Top 200 Rock Guitarists in Rock History
Image Source - By Andreas Lawen, Fotandi - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42408352
- Category :Music
Certain guitarists have taken guitar playing to a new level. The space below is a tribute to the best guitar players in rock history.
The different playing styles and techniques guitarists exhibit is exemplary. While every guitarist aims to bring about uniqueness and identity with their creative approach towards the instrument, not all succeed. What sets apart guitar players from the rest is their ability to comprehend different guitar styles and guitar techniques, and the ability to phrase musical knowledge creatively to create brand new identity in a musical context.
Guitar Players in Rock History: Signature Technique and Style
Along with technique, its feel and phrasing that puts certain guitar players in a league of their own. Rock guitarists with the ability to convey a range of emotions with their guitar solos and rhythm playing connect with a wide audience. Since early days in rock, it’s guitar players with unique guitar sensibilities that have mesmerized with their music.
Over the years, the styles and techniques that have emerged in the realms of rock are unbelievable. A fascinating fact about guitarists is the musical roles they play with a band/s and/or on their solo albums.
Music history reveals guitarists engage in a wider exploration of ideas and experimental concepts on their solo albums than on albums with their band. The creativity and free-flow ideas of guitarists are often curbed in accordance with lyrical structure of a song while playing with bands. However, on solo instrument rock albums guitar players are able to express their musical ideas and convey them precisely.
The musical choices and preferences in terms of gear vary drastically among guitar players. When we listen to iconic guitarists in rock history we realize every guitarist has a signature style that gives unique identity to their guitar work. Another aspect guitarists are particular about is tone. Every guitar player likes to have a unique identity with their guitar tone. The warmth in guitar tone results from different aspects associated with guitar playing and studio techniques, amp-setup and string attack in particular. A number of rock guitar players use different types of fingerstyle and plectrum plucking patterns for variation and warmth in tone production.
Every decade in rock music has had guitar gods that have mesmerized the world with their approach towards the guitar. While guitarists that incorporate technicality in their guitar playing are often taken to the whipping post by music critics citing lack of feel in their music, it’s a known fact that technique-oriented guitar players showcase guitar playing abilities that may not be understood by the general public, other than the guitar playing community.
Few guitar players have displayed sheer class by combining poetic feel along with technical aspects in guitar playing. The right hand technique and left had techniques of rock guitar players have been often discussed by communities on various online forums. Technique and feel when combined gives aesthetic sensibilities to guitar playing. Rock guitarists employ a variety of picking techniques and picking styles in their music. Mentioned below are popular techniques incorporated by rock guitar players.
Picking Styles and Techniques Rock Guitar Players Employ
- Flatpicking
- Alternate Picking
- Gypsy Picking
- Harmonics
- Hammer-ons and Pull-offs
- Sweep Picking
- Artificial Harmonics
- Left-Hand Muting
- Dive Bomb
- String Skipping
- Pinch Harmonics
- Arpeggios
- Legato
- String Bending
- Pick Tapping
- Economy Picking
- Tapping
- Palm Muting
The lines below showcase a list of diverse rock guitarists from a wide range of rock genres who have taken guitar playing to new levels. The list is not a ranking, but a celebration of incredible guitar players.
