Techniques[edit]

The guitarist may employ any of several methods for sounding the guitar, including finger picking,
depending on the type of strings used (either nylon or steel), and including strumming with the
fingers, or a guitar pick made of bone, horn, plastic, metal, felt, leather, or paper, and
melodic flatpicking and finger-picking.
The guitarist may also employ various methods for selecting notes and chords, including
fingering, thumbing, the barre (a finger lying across many or all strings at a particular fret), and
'bottleneck' or steel-guitar slides, usually made of glass or metal. These left- and right-hand
techniques may be intermixed in performance.

Notable guitarists[edit]

Montage of guitarists. The guitarists pictured are named on the image page.

Rock, heavy metal, jazz and country[edit]

Several magazines and websites have compiled what they intend as lists of the greatest
guitarists—for example The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine,
or 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Guitar World magazine.
Rolling Stone
In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine published a list called The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All
Time. This list included 100 guitarists whom the magazine editor David Fricke considered
the best, with a brief introduction for each of them.[1] The first in this list is the American
guitarist Jimi Hendrix introduced by Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who, who was, in
his turn, ranked at #10 in the list.
In describing the list to readers, Paul MacInnes from British newspaper The
Guardian wrote, "Surprisingly enough for an American magazine, the top 10 is fair jam-
packed with Yanks," though he also noted three exceptions in the top 10. [2] The online
magazine Blogcritics criticized the list for introducing some[which?] allegedly undeserving
guitarists while forgetting some artists the writer considered perhaps more worthy, such
as Johnny Marr, Al Di Meola, Phil Keaggy or John Petrucci.[3]
In 2011, Rolling Stone updated the list, which this time was chosen by a panel of
guitarists and other experts with the top 5 consisting of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy
Page, Keith Richards and Jeff Beck. Artists who had not been included in the previous list
were added. Rory Gallagher, for example, was ranked in 57th place.[4]
The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time is mentioned in many biographies about artists
who appear in the list.[5]
Guitar World
 Guitar World, a monthly music magazine devoted to the guitar, also published their list of
100 greatest guitarists in the book Guitar World Presents the 100 Greatest Guitarists of
All Time from the Pages of Guitar World Magazine.[6] Different from the Rolling Stone list,
which listed guitarists in descending order, Guitar World divided guitarists by music
genre—such as "Lords of Hard Rock" for hard rock artists or "Jazzmen" for jazz players.
Despite the appearance in other magazines like Billboard,[7] this publication by Guitar
World was criticized for including no female musicians within its
selection.[8] However, Guitar World recently published a list of "Eight Amazing Female
Acoustic Players," including Kaki King, Muriel Anderson and Sharon Isbin.[9]
TIME and others
Following the death of Les Paul, TIME website presented their list of 10 greatest artists
in electric guitar. As in Rolling Stone magazine's list, Jimi Hendrix was chosen as the
greatest guitarist followed by Slash from Guns 'N' Roses, B.B. King, Keith
Richards, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton.[10] Gigwise.com, an online music magazine, also
ranks Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist ever, followed by Jimmy Page, B.B. King,
Keith Richards and Kirk Hammett.[11]
Other genres[edit]
The classical guitar is strung with gut or nylon strings on top and wound
basses for the lower strings. It was often ornately decorated with mother
of pearl. Many early classical guitarists played with their finger tips only
but later guitarists play with a combination of finger nail and flesh to
project a clear sound and allowing for many different changes in sound
quality (or timbre). This guitar tradition dates back at least to the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when a four course instrument
was popular among aristocrats. In the early nineteenth century there the
guitar enjoyed a surge of popularity when composer/performers such
as Fernando Sor, Napoléon Coste, Mauro Guiliani, and many others
published thousands of pieces for the concert hall and home gatherings.
The classical guitar enjoyed another period of popularity in the twentieth
century when recordings amplified the relatively quiet instrument. There
are many classical guitarists listed as notable in their respective epochs.
One of the most renowned Flamenco guitarists in recent decades
was Paco de Lucía. Flamenco music is a popular traditional music
associated with the Andalucia region of southern Spain. It is
characterized by intricate syncopated rhythms intimately informed by a
gypsy dance style. Flamenco guitarists also often accompany flamenco
singers performing "cante jondo" (deep song). Paco de Lucía was also
one of the first flamenco guitarists to have successfully crossed over into
other genres of music such as classical and jazz. Richard
Chapman and Eric Clapton, authors of Guitar: Music, History, Players,
describe de Lucía as a "titanic figure in the world of flamenco
guitar",[12] and Dennis Koster, author of Guitar Atlas, Flamenco, has
referred to de Lucía as "one of history's greatest guitarists.".[13][14]

Techniques[edit]
The guitarist may employ any of several methods for sounding the guitar, including finger picking,
depending on the type of strings used (either nylon or steel), and including strumming with the
fingers, or a guitar pick made of bone, horn, plastic, metal, felt, leather, or paper, and
melodic flatpicking and finger-picking.
The guitarist may also employ various methods for selecting notes and chords, including
fingering, thumbing, the barre (a finger lying across many or all strings at a particular fret), and
'bottleneck' or steel-guitar slides, usually made of glass or metal. These left- and right-hand
techniques may be intermixed in performance.

Notable guitarists[edit]

Montage of guitarists. The guitarists pictured are named on the image page.

Rock, heavy metal, jazz and country[edit]

Several magazines and websites have compiled what they intend as lists of the greatest
guitarists—for example The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine,
or 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Guitar World magazine.
Rolling Stone
In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine published a list called The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All
Time. This list included 100 guitarists whom the magazine editor David Fricke considered
the best, with a brief introduction for each of them.[1] The first in this list is the American
guitarist Jimi Hendrix introduced by Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who, who was, in
his turn, ranked at #10 in the list.
In describing the list to readers, Paul MacInnes from British newspaper The
Guardian wrote, "Surprisingly enough for an American magazine, the top 10 is fair jam-
packed with Yanks," though he also noted three exceptions in the top 10. [2] The online
magazine Blogcritics criticized the list for introducing some[which?] allegedly undeserving
guitarists while forgetting some artists the writer considered perhaps more worthy, such
as Johnny Marr, Al Di Meola, Phil Keaggy or John Petrucci.[3]
In 2011, Rolling Stone updated the list, which this time was chosen by a panel of
guitarists and other experts with the top 5 consisting of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy
Page, Keith Richards and Jeff Beck. Artists who had not been included in the previous list
were added. Rory Gallagher, for example, was ranked in 57th place.[4]
The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time is mentioned in many biographies about artists
who appear in the list.[5]
Guitar World
Guitar World, a monthly music magazine devoted to the guitar, also published their list of
100 greatest guitarists in the book Guitar World Presents the 100 Greatest Guitarists of
All Time from the Pages of Guitar World Magazine.[6] Different from the Rolling Stone list,
which listed guitarists in descending order, Guitar World divided guitarists by music
genre—such as "Lords of Hard Rock" for hard rock artists or "Jazzmen" for jazz players.
Despite the appearance in other magazines like Billboard,[7] this publication by Guitar
World was criticized for including no female musicians within its
selection.[8] However, Guitar World recently published a list of "Eight Amazing Female
Acoustic Players," including Kaki King, Muriel Anderson and Sharon Isbin.[9]
TIME and others
 Following the death of Les Paul, TIME website presented their list of 10 greatest artists
in electric guitar. As in Rolling Stone magazine's list, Jimi Hendrix was chosen as the
greatest guitarist followed by Slash from Guns 'N' Roses, B.B. King, Keith
Richards, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton.[10] Gigwise.com, an online music magazine, also
ranks Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist ever, followed by Jimmy Page, B.B. King,
Keith Richards and Kirk Hammett.[11]
Other genres[edit]
The classical guitar is strung with gut or nylon strings on top and wound
basses for the lower strings. It was often ornately decorated with mother
of pearl. Many early classical guitarists played with their finger tips only
but later guitarists play with a combination of finger nail and flesh to
project a clear sound and allowing for many different changes in sound
quality (or timbre). This guitar tradition dates back at least to the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when a four course instrument
was popular among aristocrats. In the early nineteenth century there the
guitar enjoyed a surge of popularity when composer/performers such
as Fernando Sor, Napoléon Coste, Mauro Guiliani, and many others
published thousands of pieces for the concert hall and home gatherings.
The classical guitar enjoyed another period of popularity in the twentieth
century when recordings amplified the relatively quiet instrument. There
are many classical guitarists listed as notable in their respective epochs.
One of the most renowned Flamenco guitarists in recent decades
was Paco de Lucía. Flamenco music is a popular traditional music
associated with the Andalucia region of southern Spain. It is
characterized by intricate syncopated rhythms intimately informed by a
gypsy dance style. Flamenco guitarists also often accompany flamenco
singers performing "cante jondo" (deep song). Paco de Lucía was also
one of the first flamenco guitarists to have successfully crossed over into
other genres of music such as classical and jazz. Richard
Chapman and Eric Clapton, authors of Guitar: Music, History, Players,
describe de Lucía as a "titanic figure in the world of flamenco
guitar",[12] and Dennis Koster, author of Guitar Atlas, Flamenco, has
referred to de Lucía as "one of history's greatest guitarists.".[13][14]

