Instrumental Rock Guitar
No vocals, no lyrics, just guitar. Instrumental rock puts the guitarist front and center. Every note carries the melody, the emotion and the story. This genre produced some of the most technically gifted players in history.
Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Eric Johnson and John Petrucci are all well represented on GuitarZone. Their songs will push every aspect of your technique.
Al Di Meola & Paco de Lucía 1
Buckethead 1
Joe Satriani 35
- 1 Always With Me, Always With You TAB 1987
- 2 Always With You (1st & 2nd B Major Sections) LESSON 1995
- 3 Always With You (3rd & 4th B Major Sections) LESSON 1987
- 4 Always With You (5th & 6th B Major Sections) LESSON 1987
- 5 Always With You (All Rhythm Guitar Parts) LESSON 1995
- 6 Always With You (B Minor Section) LESSON 1992
- 7 Always With You Pt.1 (All Rhythm Guitar Parts) LESSON 1992
- 8 Always With You Pt.2 (1st & 2nd B Major Sections) LESSON 1987
- 9 Always With You Pt.3 (B Minor Section) LESSON 2022
- 10 Always With You Pt.4 (3rd & 4th B Major Sections) LESSON 1987
- 11 Always With You Pt.5 (5th & 6th B Major Sections) LESSON 1987
- 12 Back To Shalla Bal TAB 1988
- 13 Cryin' LESSON 1992
- 14 Flying in a Blue Dream TAB 1987
- 15 Joe Satriani - 1st Solo Section LESSON 1986
- 16 Joe Satriani - 2nd Solo Section LESSON 1987
- 17 Joe Satriani - Intro LESSON 1987
- 18 Joe Satriani - Intro & Main Melody LESSON 1986
- 19 Joe Satriani - Main Solo LESSON 1987
- 20 Joe Satriani - Outro Solo LESSON 1995
- 21 Joe Satriani - Tapping Section & Outro LESSON 1987
- 22 Joe Satriani - Verse LESSON 1995
- 23 Joe Satriani - Verse 2 & Bridge LESSON
- 24 Satch Boogie Pt.1 - Intro LESSON 1987
- 25 Satch Boogie Pt.2 - 1st Solo Section LESSON 1988
- 26 Satch Boogie Pt.3 - 2nd Solo Section LESSON 1988
- 27 Satch Boogie Pt.4 - Tapping Section & Outro LESSON 1987
- 28 Summer Song Pt.1 - Intro & Main Melody LESSON 1988
- 29 Summer Song Pt.2 - Verse LESSON 2002
- 30 Summer Song Pt.3 - Main Solo LESSON 1988
- 31 Summer Song Pt.4 - Verse 2 & Bridge LESSON 2002
- 32 Summer Song Pt.5 - Outro Solo LESSON 1988
- 33 Surfing With The Alien LESSON 1987
- 34 Tears In The Rain LESSON 1989
- 35 The Mystical Potato Head Groove Thing TAB 1986
Sheet Music Boss 1
Steve Vai 18
- 1 Eugene's Trick Bag (Arpeggio Section) LESSON 1990
- 2 Eugene's Trick Bag (Caprice Section) LESSON 1990
- 3 Eugene's Trick Bag Pt.1 (Arpeggio Section) LESSON 1990
- 4 Eugene's Trick Bag Pt.2 (Caprice Section) LESSON 1990
- 5 For the Love of God LESSON 1990
- 6 For The Love Of God Pt.1 - Verse 1 & 2 LESSON 1990
- 7 For The Love Of God Pt.2 - Bridge LESSON 1990
- 8 For The Love Of God Pt.3 - Verse 3 LESSON 1990
- 9 For The Love Of God Pt.4 - Solo LESSON 1990
- 10 For The Love Of God Pt.5 - Bridge Solo LESSON 1990
- 11 For The Love Of God Pt.6 - Verse 4 & Outro LESSON 1990
- 12 Steve Vai - Bridge LESSON 1990
- 13 Steve Vai - Bridge Solo LESSON
- 14 Steve Vai - Solo LESSON 1990
- 15 Steve Vai - Verse 1 & 2 LESSON 2024
- 16 Steve Vai - Verse 3 LESSON
- 17 Steve Vai - Verse 4 & Outro LESSON
- 18 Tender Surrender LESSON 1995
Mastering Instrumental Rock Guitar
Instrumental rock demands the full package: legato, alternate picking, sweep picking, tapping, whammy bar technique, dynamic control and, above all, melody. Without vocals, the guitar has to sing. Joe Satriani is the master of this: his melodies are so strong you can hum them even without knowing the notes.
Steve Vai takes a more experimental approach, with extreme whammy bar work and unusual scales. Eric Johnson is known for his immaculate tone and fluid pentatonic runs. John Petrucci combines prog complexity with shred speed.
Start with Surfing with the Alien for a balance of technique and melody. For the Love of God is a masterclass in expressive playing. Glasgow Kiss will test everything you've got.
Related: Progressive Rock, Progressive Metal.