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So who are the best guitarists in the world?
It depends on who you ask. This question is open to a huge debate. It has so many answers that it has no unequivocal answer, just because there are so many good, talented, and professional guitarists.
The following list 20 guitarists who influenced me and contributed to my playing.
The list consists of guitarists from various styles that I think every guitarist should know and can learn from.
Great guitarists are the guitarists who have developed an innovative, different, and unique playing style from the rest of the existing talented guitarists. I will note that there are many talented and quality guitarists, no less than the 20 lists presented in this article. I will not miss them and will leave them for another unique article.
Let’s set off.
Guns N Roses guitarist. Slash is defined as one of the best guitarists in the rock genre. His solo pieces are characterized as unique works. He is responsible for several legendary solo pieces that will be remembered for many years in musical histories, such as November Rain, and a significant number of great riffs, such as Sweet Child O Mine.
Photo: G.S. Studio
There is a lot of information about Jimmy Hendrix on the net. Yet, there is always something new to say about this talented virtuoso who has changed the face of international music and created a significant breakthrough in everything to do with the electric guitar and its use.
He is the one who started using Wah pedal and Pfizer in playing solos—considered one of the giant guitarists in the history of music and of electric guitar in particular.
Photo: Universal Studio
Paco de Lucia is generally defined as one of the best guitarists in the world and the best flamenco guitarist ever.
Today’s flamenco music is very much influenced by the style of music developed by Paco – the modern flamenco. De Lucia is one of the only flamenco musicians who has successfully integrated into other kinds, such as classical and jazz, as he is a wonderful guitarist with a crazy technique and a lot of emotion in playing and serving.
Photo: Sam Stewart
Django Reinhardt, a gypsy jazz guitarist, is considered one of the first important musicians to make a huge contribution to the development of jazz. Django developed a unique style of music and created a new stream of music called gypsy jazz.
One of the unique things about his playing is that he only played with the first two fingers due to a previous accident in which the other two fingers were injured. This is a guitarist whose works have become standard in jazz and are studied today.
Photo: G.S. Studio
One of the great virtuoso guitarists of the rock style.
The uniqueness that characterizes it is the use of the Floyd Rose handle in such a way that no one has used it before. This is a guitarist with a very melodic and precise approach, one who can create a sound that is typical only of him and a unique technique associated with him.
Wai is considered one of the most influential guitarists in rock. His album Passion & Warfare is regarded as one of the most important solo albums in history.
Photo: Jasmin Masse
Malmsteen is considered one of the most important and influential guitarists in neoclassical metal. His playing is characterized by a very high technique (unique right hand). He is one of the first guitarists to be released by the Fender Guitar Company. Rising Force is one of his influential albums that also won the Best Instrumental Rock Album award by Guitar World magazine.
Photo: Getty Images
Marty Friedman has become famous as the legendary guitarist of the band Megadeth and is responsible for some of the best solo metal pieces. His playing style is unique and special, both technically and melodically. He has developed an unconventional playing technique and frequently uses exotic scales. After leaving the band Megadeth, he embarked on a solo career and recorded some instrumental albums, including the masterpiece Scenes.
Photo: Getty Images
Lauren is a French jazz guitarist, defined as a musical genius. As a child, he was defined as a prodigy. He started performing at the age of 8 and released his first solo album at the age of 14.
Today he is considered one of the great gypsy jazz style guitarists—a player with crazy technique and ingenious musical ideas.
Photo: David Art Studio
Tommy Emanuel is defined as an Australian fingerstyle guitarist who has twice won the title of the best acoustic guitarist ever.
He started performing at six and is considered a successor to guitarist Chet Atkins. His playing is complex and complicated as he plays several roles simultaneously and sometimes even combines singing. Beyond being a virtuoso, he is a wonderful person who sees life’s trajectory as an energetic and fun adventure that he conveys in his performances in an exceptionally entertaining and funny humorous way.
Photo: Getty Images
David Gilmour is the guitarist and founder of the legendary Pink Floyd band. He became famous for the exciting and unique musical sound identified with him that he created and used in his songs even outside the “boundaries” of the band. Sound quality is what characterizes Gilmour most of all. He managed to get fat and a huge sound that no guitarist has reached and was ranked 14th on the list of the best guitarists of all time by Rolling Stone.
