The following Discography recommends guitar playing worth checking out in a variety of styles. It's intented to be inspirational and educational, although the novice player may equally humbled by some of the playing! .
All these guitarists have there own distinctive 'sound' which is formed partly by their guitar and amplifier, but also by their particular style of playing. Of these guitarists, the ones who write the music they also play there own characteristics harmonic and melody traits. These factors all combine, in effect, to make their music an expression and extension of their personality.
Many of these guitarists, such as jazz guitarists john McLaughlin and classical guitarist John Williams, are extremely technically proficient and have spent literally thousands of hours of disciplined and dedicated practice to develop their style. Other's such as blues guitarist John lee Hooker or rock n roll guitarist Chunk Berry, certainly do not have technique as advanced that of McLaughlin and Williams, but that doesn't make their music any less valid - unless you're a musical snob, of course! Ultimately, music is about self-expression and communication, not about how fast or complicated someone can play.
The musical categories given below are for convenience only and some of the classification are slightly arbitrary. As someone once said:'There are only two kinds of music - good and bad...
This Discography is by no means exhaustive - there's load of good guitar playing out there. Also, with many of these guitarists it's difficult to pick out just one recording. So many of them have enjoyed long carrers and made many excellent recordings.
The dates given refer to the original release - all are available as original releases or re-releases.
Blues
John Lee Hooker - John Lee Hooker is Hip: His greatest Hits(2001).
Hooker's trademark sound is him accompanying himself on guitar whilst tapping his foot, as can be heard in Boogie Chillen.
Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings(1990).
Recorded in 1936 and 1937, blues legend has it that johnson sold his soul to the Devil in return for his guitar playing skills.
Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign (1967).
King played a right handed electric guitar strung for a left-hander and he virtually wrote the book on electric guitar blues licks.
BB King - Live at the Regal (1964).
No relation to Albert king, 'Blues Boy' King rarely plays chords and his lead work is marked by his distinctive 'hummingbird' vibrato.
Freddie King - Let's Hide Away And Dance Away With Freddie King (1990).
King composed several blues instrumentals that become standard, such as Hideaway and The Stumble.
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - Blues Breakers (1966).
Featuring a 21-year-old Eric Clapton, this album contains some of Clapton's firiest playing.
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - A Hard Road (1967).Replacing Clapton in the Bluesbreakers, Peter Green established himself as a tasteful and expressive player.
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood (1983).
Vaughan updates the Algert King Book af guitar Licks with his huge tone and aggressive delivery.
Classical
Julian Bream - Guitarra:The Guitar In Spain(1985).
Bream is a very expressive player, making full use of dynamics and the tonal colours available on the classical guitar.
John Williams - The Seville Concert(1993).
A very precise and technically flawless player, in this recording Willims performs many standard pieces from the classical guitar repertoire.
Country
Chet Atkins - The Early Years Of Chet Atkins Nad His Guitar (1964).
An accompished fingerpicker, Atkins once commented: "Merle Travis and I pretty much taught America how to Fingerpick".
Merle Travis - Walkin' The Strings (1960).
Along with Chet Atkins, Travis is a hugely influencial fingerpicker and even has a style of picking named after him: Travis picking.
Flamenco
Paco De Lucia - Luzia (1999).
De Lucia pushes back the boundaries of traditional flamenco with new harmonies and techniques, executed with formidable technique.
Juan Martin - Andalucian Suites (1998).
Martin specialises in Andalucian traditions of flamenco and wrote the acclaimed flamenco guitar tutor book El Arte Flamenco de la Guitarra.
Folk
Davy Graham - Folk, Blues & Beyond (1964).
An electric mixture of folk, blues, jazz and baroque influences, Graham took the acoustic guitar into new territory.
Bert Jansch - Jack Orion (1966).
Jansch reworks traditional folk forms and duets on four trackes with John Renbourn.
John Renbourn - The Hermit (1973).
Mixing classical and folk influences with jazz and even Middle Eastern inflections, Renbourn's style is often called 'folk-baroque'.
Jazz
Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy (1977).
As much rock as jazz - or fusion, if you will - Di Meola displays formidable plectrum technique on electric and acoustic guitar.
John McLaughin - Extrapolation (1969).
An extremely technically accomplished player and a very intense player, McLaughlin is persistently string for new means of expression.
Rock
Jeff Beck - Beckology (1992).
Arguably the most consistent rock guitarist, this compilation demonstrates that Beck has been inventive and distinctive throughout his long musical career.
Cream - Wheels of Fire (1968).
This is a partly five album. With Eric Clapton an lead guitar took improvising in a rock band to new heights, as heard on the live reinterpretation of Robert Johnson's Crossroads.
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Expereinced? (1967).
Hendrix is credited with inventing the vocabulary of the electric guitar, harnessing distortion and feedback in a amusical melting pot of blues, rock and R&B.
Metallica - Metallica (1991).
The polished production, use of dynamics and Kirk Hammett's bluesy soloing brought a new diversity and depth to Metallica's sound and propelled them into the mainstream.
Santana - The Ultimate Collection (1998).
A very soulful player, Santana mixes rock, Latin nad blues.
Steve Vai - Passion And Warfare (1990).
With a fertile musical imagiantion and formidable technique, Vai takes instrumental rock into new territoris.
Yes - The Yes Album (1971).
Guitarist Steve Howe is one of the few rock guitarists who is not obviously blues based, instead showing classical,jazz and country.
