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<title>Top Instrumental Guitar Rock Artists on Rhapsody Online</title>
<dateCreated>Wed Dec 30 16:08:57 PST 2009</dateCreated>
<dateModified>Wed Dec 30 16:08:57 PST 2009</dateModified>
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<outline type="include" text="Jeff Beck" description="Beck got his start in the Yardbirds, a group that also boasted the one-time membership of Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton. Beck experimented with electronic effects and played the snarling, distorted solo on the wonderful &quot;Heart Full of Soul.&quot; After leaving the Yardbirds he started the Jeff Beck Group, along with future solo star Rod Stewart on vocals and eventual Rolling Stone Ron Wood on bass. The band played electrifying Blues Rock -- Stewart's mighty voice was a perfect match for Beck's over-the-top, Buddy Guy-influenced guitar attack. Beck continued to grow as a stylist and an innovator after the Jeff Beck Group broke up, but he has never had a vocalist anywhere near as good as Stewart. Of his later works, his best are the Fusion type instrumental records that he made in the mid- to late-1970s, the most notable being &lt;i&gt;Blow By Blow&lt;/i&gt;.
- Tom Heyman" category="Jazz Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/jeff-beck/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Joe Satriani" description="Modern day guitar master Joe Satriani started out as a teacher with a rather shocking list of students Steve Vai, Charlie Hunter, Metallica's Kirk Hammet, Larry La Londe from Primus -- before he embarked on a recording career. His 1987 album &lt;I&gt;Surfing With the Alien&lt;/I&gt; garnered him national acclaim as the burnin'est superguitar axeman of his generation. Since then Satriani has continued to release albums of intricately constructed virtuoso guitar rock, almost all of it instrumental.
- Mike McGuirk" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/joe-satriani/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Buckethead" description="Avant-garde guitar legend Buckethead is known for his lanky stature, bewilderingly advanced chops, and insistence on wearing a bucket on his head and a mask onstage. Those who associate him with blistering runs of thirty-second notes will be shocked to find him moving in the direction of dark ambient and trip-hop on his latest recordings. Layers of vocal samples intertwine atop minimalist, atonal guitar riffs and downtempo breakbeats; oceans of Ambient noise give birth to ethereal wah-wah guitar stabs. It's a far cry from &lt;i&gt;Transmutation&lt;/i&gt; or &lt;i&gt;Sacrifist&lt;/i&gt;.
- Noah Enelow" category="Progressive Metal" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/buckethead/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Steve Vai" description="Steve Vai has some serious credits to his name. Before he made a name as a solo artist, he spent time backing a variety of heavyweights -- from Frank Zappa to Johnny Lydon of Public Image Limited (yes, Johnny Lydon/Rotten of the Sex Pistols called Vai for support) to David Lee Roth to Whitesnake. Not surprisingly, it was with the latter two pop-oriented projects that he came into the national spotlight -- in addition to his scorching, devil-fueled performance across from Ralph Macchio in the mostly lame film &lt;I&gt;Crossroads&lt;/I&gt;. But the real guitar wizardry began in full with his debut record &lt;I&gt;Flex-Able&lt;/I&gt; and the more developed &lt;I&gt;Passion and Warfare&lt;/I&gt; -- both high concept albums featuring dizzying seven-string slinging and an epic variety of tunes, from wicked Metal riffing and a slew of guitar textures to the occasional overblown musical mush. Vai may fall on his face with his experiments at times, but it's nice to see a guitar god think about breaking boundaries and concentrating on composition for a change.
- Jessy Terry" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/steve-vai/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Gary Moore" description="Moore has always enjoyed a devout following among guitarists, from his early swashbuckling days as Thin Lizzy's lead guitarist to his many rock, Fusion, and blues solo projects. Moore's balance of technically savvy licks and raw, emotional soul keeps the fans rabid. It was &lt;I&gt;Still Got the Blues&lt;/I&gt; (1990) that finally solidified Gary Moore's reputation as a top-flight guitarist, achieving critical and commercial success with a back to the basics approach that put Moore's fiery Blues Rock guitar front and center. Later albums continue with that approach, including &lt;I&gt;After Hours&lt;/I&gt; (1992), which featured heavy-hitting guests including B.B. King and Albert Collins.
