and at the same time, I was 14 when I heard both UK albums (2001) and I TOTALLY loved them. Just great songs there, technical or not, and those songs really caught my ear
For real. It's a shame that live clip of Looking Glass with a million or so views is the most widely known work of his online, when there's far more beautiful and technically dazzling music by him.
Came here to post the same.. I don't even like the RHCP, but Frusciantes "The Empyrean" album is really unique and inspirational guitar wise.. level 2 is laughable for both though ..agreed.
Frank zappa is way more than just a great improvisor. Bro composed some of the most technical and complicated musical pieces of the time and i feel like no one ever mentions him for those skills
For those uninitiated to Frank Zappa...I'd like to offer up the Joe's Garage album...along with ridiculous songs like Zombiewoof, Catholic Girls, Dynamo Hum and Baby, Don't Ya Want A Man Like Me. LOL.
zappa reinvented guitar improvisation the same way charlie parker and john coltrane reinvented sax improv. he was also the greatest rock band leader to have ever lived and he might have been the most compositionally gifted rock musician too (at least for his time). he is at the top of my list.
@@marcblum5348 That's how he described himself too so it's not a BS label attached to him. Zappa was my gateway into 20th Century modern(ist) music; so I'm forever grateful for that. Introduced me to Varese, Stravinsky, and Boulez. I then found my way into Schoenberg.
Absolutely. Alex is such a brilliant guitarist. From his magical solo in La Villa Strangiato to the chord driven lead in Afterimage. His playing always suits the music. I think some of his best work are in the songs he is not at the front of. Between The Wheels, Mystic Rhythms, Mission. I mean, the solo in Limelight is just a man caught in the moment and really playing from the heart.
THIS Exactly mate, ...tried listening to them (9's and 10) it's all just a bunch of highly technical guitar playing you can't sing along with...would rather listen to the level 1 to 3 guys all day. Slash, Frusciante, Page, Hendrix All day! Tried listening to guys like (level 9) Per Nilsson (who's that??) or Elkund?? (who you?), it's boring shit, Bumblefoot and Shawn Lane are amazing technicians but they don't rock, purely intellectual technical guitar music that will amaze guitarists but not the people who just want to have fun and rock!...Listening to them is like solving Calculus while eating some hot chillis.😆 Also Kotzen should just be level 3 or 6 at best. He is waaay lower in terms of technical ability compared to those boring Level 9 savants and Level 10 Govan sounds some exotic "Elevator Music" you can chill, but not something you will sit down to listen. to be fair, actually devoted a day and listened to them all, only FEW on the upper levels (5 to 10) impressed me, most of them are just wankers (cough Cooley), they are all fast but only few really rock namely: Nuno, Dime, Petrucci, EVH and my NEW favorite among all the fast player, that Classical sounding and inspired Guitarist: Yngwie Malmsteen? (he should be level 9 IMHO)...cheers!
@@LeBozoBlames did you listen to Derek Trucks play with bb king and john mayer? he's famed for making his guitar basically sing in that performance, and he was listed in Level 9
@@atlassolid5946 Yeah listened to him, He's great, just forgot to mention because I just based it on my recall, but yeah saw the clip you mentioned, its great, you can sing to his lines. probably a more "bluesy John Mayer" upgrade. Cheers mate!
And composed some of the best metal songs . I don’t care that the maker of this video is more knowledgable and much better at guitar than me his list is stupid
While I do understand George Harrison being Level 1 (He was my first major influence and his playing always served the song), I’d put him in Level 2 because he was an incredible songwriter and did a lot of cool stuff on sitar with The Beatles on songs like Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) and Within You Without You
@@BradleyHallGuitar Yeah, especially considering he was in a band with two guys who would become one of the greatest songwriting teams (Lennon/McCartney) but he still did compose a lot of great parts later on in his career on stuff like Here Comes The Sun and stuff like that, but I was still happy seeing him on here. Great vid as always, man
@@htesreyzaw6114 Yeah, his solo material is great as well. I'd say that's when he really shone more as a songwriter considering a lot of it was written while in The Beatles and they also did a recording of All Things Must Pass in the Get Back documentary, which I thought was a really cool addition
I'd put EVH and Hendrix in a special level, these 2 redefined what electric guitar is today. You also forgot Steve Lukather, the man who can play everything.
