane Getter, Sheryl Bailey, Joyce Cooling, Muriel Anderson, Badi Assad, handle the jazz/classical. Bonnie Raitt, Shannon Curfman play great blues, Jennifer Batten can play anything and there are a host of others I haven’t included.
one additional comment: I have noticed what players people mention when they post. For both guitar players and non guitar players, this is interesting, for it gives a great deal of insight into who and what you find hot! For instance, if one is debating SRV vs Clapton or Malmsteen v. Howe or Vai v. Satriani, it gives and indication to your own ear, your “preferred” playing style and what you find “good” or “appealing” in a certain “genre” of music. As a guitar player, I find this very interesting, for I can almost “hear” each person’s individual sound. An example: If you feel that SRV is a very hot blues player, chances are, if you play or would play, when you would be thinking of playing “hot” blues, SRV would come to mind, and although you may not “mimic” him, your sound, the Hendrix influenced double stops, the string bendings, the fast hammer ons and pull offs et al are definitely going to be part of your playing, whereas if BB King is your thing, you will probably have a more refined, soulful, style with a more traditional twist and concentrate on the development of a real strong vibrato/tremolo. Whereas if Johnny Winter is your thing, you might really focus on fast up tempo playing, many bends, and the use of “slide” playing. Same goes for the neoclassical metal shredder postings that have been posted. That’s one of the reason i think it’s so important to listen to as many players as possible, in as many different styles as possible. I just think it makes for a more versatile, trained ear and playing style. any comments?
when i hear some of the comments in hear, i want to grab the authors and say “what where you SMOKING?” It’s ridiculous. There’s all these guys with no self control just yelling stuff like BLAH BLAH BLAH HAMMET IS THE BEST EVER…DUH….IF THERE WAS A BEST EVER….UHHH….IT WOULD BE HAMMET….DURRURUURUUR!! Shut the hell up. If you don’t have something intelligent, purposeful, and furthermore TRUE to say, then just don’t say it, there’s enough people in here as it is.
REad my post then lol. I thought it was pretty backed up. Oh and Yes Charlie Christian is a must have. It’s nice to hear there are some people with a jazz tooth out there. Recently I’ve been listening to the JAzz drummers like Buddy Rich and Elven Jones, Ed Shaughnessy and Krupa. Good stuff.
And Hammet Might make the top 50 list if he’s lucky. And even then I have my doubts. Oh and my Favorite under rated player is Brian May.
Which reminds me, The Guitar world MAgazine list is much more accurate.
I like drummers also. I am partial to Narada Michael Walden, Billy Cobham, Tony Williams, Harvey Mason, alphonse mouzon and jack dejohnette. the guys you mentioned are also GREAT. especially, Rick and Jones. I also like wil calhoun from living colour, he’s very talented, and I had the opportunity to meet him once, he was very humble, down-to-earth and just generally really cool.
I meant Rich as in Buddy.
Out of the ones you listed I’d have to say I like HArvey MAson and Jack Dejohnette. I’ve wasted alot of time lately just looking up random drummers sites on Drummerworld. IT’s a good site they got some cool quicktime videos and stuff. And to answer your question earlier no I have not heard of Enver Aismalov. I try to listen to a little bit of everything so I’ll probably look him up later. I know this is a bit off Jazz but do you like Bonzo, Peart, Or Moon?? By the sounds of it I’m betting yes. Anyways later.
I JUST looked at the list and I saw that The Guy from the White Stripes is 17??? Holy Shit, that magazine doesnt deserve the name Rolling Stone, atleast not anymore.
when you say, bonzo, pert and moon, I assume you mean John Bonham, Neil Pert of rush and keith moon of the who? If so, yes I thought moon and bonham were exceptional, I listened to Rush a bit less, but Pert held the “bottom” together. Izmailov is a tap guitar player. He developed his technique independent of stanley jordan. he’s very impressive.
When we’re talking about drummers, you can’t forget Ginger Baker. Cream has sadly become a relatively obscure spectacle, aside from Clapton. Baker and Bruce are seriously underrated.
And as to what Tim inquired about earlier…I play, not in a band though. First of all, I wouldn’t say that I’m
Glad to hear J mention Robin Trower earlier on…the only man capable of playing Hendrix besides SRV and Hendrix Jimi. I’d say he’d belong in the top 100 had he been more influential and original. His skill cannot be denied. As a soloist, I think he’s far better than Hendrix was.
I’d add on to your list of guitarist who don’t get enough respect…Robbie Krieger and George Harrison. Members of two of the biggest bands ever…and yet they don’t get half the respect they really deserve. Damn Morrison, Lennon and McCartney.
Little known fact…Robbie Krieger is trained in flamenco (or maybe it’s not a little known fact, and I’m just stupid).
Haha No you’r not stupid. Yea Goerge Harrison is underrated most of the time. From random places he gets what he deserves, but for most sources they do underate him.
And ya I did mean Those 3 drummers, I shoulda built on that sorry. Anyways I’m tired so peace
Peart is also an excellent songwriter, he writes pretty much everything for Rush. Very talented guy.
Peart writes almost all of the lyrics for Rush, not the music. Plus he’s a published author.
Peart is insane! I mean I listen to alot of rock bands, but that guy can really play! I mean hell hes got the whole kit, and he knows how to play every piece of it too.
And to answer your question J,
I did understand what you were talking about to some extent. What were you talking about when you were talking about the pedals and slides? Because I dont really understand all of that, same with the whammy bar and the other bar thingy.lol Basicly just give me a heads up on what they all are and what they do as in effects etc.
