3 of the Best Unconventional Guitar Solos in Alternative Rock

One goal of the alternative rock guitarist is to avoid rock clichés. And one of rock’s biggest clichés is the guitar solo. Still, the scene produced many guitar heroes who found new ways to shred. And the new style became just as iconic as the classic blues rock of Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, and Eric Clapton.

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The three guitarists below each developed a signature sound with an unconventional approach to the instrument. They became so popular and so imitated that new generations of players would have to avoid certain techniques to find their own style. See how they did it below.

“Bulls On Parade” by Rage Against The Machine

One could easily fill a list like this with only guitar solos by Tom Morello. Though he wasn’t the first to use a DigiTech Whammy pedal, he became its most iconic user. Morello mimicked hip-hop samples and used the toggle switch on his guitar to emulate the sound of a DJ scratching vinyl. While many guitarists have rigs resembling something you’d see at NASA, Morello’s pedalboard has remained modest. Think of Morello as alternative rock’s Eddie Van Halen.

“Paranoid Android” by Radiohead

The Bends opens with “Planet Telex”, which offered hints of Radiohead’s post-rock future. Its follow-up, OK Computer, changed the sound of rock music, and after its release, you heard traces of it all over the rock and pop landscape. “Paranoid Android” features multiple guitar solos by Jonny Greenwood that became instantly iconic. His playing lives completely outside the scope of traditional rock guitar. These solos are antagonistic in their anti-melody, anti-lick approach. All from the mind of a classical composer. How else would you write the score to an android this paranoid?

“Bigmouth Strikes Again” by The Smiths

Over the years, the number of guitar pedal manufacturers has exploded. And pedal effects are crucial to many players. But Johnny Marr developed his signature sound with The Smiths by playing mostly clean. His furious guitar break in “Bigmouth Strikes Again” showcases a unique approach to chords. You may not need a massive pedalboard to play a Smiths song, but good luck trying to emulate Marr’s composite rhythm and lead part. I compared Morello to Van Halen, and perhaps Marr is alternative rock’s Keith Richards. You might think this solo break just sounds like another riff. But putting a chordal riff in place of a solo was itself rather unconventional in rock music.

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