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I know what your saying "Crap not another top 10 guitarist list" and I get it. There are pretty much meaningless as they are all a matter of personal opinion. Mine is no different. Over the next few days/weeks/months/years I will post my top 10 in several categories and my overall favorite top 10. I do want to be clear, this list is my list of FAVORITES which may differ from who I think are the best guitarists. Who am I to say who is actually better than the next guy. Then again who CAN really say if Jimi Hendrix was actually a better guitarist than Eddie Van Halen or Eric Clapton? There are very few if any that can. These lists are always more opinion than fact. Having said that I welcome your comments/praise/criticism/suggestions for my list, but, remember these are based on MY opinion and therefore cannot be wrong. I may forget someone off a list and if so I will be more than willing to adjust it.
I plan on listing top 10 in the following categories (in no particular order): Classic Rock (1970's and earlier), Rock, "Hair" Metal, Heavy Metal, Shred, Blues, Flamenco, Jazz, Classical, & Overall. * I reserve the right to add additional categories at a later time. The first entry is for my top 10 favorite Classic Rock guitarists
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 Hair Metal? This is probably one of the hardest categories to define. Is it just any guitarist with long hair? Is it a guitarist with long, blonde hair? Hair metal began in the late 70's and carried over to the 80's. It is primarily recognized by big hairdo's, make-up, and power ballads. They became immensely popular in the mid 80's. Even classic rock bands began to appear as hair bands since they were so popular and it sold records (see Aerosmith). Many of these bands were not the most talented musicians, but they knew how to write a catchy hook and the aforementioned power ballad. However, there are many hidden gems among the many hair bands of the era. Some amazing players are still to be found. In fact, one or more of those appearing in this list, may also appear in my overall favorite list.
While researching these guitarists, I noticed that several appear in other lists on the 'net that I will not be including in mine. I do not see Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, or Aerosmith as hair metal bands nor Ted Nugent as a hair metal guitarist. Yes, they all had big hair at some point, but they all had established careers before and after the hair metal era and were known more for their music than for their look. Here's my list of my top 10 favorite "Hair" Metal guitarists  Jazz is said by many to be the only true American music. Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States: it was born from a confluence of African and European music traditions. Jazz can be difficult to define. Travis Jackson, Professor of Music and Humanity and the University of Chicago, states that "it is music that includes qualities such as swinging, improvising, group interaction, developing an individual voice, and being open to different musical possibilities". I especially enjoy Jazz live because of the improvisational aspect. Just a bunch a great musicians jamming together.
This category is one of a few that I expect to leave off a great many players. Although I know more than the average person, I am in no way an expert in Jazz guitar. I have listened to a lot and have made my list based on my favorites. I also included both Jazz and Jazz/Fusion in order to have enough qualified candidates. This allows me to include players such as Allan Holdsworth and Al Di Meola. Here's my list of my top 10 favorite Jazz - Jazz/Fusion guitarists:  Welcome to part 4 in my series of my favorite guitarists. This time I will be listing my favorite shredders. So, what is shred? How do we define shred? Well, it is a very subjective term. Many people have differing opinions on this subject. There is also some debate as to who were the first players to exhibit this playing style and in turn created the term "Shred".
I'll get to my opinion in a moment. In the meantime, here are some common definitions or descriptions: - Many consider any form of guitar playing with fast solos as shred. You may have heard the expression "that guy can really shred!!!!" when a listener describes someone's playing. - Some consider playing as shred when guitarists use specific techniques like (listed in the parentheses are players that are known for each technique): - Sweep-picking or sweep arpeggios (Yngwie Malmsteen) - Two-hand tapping (Eddie Van Halen) - Diminished and harmonic minor scales (Yngwie Malmsteen) - Many think only instrumental guitarists can be considered shredders Most "shedding" involves more complex compositions than the regular playing heard in "normal" guitar oriented music, not just the usual pentatonic and major scales usually heard. Many believe the term is exclusive to rock and heavy metal music. This is short-sighted if you ask me. Anyway...... Here's my "definition" of shred and my top 10 favorite shredders: "Read More"  What is the blues? Well….according to the World renowned source
of information (LOL), Wikipedia: "Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States around the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads"….BLAH BLAH BLAH……..Basically the blues is all about feeling, pain, emotion. Many blues guitarists don'y play their songs the same way twice. The music just flows our of them. Most blues songs are formatted in a, 8 Bar 12 bar format, consisting of the I, IV, and V chords. In fact it may very well be technically the simplest form of guitar playing. A person picking up the guitar for the first time can be taught how to play a simplified version of the 12 Bar Blues. Don’t let that statement fool you – there are many incredible blues guitarists. If you want to know what the Blues is all about, read the lyrics to Gary Moore’s classic “Story of the Blues” Story of the Blues by Gary Moore My baby she left me, my baby she's gone. My sweet little angel has spread her wings and flown. Can't think of a reason for going on. From this day I will play the blues. She said it was over, this time it's the end. Bad luck and trouble gonna be my only friend. I still can't believe it, after all we've been through. Everyday I will play the blues. Everybody knows what the blues is all about. It's a pain you can't live with. It's a woman you can't live without. She came from Chicago. She read me the news. In the headlines was a story of the blues. They say a broken heart can always mend. Time is the healer and sadness will end. But I've done so much crying, when will I laugh again? Till that day I will play the blues. Everybody knows what the blues is all about. It's a pain you can't live with. It's a woman you can't live without. Could have cried me a river when they told me the news. On that day was a story of the blues. Well, I’m not going to provide a complete history or definition of the blues. If you want to know more, I recommend the Blues mini series presented by Martin Scorcese from 2003. Well, on to my lists – yes LISTS. I am providing 2 lists: one of my 10 favorite traditional Blues artists and another of my 10 favorite Rock/Blues guitarists. |
AuthorAmateur musician, Avid Guitar Music Lover, 1st time blogger 
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