Thanks bud
-Matt
I had to go back and read my post, matt. (lol) basically, the stuff you want to play or mentioned will eventually require a basic, actually an advanced knowledge of effects and slide playing. there are plenty of effects for the guitar and music in general. EVH uses a phaser pedal on eruption, hendrix often used the whammy bar or tremolo bar, that little piece that may hang down from the “brigde” of a guitar. if you watch hendrix in the band of gypsy video, he is using it when he is playing machine gun. slide playing, well check out duane allman, eric sardinas or johnny winter. it’s a small piece of glass or metal that you “slide” over your finger, usually the pinky finger and slide it along the strings. it gives a great sound. however, you would have “plenty” of time to learn it. I will tell you what a friend of mine who graduated from Berklee school of music told me once. he said, “if I had it to do all over again, I would play A LOT of songs. Learn songs man, learn songs.” get the basics down, then try to learn some songs, or parts of songs each week. start simple, like sharp mentioned. some easy beatles stuff is great. it’s not too difficult and it sounds good. just remember, you are new to the instrument, so just because we might say it “ain’t” too hard, doesn’t mean you won’t struggle with it at first. you have to learn to barre chords etc.., TAKE YOUR TIME. once you get it down, you can go to any good music store and talk to the clerks about effects. they will be MORE than happy to help you out.
I think I know what you are talking about with the slide thingy, if I am not mistaken..George Thurgood used or uses it when he plays…but again thats just a statement because I am not 100% sure on it. Yeah I will definently talk to clerks and such on all of the effects. I know on Voodoo Chile Stevie mutes the strings somehow which I am sure I will learn but he also uses a wah pedal if I am not mistaken. I am not exactly sure on what a wah pedal is, but I love the sound it makes with the guitar. Oh and another thing, I was surfing the web and I found a site that shows you guitar tabs. How in the blue heck do you read that thing? I mean I know how to read music to some extent because I am a trombone player so I know bass clefts. But like the tabs shows 7 lines or something like that as music and I just cant figure it out..lol
correction, it is 6 lines… and here is the link to one of the tab sites so you can see what I mean
http://www.guitaretab.com/v/va.....20231.html
reading tab is easy. here is a link to help you. guitar.about.com/library/blhowtoreadtab.htm
the stuff like b3 means bend the third string. su10 means slide up to the 10th fret. trust me matt, if you can deal with “all cows eat grass” and “good boys do fine always” in the bass clef, tab will be easy for you, once you get the hang of it. it was created to make it easier for non-reading players to learn stuff.
oooh ok, I never realized all that b stuff meant bend and the su meant slide up. I also am having a buddy of mine that I go to school with teach me some stuff about guitar and how to do it…mainly just to get some basics and such. Maybe you might remember him, he was the guy talking about Dave Matthews…he was CTR. But anyways, thanks and I will definently look into it.
Ok I went to the link you gave me and I learned ALOT, but I am still having a couple of problems about it tho. For instance I have no clue what a “hammer on”, “vibrato”, and a “pull off” all are. Can you explain to me? I was listening to Texas Flood and I was reading the Tab trying to follow along so I can get an idea and I will admit I did get lost about 2 times, but everything else was easy.
Thanks
Basic Guitar Techniques
Here is a quick explanation of the most common fretting-hand techniques used in guitar playing: bends, vibrato, hammer-ons and pull-offs. These techniques allow you to vary the sound of a picked note in various ways.
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Bends
Bending a note allows you to change the pitch of the note. For any given fretted note, you can increase the pitch smoothly by up to three or four semitones (half steps). The type of strings and guitar will affect how easily you can do these larger bends, but on most guitars (acoustic or electric) you should be able to manage a two semitone bend fairly easily.
A bend is achieved by pushing the string across the neck after you have picked it. Let’s say you want to play a note on the 5th fret of the top E string and then bend it up. Fret a note at the 5th fret in the usual way. Pluck the note with your picking hand, then start pushing the string with your fretting finger across the neck so that the E string moves towards the B string. (Normally, your fretting finger pushes straight down on the neck to fret the note – now, as well as pressing down, you need to push across the neck to bend the string).
As you bend the note, and the E string is pushed towards the B string, continue picking the string and you will hear the pitch of the note rise. Now, continue picking while you release the bend, and let the E string slowly move back to it’s normal position. Now you hear the pitch of the note drop.
One other technique related to bending is where you bend a note up without picking it. Only when the note is bent by the right amount do you pick the note and then release the bend. This way, you hear the pitch of the note fall after it has started.
This is basically all there is to bending and releasing notes. With some practice, you will learn how far you need to bend the string to raise the pitch of the note by one, two or three semitones. Judging the amount you need to bend the note takes time but really makes the difference between a good and poor-sounding bend, so this is something you should practice. Try the exercises below:
Exercises
The idea here is to practise bending a note at the 5th fret so that the final pitch of the bent note matches the pitch of a note fretted at the 7th fret. In other words, you want to bend the note by exactly two semitones (half-steps).
Play the tablature example below – you alternate playing fretted notes at the 5th and 7th frets with a note fretted at the 5th and then bent up two semitones. Try to get the pitch of the bent note to be the same as the pitch of the note fretted at the 7th fret. Play the notes slowly.
NB: b = bend, r = release bend
E—5—7—5b7—5—7—5b7———-
B————————————–
G————————————–
D————————————–
A————————————–
E————————————–
Now try something different. Instead of picking a note at the 5th fret and bending it up, you now bend the note without picking it, and once you have bent it by what you think is the right amount, you pick the note and then release the bend. When you pick the pre-bent note, it should have the same pitch as the note fretted at the 7th fret.
