Despite the "Guitar Heroes" title this isn't a fan tribute page but rather a list of some influential names that any self respecting guitarist should be aware of. Categorizing many of these guys into one label is pretty much meaningless. Some of them span comfortably over all of the genres listed, so please forgive any rough generalisation, labelling and glaring omissions of your favorites !
ROCK Rock means different things to different people depending on your age and where you grew up. Historically, Rock is an abbreviation of Rock 'n Roll. The actual term "Rock 'n Roll" was in fact 1930' s- 40's Afro - American slang for ahem, the old slap and tickle ! The two main prototypes of Rock 'n Roll were the riff orientated Rhythm 'n Blues (a.k.a R'n B) which had it's origins primarily in Country , Blues and Gospel. The other was the more urban Boogie Woogie, still riff centric , but coming more from a swing jazz and blues angle. Traditionally there's a rhythmic emphasis on the backbeats - beats 2 and 4 in the bar.
For all intents and purposes, Rock today seems to be more about an attitude and feel, it can draw from it's Rock 'n Roll origins but owes no real allegiance to it. Many Metal players are considered Rock players yet many of come from a totally different angle and are a world away from Chuck Berry in influences and technique.
For all intents and purposes, Rock today seems to be more about an attitude and feel, it can draw from it's Rock 'n Roll origins but owes no real allegiance to it. Many Metal players are considered Rock players yet many of come from a totally different angle and are a world away from Chuck Berry in influences and technique.
BLUES While Western European harmony has played a part in the Blues, It really owes its existence to African - American roots. The traditional call - response phrasing of field hollers and work chants, along with the spirituals and gospels all blended into this hybrid form. There's many blues sub - genres varying stylistically from region to region, but In a nutshell, there are two big distinctions: Country Blues and Urban Electric Blues.
Country Blues in the south used mainly acoustic steel strings and was in reality, a Black folk music, with the emphasis on storytelling as opposed to instrumental prowess. Under the Country Blues heading, you get Delta blues, being one of the earliest and most important forms.
Urban Electric Blues comes out of areas like Chicago, Detroit, Texas and Memphis. These Blues styles place more emphasis on harmony (chord changes) band arrangements and instrumental playing - i.e. more solos.
For an informed modern electric blues player, there's usually many interacting influences that merge in their playing. A bit of B.B.King, a bit of Muddy Waters, some Robert Johnson, a dash of T Bone, a sprinkle of Hendrix, etc…
This genre tends to be based mainly around the minor pentatonic, major pentatonic and blues scales.
Country Blues in the south used mainly acoustic steel strings and was in reality, a Black folk music, with the emphasis on storytelling as opposed to instrumental prowess. Under the Country Blues heading, you get Delta blues, being one of the earliest and most important forms.
Urban Electric Blues comes out of areas like Chicago, Detroit, Texas and Memphis. These Blues styles place more emphasis on harmony (chord changes) band arrangements and instrumental playing - i.e. more solos.
For an informed modern electric blues player, there's usually many interacting influences that merge in their playing. A bit of B.B.King, a bit of Muddy Waters, some Robert Johnson, a dash of T Bone, a sprinkle of Hendrix, etc…
This genre tends to be based mainly around the minor pentatonic, major pentatonic and blues scales.
JAZZ Jazz can mean different things to different people, it's a broad subject. There's traditional 1920's, swing, bop, cool, west coast, hard bop, free, chamber jazz, modal, etc..There's regional variants too : New Orleans, Chicago, Kansas City, New York , Los Angeles (west coast) etc… For the most part it's also a work in progress so there's generational nuances as well. Jazz draws from blues, gospel, rhythm and blues, classical, folk, and rock. Broadly speaking, jazz is a vehicle for improvisation. Characteristically the rhythms, harmonies and scale options used in jazz tend to be more sophisticated than its blues and rock counterparts.
FUSION This genre emerged in the late 1960's - a time of much musical cross pollination. The most basic definition of fusion is a mixture of jazz and rock . It was initially characterised by electronic instruments (electric keyboards,basses and guitars) being used by recognised jazz players of the day who wanted to explore new directions. Trumpeter Miles Davies and keyboardists Joe Zawinful (Weather Report) and Chick Corea are names that come to mind as pioneers of this genre. Over the decades fusion has gone in many directions, it typically incorporates blues, jazz, rock and funk as standard influences but it's range can easily cover world music, country, classical, you name it. Like jazz, fusion tends to gravitate towards more sophisticated scale choices. Odd and compound time signatures are another common feature.
METAL
COUNTRY
ACOUSTIC FINGERSTYLE