- Jessy Terry" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/gary-moore/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Yngwie Malmsteen" description="The only thing grander than Yngwie's guitar playing is his ego: at one concert, Malmsteen began to play Eddie Van Halen's &quot;Eruption,&quot; stopped in the middle of a lightning lick, and yawned, moving on to a hundred-mile-per-hour solo of his own invention. Malmsteen revolutionized guitar playing in the '80s with a combination of Jimi Hendrix's stage flair, Ritchie Blackmore's (Deep Purple) searing Stratocaster tone, and classical composer Niccolo Paganini's rapid-fire arpeggios and self-destructive personality. After teasing guitar fans and his hair in Alcatrazz and Steeler, Yngwie recorded his first (and best) album &lt;I&gt;Rising Force&lt;/I&gt; (1984), mixing Metal riffs and Baroque harmonies to spearhead the neo-classical guitar movement. Though many of his U.S. fans have moved on to grungier pastures, Malmsteen still draws them in internationally, with rabid fans in his native Sweden as well as in Japan.
- Jessy Terry" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/yngwie-malmsteen/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Al DiMeola" description="Boosting metronome sales everywhere, DiMeola sent thousands of guitarists to the woodshed in the '70s to practice their muted speed picking and otherwise hone their chops. Though his early success was largely due to his faster than light plectrum skills, DiMeola has proven over the years to be quite an improviser in many genres. In Chick Corea's &lt;i&gt;Return to Forever&lt;/i&gt; he lit up the Fusion world, racing through changes with a rock star's ego and distortion alongside a jazz musician's technique and improvisational skills. Picking up the acoustic guitar more often proved to be artistically beneficial, especially in his blazing neo-Flamenco trio with John McLaughlin and Paco De Lucia. The past decade or so has found DiMeola de-emphasizing his string-slinging for a more compositional approach, drawing on South American, Middle Eastern, and Spanish flavors.
- Jessy Terry" category="Fusion" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/al-dimeola/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Eric Johnson" description="Austin, Tex., has a deserved reputation as a town full of seriously good guitar players, such as the late, great Stevie Ray Vaughn and Butthole Surfers' Paul Leary. Eric Johnson labored in relative, local-hero obscurity, playing bars and clubs for nearly twenty years before his first hit song &quot;Cliffs of Dover&quot; (1990). He plays in a style that effortlessly brings together aspects of country, blues, Fusion jazz, and just about any other form of popular music you can think of. Johnson can be a flashy soloist, spraying out dizzying flurries of notes with ease, but it's obvious that he puts a lot of energy into crafting highly structured, musically flowing compositions.
- Tom Heyman" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/eric-johnson/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Gary Hoey" description="Carrying the Instrumental Guitar Rock torch forward through the 1990s and into the new millennium, Hoey approaches everything he does -- whether it's a cover of &quot;Wipeout,&quot; a blues number, or even a vocal song -- with the same single-minded focus on axe-wielding prowess. Furthermore, as collectors of his three-volume Christmas music series (&lt;I&gt;Ho Ho Hoey!&lt;/I&gt;) can attest, he's proven that if you think hard enough, you can fit an erupting guitar solo just about anywhere.
- Will York" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/gary-hoey/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Man or Astro-Man?" description="Not just your average everyday Surf revival outfit, Man or Astro-Man? creates some of the most compelling, well-crafted, and unique instrumental (well, for the most part) music around. While the Mermen expand on the Surf formula by incorporating a spaced-out, Pink Floyd-ian psychedelia, Man or Astro-Man? delves into experimental, edgy Post-Punk a la Sonic Youth. Strange and alien voices creep eerily into the musical mix; computer generated haunted spaceship sounds ooze into the sonic crevices. The guitars -- the foundation upon which all Surf is built -- are tweaked in ways that are unspeakable for purists. It's as if an amped-out Blixa Bargeld is sitting in with the band. Their live shows are multimedia extravaganzas: computer wizardry, video feeds, elaborate costumes, props, and the startling display of each member's impressive virtuosity and wild theatricality.