Because you don’t hear the note pitch change as you bend it, this is a more difficult exercise, but worth practising!
E—5—7—7r5—5—7—7r5———-
B————————————–
G————————————–
D————————————–
A————————————–
E————————————–
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Vibrato
Vibrato is the effect where the pitch of a note is varied rapidly so it rises and falls in a continuous cycle (think: opera singers!). For notes that are sustained, you can get some extra expression into the note using vibrato. On the guitar, the effect is achieved by doing a series of small bends and releases.
Let’s say you’re playing a note at the 5th fret of the top E string. Pick the note and bend it up in the usual way. Now release the bend and let the string go back to it’s usual position, now bend it again, then release again. You need to do the series of bend-release-bend-release smoothly and reasonably quickly. The effect you should get is a continuously varying (”wobbling”) pitch.
Clearly, the depth of the vibrato (how far the pitch varies from it’s normal value) and the rate of the vibrato (how quickly the pitch changes) can be varied by bending the note further each time, or by playing the bend-release cycle faster. As a rough guideline:
Vibrato depth: bend the note by a fairly small amount (less than a semitone)
Rate: aim to do a few (3-5) cycles of bend-release every second.
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Hammer-ons
This technique allows you to play two or more notes for every one note that you strike with the picking hand. Start by fretting a note at the 5th fret on the top E string using your first finger. Pick the string with the picking hand, then move the third finger of your fretting hand down onto the 7th fret in a ‘hammering’ action. The idea is to move the finger down sharply onto the neck so that the note at the 7th fret is heard. So, you pluck the string once, but hear the notes at the 5th and 7th frets. The sound is different to that produced by picking both notes – the hammer-on qives a quick transition between the two notes and slurs them together.
You can play more than hammer-on at once. Try picking a note at the 5th fret, top E string, hammering on with your second finger to the 6th fret, and then hammering on to the 7th fret with your third finger. You should be able to hear all three notes clearly, even though only the first one is picked.
The basic hammer-on technique should be fairly easy, although it takes time to develop the good coordination between left and right hand that is needed for faster hammer-on effects.
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Pull-offs
This almost the opposite of a hammer-on. Start with your first finger at the 5th fret on the top string, and your third finger at the 7th fret on the same string. Pluck the string to hear the note at the 7th fret, then pull your third finger away from the string in a sideways motion. Keep some downwards pressure on the neck with this finger so that when the finger leaves the string it performs a kind of pluck of its own, and you hear the note at the 5th fret. As with the hammer-on, you hear two or more notes for every one that is picked.
Exercise
Once you have got used to the basic hammer-on and pull-off techniques, you should be able to put together a whole sequence of hammer-ons and pull-offs so that you only need to hit the string once with the picking hand – all the other notes are sustained by the hammer-on and pull-off actions. Try the example below, which uses a hammer-on to the 7th fret, followed by a pull-off to the 5th fret, then another hammer-on to the 7th, and so on:
NB: h = hammer-on, p = pull-off
E—5h7p5h7p5h7p5h7p5h7p5h7p5————–
B——————————————
G——————————————
D——————————————
A——————————————
E——————————————
Try to keep an even rhythm and loudness for all of the notes. With practise, you should be able to keep this kind of sequence going almost indefinitely.
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Copyright © Howard Wright 2003-2004
matt,
you really need to “see” it being done. ask CTR to demonstrate, if possible. consider visiting guitaralliance on the internet, they have videos. also checkout blackbeltguitar.com their stuff is free and you can learn a great deal.
Alright, will do. You know I was sitting here watching my SRV video and I was checking out his guitar and a question came to mind. The question is that there is a switch thingy, and like 3 knobs on the guitar. I know 2 are for tone and one is for volume. Obviously the volume knob either increases or decreses volume, but what are the tone knobs and the little switch for? My friend said something about the switch being for if you want the guitar to go “solo” or something like that. Fill me in if you can, please.
the usage of tone and volume knobs go hand in hand with using the pickups depending on the type of guitar. are you playing a strat, les paul, etc.., zachary guitars (google search)has an excellent mp3 where the model artist plays a song/solo using varying degrees of tone and volume on the bridge pickup, the neck pickup. hendrix was great at using his tone/control knobs and the pickups. your friend was probably talking about playing in general, versus rhythm playing, then kicking in and “going or playing” solo. the toggle switch moves from pickup to pickup with emphasis. once you playing get really good, you can start studying tone more, how to get “that” sound you want. I hope that helps, if not, I can give you much more detail.
Ha, yeah thats pretty confusing..lol..I might need a little bit more on that if ya could. Im trying to find a site to go to so I can watch different tones to play guitar with and I am trying to find a website that might be able to show me how to play different songs by my favorite artists. What do you think of 12-string guitars? Is it something I should look into? Or should I stick with a 6 string for now.
Does the tone knobs have anything to do with how the guitarist from LOS LONELY BOYS was able to get his guitar to have that light clean sound in the song “HOW FAR IS HEAVEN”? Because I have been trying to figure out how they were able to do that because that is really a cool sound to have, I like that clean sound a bit.
I’m not familiar enough with How Far As Heaven is to try and answer Matt’s question, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
Also…in reference to the pickup switch…also a critical thing when it comes to playing certain songs the right way. Eddie Van Halen’s guitars are made with only the back pickup because everything he plays is with heavy distortion. Songs like Up Around The Bend, by Creedence Clearwater Revival also use the back pickup (of course, it’s also played on a hollow bodied electric, which creates a very unique sound).
