9 of the best rock rhythm guitarists

Chuck Berry

Where would Status Quo be without the trail that Chuck blazed?

By speeding up the existing blues shuffle, he had an absolutely crucial picking hand in the birth of rock 'n' roll.

Signature techniques: 12-bar shuffle, diad-fills, blues turnaround intros

Listen to: Johnny B Goode

Keith Richards

Keef said it best about drawing his influence from early rock 'n' roll and 'suggested' rhythms around the beat:

"There's a tension between the 4/4 beat and the eighths going on with the guitars."

Signature techniques: Using rhythmic riffs to create melodies, open G tuning

Listen to: Brown Sugar, Start Me Up

James Hetfield

Even if he didn't have the frontman role, too, he'd be regarded as metal's foremost right-hand man.

"If you're playing eighth or 16th notes then you've got to get cooking," says chef James.

Signature techniques: Forearm-torturing fast downpicking, reverse gallop groupings

Listen to: Master Of Puppets, Battery

Pete Townshend

It's not so much what Pete played, but how he played it - and not just the windmill.

You can hear the intensity in his huge chords, and his lighter moments display a fine chord-voicing knowledge.

Signature techniques: Big chords, alternative voicings, the windmill!

Listen to: I Can't Explain, Pinball Wizard

Malcolm Young

Malcolm's rhythm is AC/DC's foundation, helped by his use of thicker-gauge strings and employing open-chord rhythms judiciously, economically and percussively for maximum mojo power.

Signature techniques: Simple open-chord progressions delivered with expert touch

Listen to: For Those About To Rock

Jimi Hendrix

At the core of Jimi's playing were his supreme rhythm chops.

Using his thumb for barre chords allowed him to play around the shapes, infusing progressions with melody and movement.

Signature techniques: Chordal embellishments, thumb-over barre chords

Listen to: Little Wing, Castles Made Of Sand

Tosin Abasi

As well as face-blazing chops, Tosin has a mean line eight-string rhythm.

Time at the Atlanta Institute Of Music lent his music a jazz sensibility, while his slapping puts funk bassists to shame.

Signature techniques: Slapping and popping, djent rhythms, jazz chords

Listen to: Wave Of Babies, Another Year

Dave Grohl

Papa G brings a drummer's drive to his rhythm work, but his use of open strings brings ringing chime to his clean tones and adds new depths to the aggressive punk-rock powerchord approach.

Signature techniques: Use of extended chords, open strings and alternate voicings

Listen to: Best Of You, Learn To Fly, Everlong

Jeff Buckley

His career was short-lived, but Jeff's influence is undeniable.

Jazz-inspired chords sound natural in his compositions, while Indian influences inspired his user of open strings and exotic melodies.

Signature techniques: Arpeggiated chords, extended chords, open-strings drones

Listen to: Grace, Dream Brother