cover image source: Giphy
So, I've been playing a lotta guitar recently and am loving it. It's such a versatile instrument and can sound so different depending on whose hands it's in, what genre is being played, and what kind of setup you're using. From acoustic to electric, Jimi Hendrix to Yvette Young, hard rock to gypsy jazz... in one moment, the guitar can conjure up the most mean & loud, distorted badassery you've ever laid ears on and the next it can become soft, delicate, natural — its plucked strings soothing you into relaxation. It's a dynamic instrument for sure, but it's also iconic and super cool. 😎 With all that said, I want to hear who y'all's favorite guitar heroes are... what guitar-centric songs stand out in your mind? How about those best live performances on guitar? What's your go-to genre when you need your guitar fix? And in the age of the internet, do you have any guitar gurus/phenoms/prodigies that you envy/admire? Gimme some guitar! 🎸
How we do
In this weekly series, folks can chime in and drop links to whatever it is they've been listening to recently + browse others' suggestions. You can follow the suggested genre if you'd like, but don't feel confined to it; you're free to suggest whatever you wanna. 🙌
If you're interested in having other discussions about music, consider following the aptly named #music discussions organization.
Tune up and hold onto your whammy bars, we're about to guit this thing started! Note: you can embed a link to your song using the following syntax {% embed https://... %}. This should work for most common platforms!
Looking forward to listening to y'all's suggestions! 🎶
Top comments (26)
I have wayyyyyy too many guitar heroes, haha! 🎸
One who has consistently made my top list these past few years is Cory Wong. He has such a distinct style of funk playing... that rhythm hand is flexible like rubber and is a blur when he strums, but somehow his tone is always clean and his picking precise.
He's a regular member of the legendary funk group, Vulfpeck, but also has currently set up shop at Prince's Paisley Park, where he grooves alongside most of Prince's old band + invites in a diverse group of guest musicians.
Here's a Vulfpeck song named after him:
And here he is doing his thing at Paisley Park alongside another (bass) guitar hero, Victorn Wooten:
I also have waaaayyy too many ones to list.
And of course / (Slash) is one of those.
Jimmy Hendrix.
Tom Morello.
Herman Li.
I could take like half an hour writing this comment if I keep mentioning folks. xD
Love it, Juan! All 4 ya mentioned here are 🔥 and have their own unique voice with the guitar.
And lol, I totally feel you on the potential to write a half-hour comment about guitar heroes... I decided to limit myself to just one (today at least... I'm coming back tomorrow) because I knew I could quickly go off the rails, haha.
Anyway, great suggestions. And sorry if we may have chatted about this before already, but do you play guitar?
Hey Michael. We didn't talk about it. And I never really learned how to play the guitar. Back in the day it conjure images of smooth talkers who learned guitar to chat up some chicks. 😆
I went on to learn how to play the piano (or the electronic keyboard). And it's funny because I ended up not doing music anymore and went into coding. (Still using a keyboard tho.)
Haha, true story! There are indeed lots of smooth talkers out there looking to woo women with the guitar. 😆
I've only ever repelled the opposite sex with my guitar playing, lol... my wife is constantly like "can't you put that thing down." Haha!
Cool that you went the electronic keyboard route... I've been trying to pick it up recently, but it's tough! That said, I dabble. I love synthesizers, drum machines, and other musical gear... while I can hardly play them, I certainly try.
Haha, love this!
Hahaha at least you're unique in your guitar-playing ways xD.
Synths are cool, piano rolls as well. And making some noise with online beat machines is fun because I don't get access to the real ones haha.
Screenplay music video, that's cute =)! This is a funky jam. It's super retro. I grew up listening to funk, but I don't listen to it too much anymore as an adult. Which is funny, because someone one expressed I clearly need a funky beat to enjoy music. I'd say more so - can I sing it? Cause if I can, I am probably cramming it into my ear-bits and singing it like a broken jukebox.
But I like bands with funk-influences. Here's my pass-the-potato:
indie *pop rock-funk:
jazz-funk:
soul...funk:
So da funk is there, just not like explicitly.
Awwww yea, Jo! Good ones. 🙂
I know Kamasi Washington and Thundercat well. Such amazingly talented and super fun/funky musicians! Seriously great suggestions.
And wow, this is my first time hearing Dreamer Isioma but they're dope! This is so dreamy and off-kilter, but in a good way. Really cool and interesting flavor of funk!
Yeah they really reminded me of Willow Smith actually and I really dug what she was pulling out for a while. Or like - Blood Orange meets Willow Smith w/ a little Shamir mixed in. Super cute!:
So dope! This kinda seems to blend surf rock with a driving 80's post punk beat. Very funky!! And I can totally see the connections ya are mentioning. Good music video too... it would've fit well for the Halloween thread too, haha!
The music video itself kinda reminds me of "Time to Dance by" The Shoes... I think you might dig this, but warning it's pretty violent/bloody:
That was super fun, and yes I was eating dinner to it. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I was born to love horror =P! I totally missed this, and now it's part of my collection =P!