All these guitarists have there own distinctive 'sound' which is formed partly by their guitar and amplifier, but also by their particular style of playing. Of these guitarists, the ones who write the music they also play there own characteristics harmonic and melody traits. These factors all combine, in effect, to make their music an expression and extension of their personality.
Many of these guitarists, such as jazz guitarists john McLaughlin and classical guitarist John Williams, are extremely technically proficient and have spent literally thousands of hours of disciplined and dedicated practice to develop their style. Other's such as blues guitarist John lee Hooker or rock n roll guitarist Chunk Berry, certainly do not have technique as advanced that of McLaughlin and Williams, but that doesn't make their music any less valid - unless you're a musical snob, of course! Ultimately, music is about self-expression and communication, not about how fast or complicated someone can play.
The musical categories given below are for convenience only and some of the classification are slightly arbitrary. As someone once said:'There are only two kinds of music - good and bad...
This Discography is by no means exhaustive - there's load of good guitar playing out there. Also, with many of these guitarists it's difficult to pick out just one recording. So many of them have enjoyed long carrers and made many excellent recordings.
The dates given refer to the original release - all are available as original releases or re-releases.
Blues
John Lee Hooker - John Lee Hooker is Hip: His greatest Hits(2001).
Hooker's trademark sound is him accompanying himself on guitar whilst tapping his foot, as can be heard in Boogie Chillen.
Robert Johnson - The Complete Recordings(1990).
Recorded in 1936 and 1937, blues legend has it that johnson sold his soul to the Devil in return for his guitar playing skills.
Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign (1967).
King played a right handed electric guitar strung for a left-hander and he virtually wrote the book on electric guitar blues licks.
BB King - Live at the Regal (1964).
No relation to Albert king, 'Blues Boy' King rarely plays chords and his lead work is marked by his distinctive 'hummingbird' vibrato.
Freddie King - Let's Hide Away And Dance Away With Freddie King (1990).
King composed several blues instrumentals that become standard, such as Hideaway and The Stumble.
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - Blues Breakers (1966).
Featuring a 21-year-old Eric Clapton, this album contains some of Clapton's firiest playing.
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers - A Hard Road (1967).Replacing Clapton in the Bluesbreakers, Peter Green established himself as a tasteful and expressive player.
Stevie Ray Vaughan - Texas Flood (1983).
Vaughan updates the Algert King Book af guitar Licks with his huge tone and aggressive delivery.
Classical
Julian Bream - Guitarra:The Guitar In Spain(1985).
Bream is a very expressive player, making full use of dynamics and the tonal colours available on the classical guitar.
John Williams - The Seville Concert(1993).
A very precise and technically flawless player, in this recording Willims performs many standard pieces from the classical guitar repertoire.
Country
Chet Atkins - The Early Years Of Chet Atkins Nad His Guitar (1964).
An accompished fingerpicker, Atkins once commented: "Merle Travis and I pretty much taught America how to Fingerpick".
Merle Travis - Walkin' The Strings (1960).
Along with Chet Atkins, Travis is a hugely influencial fingerpicker and even has a style of picking named after him: Travis picking.
Flamenco
Paco De Lucia - Luzia (1999).
De Lucia pushes back the boundaries of traditional flamenco with new harmonies and techniques, executed with formidable technique.
Juan Martin - Andalucian Suites (1998).
Martin specialises in Andalucian traditions of flamenco and wrote the acclaimed flamenco guitar tutor book El Arte Flamenco de la Guitarra.
Folk
Davy Graham - Folk, Blues & Beyond (1964).
An electric mixture of folk, blues, jazz and baroque influences, Graham took the acoustic guitar into new territory.
Bert Jansch - Jack Orion (1966).
Jansch reworks traditional folk forms and duets on four trackes with John Renbourn.
John Renbourn - The Hermit (1973).
Mixing classical and folk influences with jazz and even Middle Eastern inflections, Renbourn's style is often called 'folk-baroque'.
Jazz
Al Di Meola - Elegant Gypsy (1977).
As much rock as jazz - or fusion, if you will - Di Meola displays formidable plectrum technique on electric and acoustic guitar.
John McLaughin - Extrapolation (1969).
An extremely technically accomplished player and a very intense player, McLaughlin is persistently string for new means of expression.
Rock
Jeff Beck - Beckology (1992).
Arguably the most consistent rock guitarist, this compilation demonstrates that Beck has been inventive and distinctive throughout his long musical career.
Cream - Wheels of Fire (1968).
This is a partly five album. With Eric Clapton an lead guitar took improvising in a rock band to new heights, as heard on the live reinterpretation of Robert Johnson's Crossroads.
Jimi Hendrix - Are You Expereinced? (1967).
Hendrix is credited with inventing the vocabulary of the electric guitar, harnessing distortion and feedback in a amusical melting pot of blues, rock and R&B.
Metallica - Metallica (1991).
The polished production, use of dynamics and Kirk Hammett's bluesy soloing brought a new diversity and depth to Metallica's sound and propelled them into the mainstream.
Santana - The Ultimate Collection (1998).
A very soulful player, Santana mixes rock, Latin nad blues.
Steve Vai - Passion And Warfare (1990).
With a fertile musical imagiantion and formidable technique, Vai takes instrumental rock into new territoris.
Yes - The Yes Album (1971).
Guitarist Steve Howe is one of the few rock guitarists who is not obviously blues based, instead showing classical,jazz and country.
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