# Eight Miles High guitar solo

> Roger McGuinn's guitar solo on Eight Miles High by The Byrds (1966) starts at about 0:12. From the album Fifth Dimension. Played on a Rickenbacker 12-string.

Canonical URL: <https://greatestsolos.com/song/the-byrds-eight-miles-high/>

The Byrds, 1966, from *Fifth Dimension*. Solo by *Roger McGuinn*.

A 12-string chasing Coltrane.

Roger McGuinn's 12-string break is his attempt to channel the saxophone of John Coltrane on a folk-rock guitar. Instead of a bluesy solo, he plays jagged, modal phrases that jump across the fretboard, with the Rickenbacker's chiming tone giving them a strange, ringing quality. It's short, but it opened the door to psychedelic rock by showing how jazz and Indian music could inspire a rock guitarist. The track pointed the way for countless jangly bands that followed. Listen for the opening break, where McGuinn's lines seem to veer off-key before resolving, capturing the dizzy, disorienting sense of flight the lyric describes.

Eight Miles High by The Byrds is ranked #109 in our consensus of 80 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Roger McGuinn and the song was released in 1966. It appears on 3 lists, placing as high as #16 (The Metal Circus (Spain), reproducing Q magazine).

## In our lists

- [The Greatest Solo of Every Year](https://greatestsolos.com/list/solo-of-every-year/) — #23
- [The 25 Greatest Folk Rock Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/folk-rock/) — #5
- [The 25 Greatest Psychedelic Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/psychedelic/) — #6
- [The Pioneers: 1950s & 60s](https://greatestsolos.com/list/50s-60s/) — #18
- [Short & Perfect](https://greatestsolos.com/list/short/) — #9
- [Hidden Gems](https://greatestsolos.com/list/hidden-gems/) — #19
- [The Best The Byrds Guitar Solos](https://greatestsolos.com/list/the-byrds-guitar-solos/) — #1
- [Top 20 Guitar Solos of 1966](https://greatestsolos.com/list/best-guitar-solos-1966/) — #1
- [The 20 Best Guitar Solos of the 1960s](https://greatestsolos.com/list/1960s-guitar-solos/) — #16

## Sources

- [The Metal Circus (Spain), reproducing Q magazine: Los 20 mejores solos de guitarra](https://www.themetalcircus.com/noticias/los-20-mejores-solos-de-guitarra/) — #16
- [uDiscover Music: The Best Guitar Solos Of All Time: 108 Amazing Moments](https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/best-guitar-solos-ever/) — #23
- [Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time](https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-guitar-solos-1235519961/) — #51

### Who played the guitar solo on Eight Miles High?

Roger McGuinn played the solo on The Byrds's Eight Miles High (1966).

### What guitar was used on the Eight Miles High solo?

A rickenbacker 12-string, according to widely reported accounts.

### Where does Eight Miles High rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#109 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 80 published lists; it appears on 3 of them.

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