I don’t know the band that well either, other than seeing them in a commercial. However, usually the usage of your pickups, amp, tone knobs etc.., has a great deal to do with the “tone” or sound you get. I can’t answer the specific question, but when I want a warmer sound, I tend to use “humbucking” pickups like those on a les paul or an ES-335, I also might turn down the treble and elevate the bass a little and tend to play on the neck pick up. when I want a “searing” high pitch sound, I might use a Strat or single pick guitar, fool around with the tone knobs, and play more on the bridge pick up. that’s why i mentioned google searching zachary guitars. they actually play an example and the guitarist tells you what he is doing. so one solo sound very Eddie Hazelish, another Hendrixish, etc.., and these guitars only have two 1 switch and 2 knobs!
try this web link for more information on tone, pick-ups etc..,
http://www.guitarlizard.com/ba.....kups.shtml
as far as the 12 string; I qwould master the 6 string first, then you can move on to 12string and fretless guitars if you like.
this might help: it’s from the net.
The knobs on the guitar are usually volume knobs and tone (treble/bass) knobs. Depending on the guitar and how many pickups there on the guitar, depends on which knobs do what. If there is only one knob then it is volume. If there are two knobs and one pickup, then one knob is the volume and one knob changes the tone from a bass sound to a treble sound. If there are multiple knobs and multiple pickups they are either volume controls for each pickup or a combination of volume controls and tone controls. Some knobs can be pushed in or pulled out a bit to make different functions, like making the guitar louder or turning the guitar off or changing which pickup is active.
When you guys were saying how you aren’t framiliar with HOW FAR IS HEAVEN, I started thinking of a way to compare their sound. Their sound is a sound that Carlos Santana used most of the time, do you see what I mean? It is a very light/high pitched sound. I mean its not a squall or anything, its more of a crisp,clean, sound. I will send you a link that has the music video of the song and you can watch/listen to it and then give me your aspect of it. Just make sure you have a media player of some sort..lol
Ok Im going to send you the link, Im sure you can go from here but I am going to go ahead and say what to do lol. Ok once you get to the site, there is a picture of the band, if you go down just a little bit you will see a section called “videos” and Heaven is the second one. Just click then kick back and relax and enjoy the show..ha.
http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/.....tid=227058
Ok I got a pretty good question here, I have been wondering this for a long time too. The question is..well first of all I have a video called VAN HALEN LIVE WITHOUT A NET and in the video Eddy plays a guitar that doesnt have a head at the end, its just a neck. My question is..what in the blue heck is that guitar?..lol I mean it looks soooo weird, but it also gives out a bit of a different sound also. So whoever can or feels like answering it, PLEASE DO SO!
Thank you all! You have no idea how much I really appreciate this, I really appreciate the time you all(sharp & J) take to answer my questions especially you J! I wish there was something I could do in return but I dont play guitar…yet lol.
Thanks again!
-Matt
I think those guitars are soooo ugly. Doesnt winter usually use one????
first off Matt, all you need to do it start playing the guitar and EXPRESS yourself. that will be more than enough for me. you ask all the “right” questions, and you have the enthusiasm necessary to be a very good player one day. I highly recommend visiting blackbeltguitar.com it will start you off on the right “foot” so to speak. now the guitars that you are talking about are quite popular. go to musiciansfriend.com and look up “traveler pro guitar. it is a unique design. now Johnny Winter, (one of my favs) plays some specially designed laser thing. (don’t ask me) (lol) but an article was written in a recent issue of “guitar techniques” magazine. guitartechniques.com
also, unfortunately, my computer wouldn’t let me see the los lonely boys video, so I will download the song and see if I can tell you what they are using. By the way Matt, Eruption isn’t very difficult to play. I meant to tell you that. once you see and learn the “tapping” technique, you might be a litte angry. (lol) however, you will realize how easy some things that sound “difficult” actually are. guitarspeed.com which is referenced at blackbelt guitar can teach you how to develop speed and will teach you how to tap. I recommend that you equip yourself with as many guitar skills as possible, for it will only add to your personal creativity. Just DON’T get ahead of yourself. like you mentioned the 12 string. hold off, don’t worry. it is only used in “certain” situations anyway. if you want to play it, somewhere down the line, and I mean a few years, get a double neck guitar, so you can switch back and forth. the first time I actually saw someone play a doubleneck was back in 1976, it was neil schon of journey. I thought he was SO cool. Then I learned about the 12 string. for me, I haven’t had much use for it, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t useful. since you want to be frugal, i suggest blackbeltguitar, and a good inexpensive electric guitar. i am also high on doug mark’s metal method, because you can sound good in minimum time. give yourself at least one year of good playing before you judge your progress. how much time should you practice? that depends on you. 30 minutes to an hour is great, but if you can do more, by all means do so. when I was around your age, I practiced 8 hours daily, but i didn’t have all the technology available today. if I did, I would have practiced about 4 hours a day and made equal progress.(lol) also, although I have visited this site frequently, I won’t always have the time I have now to do so, but, post anything you want to know, for if I don’t know it, I have several buddies who are playing pro’s here in NY that LIVE for developing guitar players. However, first, get an axe! (lol) read the philosophy on the blackbeltguitar site. this is a lifetime commitment. TAKE YOUR TIME. You young guys have SO much time ahead of you. I recommend taking the next 10 years and determining where you want to be. Be reasonable, because I am sure you are going to go to college, and I must say COLLEGE IS ONE OF THE GREATEST EXPERIENCES YOU CAN HAVE!!!!!!!!!!! It’s a lot better if you can play guitar too! (lol)with all due respect, if your parents are like me, or like mine were, they probably ain’t paying for a music degree. (lol) but that doesn’t stop you from playing and meeting plenty of great players! so good luck, don’t worry about tone, effects or any of that stuff, just START PLAYING. everything else will come.
