The 7 Best Iconic Guitar Solos of All Time
Guitar solos are genuinely the best parts.
If you have ever been to a rock concert, you will find the music enthusiasts stop jumping around exactly on the solo time. It sets up the mood for the song.
Every guitarist tries to play a good solo. However, iconic guitar solos are something else.
There are amazing solos like Comfortably Numb or Stairway to Heaven that have been fan favorites for more than 50 years. They still sound like a blessing.
On the other hand, for playing a great solo, you do need a good guitar, right?
Though the guitar solos are subjective. Different genres come with different types of guitar solos. We have picked the hugely popular ones. Today, we will look into the top 11 iconic guitar solos.
- Jimi Hendrix – “All Along the Watchtower”
- Eddie Van Halen – “Eruption”
- Eric Clapton – “Layla”
- David Gilmour – “Comfortably Numb”
- Slash – “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
- Jimmy Page – “Stairway to Heaven”
- Brian May – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Criteria for Selection
Technical Skill
The guitar solos are full of technical skill. Complex arrangements have to be adjusted by quick fingers, precision, and skill.
Fast note sequences, complicated chord changes, and smooth transitions can be found in guitar solos.
Moreover, techniques like hammer-ons, pull-offs, and string bending are also expertly applied to show the guitarist’s skill.
Emotional Expression
The guitar solos are not entirely technical but rather packed with emotional content. They are performed with passion and bring in expression from sadness to happiness by creating tension and then releasing it.
Cultural Influence
Many memorable guitar solos brought so much to musical history. They inspired a lot of musicians, setting a very high standard for technical and expressive guitar playing.
The solos have been covered, sampled, and even referenced. Moreover, different styles give attribution to their enduring influence.
All these helped cement the status of these songs as classics within the songwriting and cultural landscapes.
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Top Iconic Guitar Solos: The Best 7 In Our List
- Jimi Hendrix – “All Along the Watchtower”
Source: [Pinterest]
Hendrix’s solo on “All Along the Watchtower” is an image of technical brilliance. Astounding note patterns and rapid bends, coupled with techniques such as slides and vibrato, really give this solo something special.
His clean use of minor pentatonic scales and creative phrasing gives a dynamic and engaging sound that takes the song to a whole new level.
Effects like distortion and reverb give this solo some emotional depth. They enhance the atmosphere with a feeling of urgency and longing.
His ability to shift between soft, contemplative phrases and intense bursts gives the song a narrative and speaks to people at a deeper level.
Hendrix’s cover of “All Along the Watchtower” made it a classic in rock. It touched several other artists and found the strength of reinvention in music that put Hendrix in the history books!
- Eddie Van Halen – “Eruption”
Source: [EVH]
Van Halen’s “Eruption” introduces his groundbreaking technique: “tapping”, which involves using both hands on the fretboard to generate fast and fluid phrases.
Van Halen’s “Eruption” changed the entire music industry by popularizing the tapping technique. It gave the upcoming generation of guitar players a whole new challenge to take on the new technique and use it on their guitar solos.
You can also see the influence of “Eruption” on so many guitarists, including Steve Vai and Joe Satriani.
- Eric Clapton – “Layla”
Source: [thevinyldistrict]
Soulful expression is probably the best way to describe Clapton’s playing in “Layla.” The bends and long sustained notes have conveyed deep emotions to listeners. It’s more like a feeling that coincides with the general themes of longing and heartache in this song.
Moreover, the acoustic solo creates a rich sound that underlines the emotional load of the song.
The popularity and influence of the song have remained ever since, securing Eric Clapton at the top of the list of the “greatest guitarists of all time”.
- David Gilmour – “Comfortably Numb”
Source: [YouTube]
“Comfortably Numb” is one of the most famous solos of David Gilmour. The melodic beauty and atmospheric qualities are hard not to recognize.
Space and phrasing achieve a haunting quality—most fitting for themes of alienation and introspection.
The emotional power of Gilmour’s solo is massive and goes on almost like a narrative tool in the song. This follows the words with rising and falling tension, thereby reinforcing the storytelling element of the music.
Most recognizable for Pink Floyd, “Comfortably Numb” is a song that features a Gilmour solo often cited as one of the greatest solos in rock history.
- Slash – “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
Source: [MUBI]
The introduction riff and lead breakdown of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” are very famous, with Slash’s tone and melodic phrasing.
This solo links technique with the emotional playing to make it a real standout in the song.
Techniques like bends, slides, and vibrato give Slash’s solo dynamic and expression. These techniques enhance emotional resonance within the song giving it its never-dying appeal.
“Sweet Child O’ Mine” is simply an iconic song, whose guitar work has so often been called one of the defining rock music moments.
- Jimmy Page – “Stairway to Heaven”
Source: [Reddit]
The solo by Page in “Stairway to Heaven” is well-known for its structured rise from soft to explosive.
Indeed, the overall tempo of the solo through notes and dynamics creates a compelling narrative arc.
Technical skill hops in with emotional expression in the solo, proving Page’s prowess in expressing deep feelings through a guitar.
Overall, “Stairway to Heaven” has a huge influence on rock music and culture.
- Brian May – “Bohemian Rhapsody”
Source: [townandcountrymag]
May’s solo in “Bohemian Rhapsody” is both original and complex in its sync of harmonized guitar lines and broad timers.
