Is it possible to be considered "good"...

[Katastrophe]

... if a guitar player doesn't play lead?

Think about your guitar heroes for a minute... are there any that don't play leads from time to time?

Discuss.

[hubberjub]

Of course. Playing leads is only one aspect of being a guitar player. I've played with plenty of guitar players who could rip a great solo but had no idea what to do when they weren't the star of the show. A good rhythm player is far more important than a good soloist.

[Eric]

Depends. Most people equate hot guitar lines with someone being a good guitarist, and I feel like it's only amplified within guitarist circles. It's the whole machismo thing. It's the reason why I usually feel like a dumpy guitarist -- I'll never be super fast.

Now, is it possible to *be* a good guitarist without playing leads? Yes. Most of the music I listen to is stuff that I like because of the riffs or melodies, not necessarily the solos or leads.

I'd say Dean DeLeo and Ty Tabor are two guys whose music I like mostly for the rhythm stuff they play. But to your point, they both play leads. Based on that, I'm going to say no to your question. It sucks, and it's unfair, but I can't think of any guitar heroes who don't play leads or solos every now and then.

Some will probably site Malcolm Young or the Aerosmith guy, both of which are good points, but in general I'd say being a rhythm-only guitarist is kind of like being a defensive catcher in baseball: super-important, but completely unspectacular.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

If only a rhythm player, and nothing else, I probably wouldn't use the term "good guitarist". But, hey, there have to be support players, right? An exception might be in the area of jazz, where complex rhythm chording can be quite impressive.

[duhvoodooman]

I'm certainly not alone in this opinion, but I always considered Pete Townshend a pretty mediocre lead player but one of the all-time great rhythm guitarists.

[NWBasser]

Not much lead in the Foo Fighters (at least on the studio albums - live though they do play leads), but it still sounds like great guitar playing.

However, it seems that all of my favorite guitarists play some lead.

[NWBasser]

It's the reason why I usually feel like a dumpy guitarist -- I'll never be super fast.


I wouldn't equate speed with ability Eric. My favorite guitarists, including Warren Haynes and Dicky Betts, aren't really speedy players. These days, I much more enjoy a guitar solo that says something rather than a heap of notes quickly tossed out. Santana, Gilmour, Beck, and so on are great guitarists that don't play very fast. I'll take taste over flash any day.

[Eric]

I wouldn't equate speed with ability Eric. My favorite guitarists, including Warren Haynes and Dicky Betts, aren't really speedy players. These days, I much more enjoy a guitar solo that says something rather than a heap of notes quickly tossed out. Santana, Gilmour, Beck, and so on are great guitarists that don't play very fast. I'll take taste over flash any day.
Yeah, I understand, and most of the time I'm with you on that. But it's still kind of...emasculating when you've been doing something for a while (playing electric for...3.5 years?) and you still can't really play even relatively simple fast lines.

And I know that in the wonderful world of the internet, any admission of any limitation whatsoever immediately gets you put in the wow-he-must-suck category in the minds of many. It's like the normal dick-measuring of life, but without the context or nuance of reality. I know I don't suck, but people will say "oh, this solo is super easy," and it's still tough-to-impossible for me. After a certain amount of time, you have to admit to yourself what you are and what you may never be.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

Eric, I've been playing for 46 years, and cannot play lead very well, so don't feel bad. I play and sing well enough to entertain people and garner some compliments, but I wouldn't consider myself particularly "good". Like most things in life, it's all relative. Now, if I would actually apply myself and practice........

[R_of_G]

Johnny Ramone has always sounded pretty good to me.

[NWBasser]

Yeah, I understand, and most of the time I'm with you on that. But it's still kind of...emasculating when you've been doing something for a while (playing electric for...3.5 years?) and you still can't really play even relatively simple fast lines.

