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The Greatest Guitar Solo Ever Is....

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Charlie Prime

Charlie Prime

Paranormal Adept
Without a doubt, the greatest guitar solo ever is Paganini's 5th Caprice, featured in the 1986 movie Crossroads where Steve Vai and Ry Cooder battle to determine if the Devil will win a young boy's soul.

Here is the battle:

Here is the piece on violin:


The solo by guitar legend Randy Rhodes in Mr. Crowley is a close second.
 
There is no one greatest guitar solo, and that is fine with me.

For me, to be great it would have to be at least somewhat improvised, and Mr. Vai's former boss played many great ones himself. He brought Vai in to to his band play extremely difficult guitar parts that he had written note for note. Vai's friend Robert Fripp has played many great ones at fast and slow tempos (A Sailor's Tale is wonderful, for example, or the solo guitar on Bowie's Fashion), as did another British monster, John McLaughlin (check out Miles Davis' LiveEvil for a good sampling) and Jimi Hendrix was probably the most intense guitar soloist ever, technique be damned.
 
I studied the Fripster back in the 80's when I was in bands. Awesome artist.

He was far too advanced for me to fully understand. I only had one semester of music theory.

He reminded me of classical painters like Da Vinci. First they absolutely mastered the theory and mechanics, only then they could create. Today very few artists master the basics before freestyling.
 
Charlie Prime said:
Without a doubt, the greatest guitar solo ever is Paganini's 5th Caprice, featured in the 1986 movie Crossroads where Steve Vai and Ry Cooder battle to determine if the Devil will win a young boy's soul.

Here is the battle:

Here is the piece on violin:


The solo by guitar legend Randy Rhodes in Mr. Crowley is a close second.
Click to expand...

Meh Vai is ok but he leaves me cold..

What PCarr says is cool.

PCarr said:
There is no one greatest guitar solo, and that is fine with me.

For me, to be great it would have to be at least somewhat improvised, and Mr. Vai's former boss played many great ones himself. He brought Vai in to to his band play extremely difficult guitar parts that he had written note for note. Vai's friend Robert Fripp has played many great ones at fast and slow tempos (A Sailor's Tale is wonderful, for example, or the solo guitar on Bowie's Fashion), as did another British monster, John McLaughlin (check out Miles Davis' LiveEvil for a good sampling) and Jimi Hendrix was probably the most intense guitar soloist ever, technique be damned.
Click to expand...

From my point of view as a working guitarist there never will be a "greatest guitar solo" but if I had to pick one I could not as there are so many out there I love.

Anyway not to pick Charles's post to bits the guitar battle at the end of that film is cool and also kind of funny when you think about the fact that recording wise Vai is battling himself
 
But who among us is Master of both the Fender Telecaster and Gojo Ryu karate like Macchio? :D

None, because the two are antithetical. Human hands are delicate instruments. They make very poor bludgeons.
 
I'm partial towards J Garcia's style
but one of the best musical pieces- bass, rhythm guitar and lead guitar in a live version of a song by the Grateful Dead called "So Many Roads"
3-24-93 (or one of those 3 nights)
 
Stagger Lee said:
I'm partial towards J Garcia's style
but one of the best musical pieces- bass, rhythm guitar and lead guitar in a live version of a song by the Grateful Dead called "So Many Roads"
3-24-93 (or one of those 3 nights)
Click to expand...

Yeah, Jerry Garcia is irreplaceable like Zappa or Hendrix. It's got very little to do with technique and everything to do with the musical poetry that they achieved. Steve Vai is very impressive, but some day he will be replaced by a guitarbot.
 
trainedobserver said:
Elliott Randall's on Steely Dan's "Reelin' in the Years."
Click to expand...
I read an interview w/ Jimmy Page in the early '80s and he mentioned that the intro to Reelin in the Years was his fav guitar solo (and Link Wray's guitar on Rumble.) As fate would would have it, I went to a party at a local midtown NYC studio the next day and there was Elliott Randall. I had the pleasure of mentioning this to him. At the time he didn't believe me, but later must have read the same article because he mentions still Page's comment on his website. Heh-heh—I LOVE when synchronicity has the last word!
 
I worked in a Guitar Center for one day in the 90's and had to listen to about that same level of skill for hours. Between that, most of the employees, and dealing with customers I decided it wasn't worth it.
 
Chris already mentioned 'Comfortably Numb' and I'd have to add 'Another Brick in the Wall Part II'.

Although I do love Satriani and Vai, I'm more straight up in my solos and for a quick rock n roll solo, 'Whole Lotta Love' is great. 'Stairway to Heaven' is great too.

I read the same thing about Page and 'Reelin in the years' solo, which has great guitar full stop.
 
What makes a solo the greatest? Speed or Expression? What Santana does in this classic piece
with one note sustains expresses more than some artists do in an entire song,
and then the licks go on to transport you to another time and place.


Santana - Europa
​
 
At the opposite end of the soaring sustain expressive approach
we have the reigning high speed lick master ...


Yngwie Malmsteen - With the New Japan Philharmonic​
 
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Charlie Prime said:
But who among us is Master of both the Fender Telecaster and Gojo Ryu karate like Macchio? :D

None, because the two are antithetical. Human hands are delicate instruments. They make very poor bludgeons.
Click to expand...

Master? No.... no one ever masters the guitar they only stop it from mastering them.

That is my way of looking at playing so hey that is my opinion. My point is I don't really care who is better than who because they are not me and I have my own road to walk down and my own exploration to do.

I guess you get to that point after playing for so long, I respect other players but I am not them and don't want to be because it is a journey not a destination.
 
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