where the hell is yngwie malmsteen :|
Haha Im sorry that I am getting annoying on it all and I KNOW I need to get an axe but I am tight on money for the month. Im talking to my parents about Christmas gifts and I am hoping to borrow one(out of 6) of my friends guitars that he has so I can just start practicing to see if I even like it….so I dont have to pay alot of money on a guitar. Do you have any suggestions? I mean I like those Fender Stratocasters ALOT but my friend says they are pieces of crap and I also like those Gibson Les Pauls too. But I guess those are expensive though. I just I am “facinated” with guitars to the point that I havnt ever had one to play…even though I have my cousins guitar a little bit and I must say I sucked HARDCORE..haha. I am getting better at the Tab music, I was listenen to a song called BEST OF BOTH WORLDS by Van Halen, and I was following the tabs along just so I could read how it all went. It was easy and and fun if I say so myself!
Well I am gonna have to go, I got school tomorrow!
Later dude/s
-Matt
matt,
i recommend you go to a site list musiciansfriend.com and check out an inexpensive starter kit. no need to buy a strat or les paul yet, you haven’t started to play. get an inexpensive but decent starter copy and build your chops first. Kramer also offers a starter electric guitar that’s really inexpensive.
Yea start off with a cheap guitar, you never know if you’ll stick with it. My first guitar is a red Jay turser classic and let me tell you it sucks a hell of alot. I even had to get a custom tuning knobs made because they don’t even make the style anymore(because it kind fell off…twice!!). My point is that you might like it just as much, or more as an expensive one anyways.
Today I played for 2 hours, I’ve had a rough weekend and there’s nothing like some slow Jazz to calm me down…ACtually…Now that I think about it, I think guitar is the only obsessive compulsive thing I do haha.Which is a good thing except when I have important things to do. And I know this is off topic because I am a rambler. But I keep it short.
Anyways, when I invent a time machine I’m going back to the hot clubs in the 30’s-50’s. Bye
ooooooook that was kinda odd and random but yeah you knock yourself out with the whole time machine thingy… :/
Anyways thanks for everything guys, this will probly be the last you hear from me unless its just to comment about other people’s oppinions on the Top 10.
Thanks again! You have no idea how much I appreciate this
-Matt
Peace out Matt, good to have been able to talk to you. Keep playing, hope to hear from you again one day.
take care matt! like sharp said, “keep playing.” Keep listening! Listen to EVERYBODY, even if you Hate them. try to find something redeeming in their playing. The guitar “spoke” to you, it’s a special fraternity (non gender-based)(lol)give it your all, and it will one day REWARD YOU!
in rhythm, melody and harmony
And just out of curiosity, if you don’t mind sharing, what guitars do you own J? (seems to be the only thing I haven’t asked about in here, lol)
a strat, gibson es-335, oscar schmidt delta king OE30 semi hollow body, Ibanez telemax electric/acoustic. will purchase a telecaster and les paul soon. also want a yamaha pacifica model. couple of the inexpensive ones, and the more expensive mike stern model.
Jeez, J. Your collection is loaded, lol.
duane allman is by far and away my favorite guitar player of alltime. some of his songs give me chills like blue sky and some of his great slide guitar work on that great Derek and the Dominoes album. Anybody who thinks he doesn’t belong on the top 10 has poor taste.
It’s been well established that Allman is in the top ten, I believe…I place him somewhere around seven, after BB King, but before Eddie Van Halen.
Just throwing out my ever growing list of underrated guitarists.
Joe Satriani
Steve How
George Harrison
Robin Trower
David Gilmour
Ry Cooder
Tom Scholtz
Tommy Shaw
Elliot Randall
Andy Summers
Alex Lifeson
Brian May
Jose Feliciano
Jason Becker
Syd Barret
Lindsey Buckingham
Joe Walsh
Don Felder
Tom Morello
Dickey Betts
Neil Young
Stephen Stills
Terry Kath
Martin Barre
Robert Randolph
What does everyone think of Jason Becker? Maybe I’m a tad naive, but I’ve never seen anyone play as fast as that man, not even Malmsteen.
I also don’t know why everybody is so in love with Jimmy Page here. Is this forum filled with 15 year olds because that’s the age area he apeals to? Everybody in that band is so overrated. I’m not even sure way I liked them in the first place.
you forgot dave davies of the kinks
Interesting that you bring up Dave Davies, when the person you were just hating on in your previous post plays on You Really Got Me In Place of Davies.
He is underrated though, I’ll throw him in.
As for Jimmy Page. As my knowledge has increased as I’ve played more and more, I’ve began to realize that Jimmy Page can be very sloppy (in concert, I mean). But on record, that man is flawless, he is the standard for rock guitar, the prototype. Capable of playing different styles of guitar very well. Good soloist, influence out the wazoo, musically knowledgable despite being self taught. The man might be the most solid all around musician amongst any guitarist in rock history.
And don’t hate on Zeppelin, they have only become overrated because of Stairway To Heaven. And really, that song is underappreciated by novice guitarists. For one, because they learn it off tab websites, which are incorrect…and two, they have the balls to call the song “easy” when they play it wrong.
I’m done ranting for now…you can look for more of my “anti online tabs” hating tomorrow.
yeah I know he did the guitar in that song. It was very nice but alot of his and Zepplin songs just give me headaches. This is just MY top ten favorite.
