Your purest guitar musical experiences in 3 songs or less..

[GXPO]

Hi guys,

Was just listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan's exceptional rendition of Little Wing and started thinking about how pure a listening experience it is for people who truly love guitar.

I love metal and it will always be go to for most situations, but from a purely musical stand point I keep coming back to these melodic classic gems and am a little bit more seduced each time. I might be getting old..

Anyway, I need more. So I would like to know of any of your go to songs for a similar experience?

My 3 are probably quite generic in terms of musical taste but don't be afraid to get a little out there..

SRV - Little Wing
As you may have guessed this is first on my list (although oddly not my favorite). I love Hendrix but that song always feels like a missed experience every time I listen to it when compared to some of the later renditions (sorry )



Steve Vai - Tender Surrender
I always had a soft spot for little Stevie Vai in serious mode..



Between the Buried and Me - Selkies the Endless Obsession

Had to include this if I was going to be honest with myself. The way the second half of this song is constructed is one of the greatest moments in modern metal for me.



Anyway, show me what you got!

 

[vilk]

First thing that came to my head

 

[KailM]

If we're talking non-metal,

Samba Pa Ti by Carlos Santana. That song is God speaking through Santana's hands and guitar.

 

[Crundles]

Cool idea for a thread, I like it. Made me think quite a bit - the first two were easy but I immediately jumped to "songs that matter to me, and have guitar" for the third, and ended up removing third place entirely since it was a lot more nostalgia than purely musical joy.

Non-metal has to be Ana Vidovic's performance of Asturias. If you kick me awake in the middle of the night and ask me "What is music", I will point to this. The first time I ever heard Asturias it was performed by John Williams, but I've taken to Ana's performance the most.



If we're talking about metal, without any doubt Nevermore's This Godless Endeavour. Born is not the best song on it (for me personally it's a split between My Acid Words, Bittersweet Feast and Sentient 6) but it is the first, it's really, really good, and it hit me like a god damn spear in the chest the first time I listened to it.

 

[Leviathus]

/Thread.

 

[JouniK86]

Great idea for a thread! Though I'm less inclined to stray towards the nostalgiafest of what originally inspired me to pick up the guitar back in the day, I'd rather draw three tracks that encapsulate the dimensions of guitar playing the best. Hope this rambling has some value for this thread.

For me, guitar playing is mostly about riffs before anything else. Within the riff realm, there's been a shitload of great guitarists - especially within metal genre - with refreshingly unique ideas, some whose instruments sound like natural extensions of their bodies and some who play the exploratory angle with striking analytical intellect. Among all the glorious innovation provided by EVH, Dimebag, Schuldiner, Thordendal, Suicmez and beyond, the tonal and rhythmic versatility, stream-of-consciousness-esque compositional structure and overall feel isn't probably combined better than Mark Holcomb's exceptional touch best present on this playthrough on Periphery's "Scarlet". A great example of how riffs blend in seamlessly with leads to create a magnificent combination of technical prowess and accessible emotional FEEL. This track is 95% about the dimensions of guitar and 5% everything else.

Other picks: Obscura : "Euclidean Elements", Andy McKee : "For My Father", Persefone : "Consciousness, pt 2", Dream Theater : "Surrounded", Jakub Zytecki : "Satya's Diary"


Sometimes a situation escalates to a point where the only logical option is to start shredding, preferably even beyond excessive to drive the point across. This is risky business for most guitarists since there are not a lot of players out there who'd have enough of either substance or variance to piece out a cohesive and thoroughly interesting whole. Guitar duels are especially difficult in that regard, since halving the duration of being in the spotlight comes at the expense of having to interact fluidly. Nick Johnston and Guthrie Govan however survive all the pitfalls and drive home a ridiculously over-the-top 8-minute rocker that inexplicably just leaves you wanting for more.

Other picks: Allan Holdsworth : "The Sixteen Men of Tain", Frank Gambale : "The Great Explorers", Greg Howe : "Child's Play"


The last pick is for the more-by-less category. Though not exactly famous for his endeavors in this area of playing, Shawn Lane transcribed the landscape for expressive guitar players forever, even moreso than his more popular contemporaries. When he started shredding, no one could compete with him, but when he slowed things down a bit, the simplistic nature of beauty was channeled through his choice of notes. Shawn always had that cheesy AOR-driven emotional side fused into his expressive playing, most notably on "The Powers of Ten" throughout, but never on so stripped form as on the album's closer "Epilogue for Lisa" and especially on the live versions with the electric guitar. Nevermind the tone and the quality of the video, the scarcity of notes provides air for the guitar to breathe on its own, not particularly rich in nuances but again expressive in the little hidden details.

