Guitar solos. They are the moments in songs where the music transcends simple melodies and lyrics, soaring into a realm of pure instrumental expression. A great guitar solo can elevate a good song to legendary status, becoming instantly recognizable and deeply ingrained in popular culture. The Best Guitar Solos Of All Time are not just displays of technical prowess; they are miniature compositions within songs, telling stories, evoking emotions, and pushing the boundaries of musical innovation. These solos are the reason many pick up the guitar in the first place, dreaming of replicating the magic created by their heroes.
Here, we dive into a countdown of some of the most celebrated and influential guitar solos ever recorded, exploring what makes each one a masterpiece of the fretboard.
10. Crazy Train – Ozzy Osbourne (Guitarist: Randy Rhoads, 1980)
Ozzy Osbourne’s solo career was arguably revitalized when Randy Rhoads joined his band, and listening to the electrifying solo in Crazy Train, it’s clear why. Rhoads, a classically trained musician, brought a level of technicality and melodic sensibility to hard rock that was distinct from the blues-based approach of many of his contemporaries. He wasn’t just another heavy metal guitarist; he was a true innovator.
The Crazy Train solo is a masterclass in dynamics and tension. Around the 2:50 mark, Rhoads unleashes a section that mimics the chaotic sounds of a runaway train, employing a chromatically ascending trill that creates a sense of urgency and impending derailment before dramatically descending. This innovative use of chromaticism, unusual in hard rock at the time, showcased Rhoads’s sophisticated musical vocabulary.
Rhoads concludes the solo with a blistering fast-picked F# minor pentatonic phrase, demonstrating his shredding capabilities, before transitioning into a fluid Aeolian legato run, culminating in a powerful bend on the 19th fret. This blend of technicality, musicality, and sheer showmanship cemented Crazy Train as an instant classic. Tragically, Rhoads’s career was cut short by his untimely death at the age of 25, leaving behind only two studio albums with Ozzy, but his impact on guitar playing remains immense.
Randy Rhoads Crazy Train Solo
9. Beat It – Michael Jackson (Guitarist: Eddie Van Halen, 1982)
When pop icon Michael Jackson decided to inject some hard rock edge into his groundbreaking Thriller album, he called upon none other than guitar virtuoso Eddie Van Halen. Van Halen’s legendary impromptu contribution to Beat It is a testament to his genius and adaptability. Arriving at the studio, Van Halen was given free rein by Jackson and producer Quincy Jones to “just play whatever you want.”
In a mere 20 minutes and two takes, Eddie Van Halen, the pioneer of two-hand tapping and flamboyant guitar techniques, transformed the song with a solo that was both ferocious and perfectly tailored to the pop sensibility of Beat It. He didn’t just lay down a generic rock solo; he reimagined the song’s instrumental break, injecting his signature style while respecting the song’s structure.
“I was just finishing the second solo when Michael walked in,” Van Halen recounted to CNN in 2012. “So I warned him before he listened. I said, ‘Look, I changed the middle section of your song.’ He gave it a listen, turned to me and went, ‘Wow, thank you so much for having the passion to not just come in and blaze a solo, but to actually care about the song.’” This unlikely collaboration became a cultural phenomenon, bridging the gap between rock and pop and exposing Van Halen’s brilliance to a massive new audience.
8. Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd (Guitarist: Allen Collins, 1974)
Epic in scope and emotionally charged, the guitar solo in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Free Bird is a true journey. Clocking in at a staggering 143 bars (doubled to 286 in the recording due to harmony parts), this solo, delivered by Allen Collins on his Gibson Explorer, is the longest on this list and arguably one of the most iconic in rock history. Featured on their 1973 debut album, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Free Bird transcends its status as a song; it’s an anthem, and Collins’s solo is its soaring heart.
The beauty of Free Bird’s solo lies not just in its length but in its organic, almost improvisational feel, despite its meticulously crafted structure. As Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Gary Rossington told Guitar World, “The whole long jam was Allen Collins himself. He was bad. He was super bad! He was bad-to-the-bone bad. When we put the solo together, we liked the sound of the two guitars, and I could’ve gone out and played it with him. But the way he was doin’ it, he was just so hot! He just did it once and did it again and it was done.”