And I know that in the wonderful world of the internet, any admission of any limitation whatsoever immediately gets you put in the wow-he-must-suck category in the minds of many. It's like the normal dick-measuring of life, but without the context or nuance of reality. I know I don't suck, but people will say "oh, this solo is super easy," and it's still tough-to-impossible for me. After a certain amount of time, you have to admit to yourself what you are and what you may never be.

Hey Eric, I've been playing guitar (off and on) for nearly 30 years and still I don't have much speed. The best I can muster is the intro part for The Spirit of Radio, but I still say it's better to sound good than be fast.

OTOH, primarily being a bass player, there isn't much expectation for me to play fast at all.:zzz

I really wouldn't sweat it. The main thing is to make music and have fun.

[bcdon]

And I know that in the wonderful world of the internet, any admission of any limitation whatsoever immediately gets you put in the wow-he-must-suck category in the minds of many. It's like the normal dick-measuring of life, but without the context or nuance of reality. I know I don't suck, but people will say "oh, this solo is super easy," and it's still tough-to-impossible for me. After a certain amount of time, you have to admit to yourself what you are and what you may never be.

The internet is full of rock gods, head on over to The Gear Page and you'll find page after page of "I've played xx years" BS. Most are just douche bags pumping their tiny ego up by denigrating others. The great part about guitar -- or anything for that matter -- is that practise makes perfect. If you apply yourself, you will get better -- no ands, ifs, or buts. Don't listen to the internet douche-bags, they are more full of c-ap than a Christmas goose.

[Monkus]

I'm finding myself liking subtle players. I think the best musicians are the ones you dont really hear but are notable by their absence. Applying this to guitars would be the the guy who, when he stops playing, the entire group sucks. When you can play only the things that make the track or song shine, that to me is a great guitarist. That dude who played the rhythm track on Two Princes by Spin Doctors, John Mayers' work with Pino Palladino and Steve Jordan and last but certainly not least, John Frusciante with RHCP, that to me is good stuff. I think being a good guitarist requires a working, playing knowledge of all aspects of guitar work and that requires patience and practise. I just do it at my own pace. :)

[R_of_G]

Though he doesn't fit into the "strictly rhythm" category, the vast majority of what's great about Keith Richards' playing is his rhythm play.

Yes, he takes some leads and plays some great fill riffs, but what makes the middle-period Stones sound like the Stones? Keith's rhythm guitar playing.

Here are a few examples...

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*Warning - Don't listen to this last one in front of your kids or co-workers unless they're cool with the "F-word" and some rather nasty lyrics from Jagger.

If those things don't offend you, there's some awesome guitar on this track, rhythm and lead, but ask yourself if someone else was playing rhythm in their particular style would it have sounded this right for this band. Never underestimate the role of the rhythm guitar player, especially Richards.

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[helliott]

I've always been a better lead than rhythm player, and when I was younger I thought that was an advantage -- a view supported by people who love the good solos. I grew up listening to the great solo players, and the guys who played fast (Alvin Lee, and as much as I love him, Jimmy Page) but often not that well. Some years back I realized how misguided that all was, and have spent the intervening time trying to get my rhythm playing up to speed. (All this is said with the clear recognition that I'm not particuarly good at either.) Point is, A good band player needs to be competent at both. I'm in a band now where we two guitarists switch back and forth easily, trade solos etc. But he's a better rhythm player than me, and it shows in the sound overall. So I continue to try and catch up.

[sunvalleylaw]

Johnny Ramone has always sounded pretty good to me.

that was who I was thinking of when I read this thread. Joe Strummer also crossed my mind, though I think he played some lead too.

[Ch0jin]

I thought of James Hetfield first up :)

[R_of_G]

that was who I was thinking of when I read this thread. Joe Strummer also crossed my mind, though I think he played some lead too.

Strummer played minimal leads here and there but Jones did most of it.
Strummer was a fantastic rhythm player though, crucial to the sound of that band.

[Katastrophe]

I thought of James Hetfield first up :)

I hear ya, but teh Jaymz is a solid lead player! If there's a harmony lead line on a Metallica album, chances are Hetfield played both parts.