If someone tells you about a guitar solo, what comes to mind? A musical god commanding a stage? A guy with puffy hair and wearing spandex making funny faces? Do you see a duck walking? A hot guitar? The guitar as an instrument evokes so many feelings, even for those who are not musically inclined. The guitar solo is also a subject of heated debate. What makes a good solo? Is it the ability to complete a song or to be a showcase for self-pleasure? And while the guitar solo seems synonymous with rock and roll music, its roots are anchored in jazz and blues. Jazz is not only responsible for the birth of cool, but it also gave birth to the guitar solo. The guitars were originally acoustic. Due to their lack of volume, they were rarely seen on stage. If they were on stage, they were stuck in the rhythm section. It was George Beauchamp, inventor and co-founder of Ro Pat In Corporation, later Rickenbacker, who changed the way a guitar would be heard. In 1931, he developed the microphone and the first electric guitar. Besides George Beauchamp, another pioneer of the electric guitar is the jazz guitarist Charlie Christian. Most famous for his work with the Benny Goodman Sextet, his string technique as well as the amplified instrument brought the guitar to the forefront. Charlie Christian paved the way for Les Paul, Eddie Cochran, BB King, Chuck Berry and T Bone Walker. T Bone Walker did for blues what Christian did for jazz. They radically changed the sound and style. Walker brought the electric guitar to Mississippi Delta Blues and established the template for what would become the sound of Chicago Blues. Most electric guitars were hollow body. They gave volume to the guitarist, but at a price. At high volume they would...... middle of paper...... among these techniques are essential. The rock sound of the 1980s was dominated by guitarist-led bands using this style of playing. While much guitar work in the 1960s and 1970s was influenced by the blues, guitar shredding in the 1980s was showed an influence of classical music in their pieces. Many guitarists who became popular in the 80s are considered some of the most technically proficient players of all time. . Guitar shredding has been used in a variety of musical styles. Neo classical, jazz fusion, progressive rock and heavy metal have adapted shredding to their genres. Revered '80s guitarists Kirk Hammett, Dave Mustaine, Marty Friedman, Randy Rhoads, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Dimebag Darrell have all mastered the art of shredding. In 2003, Guitar One magazine named Michael Angelo Batio, Chris Impellitteri and Yngwie Malmsteen as the fastest guitar shredders of all time..