Same goes for Chuck Berry. Technical ability is something tons of people have. Hardly anyone achieves a level of influence that affects guitarists in almost every corner of popular music for generations, plus a "greatest hits" package that people continue loving after you shuffle off this mortal coil.
@@dylanhighwood7458 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OmVQKFPexRk.html There's nothing you can say to change my mind now knowing this happened.
@@dylanhighwood7458 I disagree. Page most definitely had the skill, he was just sloppy as fuck because he was fucked up all the time. The "Heartbreaker" solo is a prime example of what would have been an absolutely jaw-dropping solo (and was, in fact, at the time), if it weren't so fucking sloppy. Just the timing on his runs is all over the place because his picking and fretting are so out of sync with each other. But then again, the whole "it's not good if it's not super fucking precise" frame of mind didn't really exist as much back then. "It's rock and roll, that's good enough!"
@@dylanhighwood7458 Ah yes, Jimmy definitely found himself in a stressful situation when he was composing Stairway, "should I add a shred solo in between so that random youtube commentators would call me skilled?"
Legends like Dimebag Darrell and Alexi Laiho both in level 7 with sick techniques and sick songwriting is definitely the best way to describe them for sure. R.I.P both Dimebag and Alexi
I don’t even know some of these guitar players, but I think Dimebag deserves level seven. But Prince being level three? I don’t know about that. I think he’s up there with Dimebag at least close.
@@BradleyHallGuitar eeeeeeeehhh JARI FREAKING MAENPAA???? Arguably the best composer and neoclassical shredder in the entirety of extreme metal, ever...
@@krod4278 Prince was ridiculously skilled. Massively underrated in my opinion. But it’s just my opinion, opinions are like buttholes, we all have them and they all stink.
These kinds of lists and rankings are ultimately completely pointless but are really fun to talk about. The guitarists mentioned in this video will be ranked differently by different people. I did enjoy it so please do more!
if you are a true fan of buckethead you can tell that he CAN write and not only write but compose some of the most unique, touching and numerous in variety and genre songs. he can write melodic, fast and shreddy, ambient, hell even blues/jazz
Seriously!!! He needs to listen to more Buckethead songs, there’s much more than Jordan and Soothsayer. Bucket has hundreds of well crafted tracks with incredible compositions and writing. Level 3?!?! Laughable. I stopped watching the video and went straight to the comments. Glad I’m not the only that noticed the BS.
@The Hearshot Kid That's what makes him special though, in a way. Very few artists have ever exposed themselves and their creative process in the way that he has. You don't hear Tim Henson's bad days: you only get the ultra polished, ultra refined, "best of" music from him that's gone through several re-writes. With Buckethead you get the bad days too, and I think that adds value to the filler in his discog, personally. As for the Tim Henson comment... Tim plays one style of music, it's heavily rehearsed and refined, it's fucking great, and he's perfected it. Bucket plays everything from avant-garde jazz (Thanatopsis, for instance) to ambient (Electric Tears) to metal to rock to everything inbetween. Very few could ever do that to the level he does. Tim simply couldn't compose or improv over something like Nostrum or Axiology, he's just not wired that way, nor does he improv much from what I've seen. Bucket has all the technique to play Polyphia though. I'd argue that makes Bucket the better "musician".
I'm an advocate of GG but Jason is love. And I believe that had Jason been playing today, he would've been the only guitarist who could match Govan skillwise.
@@siddharthmall I think he'd have a mainstream reach that Guthrie doesn't have, too. His ear and compositional skills are really special. Triumphant Hearts is an astonishingly beautiful album, Hold On To Love brought a tear to my eye on a first listen. I love Guthrie's stuff, but it's clear that he's at his best when he's reined in a little (e.g. Regret #9), and it's clear that he has absolutely no desire to do that. Jason didn't need reining in to focus his music and make something truly special.
@@hundredpercentmetal Being taught by someone doesn't make you lesser than them. Vai's great because he put in a ton of work himself; Satriani's lessons would have just been a good head start.
I was also puzzled by Vai’s absence from this list. He was taught technique by Satriani, but he learned music from Zappa. IMHO level 8 since he,s an incredible player AND a great composer, waaay better than Satch who just shreds.
