So you’ve sharpened your chops and you’re looking for a challenge? There are a lot of easy guitar songs to play, but there are just as many songs out there that only the best of the best can attempt. Here are a few of the hardest guitar songs you’ll ever attempt.
Let’s start with “Blitzkrieg” by Yngwie Malmsteen. Famous for his incorporation of classical scales, almost anything by Yngwie is pretty intense and hard to play. This may be one of his hardest guitar songs yet. Lots of fast passages that need a legato touch make this one a challenge for even the most hardened player.
“Little Wing” by Jimi Hendrix makes my list of hardest guitar songs. I know it’s a slow one, but the passages are primarily 16th notes, and to get all of the subtle nuances in there, as well as the timing, takes some skill. It’s not completely out of reach, but you’ve got to have some chops to hit the notes on cue.
“Eruption” by Eddie Van Halen is difficult if you want to use the exact techniques he uses to get the notes. A lot of the song is tapped, which sometimes makes a piece sound harder than it really is, but here Eddie’s use of the 16th note triplets really puts a challenge in front of you. This will test your limits for sure.
Eric Johnson’s “Cliffs of Dover” incorporates a lot of smooth legato playing, stretches, and changing tempos, making it difficult to play well. Beautiful song with a lot of textures and nuances that make this instrumental track, and Eric himself, a favorite among guitar aficionados.
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There are a lot of hard guitar songs, but the hardest guitar songs to play come from a lot of the same players. Joe Satriani has written some extremely hard stuff, notably “Satch Boogie” and “Voodoo Chile” by Jimi Hendrix is another guitar challenge. Metallica’s “Blackened” also checks in as one of my picks for hardest guitar songs to play. If you’re looking for challenging guitar riffs and hard songs, there are as many to choose from as there are excellent guitarists to play them.
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