Jimmy Page is often considered the prototypical heavy metal guitar hero with his monster riffs and incredible, epic solos. But Jimmy was actually one of the most versatile guitarists to come out of the late 60s and 70s rock era, mainly due to his years of extensive session playing before forming the mighty Led Zeppelin.

Even though Zeppelin are renowned for being one of the forefathers of hard rock and heavy metal, having influenced nearly everyone who has picked up a guitar and grown their hair long, they were much more than that. One of the main reasons for this was Page who incorporated everything from subtle acoustic sections, modal experimentation, heavy early use of effects and even playing with a violin bow into his repertoire. He was also the guitarist who inspired Eddie Van Halen to develop his incredible tappingTapping involves hammering on and pulling off notes with both hands on the fretboard. It allows rapid, intricate melodies. This technique is popular in rock and metal. technique. Jimmy pulled off a note to an open string during the solo to “Heartbreaker” in a live concert in 1971, and a young EVH was there and saw him do it and thought I can do that, but what if I use my finger as the nut, and from that, tappingTapping involves hammering on and pulling off notes with both hands on the fretboard. It allows rapid, intricate melodies. This technique is popular in rock and metal. was born.

Star Is Born

James (Jimmy) Patrick Page was born in Heston, Middlesex, on the edge of London, England in January of 1944. His first inspiration was Elvis’s right-hand man, Scotty Moore, which led to him picking up his first guitar, a nylon-strung Spanish guitar at the age of 12. By his teens, he was touring with Neil Christian and the Crusaders and by the 1960s had established himself as the go-to session guitarist on the London scene. This involved playing on records with such diverse artists as the Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, Van Morrison, Shirley Bassey, and even Val Doonigan!

Rise

His first real band was The Yardbirds with his lifelong friend and fellow legendary guitarist Jeff Beck. When the band split, he asked his long-time session collaborator, multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones to join him in a new venture and help him find a drummer and a singer. They found John Bonham and Robert Plant, and the rest as they say is Rock ‘n’ Roll history!

Fame

Led Zeppelin produced some of the best and most memorable rock songs of the era, from the mesmerizing yet epic simplicity of the riff to “Whole Lotta Love”, the modal genius of “Kashmir”, the delicate acoustic work on songs like “Black Mountain Side, to the song which is often quoted as the greatest ever written which combines all these elements to create one of the most popular rock anthems of all time, “Stairway to Heaven”.

That’s why we’ve included it as not only our choice of the ‘#1 Song’ you should learn by Jimmy Page, but also ‘The Solo’, it really is that good. But keep it to yourself and whatever you do, don’t play it in any guitar shop, because the song has cemented itself so much in musical folklore that there are signs up in many of them telling you not to!

Now

Jimmy Page’s contributions to rock music are unmatched, from his groundbreaking production techniques to his unforgettable live performances. His legacy as one of the greatest guitarists of all time is cemented in the hearts of fans and aspiring musicians alike.

Right Hand

Other Techniques

Techniques Breakdown

• Bending Behind the Nut (with and without trills)

• Being a bit Sloppy in Live Solos

• Smear Licks, Emphasizing Notes in a Phrase, Mixing up Minor and Major Pentatonic Scales

• Two-tone Bends, Unison Bends, Pre-bends, Staccato Picking with Bends, Half-step Bends

Guitars

• 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard

  Original Guitar for “Black Dog” Tone
• 

  Gibson Les Paul Standard '50s

  Best Money No Object Guitar for “Black Dog” Tone
• 

  Epiphone Les Paul Standard ‘50s

  Best Budget Guitar for “Black Dog” Tone

• 1961 Danelectro 3021 (Shorthorn)

  Original Guitar for “Kashmir” Tone
• 

  Danelectro '59M NOS+

  Best Semi-Hollow Guitar for “Kashmir” Tone
• 

  Danelectro Blackout 59

  Best Solidbody Guitar for “Kashmir” Tone

• 1971 Gibson EDS-1275 Double-neck

  Original Guitar to play “Stairway to Heaven” Live
• 

  Gibson Custom EDS-1275 Doubleneck

  Best Money No Object Guitar to play “Stairway to Heaven” Live
• 

  Danelectro 6-string/12-string Double-neck

  Best Budget Guitar to play “Stairway to Heaven” Live

Amps

• Signal Processing

  • Sola Sound Tone Bender Mk II

    Original Fuzz for “Whole Lotta Love” Tone
  • 

    JHS Bender Vintage-style Fuzz Effect Pedal

    Best Fuzz for “Whole Lotta Love” Tone

  • Maestro Echoplex EP-3

    Original Delay for “Dazed and Confused” Tone
  • 

    T-Rex Replicator D'Luxe Analog Tape Delay Pedal

    Best Money No Object for “Dazed and Confused” Tone
  • 

    Boss DM-2W Waza Craft Delay Pedal

    Best Budget Delay for “Dazed and Confused” Tone
  • 

    Violin Bow

    Best for Showmanship in live versions of “No Quarter”

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  Accessories

  • 

    Ernie Ball Slinkys - 0.08-0.38

• Song - Stairway to Heaven

More detail coming. Check back soon!

Guitars

• Harmony H1260 Sovereign

  Acoustic

• 1965 Fender XII

  12-string Electric

• 1967 Vox Phantom XII

  12-string Electric

• 1959 Fender Telecaster (Dragon)

  Solo according to Jimmy Page (To my ear, it’s a Telecaster)

• 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard

  Solo according to producer Andy Johns

Amps

• Accessories

  • Jimmy Page Videos

    Note that you can move away from this tab and continue to listen to the video. Enjoying reading about your favorite guitarists while enjoying their skills.

    • The best live performance of the best song ever!

    • Jimmy Page’s bluesy side

    • One of the greatest debut TV performances by any band ever!

    • Jimmy Page Grades Other Guitarists

    • Page Performing Stairway to Heaven With Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck

    Jimmy Page Guitar Tabs

    Here are some GND selected tabs with our difficulty ratings to help you choose what challenge level is right for you.

    • Stairway to Heaven

    • Whole Lotta Love

    • Kashmir

    • Immigrant Song

    • Tangerine

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    Right hand	(3.5)
    Techniques	(3.5)
    Versatility	(4.0)
    Performance	(4.5)
    Overall Lead	(4.5)
    Overall Rhythm	(5.0)

    GND Team Overall

    (4.0)

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