and there are countless great guitarists who don't shred at all. shredding doesn't prove you're a musician; its proves you have a certain type of dexterity.
I had the good fortune of seeing Terry 8 times and I have to tell ya, it was a mystical experience. I went to many concerts back in the day and Terry was the best I ever saw.
I am very surprised he did not mention Rory Galllagher who was above all but maybe beck and certainly technique wise was on par with Hendrix and Jimi could not do what Rory did slide wise or acoustically !
@@greghenderson4856 From a business standpoint, its not in your best interest to draw your customers attention to another product superior to your own! Secretly, however, he probably wished he was Rory right along with rest of those big names. None of them ever mentioned Rory when he was still alive only after his death did they come out the woodwork with the praise.
It’s very cool when people don’t say anything about anyone on his list. Instead they try to make the list for him. Excellent job, man. Idk maybe read the video description again… 🤷🏻♂️
Yeah, I agree. Some, albeit a very select few are anointed from birth. Clark is one. Campbell another. I don't recall who was being interviewed by Jim Ladd decades ago, but it went something like "there is nothing we can do that Campbell cannot and if not as good then better - but there's a lot he can do the we can't". Could've been Knopfler. The guy pulled off 12 string shreds like an entity possessed.
The thing is, these are Page’s picks not yours. Jimmy didn’t put anyone down, like others do, he named a handful he admires. It wasn’t a list of Jimmy Page picks top 50 guitarists.
I agree that Gary was one of the greats. I don't agree though that because I rate him highly then Jimmy Page (or anyone else) should then be obliged to include him among his shortlist of favourite guitarists
In an interview, Blackmore dismisses his reputation as a guitar god and said the guitarists in Nashville “just tear me apart.” Nice to hear them get the recognition they deserve.
@@1956tojo When you tour 300+ days a year, improvise huge chunks of your set each night, and get drunk or high regularly, then footage of "sloppy" playing is not just expected, its inevitable.
saw Page/Clapton/Beck at the Forum in Inglewood in 1983 at the Research For Multiple Sclerosis benefit concert. Peoples heads were on the verge of exploding as if extras in 'Scanners'
I FIND IT ODD, that most artists of those days hate Richie Blackmore so much they never mention him. I hate guitar solos and over produced guitars in sing and Richie Blackmore in the 70’s(all times but mainly) is the only time i can sit for 12 min and hear a pure guitar solo. Of course they all amazing but the old OG’s of black America are way more raw and original. Jimmy is amazing too. And as much as people cannot handle Richie Blackmore in a band or personally,HE IS A GENIUS.
Blackmore is something of a Marmite figure, but he's made some great music alongside great musicians. Ann interview with him is always worth watching/listening, he has an immense knowledge about music.
You will notice sir that the people who have a problem with Mr. Blackmore, dont take it seriously enough and straight up do their job. Dio, Bob Daisley, JLT and Cozy Powell did not have bad stuff to say about Ritchie
I have and always been a fan of Alvin Lee, such a great guitatist, his style was unique..Started with Ten Years After his Woodstock is considered one of the best performance by a band at Woodstock, his version of Hey Joe ,WOW! RIP
Lee was great at more than just fast blues runs, too. Excellent writer as well as player. Cool trippy psychedelic songs and desolate ballads on the TYA Lps (and single flipside, "The Sounds").
@@atlasgunther8947 Gilmour could do whatever he wanted to. His works stands on it's on. Of all the people mentioned here how many people have a bigger fan base than David Gilmour?
As an aspiring guitarist, David Gilmour is the rock guitarist I would most like to emulate. As he does, I'd like to be able to play with feeling not just speed.
@highwaystar3780 I'm a 74 year old Scotsman and I saw Ritchie Blackmore before he was even famous live on stage and I stood there totally mesmerised as he did everything apart from making his guitar talk and it totally blew me away, I knew then that I had witnessed a genius at work - truly Amazing ! 😊❤️👍🏴
@@user-ux9zg5oz7f There are countless great guitarists. Thers Only One Blackmore. Any Kid that ever picked up a guitar played the most famous 4 Chords 1st. His Solos are Compositions in themselves. Hendrix is in a class by himself but the Hillbilies mentioned here and frankly All the rest piled together Don't equal One of Ritchies fingernails. I dont expect everyone to feel the same way, but I know there are Enough of us who understand. When I hear the Solo from 'Comfortably Numb' or even 'Stairway'....I say think to myself, Wow, I wish Ritchie had Done that! But then I realize. He has So many Memorable Ones...it's hard to keep track. There will Never be another Man in Black. I don't care who comes and goes! "When it comes to Solos I Can't even come close as Ritchie is on another level" --Jimmy Page
Yeah, I don’t understand why Terry Kath is rarely mentioned whenever “best guitarists” are being talked about. Hendrix himself said Terry Kath was better than he was.