- Will Lerner" category="Retro/Vintage" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/man-or-astro-man/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Tony MacAlpine" description="" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/tony-macalpine/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Steve Morse" description="" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/steve-morse/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Frank Gambale" description="Gambale is a gifted guitarist who isn't against showing restraint, tastefulness and indulging his listeners in a strong melody. The other instruments merely serve to support Gambale's playing -- given his ability and rich tone, that's all they really need to do.
- Will Lerner" category="Fusion" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/frank-gambale/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Allan Holdsworth" description="Holdsworth had quite an apprenticeship before recording a string of successful solo albums including the wicked &lt;I&gt;Metal Fatigue&lt;/I&gt; and &lt;I&gt;I.O.U.&lt;/I&gt;. He worked in pioneering Fusion and Progressive Rock bands, blazing away with slinky complexity on albums by Soft Machine, Gong and Tony Williams' second version of Lifetime. His unorthodox choice of guitars -- including the oft-maligned headless Steinberger, the cheesy-keyboard-like SynthAxe and a deep-toned baritone guitar -- all have contributed to a sound that is unlike that of any other guitarist. His extremely dexterous, spider-like fingers work their way over instruments that sustain and bend with a sound that seems to come from a saxophone. That combined with some of the most unique, individualistic and complicated phrasing, Holdsworth's style has often been compared to John Coltrane. But let's not get carried away -- as a pure guitarist, Holdsworth is intensely talented, playing with purer technique and originality than just about any other electric guitarist. However, his choices of lousy backing and completely-on-or-completely-off songwriting often undermine his immense talent -- it's the glimmers of brilliance that make waiting through a lousy song worthwhile.
- Jessy Terry" category="Fusion" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/allan-holdsworth/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Lynch Mob" description="Still known to most as the original lead guitarist in '80s metal band Dokken, George Lynch (a.k.a. &quot;Mr. Scary&quot;) struck out on his own at the top of the '90s with his own band, the Lynch Mob. This proved only one thing: that Dokken's magic laid with the synergy of Lynch's fleet-fingered fury, and singer Don Dokken's soaring vocal. The Lynch Mob limped their way through a few albums and then, for a while, nothing. Lynch still appeared in ads for guitar clinics and his signature &quot;Screamin' Demon&quot; guitar pickups. A &quot;where are they now&quot; serial found Lynch keeping a low profile in Arizona, transforming himself into a professional bodybuilder. Funny thing about the phoenix -- you can't keep it down for long. So here is the latest incarnation of the Lynch Mob, with a redirected emphasis on powered grooves and a new lead singer who doesn't even try to capture Don Dokken's leather-lunged emoting; instead, singer Kirk Harper takes his cues from Rap Metal vocalists like Rage Against the Machine's Zack de la Rocha and Limp Bizkit's Fred Durst. Lynch can be found, still widdling away, a little deeper in the mix.
- Howard Myint" category="Hard Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/lynch-mob/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Jimmy Page" description="Former Yardbirds/Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page is one of the most prodigious guitar players to have emerged from England in the 1960s. Before he joined up with the Yardbirds (and prior to founding Led Zeppelin), Page was one of England's most sought-after session musicians. When he burst upon the scene, his long bass runs and wailing blues leads seemed to be as effortless for him as breathing air. Page's early work with Zeppelin (&quot;Whole Lotta Love&quot; and &quot;Communication Breakdown&quot;) provided the template for modern Metal guitar textures, and he has always been a vastly underrated acoustic guitar and mandolin player. Page's cameo in the 1966 Michelangelo Antonioni film &lt;i&gt;Blow Up&lt;/i&gt; perfectly displays his svelte, nonchalant stance while the leaden riffs of &quot;Stroll On&quot; (which was the classic &quot;Train Kept A Rollin'&quot; in disguise) incite a riot among Carnaby-clad mods who had never heard anything so heavy in their lives.
