But...."best" guitarist....thats sort of meaningless...a bit like asking if Monet is "better" then van Gogh...or a rogan josh is "better" than a vindaloo.
Anyway my favs off the top of my head: re. jazz...I love Django Rheinhardt, Joe Pass, Tal Farlow, Les Paul, Adrian Legg, Michael Hedges, Al diMeola, ...
blues: Page, Clapton, Beck, SRV,
virtuoso: Allan Holdsworth (wow!), Vai, Johnson, Satriani, Malmsteen,
also: Thurston Moore, Lee Renaldo, Derek Bailey,
and one of my favs of all is Robert Fripp...I saw his band (king crimson) open for Tool last year in LA, fripp played sat on a tall stool in near darkness on one side of the stage and some of the stuff he was playing sounded humanly unplayable...well the whole band sounded as if they were from another planet anyway...and then Tool to follow...what a great show that was!
just to show you how subjective these kind of things are, lou reed's favorite guitar player is neil young.
he says neil plays with 100% emotion. [/B]
Neil is actually a very very good guitarist . . .
and here is where I agree with the poster who said its not about technique (though he is better than you think) he is a master of taking a form that would otherwise lead to boring modal noodling (read Cream Live) and building a poetic developing emotional story out of a long solo
I mean a solo over a basic three bar ground and he is able to make a long consistent growing emotional piece . . . .
That's also why Zappa is good . . . not just riffs and tricks but stanzas and lyrical development
and those who are not so sure about Hendrix have got to listen to stuff beyond the mainstream studio stuff . . . . find the obscure live recordings where he stretches out
its just not rock and roll or blues when he is at his best its EPIC music creation . . . . weltunshuangen gemsamtkunstwerk (sp?) - - heehee
and its definitely beyond mere technique . . . I mean he incorporates sloppiness and makes it a virtue towards deeper creations
or as Monk said "you gotta hit the wrong note right"
I really like this one dude named Shane Barnard. It is Christian stuff, and he does 32nd note strumming with a mix of some nice riffs and all. But for sheer talent, Hendrix, Van Halen, etc. (There are many others, but those are some of the main ones)
***EDIT!!!!***
Gotta add Tony Rice!
I know that some of my decisions are based on personal preference over simply skill, but when it all comes down to it, doesn't personal preference rely a lot on skill? Which is also opinion as well.
But...."best" guitarist....thats sort of meaningless...a bit like asking if Monet is "better" then van Gogh...or a rogan josh is "better" than a vindaloo.
I agree. There are so many good guitarists that plays many different styles, and it's hard to compare apples with oranges here. Should have divided ti into groups, like best metal guitarist, best rock guitarist, best classical guitarist and so on. Would have made more sense that way.
So here's a few of my favourite guitarists in no particular order:
Hendrix, Clapton, Page, Vai, Satriani, Reynolds, Gilmour, Nuno , Betts, Townsend, Emmanuel, Jim Martin, Petrucci, Romeo, Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dave Murray, Zappa, Chet Atkins, Mark Knofler, John McClaughlin, Johnny Winter, Billy Joe Armstong, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Brian May, Hank Marvin, Gary Moore, BB King, Albert King, Ben Harper, Randy Rhodes, Walter Rossi, Robin Trower and many many more.
or as Monk said "you gotta hit the wrong note right"
pfflam quoting monk! goddam! my youngest son's middle name is thelonious.
i won't go as far to say neil is technically gifted, but i will agree with lou, he's got a lot of feeling in his solos. he's epileptic you know. i think that may have influenced his playing somehow.
I forgot about good ole Joe Satriani. You could put him clearly under the "amazing riffs / speed merchant" category, but he's damn good either way.
Gilmour had some brilliant stuff as well though I don't think of him as "a great guitarist" in the purest sense if you know what I'm saying. I love Floyd though. They're the greatest EVAR!
is trey really that good as a solo guitarist? i had no idea, any songs i can sample?
ok how about this...get the best song you know by who u think is the best guitarist and we'll upload them somewhere (perhaps i can host them) and we will then compare
i might be able to host on one of my ftp sites, we'll see how it goes...we could just use iTunes streaming
is trey really that good as a solo guitarist? i had no idea, any songs i can sample?
ok how about this...get the best song you know by who u think is the best guitarist and we'll upload them somewhere (perhaps i can host them) and we will then compare
i might be able to host on one of my ftp sites, we'll see how it goes...we could just use iTunes streaming
If you can get your hands on 9012Live: The Solos there is a fairly decent solo on side 2.
