My favourite guitarists and other musicians
My Favourite Ten Guitarists
(not in any particular order and all comments representing my own personal opinions !)Alex Lifeson: His guitar work with Rush over the last 26 years should be explanation enough for his inclusion in this list. Lifeson is a great technical player, but I admire him much more for his incredibly diverse style; use of sounds and textures and for the sheer emotion that is put into his solos. He is equally capable of producing brilliant solos that either involve high-speed shredding ("La Villa Strangiato", "YYZ") or emotion-drenched moments of inspiration that involve very few notes at all ("Limelight", "Subdivisions"). Lifeson's clever use of complex chords is also a hallmark of his style.....if you spend some time playing Rush songs, your knowledge of suspended and augmented chords will expand radically! Apart from his mammoth back-catalogue of work with Rush, he also found time to make an excellent (and very different) album with his side-project band, Victor. He has also shown fairly good taste in guitars over the years, including a beautiful white Gibson ES335 that was his "trademark" instrument for many years and more recently, Schecter and PRS guitars.
John Petrucci My personal favourite amongst the elite "shredders" who are setting the current standards in rock guitar playing. A technical genius who knows how to put his phenomenal talent into to the context of a song structure, perhaps aided by the fact that unlike many of his contemporaries, he has worked largely within the disciplined environment of a band. That environment being, of course, Dream Theater: without question the best rock band in the history of human civillisation (a totally unbiased opinion, naturally!). Petrucci's guitar style co-identifies with that of the band he plays in, combining the complexity of structure, melodic sensibilites and orchestration of the original progressive rock movement with the hard-edge sounds and blistering speed of modern-day heavy metal. If you thought that his guitar work in DT was wild, you should check out his brilliantly over-the-top, yet melodic masterpieces recorded with the all-instrumental DT side-project, Liquid Tension Experiment. Oh yes.......he also exclusively performs this music on the world's best guitars !
Joe Satriani For me, Satriani is by far and away the best of all of the "solo shredders" that have been leading the way over the past decade. Opinions vary, of course, but as far as I'm concerned, Satriani wipes the floor with the likes of Steve Vai, Vinnie Moore etc. Technically, he is right "up there" with the absolute best players of all time and he has certainly been a huge influence on contemporary musicians. What really makes him shine amongst his peers, however, is his talent for harnessing his playing abilities to produce memorable pieces of music. Satriani actually writes tunes, unlike some "virtuoso guitarists" I could mention, whose work is more concerned with ego-tripping musical masturbation! Basically, everything he has done is well worth listening to, but my favourite Satriani album is his latest release, "Crystal Planet", which is really quite stunning. Joe also plays mainly signature "JS" Ibanez guitars, including some impressive custom paint-jobs (check this link for an example).
Edward Van Halen The single most important guitarist of the last 25 years and probably the most influential player since Jimmy Hendrix. Once musicians had heard the phenomenal debut album by Van Halen, it was obvious that the way people played the electric guitar was never going to be the same again. The pioneering techniques displayed by EVH on that album (two-handed tapping, whammy-dives, screaming natural and artificial harmonics etc) are now part of standard shred guitar playing, but back "then", this was total innovation. He was also an integral part of the development of the locking trem systems that are now also standard on non-prehistoric guitars. Like many of the others in this list, Eddie's staggering technical prowess has always been an integral part of excellent songs:- and not just the solos. It's very hard to pick out any particular track to highlight his playing, but one of my favourites is "Mean Streets" from the Fair Warning album (that intro!!). EVH started out playing a Kramer Baretta (about the only thing me and him are ever likely to have in common!), but later went on to develop and play one the few guitars that I might consider swapping my Ibanez RGR570 for: the Peavey "Wolfgang"........a real beauty.
