Fans of The Beatles are praising George Harrison as one of the “greatest guitarists” of all time – for one reason in particular.
A thread of praise for the late guitarist has been shared on Reddit, where fans of the Fab Four focused on how great a player Harrison was. A post to The Beatles’ subreddit asked: “Where would you rank George Harrison in the ‘greatest guitarist’ conversation?” Users were emphatic in how great a guitarist Harrison was, with members of the group saying his best trait was how he “served the song.”
One user wrote: “He served the song. Plain and simple. Not a show off. What did the song need? He provided it. And he was stellar with what he provided. I don’t think George himself would give a shit about where he “ranked” among other players. We shouldn’t either. He was perfect for The Beatles.”
Another reply suggested this was true for all four members. They wrote: “I think that can be said for every Beatle too. A great musician doesn’t need to shred like a god, being a great musician is understanding what the song needs and providing it, it’s being able to make the musicians you’re playing with sound better. None of the Beatles were virtuosos at their instruments and nobody cares.”
While the Fab Four brought very different creative ideas to the table, Harrison was singled out for his “different way of looking at the world.” They wrote: “George was the experimenter. He tried so many different things. Some fans don’t like the Indian music but it was more than that, imo. He introduced to them a different way of looking at the world. It had an influence on their songwriting lyrically and musically. Plus… he’s funny.”
Some users suggested Harrison is far from the Top 100 when it comes to technical skill, though he does merit as “memorable”. They suggested: “Depends on what ‘greatest’ means. If we’re talking about technical skill as a guitarist, all-time, then he’s outside the top 100 (and he’d be the first to tell you that). If by ‘greatest’ we mean successful or popular/memorable, then perhaps somewhere in the Top 10.”
Another replied: “Agreed. I have this argument with my husband all the time. Most talented does not equal greatest. To me there is much more that goes into being the greatest. IMO George is not the greatest, that goes to Eddie Van Halen. But, George is in the top 5.”
Where would you rank George Harrison in the "Greatest Guitarist Conversation"?
byu/RealGangsters inbeatles
A third user agreed, adding: “Let’s make this clear. The BEST Guitarist (in terms of skill)? – He has a place in the Top 75. Nothing more than that. He wasn’t that great to be in the Conversation of most (best) skilled guitarist, but he could get the job done most of the time.
“The MOST SUCCESSFUL Guitarist? – He’s at the very Top. No Conversation. He made more money than a lead guitarist from any other band. He was the lead guitarist in way more No.1 singles and albums than any other lead guitarist.” Some in the thread agreed on this reading, citing Harrison not as the best of all but certainly near the top.
“Not at the top of the pyramid to be honest,” one wrote. “But he was good. The great thing about the Beatles is that the whole was greater than the sum of all parts. Jimmy Page or Keith Moon in The Beatles wouldn’t have worked.” Despite the conversation about where Harrison ranks in the world’s greatest, one user pointed out he was, after all, the guitarist for The Beatles.
They wrote: “As a guitarist, there are probably a million players in history with greater technical skill. But none of them played lead guitar for The Beatles, and that makes George Harrison iconic. When it comes to art, skill is secondary. Art is about expression, and technical ability should exist to serve that expression. Too often, music discussions focus excessively on skill, as if art were a competition. But art is not a sport—it’s about connecting with people on an emotional and creative level.
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