Collins’s solo is a masterclass in building intensity, starting with melodic phrases and gradually escalating into a frenzied, passionate climax. It’s a testament to feel and emotion over pure technicality, showcasing the raw power and soulfulness that defined Southern rock.
7. Sultans Of Swing – Dire Straits (Guitarist: Mark Knopfler, 1977)
Mark Knopfler’s guitar work in Dire Straits’ Sultans Of Swing is a lesson in understated brilliance and elegant phrasing. Inspired by a struggling Dixieland jazz band he witnessed in a pub, Knopfler crafted a song that captured the bittersweet reality of pursuing art in the face of indifference. Originally composed on a National steel guitar, the song truly came alive when Knopfler plugged his 1961 Stratocaster into a Fender Vibrolux amp, unlocking the signature tone that would define Dire Straits’ sound.
The Sultans Of Swing solo, particularly the outro, is renowned for its rapid fingerpicked arpeggios. Despite its seemingly complex and lightning-fast delivery, Knopfler’s technique is based on a surprisingly efficient and repeatable pattern. He uses a hybrid picking approach, combining thumb and fingers, which allows for both speed and control. The core lick revolves around simple four-note arpeggios, but Knopfler’s rhythmic precision and clean tone elevate it to virtuosity.
Knopfler’s picking method, involving thumb-picking the first string, a pull-off, thumb-picking the second string, and finger-picking the first string, is designed for efficiency and endurance. This approach ensures the thumb picks at half-speed, preventing fatigue and allowing for sustained speed. Mastering this solo is a matter of slow practice and gradually increasing tempo, proving that even seemingly impossible feats of guitar playing can be broken down into manageable techniques.
6. Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N’ Roses (Guitarist: Slash, 1988)
Slash’s guitar solo in Guns N’ Roses’ breakthrough hit Sweet Child O’ Mine is pure, unadulterated rock and roll swagger. It’s a solo that encapsulates the raw energy and rebellious spirit of Guns N’ Roses, becoming instantly iconic from the opening melodic phrases. The solo is a journey in itself, divided into distinct halves that showcase different facets of Slash’s playing.
The first half of the solo is characterized by its laid-back, modal feel, built around the Eb minor scale with hints of harmonic minor flavor introduced by major 7th intervals. Played on the neck pickup, this section has a warm, thick tone that perfectly complements the song’s melodic foundation.
The second half explodes with aggression and bluesy intensity, shifting to the bridge pickup for a biting tone and utilizing the pentatonic scale in position one, an octave higher up the neck. Slash’s bends become wider, his vibrato more pronounced, and the overall feel more visceral. The use of a Cry Baby wah pedal further enhances the expressiveness and vocal-like quality of his playing.
What truly sets Slash’s solo apart is its sense of spontaneity and feel. It sounds less composed and more like a raw, improvised outpouring of emotion, perfectly capturing the spirit of rock and roll. He seamlessly weaves together different ideas, adding layers of color and dimension to the song, demonstrating the hallmark of a truly great guitar solo: enhancing the song itself.
5. Hotel California – Eagles (Guitarists: Don Felder, Joe Walsh, 1977)
Hotel California, the title track from the Eagles’ seminal album, is synonymous with its mesmerizing guitar solo, often topping polls for the greatest guitar solo of all time. This iconic solo is a collaborative effort, a conversation between guitarists Don Felder and Joe Walsh, featuring traded licks and culminating in unforgettable harmonized lines.
The solo begins with 24 bars of traded licks, a back-and-forth dialogue between Felder and Walsh, each showcasing their individual styles before merging into the harmonized section at around 5:39. These harmonized lines, instantly recognizable and deeply ingrained in popular culture, are surprisingly based on a relatively simple harmonic concept.
The harmony is created by both guitarists playing arpeggios of each chord in the progression, with one guitar consistently playing a note one step lower in the chord than the other. For example, in a Bm chord (B, D, F#), if the higher guitar plays an F#, the lower guitar will play a D, and so on. This elegant and effective technique creates the rich, shimmering harmony that defines the Hotel California solo.
While the complexity and beauty of the solo might seem daunting, understanding this underlying harmonic principle provides a pathway to learning and even improvising along with it. It’s a testament to the power of simple ideas executed with precision and musicality, making it a solo that is both technically impressive and deeply memorable.
