The Most Emotional Guitar Solos of All Time
Emotional does not have to mean sad. These are the solos that sound like they mean it: the release at the end of Purple Rain and November Rain, Carlos Santana singing through Europa and Samba Pa Ti, Steve Vai's Tender Surrender and Neil Young's slow burn on Cortez the Killer. They are chosen for feel, not speed, and every video starts at the solo.
- 1Prince · solo by Prince · 1984
- 2Guns N' Roses · solo by Slash · 1991
- 3Jimi Hendrix · solo by Jimi Hendrix · 1967
- 4Stevie Ray Vaughan · solo by Stevie Ray Vaughan · 1991
- 5Steve Vai · solo by Steve Vai · 1995
- 6Santana · solo by Carlos Santana · 1976
- 7Santana · solo by Carlos Santana · 1970
- 8Pantera · solo by Dimebag Darrell · 1990
- 9Marillion · solo by Steve Rothery · 1989
- 10Neil Young · solo by Neil Young · 1975
- 11John Mayer · solo by John Mayer · 2006
- 12Frank Zappa · solo by Frank Zappa · 1979
- 13Joe Satriani · solo by Joe Satriani · 1987
- 14Robin Trower · solo by Robin Trower · 1974
- 15Steven Wilson ft. Guthrie Govan · solo by Guthrie Govan · 2013
- 16Metallica · solo by Kirk Hammett · 1991
- 17Pink Floyd · solo by David Gilmour · 1994
- 18The Allman Brothers Band · solo by Duane Allman · 1969
Quick answers
What makes a guitar solo emotional?
Phrasing more than speed. Emotional solos usually follow the melody like a singer would. They leave space between phrases, and they rely on bends, vibrato and dynamics to shape each note. That is why a slow solo like Purple Rain or Europa can hit harder than a flurry of notes.
Who played the solo on Little Wing?
Jimi Hendrix wrote and recorded Little Wing in 1967. Stevie Ray Vaughan's instrumental version came out after his death on The Sky Is Crying in 1991. Both versions are on this list.
Do emotional guitar solos have to be slow?
No. Cemetery Gates and November Rain both build to fast passages, and they still land emotionally because the fast notes come as the climax of a melody the solo has already set up.