To experience his amazing playing, listening to Pink Floyd’s Pulse album is recommended.
Photo: Roy Smith
Gary Moore is defined as one of the most talented blues and rock guitarists in the genre. Moore has dodged between blues and rock throughout his career, but he is mainly identified as a blues player. He is responsible for two very famous ballads that everyone knows and loves: Parisienne walkways and Still got The Blues, through which he has crowned a player with terrific blues melodies and unique techniques identified in his playing.
Photo: Getty Images
Paul Gilbert was the guitarist of the rock bands Racer x and Mr. Big.
He is known for the insane technique and agility that he demonstrates and is considered one of the greatest shredders of all time.
After leaving the band Mr. Big, he began a solo career of his own. He currently resides in Japan and performs mainly to Japanese audiences.
Photo: Art Images Studio
Eric Clapton is a brand. When you hear the name: “Eric Clapton,” the humble guitarist jumps into consciousness by default, followed by a guitar. I am convinced that he has become the guitarist about whom everything has been said, yet there is always something to add and innovate. The uniqueness that development is identified with is unaffected by others which made his playing unique and made him a leading guitarist. The emotion that is shed from him while playing, the style of the quality licks he has developed, and the special speed technique associated with him – this is Clapton!
Photo: Getty Images
Chet Atkins was a pioneer of guitarists in country music and the fingerstyle style. His unique sound was in Fritta when he would play several roles simultaneously. Atkins has won 14 Grammy Awards and the Billboard Magazine’s Century Award for Outstanding Creative Achievements in Music and has influenced many guitarists, most notably guitarist Tommy Emanuel, who continues his career and has recorded an album with him.
Photo: Stanly Art
Nuno Bettencourt is best known for playing in the extreme band responsible for the hit More Than Words.
Bettencourt developed an extraordinary and unique style of playing that one of his strong elements is his well-developed sense of rhythm which can not be ignored in both solos and accompaniment. He is defined as a formidable rock-punk guitarist with excellent, phenomenal abilities.
Photo: G.S. Studio
One of the greatest blues players in the world who passed away before the people was none other than the famous guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan. Ray Vaughn gained immense fame after his death both among music lovers and lovers and among many guitarists worldwide who adopted some of his techniques and were greatly influenced by him. One can find the famous guitarist John Mayer. Ray Vaughan played with a lot of emotion and created a unique sound that is second to none.
He was ranked second on Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 greatest guitarists and even won 6 Grammy Awards.
Photo: Linda Strim G.F Art Studio
One of the most esteemed guitarists of all time is George Benson, one of the best jazz guitarists, singers, and musicians the music industry has ever known. Benson combines jazz, blues, and SOUL in his playing.
His playing has a unique and addictive style that brands his songs, so it is hard to ignore his striking and unique style. Over the years, Benson has won 10 Grammy Awards in many categories.
Photo: Getty Images
When people say “country music” or “chicken picking,” style, the guitarist Brent Mason jumps into consciousness directly. As if he’s the only guitarist to play country music. Mason is one of Nashville’s most sought-after studio musicians and is defined as a very sophisticated and diverse player.
Most of his playing is based on traditional country music, but sometimes he spices it with jazz and fusion. It has impressive western swing-style jazz pieces. What branded him as a guitarist, among other things, was the sound style he developed that stage with a unique technique. Mason has been named Player of the Year 12 times by the Academy of Country Music.
Photo: Godfrey Samuel G.S. Studio
The metal guitarist and one of the leaders of the neoclassical style is none other than guitarist Jason Becker. He is known for his playing speed and the unique licks he has developed. Becker was part of the Cacophony band along with guitarist Marty Friedman. After leaving the band Cacophony, he went on to an independent solo career. At 20, he was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy, which gradually paralyzed him. Today he is completely paralyzed and communicates through blinking eyes. Still, I continue to compose music with the help of a computer and support from other musicians and even managed to release several albums.
Photo: Art Studio
Kirk Hammett is known as Metallica’s lead guitarist.
He is responsible for some of the most excellent riffs and solo pieces in rich rock history and is ranked 11th on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of the best guitarists.