- Eric Shea" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/jimmy-page/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="George Lynch" description="" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/george-lynch/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Ronnie Montrose" description="&lt;i&gt;Guitar Player&lt;/i&gt; centerfold Ronnie Montrose honed his chops backing rock 'n' roll mucky-mucks Edgar Winter and Boz Skaggs before forming his own band. Famous primarily for being Sammy Hagar's first band, Montrose slipped into cult status after Hagar's departure. Undaunted, Ronnie Montrose has kept a full schedule releasing instrumental jazz/rock fusions on par with Joe Satriani's guitar pop and Adrian Belew's solo work.
- Chad Driscoll" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/ronnie-montrose/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Indigenous" description="The spirits of both Jimi Hendrix and Stevie Ray Vaughan live on in the blistering, blues-infused rock of Indigenous. For rock guitar fans can there be any higher praise?" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/indigenous/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="MattRach" description="" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/mattrach/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Jeff Loomis" description="Originally hailing from Wisconsin, guitarist Jeff Loomis took to his preferred instrument at a young age. Self-taught and serious, 16-year-old Loomis left his home state in 1987 to try out for Megadeth when Jeff Young left the band. Though he didn't get the gig because of his young age, he astounded Dave Mustaine. Loomis first played in Sanctuary, and though that group was short-lived, from there he and vocalist Warrel Dane went on to form Seattle-based prog metal band Nevermore. In Nevermore, Loomis' complex progressive-thrash hybrid style garnered the attention of many guitar fans, landing him a monthly column in &lt;i&gt;Guitar World&lt;/i&gt; magazine -- where he would explain how to play his intense riffs -- and later landing him his own signature Schecter. Mustaine also included Nevermore in his travelling metalfest Gigantour. In 2005, Loomis announced his wish to do a solo album in the vein of his personal guitar heroes, Jason Becker and Marty Friedman. In 2008, Loomis' solo album, &lt;i&gt;Zero Order Phase&lt;/i&gt;, was released on Century Media.
- Jen Guyre" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/jeff-loomis/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Marty Friedman" description="Megadeth guitar virtuoso struts his stuff in solo work that allows him to rip up the boards -- without all those annoying words getting in the way.
- Chad Driscoll" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/marty-friedman/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Steve Lukather" description="A long time session guitar ace (come on, you remember the funky rhythm guitar on &quot;Beat It&quot;) and leader of Toto. Lukather is a jack-of-all-trades, able to come up with the perfect part for any song, as well as being a tasteful composer of film music.
- Jessy Terry" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/steve-lukather/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Joe Stump" description="Merging classical grandiosity with Metal wattage in the grand tradition of '80s guitar virtuosos, Stump cranks out layered slabs of racing, thick-toned majesty. Album titles like &lt;I&gt;Night of the Living Shred&lt;I&gt; say it all.
- Will York" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/joe-stump/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Ohm" description="" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/ohm-3/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="The Lively Ones" description="Classic Surf Rock with the guitar reverb cranked to 11 and stripshow burlesque sax solos. The drums often sound like castanets, giving this sound a Mexican surf-party vibe. To anyone who thinks all surf music sounds alike. . .well, maybe it does, but these guys sound different!" category="Surf" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/the-lively-ones/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Neil Zaza" description="The kind of guy you might find at your local guitar store giving a clinic that sends hundreds of teenagers back to the woodshed to practice. Zaza has been featured in many guitar mags, leaving no doubt as to the supremacy of his mighty technique and blazing runs.
- Jessy Terry" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/neil-zaza/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Project: Storm" description="A supergroup of instrumental guitar rockers, led by the blazing guns of Tristan Grigsby. Features members of Living Colour, Winger, and Steve Vai's band as guest artists.
