Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

Crosby, Stills & Nash, 1969. Solo by Stephen Stills.

Stills' open-tuned acoustic playing drives the four-part suite and carries its fast final section.

Suite: Judy Blue Eyes is a four-part song cycle, and Stephen Stills' open-tuned acoustic guitar drives it all. His playing is rhythmic and full, with ringing open strings creating a rich, resonant backdrop for the group's harmonies. As the suite moves through its sections, the guitar shifts from steady strumming to more intricate patterns, and it carries the fast final section with real momentum. It is one of the great acoustic guitar performances in rock. Listen for the percussive, driving rhythm in the closing part, where Stills' guitar seems to become a whole rhythm section by itself.

Suite: Judy Blue Eyes by Crosby, Stills & Nash is featured in our Folk Rock (#11) list. The solo is played by Stephen Stills and the song was released in 1969.

In our lists

• The 25 Greatest Folk Rock Guitar Solos — #11

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