I have so much respect for Iommi. Not only did he make some of the most iconic riffs, but he continued guitar after losing his fingertips and still god tier
Mustaine is similar in both respects and plays lead about a third of the time as well (which should give him some extra credit), but check out who they share the level with and it's one of the levels that is the most fun to listen to, so shared company trumps numerical level.
I disagree with Tosin Abasi's placement. He's not just a shredder, I feel like Brad forgot that he's literally known for writing some of the most technical shit there is (in terms of timing, not just speed). Shame that he seems to be praising people more for catchy shit. Not to mention the fact that I feel like he definitely revolutionized the extended range form of guitars
@@FredCracklin Personally speaking, I don’t think Mustaine is that great of a soloist. Songwriting and rhythm is definitely his forte. That said, he has some great solos.
I feel like this is highkey slander of Jimmy Page. He was shredding on a level with any average modern metal guitarist, in a time when pretty much none of the modern guitar techniques used in fast playing were invented yet. No economy picking, no sweeping, no tapping even! (Yes, I know sweeping and tapping kind of existed but like... not really, not in rock guitar and not in the way they're used now.) And yet the guy could absolutely knock your socks off with any of his solos. Just listen to Zep 1 and compare it to any other guitar album from 1969. The dude was like a decade ahead of his time. There is no one from the pre-EVH era save for Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, Blackmore, and maybe Fripp who compares.
I have to respectfully, yet wholeheartedly disagree with this entire post. Jan Akkerman, Michael Schenker, and Richie Blackmore were all IMO more impressive/skilled than Page and way ahead of their time as well. The fact that you didn't even mention them as notable (pre EVH) guitarists is a travesty in itself.
@@Droops24 I consider Schenker post EVH as his most impressive work appeared after Van Halen 1. And frankly, while Schenker is great, he's no Jimmy Page. Akkerman I'm not familiar with; sorry about that. As for Blackmore, I honestly forgot he was a 70's guy and not an 80's guy, my mistake.
@@plasmakitten4261 it's all good, we all have our opinions and guitar heros. Def check out Akkerman. Rated best guitarist in 73' . He plays differently than Page but, and a bit more jazz heavy (especially after he left Focus). He has improve chops, fast playing, sweeping, volume swells: very dynamic player. I would suggest listing to "Hocus Pocus" and "Hamburger Concerto" for starters.👍
I would put Gary Moore as his own category as the absolute guitar god, he makes the guitar sound exactly like you would imagine it in your dreams, the purest form of emotion.
Glad it's not just me who sees GG as a once-in-a-lifetime guitarist. And glad about the Allan Holdsworth mention. A legend that definitely inspired GG for sure (4 notes per string, chromatic playing, etc.). Nice list 👍
Buckethead can not be at level 5, he has written so many beautiful songs if you look past the shredding he is famous for. The albums Colma and Electric tears are great examples. Level 3 is also a very underrated skill.
He listened to one song by Buckethead and it wasn't metal enough for him, so he moved on. It's just like a high school art teacher commenting on how good master artists are and ranking them.
This whole list is kinda off in my opinion. Usually I find myself saying “fair enough” with these kinds of things, but I just kept seeing guitarists miscategorized again and again and again. It got to the point where I was certain an indication of tongue in cheek would be placed at the end.
@@BradleyHallGuitar I understand not wanting to wade through 400+ albums, but there are a lot of hidden gems that aren’t like Jordan, Soothsayer or Nottingham Lace. Would definitely recommend “Hold Me Forever” if you haven’t checked that out yet
@@Pit_Lord what he means is that the weirdo from Metallica is a child compared to Mustaine when it comes to technical ability and creativity. And he is 100% correct. I'm now disappointed, because I'm barely at Zappa and if b Hall claims otherwise then his credibility will definitely be diminished in my eyes.
@@mattcroy1885 Lars is the genius in Metallica. He is always working to make the music more innovative and progressive! By adding tempo changes every bar and often crashing on beats that don't make sense to us non smarts, he rises above the rest of the Metallica members in technical ability and songwriting ability.