Techniques[edit]
The guitarist may employ any of several methods for sounding the guitar, including finger picking,
depending on the type of strings used (either nylon or steel), and including strumming with the
fingers, or a guitar pick made of bone, horn, plastic, metal, felt, leather, or paper, and
melodic flatpicking and finger-picking.
The guitarist may also employ various methods for selecting notes and chords, including
fingering, thumbing, the barre (a finger lying across many or all strings at a particular fret), and
'bottleneck' or steel-guitar slides, usually made of glass or metal. These left- and right-hand
techniques may be intermixed in performance.

Notable guitarists[edit]
Montage of guitarists. The guitarists pictured are named on the image page.

Rock, heavy metal, jazz and country[edit]

Several magazines and websites have compiled what they intend as lists of the greatest
guitarists—for example The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine,
or 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Guitar World magazine.
Rolling Stone
In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine published a list called The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All
Time. This list included 100 guitarists whom the magazine editor David Fricke considered
the best, with a brief introduction for each of them.[1] The first in this list is the American
guitarist Jimi Hendrix introduced by Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who, who was, in
his turn, ranked at #10 in the list.
In describing the list to readers, Paul MacInnes from British newspaper The
Guardian wrote, "Surprisingly enough for an American magazine, the top 10 is fair jam-
packed with Yanks," though he also noted three exceptions in the top 10. [2] The online
magazine Blogcritics criticized the list for introducing some[which?] allegedly undeserving
guitarists while forgetting some artists the writer considered perhaps more worthy, such
as Johnny Marr, Al Di Meola, Phil Keaggy or John Petrucci.[3]
In 2011, Rolling Stone updated the list, which this time was chosen by a panel of
guitarists and other experts with the top 5 consisting of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy
Page, Keith Richards and Jeff Beck. Artists who had not been included in the previous list
were added. Rory Gallagher, for example, was ranked in 57th place.[4]
The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time is mentioned in many biographies about artists
who appear in the list.[5]
Guitar World
Guitar World, a monthly music magazine devoted to the guitar, also published their list of
100 greatest guitarists in the book Guitar World Presents the 100 Greatest Guitarists of
All Time from the Pages of Guitar World Magazine.[6] Different from the Rolling Stone list,
which listed guitarists in descending order, Guitar World divided guitarists by music
genre—such as "Lords of Hard Rock" for hard rock artists or "Jazzmen" for jazz players.
Despite the appearance in other magazines like Billboard,[7] this publication by Guitar
World was criticized for including no female musicians within its
selection.[8] However, Guitar World recently published a list of "Eight Amazing Female
