1 - Jimmy Page - Led Zeppelin
2 - Joe Satriani - Solo
3 - Eddie Van Halen - Van Halen
4 - Steve Vai - Solo
5 - Shawn Lane - Solo
6 - Paul Gilbert - Mr. Big, Solo
7 - Jimi Hendrix - Solo
8 - Eric Johnson - Solo
9 - Kiko Loureiro - Angra
10 - Michael Angelo Batio - Solo

1 - Gibson
2 - Fender
3 - Paul Reed Smith (PRS)
4 - Ibanez
5 - Tom Anderson
6 - Dean
7 - Carvin
8 - Yamaha
9 - Jackson
10 - Schecter

Joe Satriani is one of the most well respected and successful guitarists of today. As many of you probably already know, Joe has been credited with teaching other great guitarists such as Metallica's Kirk Hammett, and solo guitarist Steve Vai. Having recorded many studio and live solo albums since his debut "Not of This Earth" in 1986, he continues to innovate his sound and style.

So let's dive in a little into Joe's playing style, and find out what makes him such an incredible guitar player.

As far as scale choices go, Joe tends to stick to the major/minor pentatonic, mixolydian, and blues scales. However, he also has a wide vocabulary of scales that he uses throughout his compositions.

Joe Satriani is probably most famous for his melodic phrasing, great legato techniques, and unorthodox ways of tapping.

Songs like "Always With Me and Always With You", "The Crush of Love", and "Until We Say Goodbye" are all beautiful ballads that show Joe's tasteful and melodic phrasing. His melodies are often bluesy and easy to remember. I'm sure most of us can catch ourselves singing to these songs in our heads. However, tunes such as "Crushing Day" and "Satch Boogie", clearly show Satriani's ability to play blazing fast legato licks with perfect execution.

Lastly, Joe Satriani has two unique ways of using tapping techniques throughout his songs and solos. In the songs "Midnight" and "A Day At The Beach", Joe uses a two-handed tapping technique in a way that players suck as Stanley Jordan might use. He plays his chords and melodies by tapping both the right and left hands on the fretboard using all four fingers in his left hand, and typically, two or three fingers in his right hand to properly execute the songs. However, on "Surfing With The Alien" for example, Joe uses a more Van Halen-like approach to tapping. Except, instead of using his index or middle fingers to tap the notes with, Joe prefers to turn his pick around and tap the fretboard with it instead.

Joe is a fine composer and musician. Many of his compositions have stood the test of time, and remain popular among music fans. I recommend any guitarist to study and learn a few of his songs.