1. Duane Allman not even close really stinks that he died at 24
2. Eric Clapton
3. Jimmy Hendrix
4. Stevie Ray Vaughn just like hendrix and Allman life cut way too short
5. Chuck Berry
6. Eddie Van Halen
7. Jeff Beck
8. Pete Townsend
9. Martin Barre of Jethro Tull (I love Jethro Tull)
10. Dicky Betts
Well it’s pretty obvious you’re an Allman Brothers fan. I’d say you have Duane a tad high (I place him at seventh), but, hey, close enough. Martin Barre, VERY underrated.
Not sure why you have SRV so high, and no Hendrix at all, considering they’re pretty much the same player.
Pete Townshend might be the most underrated guitarist in rock. Van Halen has even said for rhythm guitar, there is none better than Pete Townshend. He doesn’t do drawn out solos, but his riffs are flawless.
Nobody has any love for Jason Becker?
http://www.jasonbecker.com/
If anyone wants to check that out, that would be nice. Watch some of the clips of him playing. Most of his stuff is just going through scales really fast, but he’s excellent. Very very fast. And he has Lou Gherig’s Disease, so he can’t play anymore. Sad really.
My sound card is messed up so I’ll have to listen to it off my computer at work on monday. Off subject but you do you think is the best drummer? I like Keith Moon the most. Also the guy from Cream was great also.
I like Keith Moon a lot, he’s pretty much universally regarded as the greatest. A alot of drummers also like Steve Gadd, who has done most of his work with Clapton.
Neil Peart, from Rush, and Ginger Baker, from Cream, are also excellent. Phil Collins, also a personal favorite, Don Henley (mostly because they sing and play at the same time, not the cheesy Dave Grohl sing/play at same time stuff, they literally sing entire songs).
Sharp,
once again you have made a very “astute” observation regarding jimmy page. I don’t know if you remember a post on this site by “captain x.” He’s a good friend of mine, and he has played professionally, stopped and is beginning to get “back in the game.” we play together every so often. one day we were talking about jimmy page, and he made the same observation about his playing. tremendous in the studio, a “mess” live. then he pointed out that for awhile he couldn’t figure out what the problem was. then he noticed that Page plays his guitar VERY low when he’s playing live, and in the studio his technique is more “proper.” Roy Buchanan talked about playing his guitar up high, “like a bib.” he said he got it from Les Paul, for Paul said, “that’s where all the playing is. right up there in front of you.” Vernon Reid of living colour likes to play with his axe higher than normal, as well. It gives a similar feel to “sitting down.”
Yeah, right on J. You combine that with the fact that Jimmy Page was a crazy heroine junky, you’re bound to get disastrous solos like on How The West Was Won (messy, sloppy, overly drawn out).
1 Jimi Hendrix – nobody did what he did. his revolutionary rock/blues avant garde soloing was inspirational. He saw the beauty in the unharmonic blasts of feedback. He also had a feel for the guitar that can’t be compensated by any amount of technique.
2 Andres Segovia – Pure genius, i cannot put into words what this magnificent player has done for every single guitarist out there.
3 Yngwie Malmsteen – I’ve never seen such speed and physical percision in any player ever. He is clearly among the most elite guitarists ever. If you doubt me, listen to “Far Beyond the Sun”
4 Albert King – He is soulful, pure, and has unleaded blues power. His guitar rifts were simple, yet they spoke volumes not heard by the ears.
5 SRV – My favorite player here. I think Stevie is highly underrated. He has so much soul and the guitar playing skills to back it up. Listen to his version of Voodoo Child.
6 Johnny Winter – An amazingly unknown player who is by far one of the best guitarists i’ve seen. I have nothing bad to say about Johnny.
7 Steve Vai – a guitar master, vai has a weird sorta “i play the guitar, so what?” attitude about. I love his awesome single note runs.
my brain hurts….i’ll leave the rest of the list later…
I used to laugh at my dad when he told me Duane Allman was the Greatest guitar player ever before he gave his greatest collection and the Derek and the Dominoes album. Although the man was obsessed with Clapton’s music not sure why he didn’t tell me it was him, lol. On a side note. my favorite singer of alltime is Ray Davies of the Kinks. The dude has the best voice to listen to IMHO.
blue wild angel, I definitely want to read the rest of your list. so far, I am in complete agreement! moreover, you are one of the first to mention and give proper respect to “johnny winter.” your commentary on each player mentioned is direct and on point!
3 Yngwie Malmsteen – I’ve never seen such speed and physical percision in any player ever. He is clearly among the most elite guitarists ever. If you doubt me, listen to “Far Beyond the Sun”
You should listen to Jason Becker. You know the song Black Star? Becker was playing that in high school, with the kneck stuck in between his legs, none the less.
okay Sharp, I’ll fish. you have been “hyping” Jason Becker lately. (smile) obviously, you have seen or heard something recently that has really excited you about this great player. other than the link to his site you posted, what is it? what has impressed you the most? I lean towards Malmsteen for much the same reason I lean towards jimi. Yngwie is the “modern” father of neoclassical playing, giving deference to Ritchie Blackmore, of course. However, what do you think one should listen to regarding jason becker? I am willing to listen to more, for he’s very talented. I wasn’t aware he had lateral sclerosis? That is a horribly debilitating disease. I had a client that had ALS, it is one of the most horrible things I have seen, just how one “wastes” away.
I’ve been trying to get a little bit more into shred type guitar lately, and so far, Becker has been my favorite player (although I’m sure part of that is sympathy points because of him having ALS).
