Guitar Heroes

Naw, I'm not talking about the game - I'm talking about real guitar heroes. The men and women that MAKE the music. The ones that inspire us to learn and play guitar.

No matter who you like to listen to, these guitar heroes started out just like you and me, picking up the axe for the first time and something just feeling right. I'm not talking about a "Tenacious D" moment with Ronnie James Dio talking to me through a poster or anything like that. It's just, when you know, you know! Ya know?

Every one of your heroes had people that inspired them, causing them to keep practicing and working to get better.

The one thing that sets the heroes apart from being "just guitar players" is they take the time to own the guitar. You'd have to pry their cold, dead hands off their guitar to get it away from them. Some take the stuff they learn from their heroes and improve on it, give it a twist of their own. Others completely redefine a style.

Probably one of the best examples that sticks out in my mind is Eddie Van Halen. His signature two-handed tapping technique got lots of guitar players in the late 1970s pretty worked up. Van Halen didn't "invent" the technique, but he did master it and make it his own sound. And everyone wanted to play like him.

Today you have the new guitar heroes - guys like Slash and Kirk Hammett, Synyster Gates and The Edge. But once you start peeling back the layers, you start to realize these guys all have their own heroes and influences.

You wanna play like your hero? Find out what influenced them. Then go out and listen/learn and play that stuff. For instance, Eddie Van Halen really liked Eric Clapton; Joe Satriani was influenced by Jimi Hendrix.

Along the way, not only will you start to see your playing improve, but you'll also find you have a sound of your own. You'll start developing your style. Maybe you'll even turn out to be the one to turn the music world on it's ear with your new technique!

The Heroes

Here's a list of some past/present heroes of rock guitar. Some have been around forever, others have already made their way to rock guitar heaven, but all deserve a place here based on being able to represent:

Did I miss a famous player that needs to be added to the list? Send your suggestions for the greatest guitar heroes.