MISC 30: Who is the Best Guitarist?
I once saw a video of a kid playing the Simpson theme on a two-neck guitar using hammer-ons. The main tune was arranged on one, the piano chords on the other. I was impressed but recalled Michelangelo Batio doing such things in the 80s, and I doubt whether this prodigy could manage much of what specialists in other disciplines do e.g. Paco Dalucia (flamenco), Allan Holdsworth (fusion) - and visa versa.
If by ‘Best’ you mean the most technically proficient player in terms of feats of speed, independence and dexterity, then this will change every week as the influencers on YT trawl through social media looking for candidates to cast as clickbait for the masses.
If you are referring to great all-rounders, then the list is small because the geological time required to attain a professional standard on one type of guitar, but here are a few names: Lee Ritenour, Steve Lukather, Carl Verheyen, Steve Morse.
Either way, the answer for me is any player who uses sound in a way that fully captures my attention, elevates my mood and inspires me to practise and create. The same person can manage this magic spell with one note in a certain track, or twenty notes in the next, or not manage it at all and leave me cold in another track, and sometimes a few years later the same parts that I once felt indifferently about can become strangely captivating - such is the ineffability of how we react to art.
Another way to think of this is to consider what would happen to a band if their main guitarist hadn’t been part of it e.g. if Gilmour had quit Floyd after a few rehearsals, or Brian May and Queen. In these scenarios it seems clear that the Best guitarist is the one whose contributions are pivotal to a band’s legendary status.
I once sat entranced by Robert Fripp as he weaved an evolving glorious soundscape over about 10 minutes, whilst many of the audience lasted only a few mins and either left or started booing.
Here are some compositions which for me are sublime and timeless. The masterclass players are also performing their own compositions rather than renditions of a cover or standard.
Steve Morse - Slice of Time, Sacred Ground
Carl Verheyen - On Our Way (with Steve Morse)
Eric Johnson - Manhattan
Martin Taylor - I Should Care
Alex Skolnick - Dubya, The Ritual
Steve Stevens - Blacklight Syndrome
Yngwie Malmsteen - Fugue
Joe Satriani - Baroque, Circles
Steve Vai - Tender Surrender, Bad Horsie
Marty Friedman - Night, Rio
Jimi Hendrix - Little Wing
Allan Holdsworth - Sixteen Men of Tain
Van Halen - Eruption
Al Dimeola - Mediterranean Sundance
Jaco Pastorius - Portrait of Tracy
Michael Manring - Selene
Yngwie Malmsteen - Fugue
Mark Knopfler - Going Home/Wild Theme
Tony Levin - Silhouette
Carlos Santana - Europa
Ry Cooder - Klan Meeting
Bill Frisell - Boubacar
If we consider covers, then I would recommend:
Julian Bream - Pavan
Uli Jon Roth - E Lucevan
Take Love Easy - Joe Pass & Ella
Django - John Mclaughlin & Jeff Beck
John Williams - Cavatina
How about some moments of soloing genius:
Allan Holdsworth - Red Alert
Chuck Rainey - Aja
David Gilmour - Comfortably Numb
Gary Moore - Parisienne Walkways
Joe Walsh - Hotel California
Steve Lukather - Rosanna
Ian Bairnson - Wuthering Heights
Dave Murray - Powerslave (1st solo)
Here are some remarkable players with an original twist:
Danny Gatton
Robert Fripp
Stanley Jordan
Jennifer Batten
Paco Dalucia
Robben Ford
Michael Hedges
Brent Mason
Regarding Steve Morse..if you go back in time on YT to catch his videos from the 80s and 90s, compared to the present, you’ll notice his original elegant and impeccable picking action has changed. In recent years he has had to accommodate an injury. He wore a brace for some time and recent videos show him using a fixed wrist motion, which means has been able to keep playing.
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Please email your suggestions.