Perpetual Burn! It’s great…although most of his stuff is just playing scales very fast, the sheer speed is enough to amaze. Malmsteen is great too, however.
1. Eric Clapton
2. Jimi Hendrix
3. Duane Allman
4. Jimmy Page
5. Jerry Garcia
6. B.B. King
7. Stevie Ray Vaughn
8. Keith Richards
9. Robert Johnson
10. Trey Anastasio of Phish
yeah sharp I’m like that too. I seem to love the guitar players who died more then the ones that are living.
When did I say I liked dead guitarists better? lol
Considering that my personal favorite (Eric Clapton) is definitely still breathing and playing, as is my second favorite (Jimmy Page)…well, there goes that theory.
Becker is actually still alive, but he is incapable of moving as a result of his disease.
Ranking guitarists is impossible IMO. It all comes done to what type of music you like. I love Blues music and like the slide guitar the most. I hate bands that are heavy rock lock Zepplin, ACDC, Metalica ect… So to have a biased opionon towards them. BTW, one of my favorite guitar playing in a song is Presense of the Lord by Blind Faith (Clapton) for some strange reason I get chills hearing it.
peter, i agree somewhat with what you have said, but only to a point. for instance, most long time guitar players are much more capable of assessing the playing ability/skills of players, regardless of their style or how much they may like the style. they will provide a caveat stating that while they don’t like say classical, the appreciate the playing of Julian Bream, and his ‘technique’ is more crisp and effective than say Slash. I have refrained from ranking players, why? one reason, i just can’t do it, too many good players, too many things to review. also, i believe that once you reach a certain level, you are able to ‘develop’ your own style and choose how you want to perfect your craft. you like slide. do you like johnny winter, how about muddy waters or lightin hopkins. most folks will like duane allman, yet haven’t really branched out into other players. i have noticed that many folks make statements, yet they haven’t heard 2% of the guitar players out there. moreover, they haven’t made allowances for changes in technology et al. So yes, i believe you are ABSOLUTELY correct about the VAST majority of people stating their opinions. they are most likely based on their musical tastes. however, most of the folks i know have played for years, many professionally. they are a bit more “refined” in their criticisms, and more willing to examine one’s playing ability based on what genre the player “makes their home.” as you know, certain disciplines require a more “strict” approach to playing. classical is an excellent example. oftentimes, they hold the guitar on the left leg with the foot elevated so that the head of the guitar is at eye level. their approach to picking (with a plectrum) is also slightly different. many players incorporate those techniques, but other great players don’t. for instance, steve morse likes to anchor his pinky of his picking hand for additional stability and speed. SRV used his thumb a great deal on his left hand, so did hendrix. rock has been notorious for NOT particularly paying attention to the “strict” canons of guitar technique, yet the discipline has produced many fine players. and of course, the new technicians of the day led by Malmsteen, Vai, Gilbert, Becker, Satch and others are very well-trained musicians. note i didn’t use the term “technically skilled) for it implies their is ONE perfect technique, when in actuality technique is really nothing more than how a specific player accomplishes what they do.
so when looking at a player, i as well as others, are always attracted to those who are playing what we like to hear, yet, it is possible to remove our bias and analyze the skills of the player and make an informed statement regarding their playing. There are several players with “flawless” playing ability, like Malmsteen, George Benson, Segovia, Paco De lucia and others, yet there are other players who while not playing with the same degree of consistent accuracy or attention to “standard” detail have made better music and are equally skilled. hendrix, beck, t-bone walker, wes montgomery to name a few. I think that the longer one plays, the more they acknowledge the skills of players who play in genres they don’t really like, yet will note their “preference” for players that play stuff they do like.
I’m sure you realize this J, but I’m going to state it anyway…
The reason that many (and I’d dare say most) rock guitarists have relatively poor technique is because they are mostly self taught. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eddie Van Halen are two excellent examples. SRV (Hey, I’m listening to Texas Flood right now) tends to use his thumb on his fretting hand, sometimes just because it’s the way he holds his instrument, and sometimes to dead off the bottom E. Eddie Van Halen holds his pick between his thumb and middle finger, which makes finger picking difficult (of course, I’ve realized this is probably more because it allows him to tap easier than anything).
Rock guitarists with classical training tend to be able to do things with their fingers that straight up rock players can’t. That’s because classical demands just that much more of your fingers. Randy Rhoads has a bit of classical training, as does Jimmy Page. Martin Barre might be classically trained from what I know about him. While there is nothing that makes any of these players any better than a self taught man (a la Hendrix, SRV, Van Halen), classical training does give you a better understanding of music in some ways, and it can expand the borders of your playing much farther than learning to play by self transcribing Jimmy Page licks ever could (not saying that they’re better once again…those who were trained lack things that the self taught guys tend to have).
There are so many things wrong with this list, and a lot of them have been covered. But my two cents: you just can’t have a list without Charlie Christian (was the first to use lead guitar playing in an ensemble), Django Reinhardt (Perhaps the best jazz guitarist ever), and Chet Atkins (no explanation needed). I can live with Satriani and Vai not being on the list, but not with the guys they put up instead of them. In my humble opinion, Kirk Hammet was too high. He definitely should be on the list, but he is overrated because he played in Metallica, whose songs were always 100 miles an hour. There were other guitarists in the speed metal genre who were just as good as him, like Alex Skolnick of Testament, but didn’t happen to have the songwriting talent around them that Hammet did. Vernon Reid had the same problem. When it came right down to it, he could (and probably still can) play circles around anyone. And if Rolling Stone hadn’t completely sold out already, I’d put their inclusion of Jack White on the list as body of evidence. That’s it.