- Jessy Terry" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/project-storm/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Dweezil Zappa" description="" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/dweezil-zappa/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Tommy Angelo" description="" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/tommy-angelo/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Jason Becker" description="" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/jason-becker/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Eddie Van Halen" description="" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/eddie-van-halen/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Jim Campilongo" description="This San Francisco Roots Rock prodigy was the city's best-kept secret (besides Richard Buckner), until he was discovered and signed to a major label. Jim Campilongo's dexterous and soulful guitar playing waters the rich soil wherein the roots lie. He effortlessly bounces from blues to country to swing to jazz without breaking a sweat, and then somehow tastefully manages to blend them all together in his own unique style. Most of his stuff is upbeat and full of an energetic fretboard fire similar to Xan McCurdy or even Junior Brown. His music with the 10 Gallon Cats is the perfect soundtrack for suiting up and stepping out.
- Eric Shea" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/jim-campilongo/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="G.E. Smith" description="We all remember the facial distortions of this guitar master from the days when he was musical director on &amp;#8220;Saturday Night Live.&amp;#8221; His guitar distortions and bluesy vamps are just as distinct. In the past, he&amp;#8217;s jammed with the likes of Mick Jagger and Bob Dylan. Here, he&amp;#8217;s joined by a crackjack rhythm section consisting of Paul Ossoia, Steve Holly, and T-Bone Wolk. Always keep a T-Bone around, Roots Rockers! Smith has the grace to let his band shine as much as he, the piano player, dazzles on &quot;Tonight We Shake.&quot;
- Nick Dedina" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/ge-smith/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Tribal Tech" description="Tribal Tech always seem to wind up on top of polls in guitar magazines devoted to shrednology and dextral gymnastics, thanks to the instrumental skills of guitarist Scott Henderson and bassist Gary Willis. Inspired by '70s Fusion groups, Tribal Tech ignored Smooth Jazz trends in the early '80s, adding a dose of distorted rock fury to their calculator-friendly compositions. Deploying Primus-esque musical antics and heavy layers of overpowering keyboards, their musical brilliance can be astounding at times. They achieve innovative textures by overlaying their technical prowess with searing Funk/Fusion rhythms and twisted melodic intricacies. But the technical details often cloud the validity of their songwriting, leaving you asking yourself whether an accelerating metronome practice session is something you really need to spend your time on.
- Jessy Terry" category="Fusion" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/tribal-tech/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="David T. Chastain" description="If you think the &quot;G&quot; in G-spot stands for guitar, then David T. Chastain will rock your world. A prolific performer, his recordings are the documents of a master at work. Chastain's technique will have guitar experts taking notes and beginners simply scratching their heads.
- Chad Driscoll" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/david-t-chastain/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Dave Beegle" description="With a definite bent toward the Middle East with many of his phrasings and some of his song structures, Dave Beegle creates groovy, progressive, guitar-oriented rock that could appeal to those longing for the days of the lengthy guitar solo.
- Will Lerner" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/dave-beegle/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Dominic Gaudious" description="He might be playing an acoustic guitar, but Gaudious' take on his instrument has more in common with the rockin' display of chops and technique manifested by Satriani and Vai. With occasional nods to classical music, this talented musician incorporates a certain amount of atmosphere and moodiness usually found in more heady new age.
- Will Lerner" category="New Age" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/dominic-gaudious/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Byron Nemeth" description="Byron is indeed a shredder. Dueling leads continue through progressive instrumental metal stylings to produce mind-bending, complex harmonies.
- Marc Kate" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/byron-nemeth/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="After One" description="Innovative studio production and lush textures of instrumental Space Rock nod to the past. Fuzz-toned guitar leads dance around moody piano playing and mellow drumming from a fellow who knows that showing off would ruin everything (a rare quality). Imagine Roger Waters and the Verve's Richard Ashcroft drinking tea and eating space cakes.
