The 17 Hardest Ever (Ranked Up to the Hardest) · #1 of 17
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La Villa Strangiato

Rush · 1978 · solo by Alex Lifeson
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Learn to play · 17 solos

The 17 Hardest Guitar Solos Ever (Ranked Up to the Hardest)

This is a consensus of four published 'hardest solos' lists (Metal Hammer, Guitar Lobby, guitarguitar, WatchMojo), limited to solos that appear on more than one of them or come from recognised benchmark pieces. It climbs from the hard classic-rock and thrash solos (La Villa Strangiato, One, Tornado of Souls) through Eruption and Cliffs of Dover to modern pieces like Electric Sunrise, Through the Fire and Flames and Guthrie Govan's Fives. Each video jumps straight to the solo so you can see the hands.

  1. 1
    La Villa Strangiato
    Rush · solo by Alex Lifeson · 1978
  2. 2
    One
    Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1988
  3. 3
    Painkiller
    Judas Priest · solo by Glenn Tipton & K.K. Downing · 1990
  4. 4
    Domination
    Pantera · solo by Dimebag Darrell · 1990
  5. 5
    Tornado of Souls
    Megadeth · solo by Marty Friedman · 1990
  6. 6
    Eruption
    Van Halen · solo by Eddie Van Halen · 1978
  7. 7
    Tender Surrender
    Steve Vai · solo by Steve Vai · 1995
  8. 8
    Spanish Fly
    Van Halen · solo by Eddie Van Halen · 1979
  9. 9
    Cliffs of Dover
    Eric Johnson · solo by Eric Johnson · 1990
  10. 10
    Under a Glass Moon
    Dream Theater · solo by John Petrucci · 1992
  11. 11
    Far Beyond The Sun
    Yngwie Malmsteen · solo by Yngwie Malmsteen · 1984
  12. 12
    Technical Difficulties
    Racer X · solo by Paul Gilbert · 1999
  13. 13
    Perpetual Burn
    Jason Becker · solo by Jason Becker · 1988
  14. 14
    Jordan
    Buckethead · solo by Buckethead · 2006
  15. 15
    Electric Sunrise
    Plini · solo by Plini · 2016
  16. 16
    Through the Fire and Flames
    DragonForce · solo by Herman Li, Sam Totman · 2006
  17. 17
    Fives
    Guthrie Govan · solo by Guthrie Govan · 2006

Quick answers

What is the hardest guitar solo ever?

There is no single answer. Guthrie Govan's Fives tops Metal Hammer's list, and Through the Fire and Flames tops Guitar Lobby's. Both are near the top of most rankings because they need extreme speed and accuracy the whole way through.

Is Eruption hard to play?

Yes. WatchMojo ranks it #1 on its hardest-to-learn list because of the tapping and whammy work. Most lists still put it below modern technical pieces, which is why it sits mid-list here.

What should I learn before attempting these?

Work through intermediate solos first, especially Crazy Train and Sultans of Swing. Build clean alternate picking and legato with a metronome, then start with La Villa Strangiato or One.