I was just talking with my buddy earlier. Cause he always wanted to shoot a pulp-y flick and I was testing out my gal's new speakers and hopped over to Youtube. First thing that I saw was Acid Rain. I never realized how short this music video was, but equally it's got such a fun little story to ride along with. And it tells so much in two seconds of imagery right at the very end. It's a whole story! Anyways, I was talking with him and I was asking him if he'd ever consider condensing his dreams down into a music video because I think that'd be easier to produce than a whole flick.
So yeah, love music videos that tell stories:
This is freaking dope! The dancing, the concept, the music... it's working on me!
A few years ago on AGT there was a solo guitarist, Marcin, who played the guitar while also using it as a percussion instrument. I never saw anything like it. Not knowing anything about the guitar, I have no idea if that is innovative or potentially frowned upon by guitarists, but I enjoyed it.
Marcin Patrzałek, known mononymously as Marcin, is a Polish percussive fingerstyle guitarist, composer, and producer. He is known for combining fingerstyle, percussive guitar techniques with modern electronic and orchestral production. He first gained popularity in 2015 after winning the ninth edition of Polish talent show Must Be The Music, the prize for which was 100,000 Polish złoty and an additional 100,000 złoty for promotion of his music on Polish radio station RMF FM. After local success, he went on to release his debut record HUSH, the release of which was accompanied by singles including Patrzalek's percussive arrangement of Isaac Albéniz's "Asturias"; the video of the arrangement was released through fingerstyle label CandyRat Records. In subsequent years, Patrzałek's popularity grew rapidly beyond Polish borders due to multiple viral releases online. His videos were posted and discussed by notable publishers such as Rolling Stone, Metal Hammer, Classic FM…
Wow, Marcin is freaking wonderful! Just looked him up and discovered this cover of Clapton's "Layla".
It's got acoustic tapping and cool percussive moves just like you mentioned. So, as a guitarist who likes a variety of musical genres, I'm really open to a lot of different approaches out there to the instrument, and Marcin's playing is absolutely amazing. I love these kinda guitar heroics... beautiful exciting melodies and percussion. It's way beyond my skill and to be honest, I rarely listen to virtuosos who play at this level, but when I do I'm always amazed and inspired.
This next song 👇 just came on while I was typing my message to you and it literally yanked my attention away from what I was writing... check it out:
These are both amazing.
I hope I do this right...:
Hurray for my dodgy memory! I've listened to one and only one song today. It was on my phone when I pressed shuffle, and it was a good'un. It's a good sing too. I heard it in my Turkish buddy's car a hundred years ago and it was a revelation.
This is 🔥 Jo! Great vibes.
I love the subtle organ, the great vocals (especially digging these backup vocals), and the laid back sorta bossa nova drum that plays throughout the verse. Plus, I dig how they change to a more 60's feel during the pre-chorus/chorus with a straighter, tambourine-laced beat, plus a whole soup of different sonic textures. It's dang good stuff.
Also, Morcheeba is perhaps one of my favorite band names ever lol.
So, this isn't exactly the same, but my band has been playing "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse a lot recently and I'm thinking you might dig this tune if you're not already a fan. If you are already hip to Amy Winehouse, then here she is again.
Woah, cool! Band. I love it! I sing, spastically, but pretty much all day every day. My one buddy wanted to make a band, but we never got to it. I think it'd be fun, but never got to that point. I think in general though, that folks with bands are pretty nifty-spiffy cool!
My old buddy (lost to the sands of time but still in my heart - different buddy just both back home) loved Amy Winehouse. He gave me a bunch of songs, but none of them stuck to me like this one. I thought it was spiffy but I haven't thought of her in a hundred years so it's good to get a listen.
Also speaking of bossa-nova-y jams:
Given by the same guy =)
p.s. - there is a trip-hop version:
p.p.s. Danke =)~
Slash!!!
Only one person can rock a hat like that. 🎩
As much as like that one, I think the solo from November Rain is prolly the pinnacle of that era…
I recently discovered Roy Buchanan and his guitar playing is funky and kinda unhinged. Check him out here on "I'm A Ram" and wait for that solo that comes in later.
This is a classic guitar moment... but be patient, you gotta wait for it. Prince plays the final solo for "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at the Tribute Concert for George Harrison.
Listen to the story behind it here:
And of course, this happened too — "Purple Rain" in the rain at the Superbowl. Prince is made for this kinda thing. Check out the whole performance below and dig that gnarly guitar work.
EDIT: Bahhh... just watch it on YouTube. It's worth it!
The first thing that comes to mind is:
Dayum! They are ripping it up.
I think it's particularly cool to see him wailing on an acoustic-electric, haha! Close your eyes and that thing does not feel very acoustic.
We gotta give a shout-out to the originator:
And of course, this guy too:
Voodoo Child is such a great vehicle for guitar heroics, haha!