It's been awhile but I remember being impressed---but then again it might have been the Mexican Red Hair.
Spencer Seim - Hella (must be heard to be believed)
Charlie Hunter - Charlie Hunter Trio/Quartet (hello, 8 strings and simultaneous basslines and guitar melodies)
As for Tom Morello: All I can say is Digitech Whammy Pedal. He's been milking that thing since album one. I'm not saying he's bad or anything, but his schtick is old.
Has anyone heard the California Guitar Trio? I saw them a year or so back. These guys are all guitar virtuosos and play every imaginable style of music in their set...from bluegrass to country to metal to classical to jazz to free improvisation and more...for encores they played these superb versions of Beethovens 9th Symphony (!) and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"...covering all the parts with just 3 acoustic guitars...really fantastic!
Remember: this isn't "which guitarist do you think sounds really cool?" This is "the greatest guitarist ever." Remember that Eric Clapton smak-fu I put down a few post back? Well Billy Gibbons couldn't carry Eric Clapton's tiny jock -- and Eric's not even invited as far as Pfflam and I are concerned.
Kidding. Billy Gibbons really is not a great guitarist though, even though I like some ZZ as much as the next red-blooded American.
Hahahaha... you had me going for a second. Its all opinion anyways. I think all of the jack-off guitarists like Satriani and Vai blow, but I'm not into tech/soulless flailing that they are experts at.
Gimme Billy's pinch harmonics anyday!
If I listed the guitarists I listened to on a daily basis, no one would know who they are...
Hahahaha... you had me going for a second. Its all opinion anyways. I think all of the jack-off guitarists like Satriani and Vai blow, but I'm not into tech/soulless flailing that they are experts at.
Gimme Billy's pinch harmonics anyday!
If I listed the guitarists I listened to on a daily basis, no one would know who they are...
Hahahaha... you had me going for a second. Its all opinion anyways. I think all of the jack-off guitarists like Satriani and Vai blow, but I'm not into tech/soulless flailing that they are experts at.
Gimme Billy's pinch harmonics anyday!
If I listed the guitarists I listened to on a daily basis, no one would know who they are...
Often people imagine themselves the elite while standing amidst the MASTERS!!!! . . . .
Comments
But...."best" guitarist....thats sort of meaningless...a bit like asking if Monet is "better" then van Gogh...or a rogan josh is "better" than a vindaloo.
Anyway my favs off the top of my head: re. jazz...I love Django Rheinhardt, Joe Pass, Tal Farlow, Les Paul, Adrian Legg, Michael Hedges, Al diMeola, ...
blues: Page, Clapton, Beck, SRV,
virtuoso: Allan Holdsworth (wow!), Vai, Johnson, Satriani, Malmsteen,
also: Thurston Moore, Lee Renaldo, Derek Bailey,
and one of my favs of all is Robert Fripp...I saw his band (king crimson) open for Tool last year in LA, fripp played sat on a tall stool in near darkness on one side of the stage and some of the stuff he was playing sounded humanly unplayable...well the whole band sounded as if they were from another planet anyway...and then Tool to follow...what a great show that was!
Originally posted by superkarate monkeydeathcar
just to show you how subjective these kind of things are, lou reed's favorite guitar player is neil young.
he says neil plays with 100% emotion. [/B]
Neil is actually a very very good guitarist . . .
and here is where I agree with the poster who said its not about technique (though he is better than you think) he is a master of taking a form that would otherwise lead to boring modal noodling (read Cream Live) and building a poetic developing emotional story out of a long solo
I mean a solo over a basic three bar ground and he is able to make a long consistent growing emotional piece . . . .
That's also why Zappa is good . . . not just riffs and tricks but stanzas and lyrical development
and those who are not so sure about Hendrix have got to listen to stuff beyond the mainstream studio stuff . . . . find the obscure live recordings where he stretches out
its just not rock and roll or blues when he is at his best its EPIC music creation . . . . weltunshuangen gemsamtkunstwerk (sp?) - - heehee
and its definitely beyond mere technique . . . I mean he incorporates sloppiness and makes it a virtue towards deeper creations
or as Monk said "you gotta hit the wrong note right"
***EDIT!!!!***
Gotta add Tony Rice!
I know that some of my decisions are based on personal preference over simply skill, but when it all comes down to it, doesn't personal preference rely a lot on skill? Which is also opinion as well.
Originally posted by sammi jo
But...."best" guitarist....thats sort of meaningless...a bit like asking if Monet is "better" then van Gogh...or a rogan josh is "better" than a vindaloo.