Acoustic Players," including Kaki King, Muriel Anderson and Sharon Isbin.[9]
TIME and others
Following the death of Les Paul, TIME website presented their list of 10 greatest artists
in electric guitar. As in Rolling Stone magazine's list, Jimi Hendrix was chosen as the
greatest guitarist followed by Slash from Guns 'N' Roses, B.B. King, Keith
Richards, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton.[10] Gigwise.com, an online music magazine, also
 ranks Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist ever, followed by Jimmy Page, B.B. King,
Keith Richards and Kirk Hammett.[11]
Other genres[edit]
The classical guitar is strung with gut or nylon strings on top and wound
basses for the lower strings. It was often ornately decorated with mother
of pearl. Many early classical guitarists played with their finger tips only
but later guitarists play with a combination of finger nail and flesh to
project a clear sound and allowing for many different changes in sound
quality (or timbre). This guitar tradition dates back at least to the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when a four course instrument
was popular among aristocrats. In the early nineteenth century there the
guitar enjoyed a surge of popularity when composer/performers such
as Fernando Sor, Napoléon Coste, Mauro Guiliani, and many others
published thousands of pieces for the concert hall and home gatherings.
The classical guitar enjoyed another period of popularity in the twentieth
century when recordings amplified the relatively quiet instrument. There
are many classical guitarists listed as notable in their respective epochs.
One of the most renowned Flamenco guitarists in recent decades
was Paco de Lucía. Flamenco music is a popular traditional music
associated with the Andalucia region of southern Spain. It is
characterized by intricate syncopated rhythms intimately informed by a
gypsy dance style. Flamenco guitarists also often accompany flamenco
singers performing "cante jondo" (deep song). Paco de Lucía was also
one of the first flamenco guitarists to have successfully crossed over into
other genres of music such as classical and jazz. Richard
Chapman and Eric Clapton, authors of Guitar: Music, History, Players,
describe de Lucía as a "titanic figure in the world of flamenco
guitar",[12] and Dennis Koster, author of Guitar Atlas, Flamenco, has
referred to de Lucía as "one of history's greatest guitarists.".[13][14]

Techniques[edit]
The guitarist may employ any of several methods for sounding the guitar, including finger picking,
depending on the type of strings used (either nylon or steel), and including strumming with the
fingers, or a guitar pick made of bone, horn, plastic, metal, felt, leather, or paper, and
melodic flatpicking and finger-picking.
The guitarist may also employ various methods for selecting notes and chords, including
fingering, thumbing, the barre (a finger lying across many or all strings at a particular fret), and
'bottleneck' or steel-guitar slides, usually made of glass or metal. These left- and right-hand
techniques may be intermixed in performance.

Notable guitarists[edit]
Montage of guitarists. The guitarists pictured are named on the image page.

Rock, heavy metal, jazz and country[edit]

