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DavetheSlave View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 13 2011 at 08:05
Although he is prog related I think that Tony Iommi deserves a mention for overcoming the accident to his fret hand - something that would have crippled the career of most methinks.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 13 2011 at 07:52
Mclaughlin
Fripp
Howe
Hackett
Gilmour
Hillage
Di Meola
Frank Zappa
 
"I always say that it’s about breaking the rules. But the secret of breaking rules in a way that works is understanding what the rules are in the first place". Rick Wakeman
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 09 2011 at 16:07
^^ Definitely deserves mention. He and McLaughlin were the first fusion guitarists to my knowledge to touch on the "sheets of sound" concept developed by Coltrane. But Holdsworth really took it to a new level of technicality with his legato playing and left hand technique. This vid is a great example of how good he was at playing through the key changes.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 09 2011 at 15:23
The great Allan Holdsworth.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 07 2011 at 09:58
Some of my current favourites:

Jeff Parker (Tortoise, Chicago Odense Ensemble, plus some solo jazz albums)
Glenn Branca (some of the most innovative electric guitar music ever)
Eivind Aarset (experimental/nu-jazz master, today's Gilmour)
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Plus a mention for the collective guitar sections of EITS, Battles, Jaga Jazzist, Natsumen or Agalloch, bands that I do listen for the guitar playing up to a certain extend, despite them not having anything to do withwhat is regarded is guitar virtuosity.


Edited by harmonium.ro - July 07 2011 at 09:59
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 07 2011 at 09:10
Lifeson, Fripp, Zappa


Edited by avantgrind - July 07 2011 at 09:11
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 06 2011 at 20:26
Oh, yeah, I'm a keyboardist but more of a composer than performer of others music. 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 06 2011 at 20:21
I've been playing guitar for about 9 years now, I play jazz guitar mostly, and I've already mentioned my favourites.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 06 2011 at 20:14
Originally posted by EchidnasArf EchidnasArf wrote:

I'd like to see how many people posting replies to this thread play guitar, another instrument, or play nothing at all. Not that it changes the validity of anyone's opinion; just out of curiosity.
I've been playing for 30+ years....still garage-band level playing but I pick up things quickly, I just can't play a million notes per minute :(
 
Some of my personal prog favs are:
 
John Petrucci
Steve Morse
Doug Ott (Enchant)
Michael Romeo (Symphony X)
Mikael Akerfeldt (Opeth)
 
 
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 06 2011 at 20:14
In no order:

Hackett -- because of his innovative sounds and modes
Howe: because of his ability as a composer and the uplifting and spiritual feel to his music
The Japanese band Happy Family's guitarist -- just amazing, powerful work.
Anthony Phillips because Geese and the Ghost was such an amazing album
Fripp -- because what he did prior to 1975 with KC and what he did occasionally on his solo
albums and on a few tracks like with Eno and Gabriel.




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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 06 2011 at 19:41
Originally posted by topographicbroadways topographicbroadways wrote:

Oh joy.

Howe, Hackett, Petrucci. 


And not a single f**k was given that day

Haha. It is such a typical answer but it is very true.  I have been getting into Steve Hackett's solo work and it is amazing (particularly The Steppes).
Just give it all an hour by the concrete lake.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 06 2011 at 18:42
Manuel Göttsching
Steve Hackett
Connie Veit
Davis Gilmour
Docteur Fripp
Luis Alberto Spinetta
Fred Frith
John Goodsall
John Weinzierl
Steve Howe
Frank Zappa
Ax Geinrich
Andrew Latimer
Martin Barre
Richard Pinhas
Franco Mussida
Aaargh - this is pointless. I could go on with a bunch of others and still be forgetting some. 
There is no greatest - only the one fitting your specific mood on any given day.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 06 2011 at 16:41
Oh joy.

Howe, Hackett, Petrucci. 


And not a single f**k was given that day
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 06 2011 at 16:06
He most certainly did play in Frost*, and received the Classic Rock Society "Best Guitarist Of The Year" award for 2006. Also sings, and is a recording engineer/producer too...a busy man of many talents!! Sadly Frost* was placed on infinite hiatus in March of this year, though Jem godfrey is working on some new material for a hitherto unnamed project, I believe.

Edited by yam yam - July 06 2011 at 17:57
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 06 2011 at 03:31
Originally posted by yam yam yam yam wrote:

John Mitchell (It Bites, Arena, John Wetton Band, Kino etc.) is all too often overlooked. All the names mentioned so far are indisputable greats, but John is pretty damn good too.
 
Cheers buddy ! Exactly my thoughts. By the way: John is also playing in Frost*. Check out Black Light Machine.
 
Other great ones are:
 
Roine Stolt
Karl Groom
Gary Moore
Alex Lifeson
Nick Barrett
Doug Ott
Gary Chandler
Michael Romeo
John Petrucci
Jimmy Page
Michael Schenker
Mirek Gil
Piotr Grudziński
David Gilmour
 
Alternative: Steve Hillage


Edited by progrules - July 06 2011 at 03:37
A day without prog is a wasted day
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SaltyJon View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 05 2011 at 23:40
Frith also gets extra points from me for his bass work - not always complex, but always fitting.  I'm a bassist.  Kudos for his violin playing too, and various percussions, etc. 
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Triceratopsoil View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 05 2011 at 23:37
Sorry Mr. R I stopped reading this thread and didn't see your inquiry.

Mostly what Jon said; I've yet to hear any other guitarist whose sheer creativity and musicality hits me on so many levels as Frith, and, being a guitarist myself, the guitar player is generally the first thing I study in a group.

My second favourite prog guitarist is probably James MacGaw, I really loved especially what he did with One Shot.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 05 2011 at 23:31
Originally posted by Tony R Tony R wrote:

Originally posted by Triceratopsoil Triceratopsoil wrote:

Fred Frith absolutely slaughters just about anybody else.


All that tells me is that you over-use hyperbole.

Explain how and why and make this ubiquitous thread worthwhile.

Well you see, he carries around this large axe...

No really, I think he's one of the most innovative and yet still tasteful guitarists around.  Whether for his ensemble work with Henry Cow or Art Bears or any of the many groups he's been a part of or during his solo performances, he always plays something to astound me (in a good way).  Some of his prepared guitar pieces took a while for me to warm up to, but now they're a lot of fun to listen to.  Plus, from all accounts, I've heard he has a good sense of humor, and that's a plus as well.

My runners up (sticking especially to prog) are Frank Zappa (I'm sure people know about him and what he can do already) and Uchihashi Kazuhisa (he does some really amazing things with his guitar and pedals). 

If we were including artists outside of prog, Django Reinhardt and Derek Bailey would take second and third (respectively).
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 05 2011 at 23:14
Steve Howe, Zappa, Roine Stolt, Omar RL.

Those are some, in no particular order.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 05 2011 at 18:20
Steve Howe
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez
Steve Hackett
Andrew Latimer

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