Lead guitarist
A lead guitarist , melody or solo guitarist is particularly common in rock music , but also in jazz .
history
While guitarists rarely performed in jazz orchestras in the 1930s and usually only played a role as rhythm guitarists , this changed in jazz with the advent of the electric guitar and its greater assertiveness. Especially in the rock 'n' roll music of the 50s, the band guitarist often appeared in distinctive solo passages of a piece. In the pop music of the 1960s, especially in beat groups, many bands had two guitarists. The division of roles was usually such that one of the two guitarists took over the melody guitar with solo parts of the song and the other took over the rhythm guitar. There are also bands with two lead guitarists such as Wishbone Ash .
In addition to the actual solos , which are either improvised or arranged , the lead guitarist usually leads the melody while the rhythm guitarist takes over the rhythmic accompaniment. The lead guitarist's instrument is usually an electric guitar , supported by various electronic effects devices.
Some well-known lead guitarists
- Duane Allman ( Allman Brothers Band )
- Jeff Beck ( Yardbirds , Jeff Beck Group )
- Ritchie Blackmore ( Deep Purple , Rainbow , Blackmore's Night )
- Eric Clapton ( The Yardbirds , Cream )
- The Edge ( U2 )
- David Gilmour ( Pink Floyd )
- Kirk Hammett ( Metallica )
- George Harrison ( The Beatles )
- Jimi Hendrix
- Slash ( Guns N 'Roses )
- Mark Knopfler ( Dire Straits )
- Alvin Lee ( Ten Years After )
- Steve Lukather ( Toto )
- Brian May ( Queen )
- Jimmy Page ( Yardbirds , Led Zeppelin , The Firm )
- Carlos Santana ( Santana Blues Band )
- Eddie van Halen ( Van Halen )
- Angus Young ( AC / DC )
