Estimated reading time 5 minutes
Table of Contents
Introduction
“What’s a virtuoso?” It’s a guitarist that’s scary good. I’ve compiled a list of 10 guitarists that are all in the conversation for “the best guitarist in the world.” Keep reading 10 Amazing Elite Virtuoso Guitarists to see who made the cut.
This article uses musical terms. For definitions, see the Glossary at the end of the post.
Elite Virtuoso Guitarists: What Does the Word Virtuoso Mean?
“What’s a virtuoso?” According to The New Harvard Dictionary of Music:
Virtuoso [It.] A performer of great technical ability. The term is now most often associated with the tradition of celebrated soloists that began in the 19th century with such performers as Paganini and Liszt… (925)
Virtuosos are players with very few technical constraints to get between what they want to say with their music, and their ability to say it:
- Often these players have flashy showmanship. For example, young guitarists love to watch virtuosos race through scales at staggering speeds.
- However, often it’s less about the speed and more about the difficulty of the technique.
- Plus, truly rounded performers are just as concerned with conveying emotion through their playing, whether it’s with one note or a bazillion, as they are with velocity.
So, technique is a means to an end, not the final goal.
Elite Virtuoso Guitarists: Enter the Guitarists!
Here are the 10 elite virtuoso guitarists listed in alphabetical order:
Paul Gilbert
Paul Gilbert is best known for his work with the bands Racer X and Mr. Big. If you like blinding speed, Gilbert is your man. Even for this group of guitarists, he’s fast. This video is from his lesser-known work with Darrell Mansfield, where he showcases his mind-blowingly elite speed and precision.
Video: Paul Gilbert
Kirk Hammett
In his role as the lead guitarist for Metallica, Kirk Hammett has found a good balance between velocity and emotion. Two of his most highly regarded guitar solos are in the songs One and Master of Puppets. Fun fact: Hammet is so used to playing fast down strokes that he sometimes plays them in places that most guitarists would choose alternate picking instead. The following video is an excerpt from his Master of Puppets solo, highlighting his speed.
Video: Kirk Hammett
Eric Johnson
Eric Johnson is known for his fluid, yet tasteful, scales and arpeggios. Also, he has an effective fingers-and-pick-combined right-hand technique that allows him to grab chords much like a fingerstyle player. He’s highly proficient in a number of styles, including rock, blues, jazz, country, and classical, among others. His most popular album, Ah Via Musicom, features the award-winning instrumental track Cliffs of Dover.
Video: Eric Johnson
Alex Lifeson
Alex Lifeson’s music is typified by asymmetric time signatures, unconventional chord voicings, and scary good technique. Rush is the ultimate power trio, balancing Lifeson’s skills with that of Geddy Lee (bass and vocals) and Neil Peart (percussion). However, his playing takes on a starring role (literally) in the concept album 2112.
To learn the special 2112 tuning:
Video: Alex Lifeson
Yngwie Malmsteen
Yngwie Malmsteen took neo classical metal, pioneered by Randy Rhodes, and elevated it to the next level. At this point, I’m trying to find new ways to say, “Gee, he’s really fast!” But, well… Gee, he’s really fast! Malmsteen is known for his sweep picking (though in his early interviews he opted instead to use his own terminology for the technique) and his astonishingly rapid alternate picking. He raised the bar for what could be considered guitar virtuosity.
Video: Yngwie Malmsteen
Gary Moore
Gary Moore was old school, but he could definitely shred with the best of them. However, he balanced the speed with soulful, bluey bends and vibrato.
Video: Gary Moore
Django Reinhardt
I know what you’re thinking. “This guy is old! What’s he doing on the list.” And I say to you that you should try playing his stuff. It’s surprisingly tough going using all four fingers, and he only had two working fingers. (The other two were burned in a fire when he was young.)
His life shows that a disability (physical, learning, or emotional) shouldn’t be an obstacle preventing you from doing what you love, or to bar you from striving to play at a high level. Check out the solo in this video, then try to figure out how he could do that with just two good fingers.
Video: Django Reinhardt
Joe Satriani
Joe Satriani is so good that he’s the Jedi master who taught Steve Vai and Kirk Hammett their chops. Satriani takes his mastery of guitar technique and translates it into balanced musical phrases that support the emotional goals of the track while still being jaw dropping good. Nowhere is this seen better than on the track Surfing with the Alien.
Video: Joe Satriani
Steve Vai
Like the rest of the guys on this list, Steve Vai’s a real speed demon. However, his skill with the whammy bar is just unreal. In addition, he’s the first guitarist to use a whammy bar that could bend up as well as down.
Video: Steve Vai
Eddie Van Halen
We’ve saved the best for last. (Or maybe it was the whole alphabetical order thing.)
Van Halen was unconventional in many ways. His soloing introduced two handed tapping, tremolo picking, emotive whammy drives, pinched and tapped harmonics to the rock soloing vocabulary. On top of all that, his innovative guitar designs (e.g., putting humbucker pickups on Strat-style bodies) defined the look and sound of ‘80s guitars.
Plus, his whammy bar style influenced a generation of guitar players to start incorporating the tremolo arm into their playing style. Van Halen started using the whammy bar because he felt his playing had gotten too fast. He wanted to slow himself down and add more emotion to his soloing. He accomplished this with his usual style and grace.
Video: Eddie Van Halen
Final Thoughts on “10 Amazing Elite Virtuoso Guitarists”
Takeaway points:
- The thing about the 10 elite virtuoso guitarists is that it’s not just that they can play fast, but that they can also play with feeling.
- Some of them do it with the whammy bar, while others do it with bends and vibrato, or by making their solos tuneful.
- Therefore, it can’t only be about terrifying speed, or you won’t be able to truly move people, which is the real mark of a great guitarist, virtuoso or not.
Have fun playing!
Related Posts
- How to Tune Like a Rock Star
- Play Like a Rock Star with Open G Tuning
- Sound Like a Rock Star with Open G Tuning
- Jam Like a Rock Star with Open E Tuning
- D’you Want Some Music Tips and Tricks I’ve Learned Over the Years?
© 2024 Geoffrey Keith
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