Blogs

We never heard of Guitar-X before this morning, but we figure if anyone’s qualified to rank the Top 25 Guitar Riffs of All-Time, it’s the London-based “guitar and bass school.” Little surprise that Deep Purple’s 1973 air-guitar classic, “Smoke on the Water,” tops the list. What budding guitar player hasn’t mastered that song’s four-chord intro in, like, five seconds? (Give it a listen below.)

We were more excited to see Nirvana’s “Smell Like Teen Spirit” (which we would’ve placed at the very top), Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode” (the granddaddy of all guitar riffs), and the White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army” (the only riff from this decade to represent).

Still, what’s up with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Under the Bridge” in the Top 10 (really? Is there even a riff in that song?). And what’s with AC/DC’s “Back in Black” all the way down at No. 14? That monster riff deserves a spot in the Top 10. We’ve spent countless hours rocking it – air-guitar-style, of course. -- Michael Gallucci