4. Stairway To Heaven – Led Zeppelin (Guitarist: Jimmy Page, 1971)
Jimmy Page’s solo in Led Zeppelin’s Stairway To Heaven is often hailed as the quintessential rock guitar solo, a masterpiece of composition and emotional expression. From the initial notes played on his ’59 Fender Telecaster (famously not a Les Paul for this recording) to the final wailing bend, it’s a journey in sound, a “song within a song.”
Instead of aimless shredding, Page crafted a solo that mirrors the song’s epic narrative arc. The opening phrases, played with a clean tone, establish a melodic motif, with Page adding notes to the pentatonic scale to follow the song’s evolving chord progression. It’s a masterclass in phrasing and dynamics, building anticipation and drawing the listener deeper into the musical landscape.
A rapid, repeating lick in the middle of the solo intensifies the energy before a haunting, overdubbed guitar answers in a musical “question and answer” section. This interplay creates depth and texture, leading to the final, soaring flurry of notes and the signature wailing bend that concludes the solo with breathtaking finality.
Page reportedly improvised the solo in three takes, choosing the best one for the final recording. While the other takes are rumored to exist in the Led Zeppelin vaults, the recorded version is undeniably perfection. It’s a solo that transcends mere technicality, becoming an integral part of the song’s narrative and emotional impact, solidifying its place as one of the greatest guitar solos ever conceived.
3. Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd (Guitarist: David Gilmour, 1979)
Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb is unique in featuring not one, but two iconic guitar solos by David Gilmour, each contributing to the song’s haunting and ethereal atmosphere. Either solo alone could justify the song’s inclusion on this list, but the fact that Gilmour created both within the same track is a testament to his unparalleled musical genius.
Gilmour’s tone in Comfortably Numb is legendary in itself. Utilizing his iconic black Stratocaster, then equipped with a DiMarzio FS-1 bridge pickup, into a Hiwatt DR103 amp and the essential Electro-Harmonix Ram’s Head Big Muff pedal, he sculpted a sound that was both smooth and sustaining, devoid of the harsh treble often associated with Strats. The MXR Dyna Comp further enhanced the sustain, allowing Gilmour to hold notes for seemingly endless durations. A subtle modulation from a Yamaha rotating speaker and epic delay added in the mix further enriched the sonic landscape.
The first solo, in D major, played with the Strat’s neck and bridge pickups combined thanks to a custom switching arrangement, is characterized by its unconventional phrasing. Gilmour employs arpeggios and sliding passages with a futuristic quality, setting him apart from typical blues-based players. His subtle yet expressive use of the tremolo bar, facilitated by his shortened tremolo arm, adds another layer of nuance. Raking into notes, a technique reminiscent of Brian May, further intensifies the expressiveness of each phrase.
The outro solo, in contrast, features more traditional blues-based licks, yet Gilmour infuses them with his unique style and context. Phrases reminiscent of Hendrix, like those at 4:57 and 5:12, are recontextualized within the prog-rock framework of Pink Floyd, sounding both familiar and entirely fresh. This ability to blend classic phrasing with innovative approaches is a hallmark of Gilmour’s genius.
Gilmour achieved the seemingly improvised yet meticulously crafted feel of the outro solo by recording multiple takes (reportedly five or six) and compiling the best sections into the final version. The result is a solo that feels both spontaneous and perfectly structured, with a masterful balance of repetition and development that builds tension and excitement over its two-minute duration.
Randy Rhoads Crazy Train Solo
The outro solo is further enriched by rhythmic complexity. Gilmour seamlessly incorporates triplets, sextuplets, 16th and 32nd notes within the same phrases, creating a dynamic and engaging rhythmic tapestry. The Hendrix-esque blues licks return and evolve at 5:27, becoming longer and more intricate. Aggressive double stops emerge at 5:15, becoming a recurring motif by 5:35. For the climax, Gilmour ascends an octave, pushing the expressive limits of his instrument before descending back down, incorporating a spectacular three-fret bend and concluding with a final iteration of the double-stop motif. It’s a solo that embodies brilliance in tone, rhythm, melody, and expression, a rare combination that elevates it to the highest echelon of guitar artistry.
2. Eruption – Van Halen (Guitarist: Eddie Van Halen, 1978)
Eddie Van Halen’s instrumental track Eruption, from Van Halen’s self-titled debut album in 1978, was a seismic event in the world of guitar playing. It wasn’t just a solo; it was a revolution, inspiring a generation of guitarists and redefining the possibilities of the electric guitar. In a landscape still echoing with the innovations of Jimi Hendrix, Eruption was a new sonic explosion.