200 Greatest Guitar Players in Rock History
- Allan Holdsworth
- Jimi Hendrix
- Frank Zappa
- Jeff Beck
- Guthrie Govan
- Al Di Meola
- Carlos Santana
- Jimmy Page
- Robben Ford
- David Gilmour
- Greg Howe
- Joe Walsh
- Blues Saraceno
- Steve Morse
- Tony Iommi
- Steve Vai
- Ritchie Blackmore
- Paul Gilbert
- Eric Clapton
- Dick Dale
- Billy Gibbons
- Yngwie Malmsteen
- Duane Eddy
- John Petrucci
- Andy Summers
- Brian May
- Jeff ‘Skunk’ Baxter
- Gary Moore
- Steve Miller
- John McLaughlin
- Marty Friedman
- Robby Krieger
- Stevie Ray Vaughan
- Robin Trower
- Jake E. Lee
- Shawn Lane
- Eric Johnson
- Michael Lee Firkins
- Danny Gatton
- Jan Akkerman
- Jason Becker
- Steve Hackett
- Joe Satriani
- Gary Rossington
- Vinnie Moore
- Alvin Lee
- Dimebag Darrell
- Tony MacAlpine
- Dickey Betts
- Richie Kotzen
- Duane Allman
- Mick Ralphs
- Steve Howe
- Eddie Van Halen
- Slash
- Jerry Garcia
- Rory Gallagher
- John Frusciante
- Uli Jon Roth
- Michael Schenker
- Scott Gorham
- Brett Garsed
- Jeff Healy
- Mattias IA Eklundh
- Keith Richards
- Alex Lifeson
- Joey Tafolla
- Michael Romeo
- Jennifer Batten
- Alex Skolnick
- Neal Schon
- Tak Matsumoto
- Glen Tipton
- Steve Lynch
- Jorma Kaukonen
- Scott Henderson
- Randy Rhodes
- Mark Knopfler
- Paul Kossoff
- Mike Bloomfield
- Zakk Wylde
- Joe Stump
- Reb Beach
- Neil Zaza
- Ted Nugent
- Chris Broderick
- Kee Marcelo
- Dan Huff
- Randy Bachman
- Tosin Abasi
- David Torn
- Kirk Hammett
- Rik Emmett
- Akira Takasaki
- Jan Cyrka
- Ron Jarzombek
- Frank Gambale
- Shaun Baxter
- Rick Nielsen
- Synyster Gates
- Ty Tabor
- Chris Impellitteri
- John Sykes
- Michael Angelo Batio
- George Kooymans
- Pete Townshend
- Todd Grubbs
- Francesco Fareri
- Tom Scholz
- David Chastian
- Vito Bratta
- Tom Morello
- Carl Verheyen
- Steve Lukather
- Christophe Godin
- Keith Richards
- Orianthi
- Joe Perry
- Lars Eric Mattsson
- Nuno Bettencourt
- Alex Masi
- “Fast” Eddie Clarke
- James Murphy
- Dweezil Zappa
- Ronnie Earl
- Timo Tolkki
- Doug Aldrich
- Jack Thammarat
- Gary Hoey
- Wayne Krantz
- Rob Marcello
- Harvey Mandel
- Joe Bonamassa
- Dave Uhrich
- Mick Taylor
- George Bellas
- Leslie West
- T.J. Helmerich
- Warren DeMartini
- Peter Green
- Keith Scott
- Stephan Forte
- Warren Haynes
- Alexi Laiho
- Steve Khan
- Marc Bonilla
- Robert Fripp
- Brad Gillis
- Edu Ardanuy
- Vernon Reid
- Andy McCoy
- Mick Ronson
- Jeff Kollman
- Mick Barr
- George Lynch
- Hedras Ramos
- Paul Hanson
- Jeff Loomis
- Luca Turilli
- Ioannis Anastassakis
- Alex Hutchings
- Marcel Coenen
- Kiko Loureiro
- DC Slater
- Lori Linstruth
- Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal
- Vivian Campbell
- Syu
- Herman Li
- Gus G
- Mike Campese
- Damjan Pejcinoski
- Steve Stevens
- Dave Sharman
- Roine Stolt
- Tom Hess
- Angus Young
- Frank Marino
- Chris Poland
- Patrick Rondat
- Rex Carroll
- Kenny Wayne Shepherd
- Gentaro Satomura
- Jani Liimatainen
- Borislav Mitic
- Theodore Ziras
- John 5
- Andy Timmons
- Buckethead
- Fredrik Thordendal
- Ethan Brosh
- Dave Martone
- Frank Hannon
- Mike Orlando
- Darren Householder
- Matias Kupiainen
- Andy James
- Dave Meniketti
- Marc Rizzo
- Takayoshi Ohmura
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