Love that you included Derek Trucks in this list. Man's one of the best guitarists I've ever heard and is, without a doubt, a master on par with the greats and legends
Thank you! I probably came across his music first in 2018 or so, when I was in high school. I’d revisit it every few months or so between then and my freshman year of college, around 2021. One day around that time, it “clicked”, and since then he’s been my absolute favorite guitarist. I’m so happy and thankful that I stuck with it early instead of disregarding him. He’s genuinely on a whole different level, and I think Steve Vai said it best when he said about Allan Holdsworth, “Allan doesn’t okay emotionally, he’s plays connected, which is deeper than emotionally. To be connected to the creative impulse of the universe” or something along those lines.😁
Every time I see Alexi I get teary eyed. He was such an impact on my teen years. Now that I am all grown up and haggard it just breaks my heart to no longer have him around.
Damn....I first heard him through a friend that loved COB. (I just couldn't get into the garbage synthetic piano riffs that sounded like they were from a 1992 IBM running pro tools) he was awesome and unfortunately, I drink daily and will die a similar death. Doctors won't give me the medicine I need (valium) to stop, so fuxk it
KH better than Marty too. As a comp genius. Insulted by the quick auto lvl four for a 'simple' rhythm guitarist -- who solos and sings and has at least 8 great albums. God damn it. Bradley was batting near .1000 until this video.
Came here to say something similar. I love AAL. Tosin and Javier Reyes write some killer tracks. I would say for their type of music they are my favorite “songwriters”
Definitly a nice list with interesting categories but i really think Jimmy Page should be with the Pioneers. He had such an impact on so many players and after Led Zeppelin I the guitarworld was completly changed. But thats just my opinion.
I don't think Jimmy Page was doing anything out of the ordinary compared to his contemporaries; he was just great at creating music in the studio. Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Ritchie Blackmore were far more important pioneers that all came from the same scene. Page is great, but he's not even the best guitarist to come out of The Yardbirds.
The problem with this is it’s grouping so many styles and eras into one tier list. David Guilmore does not shred or even do many riffs, but his ability as a musician is far greater than most on this list. He uses his guitar in a unique way. Through his sprawling psycadelic compositions, his guitar becomes a chameleon. It’s hard to grasp all the weird shit he does with it (aided by Richard’s keyboard of corse.) his melody writing and playing is also the best in the world. And yes- then there’s the solos…
I'm kinda conflicted here. He's surely an innovator. But such as Hendrix? No way. Tosin should definitely go there independently of Henson being in the same category or not.
All of the mentioned Guitarists have done so. Me too. Keep on playing and have fun. (imo you might be better than -5 - lol . A -5 dont know how to hold and tune a guitar. i gues you are on same level than me -3)
A level 10 nominee... Jeff Loomis. Incredible rhythm, incredible melody. Shredding, song writing, technique, near encyclopedic knowledge of other players, songs, theory, etc. I'd put him up there. He's a guy that never really "popped' into the zeitgeist with any of his bands, or solo work, and I feel like he deserves more recognition than he gets. When I talk to other players and bring him up, it's always "who?" or once in a long while someone has heard of Nevermore. But once people give him a listen they all say how great he is, instantly recognize him as top tier.
YES. He is a revolutionary player. The one who actually popularised sweep picking and the seventh string and whose playing influenced near to all the modern metal writers. And I would also mention Michael Amott. Yes he is not a shredder, yes he doesn't do much technically. But his playing makes me tear apart both with inhuman happiness and heavy tears every single time. He is the god of melody.
Don't like art being categorised especially so by limiting to technical ability. But can agree at least to one point- Allan is above and beyond categories.
Yes! Allan Holdsworth is an enigma of music, and an absolute artistic genius that is throughly under appreciated by the majority of music listeners. There seems to be an upward trend of people finding his music (in large part thanks to the internet and videos like these), and it’s amazing to see many people in their teens and 20’s (like myself) fall in love with his music, influencing a whole new generation of musicians. 😁
@@BradleyHallGuitar I agree about AAL, except for their song Physical education. That prominent lead guitar line is so cheeky and catchy, stroke of genious imo
@@BradleyHallGuitar bro basically invented thumping and is miles above the others in his category for songwriting plus his riffs are far more memorable for one reason or another than like the majority of prog music. I reckon he should be at least 7 if not 8
Buckethead does not lack in the song writing department lol. That hurt my soul Bradley. Big B has some of the most beautiful and melodic and memorable songs I've ever heard.