Overdubbing creates a rich texture that pays dividends in matching the song’s divergent character.
The solo blends astoundingly well within the operatic arrangement of the song because it serves to heighten the contrast between different shifts of mood and style.
The ability May had to weave his guitar work into the song expressed his musical ingenuity.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” and May’s guitar solo are probably the most recognizable combo in rock culture.
Honorable Mentions
Mark Knopfler — “Sultans of Swing”
The solo that Knopfler performed in “Sultans of Swing” stands nearly at the top of one of the greatest solos.
His fingerstyle technique and precise phrasing create a special sound conveying deep emotion. This song became iconic in rock history and turned into a benchmark for many guitar players.
Stevie Ray Vaughan — “Texas Flood”
Vaughan’s solo in “Texas Flood” simply shows what a skilled blues guitarist he is! He could grab the melancholic mood of the song from fast licks through soulful bends to even raw tones.
Expressiveness and technique have made Vaughan a legend among blues and rock performers.
Carlos Santana – “Europa”
Europa” by Santana is the kind of song that makes the guitar solo beautiful. His sound and vibrato are things that create an atmosphere and evoke feelings. The solo has influenced many contemporary Latin and world music artists.
Kirk Hammett – “One”
Metallica’s “One” contains a strong solo by Kirk Hammett. That is, it is emotionally intense and instrumentally precise.
The placement of this solo within the narrative of the song makes it one of the spot moments of Metallica’s music.
The Evolution of Guitar Solos: Here’s How Guitar Solos Evolved!
Early Blues Origins
The blues was born in the late 19th century within the Mississippi Delta, with artists like Robert Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson.
Deep emotional stories will be described using acoustic guitars with several techniques:
- Slide guitar
- Bending strings
- Finger-picking
Transition to Electric Blues
The electric guitar was brought to the market somewhere in the 1930s and 1940s, after which blues would never be the same.
T-Bone Walker and other innovators used amplification to come up with a much louder and much more expressional sound.
Rock ‘n’ Roll Was Born
The 1950s saw the birth of rock ‘n’ roll, essentially rhythm and blues fused with a great many diverse styles.
Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley were two of the major protagonists, but it was Berry’s innovations in solos that made the guitar the focus of popular music. Power chords and catchy riffs became almost defining features of this era.
Rise of the Rock Virtuosos
It wasn’t until the 1960s, though, that guitar legends like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Jimmy Page pushed the boundaries of what a “stringed instrument” was capable of!
Clapton and Page set a new standard for rock guitar solos with their precise and emotive playing.
Innovations in Technique
In the late 1970s, Eddie Van Halen came up with two-handed tapping that gave him ultrafast sequences of notes and intricate melody lines.
His solo on “Eruption” made many guitar enthusiasts try out these advanced techniques during their plays.
Modern Rock and Metal
With rock, the guitar solo evolved! Heavy metal in the 1960s and 1970s brought far more aggressive riffs and quite virtuoso solos.
Innovations of shredding and sweep picking have moved the technical requirements of metal guitarists.
Key Innovators and Contributions
- Robert Johnson: Laid the foundation of blues guitar techniques.
- Chuck Berry: He brought catchy riffs and solos into rock music.
- Jimi Hendrix: He changed the sound of the guitar with effects and experimentation
- Eddie Van Halen: Introduced two-handed tapping that raised new standards for technique.
- Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page: Defined emotive and precise soloing in rock.
How to Learn and Master Iconic Solos?
Mastering an iconic guitar solo requires a great amount of dedication, long hours of practice, and a certain amount of methodology. Here’s how you can do it!
Lessons and Tutorials Online
- YouTube: Just type in “Guitar Solo Tutorial” and you’ll get steps to this lesson from expert guitarists.
- Guitar World and Magazines: Get online lessons and master classes from famous guitar players who go in-depth in the analysis of techniques.
- Lesson Platforms: Fender Play, Guitareo, and JamPlay offer structured lessons and interactive tools for learning solos at your own pace.
Guitar Tabs and Sheet Music
- Tabs: Ultimate Guitar and Songsterr provide an extensive library of user-submitted and verified tabs for thousands of songs.
- Sheet Music: Sheet Music Direct and MakingMusicFun.net host a lot of notation, including rhythm and dynamics.
Practice Techniques
- Step 1: First, try playing your solo at a slow tempo and then gradually build up the speed. A metronome or looping software is quite invaluable in developing steady timing.
- Step 2: Break down this solo into smaller sections and master each part before putting it all together.
- Step 3: Practice over a backing track or with the original recording to get a feel for the chord changes and rhythm.
- Step 4: Listen back critically to your recordings, find areas for improvement, and compare your playing to the original.
Master the Basics
- Music Theory: If you have a strong foundation in music theory, scales, chord progressions., you’ll be better equipped to understand how the solo is structured.
- Technique: Work on alternate picking, legato playing, and vibrato to play the solo correctly and tastefully.
- Transcribe Solos: There is a very rich repository of solos by other players, which one can use to extend their vocabulary and possibly learn from the master players. Observe how they phrase, choose notes, and express emotions.
- Provide tips and resources for guitarists looking to learn and master these iconic solos.
- Mention online tutorials, guitar tabs, and practice techniques.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, beginners can learn iconic guitar solos as not all the iconic solos are tough to learn.
Eddie Van Halen, Jimmy Page, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, and many more.