Steve Hackett He might not reach the dizzying technical heights of some of the shred-merchants listed above, but Steve Hackett has always been one of my absolute favourite guitar players. His totally unique style is built around the use of innovate sounds and textures and an amazing ability to create atmsopheres and moods. His influence on Genesis was immense and it was after Hackett left in 1977 (NOT when Peter Gabriel quit three years earlier) that the band began to go into a sad creative decline. His playing in Genesis was often subtle and in the background, but if you listen closely, a lot of what you might think is keyboards is actually Hackett's guitar. Since leaving Genesis, Hackett has had a very successful solo career and made some excellent albums, including both rock and classical guitar offerings. If you want to hear Hackett at his best, lend an ear to the brilliant "Spectral Mornings"
Steve Howe Like Hackett, Steve Howe is part of the "old school", beginning his career in the late 60s. He has a style that draws influence from many diverse sources- classical, jazz, folk and rock- and which is uniquely his own. His main contribution has been to the seminal progressive rock legacy of Yes; probably most forcefully with his blistering jazz/rock guitar expression on albums like "Close to the Edge" and "Relayer". Outside of Yes, he was also a founder-member of AOR supergroup Asia and was involved in the potentially exciting, but unfortunately short-lived project with Steve Hackett, GTR. Howe is now back with Yes and they are continuing to make great music.
Steve Morse Here is an example of a "guitarist's guitarist": Morse is greatly admired by many of his colleagues, with John Petrucci and Steve Howe amongst his enthusiasts. For reasons best known to himself, he is currently earning his keep in Deep Purple, but it is his mesmerising instrumental work with the Dixie Dregs and his own Steve Morse Band that elevated him to living-legend status amongst his fellow guitarists. He also had a successful stint with U.S. prog-rockers Kansas; if you listen to the excellent "Power" album and wonder why the guitar playing is so much better than on all the earlier Kansas work (not in itself bad by any means at all)......the answer is "Steve Morse" ! He currently plays a signature model Ernie Ball/Musicman guitar
Dave Gilmour A standout leader of the pre-Eddie Van Halen, non-shred school of guitar playing, Gilmour's soulful leads have been the cornerstone of Pink Floyd's hugely successful sound over the last thirty-odd years. Gilmour is a prime example of the principle that all great guitar playing does not have to involve playing at a million miles per hour. His slow, melodic, evocative, blues-based lead lines on classics like "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" are just a joy to listen to. He has always favoured playing Fender Strats for some reason, but no-one is perfect I guess ! On the other hand, Gilmour did record what is probably my all-time favourite guitar solo ever: the incredibly emotion-drenched masterpiece at the end of "Comfortably Numb "
Steve Rothery Much of what is written above regarding Dave Gilmour could equally well apply to Steve Rothery. In fact, their playing styles are quite similar in many ways and it is obvious that Gilmour is a big influence on Rothery (who also plays mainly Strats). His pristine-clean chord work and melodic solos are certainly one of the most prominant features in Marillion's music. Rothery also has developed a very sophisticated technique of using delay to augment his rhythm guitar playing (a bit like U2's Edge, but a bit more subtle). For me 'though, it is his beautiful, soaring solos that really grab the attention: those in "Falling from the Moon", "Easter" and "This Strange Engine" are three that spring to mind. Apart from his work with Marillion, he has recently formed an excellent side-project band (with Marillion bass player Pete Trewavas and a superb female vocalist) called The Wishing Tree
Jimmy Page: A living legend and still showing most of his legion of protégés how it should be done! Going from his time as a leading session guitarist in the mid 60s, to the beginnings of stardom with the Yardbirds and to his god-like status as part of Led Zeppelin, Page with his Gibson Les Pauls, has become an icon for rock guitarists the world over. Drawing inspiration from the blues, Page helped to create the classic heavy rock guitar style and sound. As well as being a superb electric and acoustic guitar player, Page is also an innovator, famous (or should that be infamous?) for his unusual tunings and inventive recording techniques in the studio. Following a less productive period after the demise of Zeppelin, Page has now reunited with Robert Plant and they are now making creditable attempts to recreate the old Led Zep magic.
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