- Eric Shea" category="Neo Psychedelic" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/after-one/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Earthless" description="Sunny San Diego's Earthless are a heavy-sounding power trio specializing in seemingly endless jams of psychedelic space rock that wind up, unravel and propel sonic waves of acid-rock blasts into the cosmos. Guitar player Isaiah Mitchell used to play for Nebula, Drunk Horse and a diverse amalgam of many other West Coast bands. Bassist Mike Eginton cut his teeth with Man's Ruin recording artists Electric Nazarene, and ham-fisted drum lord Mario Rubalcaba hit skins with various bands such as the Black Heart Procession, Rocket from the Crypt, Clikatat Ikatowi and Hot Snakes (to name a few). Eginton and Rubalcaba own and operate their own record store in San Diego named Thirsty Moon, specializing in obscure and hard-to-find vinyl rooted in '60s garage rock, Krautrock, folk, prog and heavy Japanese psychedelic bands. The three musicians actually formed after bonding on Japanese hard-rock records by artists such as Flower Travelin' Band and heavy '60s and '70s rock bands such as the Groundhogs and Hawkwind. Earthless' live shows are often one long face-melting song, but they have been known to break up their set into two or sometimes three long songs.
- Eric Shea" category="Hard Psyche" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/earthless/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Mattias &quot;IA&quot; Eklundh" description="" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/mattias-ia-eklundh/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Bobby Wayne" description="Guitar-based instrumentals backed with MIDI accompaniment that often implies a Disco time feel. Vague hints of Fusion creep into Wayne's clean-toned playing.
- Will York" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/bobby-wayne/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Stuart Hamm" description="As a student at Berklee's College of Music and an instructor at the Bass Institute of Technology, Hamm has proven his dominance as a premier bassist. For years, Stu Hamm has been the grounding force providing basslines beneath guitar wizards like Joe Satriani and Steve Vai. During that time he has not only proven himself as a capable backing man, but also as one of the residing technical experts of bass guitar. His lightning-fast licks have set new levels for lead guitarists trapped in bass player's bodies -- and his extended techniques of popping, slapping and tapping leave aspiring rhythm sections discouraged with little blisters all over their fingers. It was &lt;i&gt;The Urge&lt;/i&gt; that really established Hamm in the &lt;i&gt;Bass Player&lt;/i&gt; magazine polls, but &lt;i&gt;Outbound&lt;/i&gt; (2000) should continue his low frequency dominance.
- Jessy Terry" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/stuart-hamm/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Racer X" description="Instrumental guitar fans, the buck for speed stops here. What Guitar Institute of Technology (GIT) member, teacher, and future sell-out (Mr. Big) Paul Gilbert did in his Racer X was set the limits for how fast it is possible to speed pick, sweep pick -- you name the picking, he can pick it faster. With the addition of his student Bruce Bouillet on second guitar, the two went on to see how fast two guitars could do all those things together, setting synchronized speed records matched only by Marty Friedman and Jason Becker in the somewhat similar Cacophony. While Cacophony drew critical comparisons to Stravinsky with their &lt;i&gt;Speed Metal Symphony&lt;/I&gt;, Racer X had a decidedly poppier image, what with the fringe on their neon Ibanez guitars, stabs at commercial hard rock radio (&quot;Living the Hard Way&quot;), and covers of David Bowie's &quot;Moonage Daydream.&quot;
- Jessy Terry" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/racer-x/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Tony Harris" description="Guitar wizard/Heavy Metal warlock works his magic with the frets and strings, giving his fingers a workout and serving up a hot slice of shredding.
- Kali Holloway" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/tony-harris/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="John Inman" description="Guitarist John Inman tries his hand at everything from tear-stained rock ballads to metallic Fusion. The focus throughout, though, is on his fretboard-scaling, effects-addled guitar work.
- Will York" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/john-inman/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Blues Saraceno" description="" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/blues-saraceno/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="Fourth Estate" description="Mind-blowing guitar effects manipulated with a magician's finesse supported by a bang-on backing band. The technically masterful work of Fourth Estate lead man Dave Beegle will be the envy of guitar adepts the world round.
- Chad Driscoll" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/fourth-estate/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
<outline type="include" text="The Secret Society" description="Searing guitar leads flitter above funky acoustic Prog-Rock, similar to Steve Vai-era Frank Zappa. The solos are filled with bluesy bends and complicated, jazzy phrasing.
- Jessy Terry" category="Instrumental Guitar Rock" url="http://feeds.rhapsody.com/the-secret-society/data.opml?rws=%2Frock-pop%2Fhard-rock%2Finstrumental-guitar-rock%2Fartist-chart.opml" />
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