Several magazines and websites have compiled what they intend as lists of the greatest
guitarists—for example The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine,
or 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Guitar World magazine.
Rolling Stone
In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine published a list called The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All
Time. This list included 100 guitarists whom the magazine editor David Fricke considered
the best, with a brief introduction for each of them.[1] The first in this list is the American
guitarist Jimi Hendrix introduced by Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who, who was, in
his turn, ranked at #10 in the list.
In describing the list to readers, Paul MacInnes from British newspaper The
Guardian wrote, "Surprisingly enough for an American magazine, the top 10 is fair jam-
packed with Yanks," though he also noted three exceptions in the top 10. [2] The online
magazine Blogcritics criticized the list for introducing some[which?] allegedly undeserving
guitarists while forgetting some artists the writer considered perhaps more worthy, such
as Johnny Marr, Al Di Meola, Phil Keaggy or John Petrucci.[3]
In 2011, Rolling Stone updated the list, which this time was chosen by a panel of
guitarists and other experts with the top 5 consisting of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy
Page, Keith Richards and Jeff Beck. Artists who had not been included in the previous list
were added. Rory Gallagher, for example, was ranked in 57th place.[4]
The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time is mentioned in many biographies about artists
who appear in the list.[5]
Guitar World
Guitar World, a monthly music magazine devoted to the guitar, also published their list of
100 greatest guitarists in the book Guitar World Presents the 100 Greatest Guitarists of
All Time from the Pages of Guitar World Magazine.[6] Different from the Rolling Stone list,
which listed guitarists in descending order, Guitar World divided guitarists by music
genre—such as "Lords of Hard Rock" for hard rock artists or "Jazzmen" for jazz players.
Despite the appearance in other magazines like Billboard,[7] this publication by Guitar
World was criticized for including no female musicians within its
selection.[8] However, Guitar World recently published a list of "Eight Amazing Female
Acoustic Players," including Kaki King, Muriel Anderson and Sharon Isbin.[9]
TIME and others
Following the death of Les Paul, TIME website presented their list of 10 greatest artists
in electric guitar. As in Rolling Stone magazine's list, Jimi Hendrix was chosen as the
greatest guitarist followed by Slash from Guns 'N' Roses, B.B. King, Keith
Richards, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton.[10] Gigwise.com, an online music magazine, also
 ranks Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist ever, followed by Jimmy Page, B.B. King,
Keith Richards and Kirk Hammett.[11]
Other genres[edit]
The classical guitar is strung with gut or nylon strings on top and wound
basses for the lower strings. It was often ornately decorated with mother
of pearl. Many early classical guitarists played with their finger tips only
but later guitarists play with a combination of finger nail and flesh to
project a clear sound and allowing for many different changes in sound
quality (or timbre). This guitar tradition dates back at least to the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when a four course instrument
was popular among aristocrats. In the early nineteenth century there the
guitar enjoyed a surge of popularity when composer/performers such
as Fernando Sor, Napoléon Coste, Mauro Guiliani, and many others
published thousands of pieces for the concert hall and home gatherings.
The classical guitar enjoyed another period of popularity in the twentieth
century when recordings amplified the relatively quiet instrument. There
are many classical guitarists listed as notable in their respective epochs.
One of the most renowned Flamenco guitarists in recent decades
was Paco de Lucía. Flamenco music is a popular traditional music
associated with the Andalucia region of southern Spain. It is
characterized by intricate syncopated rhythms intimately informed by a
gypsy dance style. Flamenco guitarists also often accompany flamenco
singers performing "cante jondo" (deep song). Paco de Lucía was also
one of the first flamenco guitarists to have successfully crossed over into
other genres of music such as classical and jazz. Richard
Chapman and Eric Clapton, authors of Guitar: Music, History, Players,
describe de Lucía as a "titanic figure in the world of flamenco
guitar",[12] and Dennis Koster, author of Guitar Atlas, Flamenco, has
referred to de Lucía as "one of history's greatest guitarists.".[13][14]

Techniques[edit]
The guitarist may employ any of several methods for sounding the guitar, including finger picking,
depending on the type of strings used (either nylon or steel), and including strumming with the
fingers, or a guitar pick made of bone, horn, plastic, metal, felt, leather, or paper, and
melodic flatpicking and finger-picking.
The guitarist may also employ various methods for selecting notes and chords, including
fingering, thumbing, the barre (a finger lying across many or all strings at a particular fret), and
'bottleneck' or steel-guitar slides, usually made of glass or metal. These left- and right-hand
techniques may be intermixed in performance.

Notable guitarists[edit]
Montage of guitarists. The guitarists pictured are named on the image page.

