Legendary Rock Solos Any Aspiring Rock ’N Roller Should Learn!

Congratulations – you’ve made it to the point of being able to play rock solos on the guitar.

But with so many great solos to choose from, where should you start?

Hey Joe

If you’re wanting to learn rock guitar then there is only one place to start, and that is with Jimi Hendrix!

Hendrix’s playing revolutionised guitar playing as we know it today, pushing the limits of what could be done on an electric guitar to a whole new level.

One of the very first solos that I often teach my students when they are getting into rock or blues is his version of “Hey Joe”, which although very simple, contains a range of classic rock and blues licks that are the perfect start to any guitarists education on soloing.

Not only this, but all of the phrases in this solo fall directly in the E Minor Pentatonic scale, which will be one of the first scales that aspiring rockers will be studying. And not to mention at just 8 bars long, this solo is short and sweet so it won’t frighten off anyone who is new to the art of playing rock guitar solos!

Check out the solo in tab format: https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/jimi-hendrix-hey-joe-tab-s22556

Johnny B. Goode

Another classic rock/blues solo, Chuck Berry’s solo on “Johnny B. Goode” is another must-know for anyone’s rock solos repertoire.

Now you may notice that these first two solos have been dipping a foot in the style of blues.

This is very important as rock was birthed from its forefather, blues music, so going back to the origins of what makes rock music rock is very important.

Not to mention that many of the licks, phrases and ideas played in other straight ahead rock solos (as we are about to discuss) are really just blues licks on steroids!

As with “Hey Joe”, “Johnny B. Goode” also contains many of the must-know blues licks, and also experiments more with the idea of playing with both the Minor and Major pentatonic scales.

This one gets a little bit more technical with a few fast runs, but take your time and take it all in – this is an important one!

Not to mention this is a great intro to 12-bar blues progressions (see more in our blog posts on this).

Here is the solo in tab format to help you get started: https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/chuck-berry-johnny-b-goode-tab-s10

Sweet Child ‘O Mine

Speaking of straight ahead rock, the Guns N’ Roses’ 80’s classic “Sweet Child O’ Mine” is another must know rock guitar solo.

This epic 6-minute masterpiece contains everything from an instantly memorisable intro riff, to melodic interlude phrases, to an all time classic guitar solo.

Not to mention lots of little Easter eggs in the verses with guitarist Slash riffing away in the background.

Slash is well-known for his lyrical style of playing, as heard throughout this tune, so this is an absolute masterclass in melodic rock playing.

Yes there are some fast licks in there, but don’t let the art form of the slower more spaced out licks be lost on you.

There is a reason people can sing this solo note for note on cue at any given moment!

I would recommend starting with the shorter interlude solo after Chorus 1 and Chorus 2 before jumping into that main solo, and have fun with the fast lick!

Here is the solo in tab format to guide you: https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/guns-n-roses-sweet-child-o-mine-tab-s23

Stairway To Heaven

Another tune that is well-known for not just its epic solo but all of its guitar parts, “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin is another must know rock guitar solo.

I am a big believer of having context in a song, always starting from the beginning and then slowly working your way through so that you are getting the full scope of how the song is developing throughout all of the sections, so I would advise starting right from the top and learning the intro and different verses before jumping into the solo on this one.

Check out the solo in tab format here; https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/led-zeppelin-stairway-to-heaven-tab-s27

Smells Like Teen Spirit

If you’re a little newer to learning guitar, and perhaps those last few tunes seem a little daunting, a great simple guitar solo (which I think was actually the first rock solo that I ever learnt) is “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana.

Nirvana are one of those timeless bands never to be forgotten, and the beauty of their songs are that they are actually quite simple to play for the most part.

A classic trick that Kurt Cobain would often employ when playing guitar solos was to play the main vocal melody of the song on his guitar and make that the guitar solo.

Throw in a few bends and slides, and you have one epic and melodic solo!

Here is the solo in tab format to kick off your practise: https://www.songsterr.com/a/wsa/nirvana-smells-like-teen-spirit-tab-s269