19 Iconic Every Guitarist Should Learn (A Learning Path) · #1 of 19
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Smoke on the Water

Deep Purple · 1972 · solo by Ritchie Blackmore
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Learn to play · 19 solos

19 Iconic Guitar Solos Every Guitarist Should Learn (A Learning Path)

If you only learn 19 solos, learn these. They show up again and again on 'solos you should learn' lists from teachers and gear retailers (Thomann, LMT Music Academy, MusicRadar), and together they cover the core vocabulary: Chuck Berry double stops, Blackmore's pentatonic runs, Gilmour's bends, Slash's melodies, Knopfler's fingerpicking, Django's gypsy jazz and Van Halen's tapping. They are ordered as a learning path, from easiest to hardest.

  1. 1
    Smoke on the Water
    Deep Purple · solo by Ritchie Blackmore · 1972
  2. 2
    Johnny B. Goode
    Chuck Berry · solo by Chuck Berry · 1958
  3. 3
    Killing In The Name
    Rage Against the Machine · solo by Tom Morello · 1992
  4. 4
    Samba Pa Ti
    Santana · solo by Carlos Santana · 1970
  5. 5
    Who Wants to Live Forever
    Queen · solo by Brian May · 1986
  6. 6
    All Along the Watchtower
    Jimi Hendrix · solo by Jimi Hendrix · 1968
  7. 7
    La Grange
    ZZ Top · solo by Billy Gibbons · 1973
  8. 8
    Comfortably Numb
    Pink Floyd · solo by David Gilmour · 1979
  9. 9
    Stairway to Heaven
    Led Zeppelin · solo by Jimmy Page · 1971
  10. 10
    Sweet Child O' Mine
    Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1987
  11. 11
    Hotel California
    Eagles · solo by Don Felder & Joe Walsh · 1976
  12. 12
    Fade to Black
    Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1984
  13. 13
    Jump
    Van Halen · solo by Eddie Van Halen · 1984
  14. 14
    Sultans of Swing
    Dire Straits · solo by Mark Knopfler · 1978
  15. 15
    Beat It
    Michael Jackson · solo by Eddie Van Halen · 1982
  16. 16
    Crazy Train
    Ozzy Osbourne · solo by Randy Rhoads · 1980
  17. 17
    Minor Swing
    Django Reinhardt · solo by Django Reinhardt · 1937
  18. 18
    Surfing with the Alien
    Joe Satriani · solo by Joe Satriani · 1987
  19. 19
    Eruption
    Van Halen · solo by Eddie Van Halen · 1978

Quick answers

What guitar solos should every guitarist know?

Stairway to Heaven, Hotel California, Comfortably Numb, Sweet Child O' Mine and Sultans of Swing turn up on nearly every 'solos you should learn' list. They are also the top-ranked solos in our Consensus 100.

In what order should I learn these?

Top to bottom. The list starts with simpler pentatonic and double-stop solos and ends with the fast technical ones: Crazy Train, Minor Swing, Surfing with the Alien and Eruption.

Why is Minor Swing on a rock-heavy list?

LMT Music Academy includes it because Django Reinhardt's gypsy-jazz phrasing teaches arpeggios and swing feel that pentatonic rock solos never touch.