The Great Guitar Player Discussion...

It seems every forum I go on there is always this long discussion of who is better on the guitar. I think where these discussions go wrong is that people will stick up for their "FAV" guitar players just because they have a spot in their heart for them regardless if they are great or not.

People make these threads asking who is the best guitar player, but can that question even be answered? Most peoples answers are their personal favorites. When it comes to being the best you have to be able to do things that others arent able to do and being more technical is a huge part of being the best.

I personally couldnt tell you who is the best but of course I can say who I think is the best. I just wanted to have a discussion based on what qualities of a guitar player do you look for and who do you think is the "BEST" guitar player?

One factor I look for is versatility. Sure EVH is a technical player but IMO, if you've heard one EVH solo, you've heard them all. That's one of the reasons I list Ritchie Blackmore as my favorite guitar player. He went from playing in Deep Purple to the more AOR style of Rainbow to the largely acoustic stylings of Blackmore's Night.

Another thing I look for is recognizability. That's why I also list Mark Knopfler among my favorites. You know right away who's playing when you hear Knopfler's guitar.

Being original on guitar is a huge factor in a lot of peoples views as to why they like who they like. Versatility is another one that I think is a must for any great guitar player. If you dont try to expand on your playing then it defeats the purpose of getting better.

Another quality a lot of people tend to bring up is how much emotion one plays with. Can we really tell how much emotion he is putting into his solo? Hitting the right notes and using proper vibrato can make a solo sound depressing, but does that mean he is pouring his soul into it?

What you said about EVH is spot on IMO as well. I never looked at him as this guitar god, he was just very crafty with the tapping and just had fun with it. His songwriting IMO is better then his playing but he still is one heck of a player.

Stuff I look for in no particular order;

Unique tone and style
Versatility
Technical ability
Showmanship
Note selection
Improvisation skills
Emotion
Innovation

And on the subject of emotional playing, MetalRob raises a good point. The reason I love Buck Dharma as a guitarist so much is that all of his solos convey a different emotion, not necessarily because he's "pouring his soul into it", but just because of the connotations it gives me. It's the same thing with vocalists. Singers can convey their feelings easier because the general public can interpret it without much analysis. With guitarists, I guess it's not so universal. You're right, a good note choice and vibrato can make a solo sound depressing or happy or whatever, but it still conveys that emotion to the listener, so whether or not their soul is in it is more apparent in live performances than it is on recordings for just about any artist.

I really like guitar players who have a great sense of melody. For me listening to metal is all about melody. Its great if you can shred, but its just noise to me if it doesnt have melody.

Personally I think the "best" guitar player is a matter of opinion like it was said everybody will stick up for their favorite, Its a personal choice just like favorite drummer, bass, singers, roadies, etc....

exact33 wrote:

I really like guitar players who have a great sense of melody. For me listening to metal is all about melody. Its great if you can shred, but its just noise to me if it doesnt have melody.

Keeping a great melody is key, I think with solos a great guitar player builds it up and ends with a climax. Start off slow then get into it.

Just like mentioned above what one person might think is emotion or a connection another person might not feel the same thing. The greatest guitar players in my eyes are the ones who can use melody and still be creative and add lots of techniques into it to where it doesnt seem easy.

As far as picking one guitar player who I feel can do it all and mix all the traits into one would probably be John Petrucci. This guy might be known as some speed shredder but if you dig deep into his career the man has some masterpieces on the guitar.

I agree about melody. A carefully thought out, melodic solo is better than just shredding over the same period. Of course, it doesn't mean that a fast solo can't be good, it's just that speed shouldn't be the most important thing.

This discussion is pointless; I am the greatest guitarist of all time.

Restraint and Space.............sound left hanging!

tohostudios wrote:

Sure EVH is a technical player but IMO, if you've heard one EVH solo, you've heard them all.

Oh, you boring old man, you.

rattpoison wrote:

Restraint and Space.............sound left hanging!

This too. Gotta know when to play and when not to play.

exact33 wrote:

I really like guitar players who have a great sense of melody. For me listening to metal is all about melody. Its great if you can shred, but its just noise to me if it doesnt have melody.

Well, we both agreed on Satch and I also agree about the melody being very very important. Joe plays his guitar not with his fingers or his head but with that organ between his lungs. And to me, that's where melody originates.

Melody is emotions put to music.

To me, it's just emotion...I wanna feel the riff.

Gilbert wrote:

To me, it's just emotion...I wanna feel the riff.

Same here. I love players that put feeling and emotion into their solos.

Dave the Boss wrote:

Gilbert wrote:

To me, it's just emotion...I wanna feel the riff.

Same here. I love players that put feeling and emotion into their solos.

Can you explain this to me, when I come up with a solo that sounds emotional, more times then not Im putting no emotion into it, it just goes great with the music. How does one know how much emotion or feeling a player puts into a solo?

MetalRob331 wrote:

Dave the Boss wrote:

Gilbert wrote:

To me, it's just emotion...I wanna feel the riff.

Same here. I love players that put feeling and emotion into their solos.

Can you explain this to me, when I come up with a solo that sounds emotional, more times then not Im putting no emotion into it, it just goes great with the music. How does one know how much emotion or feeling a player puts into a solo?

Well, I dont play guitar so I dont think I can be of much help on this one. My take is if one writes a song about going on a killing rampage or having sex with 3 women at a time, I dont think the solo is gonna come out very emotional. But if you write a song about someone close to you dying or about the birth of your own child or meeting the love of your life or even about how beautiful God's green Earth is, I would bet your guitar solo will come flowing out of you in a very emotional way. But that's just my take.....

The great guitar player disscussion begins and ends with one word/name, Rory!