@@paddymeboy: If you wanted to hear the best guitar player that played music, everyone in the business knew it was Kath. If you wanted to just hear noise and very little music, you would go to Hendrix.
Saw Hendrix in 1969 at San Diego Sports Arena and his live performance sounded every bit as good as a controlled studio recording. Hendrix was a genius.
You're damn right! Page is way off the mark on the question of genius in rock and roll. Hendrix is to be ranked as one of the most gifted musicians in world history, any genre.
His quote every player brings something to music so true. His band mate Jeff Beck Duane Almon, Neil shoan, Glen Campbell, Jerry Reed, the Amazing Roy Clark, don't forget Peter Frampton. Frank Zappa. Plus many more. Just give us more players Twang!!!😊
For anyone to proclaim who the (best guitarists) were/are is a fallacy in my opinion. It is purely subjective to every individual to proclaim what guitarists move us emotionally.
I thought I read in a guitar magazine interview that Jimmy Page was very fond of Buck Dharma from BOC. And for good reason Buck Dharma was, and still is, an exceptional guitar player.
These great guitarists pretty much all say it was Jimi, don't they? (IMO, since we all seem to be taking the opportunity to toss in our own two cents, Steve Howe deserves a mention IMO)
He's right - Hendrix was the most creative, powerful performer rock music has ever seen. He changed the face of rock guitar as we know it and created the entire genre of rock guitar heroes in general.
Surprised...but delightedthat he mentioned 'Clarence White'....one of my all time favourites...tragically killed while loading amps into his car after a gig by a drunk driver.
The title of this video should use the phrase "greatest rock guitarists" because the guitar existed for centuries before it became electrified. Classical and flamenco playing is far more technically demanding because fingers of the right hand are used rather than a pick. The reason why so many use a flat pick is because they don't have what it takes to fully develop the very rigorous right hand technique needed for playing flamenco and classical guitar music. There are great rock players but their skill level does not rise to that of a great classical or flamenco player. If you doubt this, just put down the plectrum and try picking the strings with your fingers. The difficulty of playing with fingers rather than a flat pick is 4 or 5 times more difficult.
The thing is Michael that the fretting hand is always less than half the equation. Note execution technique varies depending on what you're trying to play; some music would actually require a plectrum .. some music demands fingerstyle.. if you really want to be a good guitar player, you have to be diversified for the different styles of playing.
That whole difficulty thing doesn’t necessarily hold up. Plenty of people prefer to fingerpick not myself necessarily but there are plenty George Thorogood is merely one example
Also how much have Flamenco guitarists or classical guitarists shaped our cultural landscape? or had such an impact as Jimmy Page? You want to say it’s “technically harder” which I totally agree but how relevant is your point? Like hordes of Zeppelin fans will read your comment and burn all their records and CDs and then only listen to Carlos Montoya from this day on. 🙄
Great to see Clarence White mentioned. That guy was pure class and died far too young. My favourite guitarists are Joseph Spence and Hans Reichel. I also like Sonny Sharrock, Lonnie Johnson and Derek Bailey.
I remember reading an interview with Clapton where he was asked how it feels to be the best guitarist in the world and his reply was.....You have to ask Prince.
I'm no guitar expert. However I did see Thin Lizzy live @ Glasgow Apollo in 1978 and they were amazing. All I would say regarding musicianship is that I've never seen anyone make guitar playing look as easy as Mark Knopfler from Dire Straits. He can play the most difficult piece of music and he makes it look as if anyone could do it!
There are fine admirable guitarists then there is Jimi Hendrix. Mitch Mitchell's drumming meshed in so well with him to make these unbelievable classics.
Hendrix was the best and most creative guitarist of the peace and love generation. His song-writing and melodies were a revelation to the rock musicians of the time.
Hendrix was a class apart, because with him it's not about technique - he was just working on a higher plane than other guitarists, a cosmic plane. And I include Page in that although I love Zep.