Rock, heavy metal, jazz and country[edit]

Several magazines and websites have compiled what they intend as lists of the greatest
guitarists—for example The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Rolling Stone magazine,
or 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time by Guitar World magazine.
Rolling Stone
In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine published a list called The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All
Time. This list included 100 guitarists whom the magazine editor David Fricke considered
the best, with a brief introduction for each of them.[1] The first in this list is the American
guitarist Jimi Hendrix introduced by Pete Townshend, guitarist for The Who, who was, in
his turn, ranked at #10 in the list.
In describing the list to readers, Paul MacInnes from British newspaper The
Guardian wrote, "Surprisingly enough for an American magazine, the top 10 is fair jam-
packed with Yanks," though he also noted three exceptions in the top 10. [2] The online
magazine Blogcritics criticized the list for introducing some[which?] allegedly undeserving
guitarists while forgetting some artists the writer considered perhaps more worthy, such
as Johnny Marr, Al Di Meola, Phil Keaggy or John Petrucci.[3]
In 2011, Rolling Stone updated the list, which this time was chosen by a panel of
guitarists and other experts with the top 5 consisting of Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Jimmy
Page, Keith Richards and Jeff Beck. Artists who had not been included in the previous list
were added. Rory Gallagher, for example, was ranked in 57th place.[4]
The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time is mentioned in many biographies about artists
who appear in the list.[5]
Guitar World
Guitar World, a monthly music magazine devoted to the guitar, also published their list of
100 greatest guitarists in the book Guitar World Presents the 100 Greatest Guitarists of
All Time from the Pages of Guitar World Magazine.[6] Different from the Rolling Stone list,
which listed guitarists in descending order, Guitar World divided guitarists by music
genre—such as "Lords of Hard Rock" for hard rock artists or "Jazzmen" for jazz players.
Despite the appearance in other magazines like Billboard,[7] this publication by Guitar
World was criticized for including no female musicians within its
selection.[8] However, Guitar World recently published a list of "Eight Amazing Female
Acoustic Players," including Kaki King, Muriel Anderson and Sharon Isbin.[9]
TIME and others
Following the death of Les Paul, TIME website presented their list of 10 greatest artists
in electric guitar. As in Rolling Stone magazine's list, Jimi Hendrix was chosen as the
greatest guitarist followed by Slash from Guns 'N' Roses, B.B. King, Keith
Richards, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton.[10] Gigwise.com, an online music magazine, also
ranks Jimi Hendrix as the greatest guitarist ever, followed by Jimmy Page, B.B. King,
Keith Richards and Kirk Hammett.[11]
Other genres[edit]
The classical guitar is strung with gut or nylon strings on top and wound
basses for the lower strings. It was often ornately decorated with mother
of pearl. Many early classical guitarists played with their finger tips only
but later guitarists play with a combination of finger nail and flesh to
project a clear sound and allowing for many different changes in sound
quality (or timbre). This guitar tradition dates back at least to the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when a four course instrument
was popular among aristocrats. In the early nineteenth century there the
guitar enjoyed a surge of popularity when composer/performers such
as Fernando Sor, Napoléon Coste, Mauro Guiliani, and many others
published thousands of pieces for the concert hall and home gatherings.
The classical guitar enjoyed another period of popularity in the twentieth
century when recordings amplified the relatively quiet instrument. There
are many classical guitarists listed as notable in their respective epochs.
One of the most renowned Flamenco guitarists in recent decades
was Paco de Lucía. Flamenco music is a popular traditional music
associated with the Andalucia region of southern Spain. It is
characterized by intricate syncopated rhythms intimately informed by a
gypsy dance style. Flamenco guitarists also often accompany flamenco
singers performing "cante jondo" (deep song). Paco de Lucía was also
one of the first flamenco guitarists to have successfully crossed over into
other genres of music such as classical and jazz. Richard
Chapman and Eric Clapton, authors of Guitar: Music, History, Players,
describe de Lucía as a "titanic figure in the world of flamenco
guitar",[12] and Dennis Koster, author of Guitar Atlas, Flamenco, has
referred to de Lucía as "one of history's greatest guitarists.".[13][14]