Other picks: every solo from Pink Floyd's "The Division Bell", Helios : "Emancipation", Kingston Wall : "And It's All Happening"

So many guitar players to choose from, this was difficult!

 

[Ordacleaphobia]

The three moments that were 'revelations' for me guitar wise are actually pretty easy to pick. I've always been a metal guy, and never really paid attention until I started playing anyway, so no classical stuff here.

Selkies - Between the Buried and Me || Showed me exactly how much feel and emotion you can pack into a solo.
All New Material - Periphery || Showed me how intricate and 'fun' a song can be while still being musical.
Virga - After the Burial || Showed me how much a damn good lead line can add to a song. Justin and Trent were, my opinion, the most in-sync guitar players I've ever seen.

Not to say these are my favorites, but these were definitely epiphany moments for me the first time I listened to them that made me go back and really examine what a guitar can do and what it can really add to a song.

 

[ArtDecade]

I think I can give it a go in two... So, humbly, I present my two favorites:

Every single note ever played by Rory Gallagher, but especially he played "A Million Miles Away".



And, then there is Tommy Emmanuel. This man's soul is beautifully exposed every time he plucks a note.

 

[wat]

 

[Restarted]

My current taste in music is so much different from this at the moment, but I'll always place these songs highest on my list:
Steve Vai - Tender Surrender
That one's easily my #1 for life. Everything about it (except maybe the ducky wah sounds at the end) is perfection. The melodies, the technique, but most importantly the dynamics. It's a roller-coaster ride of a guitar solo.

Andy Timmons - Cry For You live version
Live version is massive. hits the spot for me. So tasteful

Plini - Every Piece Matters
It sounds like a melody that should have been written so long ago. It felt familiar the first time I heard it. So simple but it spoke to me.

 

[chipchappy]

Cemetery Gates was the first song I heard that made me want to actually start playing guitar. Although I don't listen to Pantera at all anymore (and I generally tend to cringe a little any time news of Pantera related subjects come up)... I can't deny this song is still one of those old gems that gets me right in the feels.



Rap was just as big a part of my life as metal was growing up. This song had such an impact on how i thought about rhythm and how lyrics bounce off music in a way. Still love it. Listen to it all the time.



Before the words djent or thall or any of that, there was the terrifyingly diverse, psychotic, calculated evil that was L.D.50. This album took me out of the somewhat "old school" metal I had been listening to and exposed me to some of the more shiny nu-era metal bands. You can love or hate the late 90's or early 2000's fad-bands all you want - this album was fucking crushing.

 

[The Mirror]

In three songs or less? Perfect.

That was, is and probably will always be the Ocean Machine trilogy from Devin Townsend. Those three songs are in a condensed form everything I love about music. It's moody, atmospheric, sometimes heavy, sad and hopeful at the same time. All that and more.

 

[Mathemagician]

In order of what single-handedly made me practice like my life depended on it when I started:

1) Yngwie Malmsteen - Far Beyond the Sun

2) Joe Satriani - Midnight

And the song in recent times that made me really love guitar music again:

3) Rodrigo y Gabriella - Tamacun

 

[High Plains Drifter]

I tried so hard but wasn't able to get it down to only three songs. I have to instead break the rules and list three albums. All of these came to me very quickly and effortlessly and their meaning, influence, and inspiration are I believe, completely in line with the sentiments of the OP. To me, these albums are like three long songs anyway. I honestly can't imagine, had this music never been created.

Scorpions- Fly To The Rainbow 1974
King Crimson- In The Wake Of Poseidon 1970
Judas Priest- Hero Hero 1981 ( compilation recorded '74-'77)

 

[oompa]

Little Wing.

 

[cGoEcYk]

The bridge from Opeth Reverie Harlquin Forest is a favorite

 

[InHiding]

1,2 and 4 from this album (Buckethead - Claymation Courtyard) I guess: