A guitar solo is a melodic passage, instrumental section, or entire piece of music written for a single guitar. This can be an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Solos in a song often allow the guitarist a chance to express creative freedom and showcase their skill and unique style.
Guitar solos can be found in a variety of musical genres, including rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz, and country. These solos often feature fast picking, tapping, and other advanced guitar techniques, and can vary from simple, slow melodic lines to fast, complex runs and arpeggios.
Some famous guitar solos include Eddie Van Halen’s “Eruption,” Jimmy Page’s solo in “Stairway to Heaven,” and David Gilmour’s solo in “Comfortably Numb.” These solos are often noted not just for their technical proficiency but also for their melodic and emotional resonance.
We asked many music lovers all around the world and we listed our result for “Best 50 Guitar Solos of All Time Based on Two Million Votes of Real Listeners” if you want to add your song to list please comment below this page
Greatest Guitar Solos of all time
50. Michael Jackson – Beat It – (Solo: Eddie Van Halen)
49.Roy Buchanan – The Messiah Will Come Again
48. Talking Heads – The Great Curve – (Solo: Adrian Belew)
47. “Off the Handle,” Rory Gallagher
46. The Stooges – Dirt (Solo: Ron Asheton)
45. Deep Purple – Highway Star – (Solo: Ritchie Blackmore)
44. Aerosmith – Train Kept A-Rollin – (Solo: Joe Perry)
43. Led Zeppelin – Whole Lotta Love – ( Solo: Jimmy Page)
42. The Beatles – The End
41. Boston – Hitch a Ride- (Tom Scholz)
40. Television – Marquee Moon – (Tom Verlaine)
39. The Knack – My Sharona – (Berton Averre)
38. Allman Brothers Band – Blue Sky – (Duane Allman, Dickey Betts)
37. The Rolling Stones – Sympathy for the Devil – (Keith Richards)
36. Wes Montgomery – “Besame Mucho”
35. Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Purple Haze”
34. Thin Lizzy – Don’t Believe a Word – (Brian Robertson)
33. Gene Vincent – Race with the Devil – (Cliff Gallup)
32. Jimi Hendrix Experience – Are You Experienced
31. Pink Floyd – Time- (David Gilmour)
30. Cream – Crossroads- (Eric Clapton)
29. Jimi Hendrix – Machine Gun
28. Allman Brothers Band – Jessica – (Dickey Betts)
27. Led Zeppelin – Heartbreaker – (Jimmy Page)
26. Prince and the Revolution – Purple Rain- (Prince)
25. “Sweet Jane” , Lou Reed (Steve Hunter, Dick Wagner)
24. “Rock Around the Clock,” Bill Haley and His Comets (Danny Cedrone)
23. “Cortez the Killer,” Neil Young and Crazy Horse
22. “One,” Metallica (Kirk Hammett)
21. “Texas Flood,” Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
20. “Sultans of Swing,” Dire Straits (Mark Knopfler)
19. “Like a Hurricane,” Neil Young and Crazy Horse
18. “Whole Lotta Rosie,” AC/DC (Angus Young)
17. “Mr Crowley,” Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads)
16. “November Rain,” Guns N’ Roses (Slash)
15. “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page)
14. “Hot for Teacher,” Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen)
13. “Sweet Child o’ Mine,” Guns N’ Roses (Slash)
12. “Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers,” Jeff Beck
11. “Crazy Train,” Ozzy Osbourne (Randy Rhoads)
10. “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen (Brian May)
9. “Johnny B. Goode,” Chuck Berry
8. “While My Guitar Gently Weeps,” The Beatles (Eric Clapton)
7. “Layla,” Derek and the Dominos (Eric Clapton, Duane Allman)
6- “Free Bird,” Lynyrd Skynyrd (Gary Rossington, Allen Collins)
5. “Comfortably Numb,” Pink Floyd (David Gilmour)
4- “Hotel California,” Eagles (Don Felder, Joe Walsh)
3- “All Along the Watchtower,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience
2- “Eruption,” Van Halen (Eddie Van Halen)
1. “Stairway to Heaven,” Led Zeppelin (Jimmy Page)
Bob Dylan and His Love for Motorcycles
Train Kept A Rollin was Steve Hunter on the opening solo and Dick Wagner second half solo!!!
I’m glad someone picked up on that
Carlos Santana
“East West” by the Butterfield Blues band contains the most original guitar solo I have ever heard, by Mike Bloomfield.
“In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed”, the Allman Brothers Band. Duane’s solo is absolute perfection.
Some great ones for sure……but the 3 that” immediately” came to mind, that weren’t on the list are Zappa’s, Waternellons in Easter Hay……….Steve Vai’s, FGor the Love of God……….and of course Maggot Brain…………….If your going 50 deep, These blow away, pretty much most of the provided list……
Best guitar solo. Eric Clapton (Cream) ‘Crossroads’
If were going Clapton…….Five Long Years….version on, “From the Cradle”
Best rock/blues band -‘Cream’
Joe Walsh ……………Rocky Mountain Way & Turn To Stone !!
OK, so no B.B. King, Albert King, Freddie King, Otis Rush, Buddy Guy, Elmore James, Mike Bloomfield, Carlos Santana, Robbie Robertson, Jorma Kaukonen, Mick Taylor, Peter Green, T-Bone Walker, Guitar Slim, Charlie Christan, Kenny Burrell, Jerry Garcia???? Seriously lacking here.
Robert Fripp – ‘Baby’s On Fire’ on Enos’ album ‘Here Come The Warm Jets’ is a lesson to all lead guitar players.
Some great solos, a lot missing that should have been there though.
My personal top three is Roy Buchanan – Down By The River (live) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLhdS-8-YS8, Frank Zappa – Pygmy Twylyte (YCDTOSA vol.2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cj6HIQU9NAg, and Rory Gallagher – A Million Miles Away, Irish Tour ’74 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z_drl3luuE
I love how people complain about their favorite solo missing. It’s a top 50 list, not top 50000. You cant fit every awesome solo in one list. Deal with it.