Kinda funny that the first illustration given of Page's guitar genius shows him miming to a track that Jeff Beck played (Heart Full of Soul). 🙂 But hey, that's okay; good effort.
Jerry Reed could smoke them both on an acoustic guitar. Chet had a wider palette than Jerry on electric. Roy was close on guitar, and could blow both of them away on fiddle, banjo, mandolin...
Jimmy Page also said that Steve Martin is one of the best banjo players ever and that “Weird Al” Yankovic’s accordion skills are unmatched. Or maybe he didn’t. You never actually hear Jimmy Page say anything in this video.
I guess that's why this guy has a successful youtube channel. He knows how to slap a few clips together and throw in a title and narrative that draws clicks
Correct! Debating basketball there's WILT and there is everyone else you might want to argue about. With guitars there is Danny Gatton and everyone else! He doesn't move me as much as my top favorites-- Rory, Albert King, Lonnie Mack,Gerry McGee, Andy Powell, Dave Hole -- but he is the untouchable master of technique of all styles.
I've always heard a lot of Grady Martin's influence in Page's playing and tone... Especially from the Rockabilly stuff he did for guys like Johnny Burnette in the mid Fifties...TRAIN KEPT A ROLLIN/ Honey Hush, etc...
The unparalleled virtuosity of Rory Gallagher is a joy to behold. In 1973 this was recognised and he was voted by a music magazine as the number 1rock guitarist in the world. Unfortunately, his early death in 1995 and his unassuming and quiet modesty leaves him slightly forgotten by some now.
There are so many significant guitarists that can be listed that are not mentioned, which I’m sure Jimmy Page would have mentioned, if he was interviewed today in a longer podcast. This really comes from one brief 1975 interview.
Robert Johnson was so skillful says Eric Clapton that It needs two players to play what he played alone and sang at the same time. He also said to learn to play like Robert it will be a life’s work for any musician. If Clapton says so Johnson must have been a genius.😀
Perhaps his greatest hint of brilliance was recognizing how far he was from being a genius. He knew he was proficient, creative and very skilled at his craft but knew instinctively that he was no Mozart, or Bach.
The guitar established itself.... largely to innovative playing ? For starters it was amplification that changed things. I the old days, guitars were relegated to band rhythm instruments because they couldn't be heard over a band of horns, particularly with solo notes. It was the electrification that allowed amplification, that allowed the guitar to move to the forefront. It was TECHNOLOGY that allowed the guitar to come to prominence. The second factor is that it is a polyphonic instrument: It can play more than one note at a time. It can play chords. A trumpet can't do that because its a one note instrument (one note at a time.) This polyphonic reality allows guitar to be used an an accompanyment instrument for singers. With amplification, with the ability for solo notes to be heard, and with the ability to be used to accompany singers, the tecnology pushed the guitar forward. The guitar had been popular in country , folk, blues, etc., before amplification. But after amplification, and being a polyphonic instrument, that could now be heard loudly: It could replace horn sections, where two or three trumpets were required to make a chord (and to be heard loudly). With amplification, the guitar simply could be a mini orchestra. And THAT is what pushed the guitar forward. Yes, different effects that were now possible with the electrification of a guitar, like distortion, chorus, flangers, etc, Combined with talented players, this accerlerated the guitar's popularity even further. But this was only made possible by the electrification of the guitar, and the polyphonic nature of the instrument. Also playing into this are cultural factors. Young people, culturally, took to the sound of the guitar, en masse. Horns were very very popular with older people at the time. This older generation took to horns, culturally in the same manner. But it's only technology that allow these things to take place. Without the science of metalurgy, horn never could have been invented. Without the science of electricity, the guitar could never have move to the forefront. And, without the technology distortion boxes, chours, etc. could never have been made possible. Technology is really responsible for the guitar moving to the forefront.
Tony McPhee and Ollie Halsall rarely get a mention. I saw them both and they were amazing. Zappa, Richard Thompson and Robert Fripp are underrated, none of them played cliches.
