Top Five Unconventional Guitarists of All Time (w/ Audio) |
|---|
January 23rd, 2008 Music News | |
We like to challenge ourselves here at Wiser-Rocker. Someone smart once said that a reviewer tells more about himself through a positive review than anything substantive regarding his subject. The following guitarists are definitely MY favorite and you may have valid disagreements with any of the names listed here. One thing is for certain though: the following guitarists have paved their own paths, crafted original and instantly recognizable sounds, and were brilliant songwriters in their own rights.
*Audio Playlist at Bottom
| 1) Stevie Ray: | |
 |
I like to refer to Stevie as Jimi Hendrix on coke. If you are a huge Jimi fan you may think that I made a mistake by not including Mr. Hendrix himself on this list. You would be wrong.In my opinion Stevie Ray took the best parts of Jimi and improved upon them with faster and more accurate playing, not to mention an incredible voice.Stevie Ray, while a fine technical player, loved to hit the listener with a flurry of incredibly melodic notes. His sound was raw and bluesy and he remains my favorite guitarist of all time. |
|
|
|
| 2) Billy Corgan: | |
 |
I know what you are saying…What the hell? Personally, I feel that Billy Corgan is one of the most under-rated guitarist ever.Billy is certainly a fast and expressive player, using severe bends combined with muff-laced distortion that has the power to melt cheese off your face. |
| If you causally listen to radio friendly Smashing Pumpkins songs you probably won’t hear what I am talking about.Play the following Smashing Pumpkins song Geek Usa and listen to the solos towards the end to know what I am talking about.Like any great guitarist, Corgan’s sound is instantly recognizable, filled with emotion, and pushes his songs to the next level. | |
|
|
|
|
Sponsored Download The Jamorama Lead Guitar Multimedia Course will comprehensively teach you everything you need to know to play lead guitar, from lead guitar novice right through to being a professional guitarist.
|
|
| 3) Slash: | |
 |
Here is another guitarist who went against the grain. While other players in rock were using Fenders, Mr Slash picked up a fat Les Paul and made it sing like never before.Instead of focusing on how fast he can solo, Slash chooses his notes wisely and goes for a more bluesy, Joe Perry type of sound. Slash also utilizes serious bends in order to make his solos much more expressive. |
|
|
|
| 4) John Frusciante: | |
 |
The RHCP album best representing the raw talent and originally of John Fruscante is most likely Blood Sugar Sex Magic, where the lines between funk, rock, blues, and even jazz are mixed up in a funky monk salad.A quick listen to his playing on this record shows interesting chord voicings, original effects, and unique rhythm. As a song writer John has a knack for making original songs out of basic major and minor chord progressions.It seems in more modern records, John’s playing has been seemingly slowed down, perhaps the effects of ten tons of smack have gotten to him. |
|
|
|
| 5) Tom Morello: | |
 |
No list could be complete without Mr. Morello. Rage fans know exactly what makes Morello special, he has turned the guitar into a blank canvas of new sounds. His distinctive sound comes mostly from his use (or some would say abuse) of the Digitech Whammy Pedal and a very percussive style. |
| When pressured Morello can rip incredibly fast solos with the precision of a watch maker. Pick scrapes, interesting tunings, homemade effects, and almost entirely Drop D tunings make Tom Morello a force to be reckoned with. | |
|
|
|
|
Conclusions: Do other incredibly inventive guitarists exist? Hell yes. Just think of The Edge. My point at writing this article was to focus on guitarists who do not get the traditional attention of more mainstream players. Perhaps Slash is the most conventional guitarist on this list. If you are a guitarist, pick up, download, or steal some work by these guitarists and explore some new sounds right now. |
|
