i don't play guitar myself but i sure love listening to the rare performers whose work on the intrument could stand on it's own. regardless of any accompaniment.
to me there's only two types, regardless of the genre, of guitar playing: hooks and solos. hooks being the melodies that make my body correspond in rythmic movements like foot-tapping. solos being the "X games" version of playing - the parts where i think to myself "whoa, self. how the flip did he pull that off?"
i think many musicians are capable of coming up with a great hook. "louie, louie" by the Kingsmen is a great hook. but is their guitarist virtuoso calibre? i think not.
IMO, solo virtuosity is rare in the world of guitar music. many of the solos i have most enjoyed have less to do with the musicianship of the author than the good fortune that it fit well with the overall energetic theme of the song. this theory applies particularly well in the realm of "punk" music - which i pretty much love. it's more about the rampant energy and anger than the musicianship.
but when you get into areas of jazz and classical music - these guys have to have a minimum of "chops". don't get me wrong. i don't think musicianship is exclusive to these genres. joe satriani is a good example of a rocker that can flat-out wail. but he has been known to lean toward contemporary jazz as well (notice how many "instrumental" tunes he loads an album with?). SRV was a "blues guy" that could kick the taillights out. there are many comparable examples in rock and blues.
but, for my money and speaking in general, the BEST and MOST virtuoso performers on ANY instrument will be found in jazz and classical venues. JMO.
al dimeola's first solo effort from the mid-70s, "land of the midnight sun" is a great example of superhuman guitar playing. check out tunes like "the wizard" and "suite: golden dawn". how the heck does anybody play THAT fast and well? i don't get the technical aspects of guitar. when a guitarist comments "he's hitting 64ths" - it means ZERO to me. i just know what my ears are hearing - and it's somebody running filthy nekkid up and down the fingerboard. just blazin'.
somebody mentioned michael schenker of UFO in an earlier post. thanks for reminding me what an old SOB i am.
also, billy gibbons best guitar lines are from "just got paid" and "the sheik". and i'll go to my grave believing that (unless he does something better before i die - and i HOPE he does. thanks for the memories billy. but avoid that farrah chick. i hear she's just plain trouble.)