Dan,
I am in agreement with you. The RS list reflects its readership. no real list of guitar players could leave of reinhardt, christian and NUMEROUS others, and institute jack white et al. we realize this. As for Vernon Reid, I don’t know why he doesn’t get more acknowledgement. he’s great. I’ve met and talked to him. he loves guitar playing and is very, very knowledgable. moreover, his playing is constantly evolving. it shows on the progression of the living colour lp’s up through collidescope and his solo efforts with some tremendous artists. most recently the “tao of yo.”
Sharp, I agree. I am classically,as well as jazz trained. I always go back to basic classical training techniques to overcome any tensions and difficulties I encounter with my playing. I still perform exercises like “posing”, “walking the fingers” “heavy arm” and the like. When I bend or use vibrato, I apply my classical training. but, I am all for those who prefer to be self-taught, especially nowadays, there’s enough information to accomplish the task with relative ease.
The rock guitarists listed are good but with careful study at my studio in my university where I work I have come to the conclusion that the best rock guitarist is easily Angus Young. He is by far the most underrated guitarist. Listen carefully to his solos and you can notice that he doesnt have to try hard at all, I have listened to his testing albums created for comparing guitarists and he does better than even Hendrix in his testing album. Just to let you know testing albums are for guitarists to show off their best skill.
you’re kidding right?
Dear TJ,
I’d really like to know how you judge how “hard” Angus Young is trying. Do you think that because he is jumping around and bobbing his head like a mad man while on stage automatically means what he does is “effortless”?
Apparently, you have finally showed me what it looks like when a guy who has no idea what he’s talking about tries to act like he does. Your studio at your university, eh?
I’ve learned a lot since I’ve began posting here, and one thing I automatically assumed coming into this was that if you weren’t a good soloist, you weren’t all that great. That is a VERY limiting view on guitar, because you wind up ignoring some truly amazing players, like Robert Johnson, George Harrison, Pete Townshend, Keith Richards, Phil Keaggy, etc.
That said, I’m an AC/DC and Angus Young fan. He’s one of my personal favorites. I’d say he’s one of the greatest rock guitarists that have ever lived.
But as you’ve said that, give me one thing that makes him better than any of these rock guitarists:
Eric Clapton
Jimi Hendrix
Jimmy Page
Carlos Santana
Steve Howe
Jeff Beck
Randy Rhoads
Eddie Van Halen
David Gilmour
Don Felder
Robin Trower
Brian May
Robbie Krieger
I just want your expert, and apparently “university certified” opinion.
TJ,
Angus Young doesn’t come close to jimi hendrix, although he’s a good self taught musician, and I love him. Moreover, on your “testing” albums, what are the criteria? what samples are you using? what is you standard or baseline? how can you possibly tell from a studio study if someone is trying “hard” or not. No disrespect, but whatever do you mean. Guys like Hendrix, Clapton, heck most of the players Sharp mentioned and I could name thousands of others, “flow” in their playing. Johnny Winter is NEVER stuck, NEVER. Most good players know how to move from note to note without any difficulty, making what may actually be a mistake appear to be a clever “accent” of “switch” in the music. Also, what University is doing these studies? I have friends currently at Berklee, GIT and several major universities that are studying music. I am not familiar with “testing” albums. Moreover, prior to writing this post, I contact 4 good friends, and professional guitar players. 2 of them are playing RIGHT NOW. 1 is a session/studio player for over 20 years. NONE of them have ever heard of what you mentioned. I have been asked to ask you the following. Who is the pioneer of this technology? what does it involve? once again, at what university(s) or studios does this take place. Are there any in NYC? How is it possible to compare a guitar player’s ease of playing without comparing each guitar player to the other playing on the exact same passage of music? How many solos of players were analyzed? what solos were analyzed? who is making the determination? in other words, who set the standard and what is the standard?
I have more, but it would take us into overload. once you provide the answers to the aforementioned questions. I will list the dozens of others.
thanks!
I have also been ask to ask another question! to all who post here, but especially those who post on a regular basis.
Who are you favorite guitarists “non-rock?” If you don’t have any that you have listened to exclusively, then: who have you heard about that is “supposedly” a great player, that you have been meaning to listen to?
odd question, yes. but “inquiring” minds would like to know!! (smile)
what do you guys think of Mick Box from Uriah Heep and Leslie West from Mountian?
I am much more familiar with leslie west. jack bruce once said: ” I have played with many great guitar players, but this guy is the best.” I think that says it all. I don’t agree that he’s better than clapton, but then again, I’m not Jack Bruce, am I. Leslie West is very, very, very good. moreover, I could listen to him all night. Mississippi Queen is for me, one of the greatest songs of all time. Not complicated, but it Moves you! Uriah Heep never really caught my attention, although what I heard was pretty good. I’d really need to listen to more to provide an opinion on the guitarist you mentioned. just my thoughts.
JERRY GARCIA BEHIND KURT COBAIN???? COBAIN SUCKED!!!!!!!
TREY ANASTASIO AT 73??? MORE LIKE TOP 20
YOU WANNA HEAR TREY, HARRY HOOD 10 MINUTE MARK TO THE END AMAZING OR
YOU ENJOY MYSELF OFF OF THE ALBUM A LIVE ONE
1. CLAPTON
2. HENDRIX
3. ALLMAN
4. GARCIA
5. PAGE
to answer your question. I don’t listen to much music other then Blues/Rock. But I really like Jim Croce. He’s very simple but has a beautiful sound. Willie Nelson also is nice to listen to.