Very well- considered list! While I realize it's not comprehensive, I feel both Steve Vai and Jason Becker should have been on here, as I would be interested to see where you place them, respectively. For me at least, JB should be level 9
Brian May is more of a compositional guy than Jimmy Page? Idk man… Rain Song is one of the most beautiful sounding songs ever put together and I can’t say there’s a single Queen song that even comes close
Agreed. Frusciante at level 2 is a bit of a slap in the face... He's an inspiration to many. If someone says "Kurt Cobain is my inspiration" you think "this dude bought his first guitar yesterday". If they say "Frusciante is my inspiration" it would make as much sense as naming John Mayer, I feel.
@@EnterJustice Personally I've been playing since '98 and Cobain has been a more consistent influence than pretty much anyone else I can name. The only folks who come close are Tom G Warrior, Kurt Ballou or Will Killingsworth but I didn't know any of them when I started as a kid. For someone with limited technical ability Cobain's playing still has a lot to analyze and learn from. Lots of people who can widdly-widdly in circles around him are still far less skilled at expressing emotion with the instrument.
Hmm, i think that Randy Rhoads and Eddie Van Halen must to be on one level with Jimmy Page, Yngwie Malmsteen and Jason Becker. All of them are geniuses which influenced millions and millions of guitarists and changed the music.
I found your channel just a couple of days ago and I have to say that I've NEVER laughed so hard watching RU-vid. Your 5 min challenges, in a nutshell and how xx sound to people who hate them are spot on and hilarious!
I wonder where jazz fusion guitar genius Al DiMeola would fit in on your list. He's a master of multiple styles, can do great songwriting, and has been very influential. Same for Larry Carlton and Steve Lukather.
It’s a dumb video. He clearly has a bias for Metal. I mean the guys in the top 5 levels, compared to the bottom show that. The number of guys from 80’s hair metal music alone, made this a joke.
@@CorbCorbin I'm still pissed that he put Tosin so low. He's judging it more on how much he likes their songs rather than the actual difficulty or insanity of the song I feel like. Plus, I feel like tosin will for sure fit into categories like pioneers since he (in my opinion) revolutionized the standard range section of guitars. Not to mention how he can play like any genre. Sure, he may not be the best at improv (if you've seen the videos) but you can't deny that he is a brilliant song writer. Another example is John Browne(from monuments) who wasn't even in the video! Sure he doesn't shred but you can't deny his song writing skills. Just look at a guitar playthrough video from him
@@wingsoficarus1139 it's just a fun little video, I agree with everything you've said, but I wouldn't take it too seriously lol Browne is a fucking animal
Frusciante should be much higher on this list. He is not only wrote many iconic easy-to-play riffs, but also have a really good technique and improvisation skills. Just check his life performances
My biggest mind blown momment is actually when guthrie needed a metronome and used a specific harmonic at the end of his frets and then his muted strings for a metronome and looped its something simple but the fact that je thought of it on the spot feels like god just summoned a metronome with a click of his fingers absolutely mental
#8! he also mastered several tunings and instruments, both electric and acoustic. arguably more important and innovative than hendrix. he doesn't stand that much, because the zeppelin was also comprised of geniuses. nobody influenced more and also nobody turned more guitarists obsolete than page.
Fr, the biggest crime by far was putting him so low. Dave Mustaine should be higher, too. He can shred better than Kirk Hammett and has written fantastic albums almost singlehandedly.
Most boomers would agree with you. All I ever heard growing up was how great he was, but I was able to play almost all of his stuff within 2-3 years of starting. It’s not that he’s bad, it’s that he’s really good at one specific thing and he sticks with it. If you want to write an amazing blues pentatonic solo, you can’t go wrong with Jimmy Page.
Kirk is was at 3 but because he is a nice guy they bumped him up but knocked dave asstain cause he was being a douche and cant shut up about a topic for 30 years
He's not above James either and barely composes anything compared to James which makes it hilarious that Kirk is in the master composer category, Kirk is great though and gets too much hate, have to say that
Tobin Abasi in level 6 is crazy if you are talking about reinventing how people play the guitar. He invented some techniques that everyone uses now. I'd put him in level 8 at least but probably even level 9, sauvant.