I agree. There are so many good guitarists that plays many different styles, and it's hard to compare apples with oranges here. Should have divided ti into groups, like best metal guitarist, best rock guitarist, best classical guitarist and so on. Would have made more sense that way.
So here's a few of my favourite guitarists in no particular order:
Hendrix, Clapton, Page, Vai, Satriani, Reynolds, Gilmour, Nuno , Betts, Townsend, Emmanuel, Jim Martin, Petrucci, Romeo, Malmsteen, Paul Gilbert, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Dave Murray, Zappa, Chet Atkins, Mark Knofler, John McClaughlin, Johnny Winter, Billy Joe Armstong, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Brian May, Hank Marvin, Gary Moore, BB King, Albert King, Ben Harper, Randy Rhodes, Walter Rossi, Robin Trower and many many more.
Originally posted by pfflam
or as Monk said "you gotta hit the wrong note right"
pfflam quoting monk! goddam!
i won't go as far to say neil is technically gifted, but i will agree with lou, he's got a lot of feeling in his solos. he's epileptic you know. i think that may have influenced his playing somehow.
And Mark Knopfler. Great stuff and a total stylist.
I also like Elliot Easton (best thing in The Cars). Great hooks, solos, fills, etc. Played for the SONG, not an easy thing to do with some people.
trevor rabin
I forgot about good ole Joe Satriani. You could put him clearly under the "amazing riffs / speed merchant" category, but he's damn good either way.
Gilmour had some brilliant stuff as well though I don't think of him as "a great guitarist" in the purest sense if you know what I'm saying. I love Floyd though. They're the greatest EVAR!
ok how about this...get the best song you know by who u think is the best guitarist and we'll upload them somewhere (perhaps i can host them) and we will then compare
i might be able to host on one of my ftp sites, we'll see how it goes...we could just use iTunes streaming
But also in the jazz world: Pat Martino, John Scofield, John Abercrombie to name a few.
In the rock/pop world: That guy who plays on Steely Dan Alive in America. Best rock/pop guitar solos in the world IMHO.
Originally posted by ast3r3x
is trey really that good as a solo guitarist? i had no idea, any songs i can sample?
ok how about this...get the best song you know by who u think is the best guitarist and we'll upload them somewhere (perhaps i can host them) and we will then compare
i might be able to host on one of my ftp sites, we'll see how it goes...we could just use iTunes streaming
If you can get your hands on 9012Live: The Solos there is a fairly decent solo on side 2.
It's been awhile but I remember being impressed---but then again it might have been the Mexican Red Hair.
he is an amazing guitar player
Greg Ginn - Black Flag
Frank Zappa
Spencer Seim - Hella (must be heard to be believed)
Charlie Hunter - Charlie Hunter Trio/Quartet (hello, 8 strings and simultaneous basslines and guitar melodies)
As for Tom Morello: All I can say is Digitech Whammy Pedal. He's been milking that thing since album one. I'm not saying he's bad or anything, but his schtick is old.
Remember: this isn't "which guitarist do you think sounds really cool?" This is "the greatest guitarist ever." Remember that Eric Clapton smak-fu I put down a few post back? Well Billy Gibbons couldn't carry Eric Clapton's tiny jock -- and Eric's not even invited as far as Pfflam and I are concerned.
Kidding. Billy Gibbons really is not a great guitarist though, even though I like some ZZ as much as the next red-blooded American.
Gimme Billy's pinch harmonics anyday!
If I listed the guitarists I listened to on a daily basis, no one would know who they are...
Originally posted by trebuchet
Hahahaha... you had me going for a second. Its all opinion anyways. I think all of the jack-off guitarists like Satriani and Vai blow, but I'm not into tech/soulless flailing that they are experts at.
Gimme Billy's pinch harmonics anyday!
If I listed the guitarists I listened to on a daily basis, no one would know who they are...
give us a try
Originally posted by trebuchet
If I listed the guitarists I listened to on a daily basis, no one would know who they are...
I doubt you are correct.
Originally posted by trebuchet
Hahahaha... you had me going for a second. Its all opinion anyways. I think all of the jack-off guitarists like Satriani and Vai blow, but I'm not into tech/soulless flailing that they are experts at.
Gimme Billy's pinch harmonics anyday!
If I listed the guitarists I listened to on a daily basis, no one would know who they are...
Often people imagine themselves the elite while standing amidst the MASTERS!!!! . . . .