Eruption showcased a breathtaking array of techniques, including blistering fast legato hammer-ons and pull-offs, screaming pinched harmonics, dramatic whammy bar dives, and, most famously, the popularization of two-hand tapping. While the tapping technique garnered much of the initial attention, the solo’s true brilliance lies in the holistic package: the raw tone, the fluid legato phrasing, and the innovative note choices, all delivered with Eddie’s signature joyous rock ‘n’ roll abandon. This combination transcended the realm of technical virtuosity, appealing even to listeners who weren’t typically drawn to instrumental shred guitar.
Interestingly, Eruption was not originally intended for the album. Eddie explained to Guitar World, “I showed up at the recording studio one day and started to warm up. I had a gig that weekend and wanted to practise my solo guitar spot. Our producer, Ted Templeman, happened to walk by and he asked, ‘What is that? Let’s put it on tape!’” Captured in a single take, with Eddie himself noting a minor mistake, Eruption became a cornerstone of guitar history.
The solo can be broadly divided into sections. The opening eight bars are rooted in blues, albeit a highly virtuosic and modernized blues, reminiscent of Jimmy Page’s breakdown solo in Whole Lotta Love. This bluesy foundation evolves over the next eight bars, incorporating chromaticism derived from both major and minor pentatonic scales, creating a complex and harmonically rich texture.
Eddie Van Halen Eruption Solo
Eddie’s tapping finale is arguably the most famous and influential section of the solo, yet also the most misunderstood. It’s not simply about tapping out repeating sextuplet licks; the rhythmic nuances and variations in Eddie’s tapping patterns are crucial to its impact. His taps are often off-beat, creating intricate rhythmic shifts as he alternates between tapping on the first and fourth sextuplet notes and then shifting to the third and sixth notes. Mastering this section requires slowing down considerably and meticulously practicing the timing variations.
Eddie’s tapping technique itself is also noteworthy. He employs his index finger for tapping, anchoring his thumb on the neck for stability. While some guitarists prefer a middle finger tap with the pick held between thumb and index finger, both approaches require precise muting of the bass strings to maintain clarity. Eruption is more than just a guitar solo; it’s a technical and musical landmark, a piece that could take a lifetime to truly master and continues to inspire awe and wonder in guitar players worldwide.
1. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen (Guitarist: Brian May, 1975)
Is Bohemian Rhapsody the greatest rock song of all time? Many would argue yes, and its brief but perfectly formed guitar solo by Brian May certainly contributes to its legendary status. Following Freddie Mercury’s tragic passing and the song’s resurgence in popularity after Wayne’s World in 1992, Bohemian Rhapsody became a global anthem, a testament to Queen’s enduring legacy.
Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen’s most iconic song, is structurally unconventional, to say the least. It lacks a traditional chorus, features no repetition beyond two verses, and famously incorporates an operatic section. Yet, against all odds, it works, and Brian May’s nine-bar guitar solo is the perfect melodic bridge, seamlessly transitioning from the verses into the operatic interlude.
May’s phrasing in the solo is loose and natural, deliberately playing “across the backbeat” rather than rigidly adhering to a metronomic grid. His fastest licks are expressive bursts of energy, not repetitive, soulless noodling. May’s articulate pre-bend and vibrato technique, honed over years of playing his homemade “Red Special” guitar, showcase his exceptional touch and musicality.
Within the complex and unconventional structure of Bohemian Rhapsody, Brian May’s solo is a moment of pure melodic brilliance, a concise and impactful statement that perfectly serves the song. It’s a solo that demonstrates that greatness isn’t always about length or technical complexity; sometimes, the most effective solos are those that are perfectly crafted to enhance the song itself, and Brian May’s solo in Bohemian Rhapsody is a prime example of this principle.
These ten solos represent just a fraction of the incredible guitar work that exists in music history. They are diverse in style, technique, and emotional impact, but they share a common thread: each one is a moment of magic, a testament to the power of the electric guitar and the artistry of the musicians who wield them. Exploring these solos is not just a journey through music history; it’s an inspiration for anyone who has ever been moved by the sound of a soaring guitar solo.