@Eliza Page And Dave Mustaine should be higher than Kirk Hammett, most of the leads Kirk plays (not well) are Dave's anyway. Dave plays leads and rhythm.
Subjective, innit! Let's just be thankful for all of these amazing musicians that have given us earworms and pints of music juice! (I have no idea what music juice is)
Because he thinks that 80’s hair metal guys are better. He’s a metal head. I like a lot of the content he puts out, snd agree with some of his opinions, but this list is a joke.
@@CorbCorbin Nah, I don’t think he likes hair metal guitarists any better. Icons of that era like Warren DeMartini, George Lynch, C.C. DeVille or Mick Mars aren’t on the list. Honestly, at this point, I think Bradley has just become a troll. He has little to no respect for guitarists who were/are definitely better than he was/is/will ever be (remember, writing catchy riffs and being part of a huge band possibly means more than just knowing how to shred). Sad to see what this RU-vid channel has turned into, really.
@Eliza Page Props for your respect to those two rock legends. I challenge anyone to play Led Zeppelin solos like Rock And Roll note for note. Page was one of the Gods, and deserves a much higher level. Not to mention Frehley’s completely unique and twisted approach to leads, and his unpredictable note choice in solos like Shock Me, Parasite etc. These dudes were mixing their style with blues, while still sounding fresh for the 70s and literally shredding the fuck out of their guitars. They inspired millions of people to pick up a guitar, something a contemporary RU-vid guitarist will never be able to achieve, no matter how much he disrespects them.
@Eliza Page Yes, that’s basically what he’s saying. Both Ace and Jimmy were and still are Gods. People from all around the world listen to Kiss and Led Zeppelin. Never heard anyone listening to RU-vid guitarists. What a tough time in rock and roll we’re living through…modern guitar shredders bashing the ones who built the foundation from scratch and literally nothing else. Most of them didn’t even have a way to properly learn music theory or the money for guitar teachers. No RU-vid, no internet, just them and a vinyl player. It sends shivers down my spine just when I think about it. Being able to master a musical instrument, come up with some of the most iconic leads ever recorded in history, all in those conditions…and yet still outmatching today’s narcissistic posers who will rank you 2/10 thinking they are capable of deciding your skill level…
I feel like Dave mustaines lead playing got completely overlooked here, it seems a little odd to have him in the same category as Malcolm young and James hetfield, especially considering he was the original lead guitarist for Metallica which would kind of make him a bit better just by default. And he has some absolutely incredible solos out there, take for example the first solo in good mourning/black Friday
Dave is a better guitarist from a technical perspective but James' solos and riffs that match with his amazing vocals are good that they even each other out imo
In my humble opinion Tosin and Buckethead are deffo not lacking on the writing side... they might not be for everyone but i still remember when I first heared their songs more than a decade ago and they live rent free in my head still! 🙌
Brah… you seriously need to listen to some more Buckethead. Soothsayer and Jordan are no where near his greatest songs, he has such an immense library I guess it’s just to much for the algorithm to handle lol
Sick list, but I would've loved to see Ritchie Blackmore, he was an awesome songwriter with John Lord, and an even more amazing improviser, in every concert he played all songs the way he felt them in the moment.
@@shadowspider4140 I think he just likes writing music and making something new He left Guns N’ Roses because they barely wrote anything while he was with them Buckethead is something that cannot be judged nor compared He’s far too unique and complex And not much is known about him other than the info he’s let out
@@Leatherface123. yeah Buckethead is a legend, he's my favourite guitarist. Its just a shame he releases so much experimental stuff, I'm not usually a fan of that.
@@BradleyHallGuitar Many guitarists have hundreds of instrumental and jam albums. Mozart composed 800 works, most of them very standard. That doesn't stop him from being the best just because most of the material is filler.
I'm a buckethead fan too. But it took me too long to listen to his not so popular songs like the ones he dedicated to his parents and aunt (forgot the name of the songs). He have like 300+ albums, many people that are not so invested in him might not come across those songs. After all he is famous as a shredder than a songwriter.