In the studio's hush, where legends reside, Jimmy Page, with guitar in stride, Picks his favorites, with discerning ear, In the realm of music, where stars appear. From fingertips that blaze with fire, To melodies that never tire, Jimmy's choices, a symphony rare, Echo through the cosmic air. Hendrix's magic, wild and free, In his hands, the guitar's decree. Clapton's soul, in every note, A timeless sound, with depths remote. Beck's finesse, a master's touch, In the strings, his genius clutch. And Gilmour's grace, like rivers flow, In melodies that ebb and grow. In the tapestry of guitar's embrace, Jimmy Page finds his sacred place. Each player a legend, a virtuoso's call, In the studio's echo, they enthrall. So let us listen, let us hear, The music that transcends all fear. For in Jimmy's picks, we find, The essence of guitar's divine.
I know almost nothing about the rock scene. I do however play guitar, and a few other instruments. It is great that Jimmy, acknowledges musicians from other music scenes. For those of you, who it would seem from your comments, have never ventured outside the Rock and Americana scene. There are and were many amazing jazz guitarists. My personal Favorite has to be Joe Pass. Classical guitar, the father of modern classical guitar was of course Segovia. He was followed by the likes of Williams, Bream, Yepes etc etc. There are now a huge number of extremely good new younger players. Many of the gorgeous young women. My favorite is a Chinese woman Xuefei Yang. Flamenco has always produced some amazing guitarists. The very well known one was the late Paco Pena. If you are into Brazilian music. Particularly Choro and are prepared to have your mind blown. Yomandu Costa is incredible. I wonder what Jimmy Paige would think about these musicians?
BEST EVER were DANNY GATTON, Lenny Breau, Scotty Anderson, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery. Next would be Johny Smith, Hank Garland, Jeff Beck, Allan Holdsworth, SRV. As a picker Jerry Reed was one of the best along with Gatton, Scotty. Best player today Matteo Mancuso. Steve Morse is top 15 ever.
Picking the best at anything is subjective everyone has different tastes. When I pick a certain beat I always say in my opinion because there will be many who will disagree with my pick. I personally like the Southern rock guitarists.SRV, Dickie Betts, etc.
There’s so many Guitarists to consider. Best way probably to put together a list would be by Decade of influence! Django, Christian, T Bone-1940s/50s. --Buddy guy,Doc Watson,Reed, Winter, White,Hendrix, Clapton, Lee, 1960s--Allman,Betts,Lenny Breau, Dimeola, Pass, Montgomery,Caldwell, Burton 1970s. This is just a short list and not even getting into the 1980s and forward as in last few Decades the incredible talent has hit the stratosphere beginning with Vaughn,And the list is endless
Page seems for speed and technical skills I prefer more nuanced players Jerry Garcia Dave Gilmour Guitarists with steely Dan Baxter and Carlton and others
Jimmy Page was asked, around 1981, "What do you think of the new guitar heroes like Michael Schenker?" Page said: "This is awkward, because I've never heard any of his music, but I've heard he's good!" He's probably heard some Schenker by now. Mick Ralphs said he liked jamming with Jimmy, because he didn't insist on playing faster, etc.
Mr. Six, this was a truly interesting, informative and well written and produced video. You should do some longer form documentaries on this subject as well. I need to check out your channel. Well done!
Sure, there are great guitarists, such as Yngwie Malmsteem, but I far more appreciate ones, such Ritchie Blackmore, who can write great songs with memorable solos.
Yes you’re right, and I can never understand why Ritchie Blackmore name is never mentioned… he was from the same era as Page, Beck, Clapton and so on…. Hendrix once attended a show where deep purple opened for cream and he went backstage and told Clapton that Ritchie just blew you off stage…. That was the end for deep purple… Clapton and cream chose another band to open for them…. True story….
It is mentioned. Even if You Die without ever knowing who Blackmore Is/was...you will have Died knowing the most famous 4 Chords in Rock history! It's the 1st thing Any Kid ever learned on guitar. When another guy comes along to Compose a Solo that even approaches just One of His Solos which are Compositions in themselves , then All these Overrated Hacks can say something. All these Hillbilly Hippies including Page Don't come close to one of his fingernails! "When it comes to Solos I Don't Even come Close as Ritchie is on a totally different level" --Jimmy Page
Jimmy Patrick Page, Rory Gallagher, Scott Gorham, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, George Harris, Roy & Dave Davis James Hetfield are just a few of the very great guitar players that were all of very Irish stock and yes Elvis played guitar very well in his early years
If you haven't heard any of his stuff, try listening to Roy Buchanan "Sweet Dreams". For an age after I first heard it I thought it was Santana or Hendrix until I actually located the track. I wonder if Page knew of him and if so did he rank him at all?
