Guitar battle

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See also: Cutting contest

A guitar battle (or guitar duel) is where two or more guitar players take turns soloing, either with or without a rhythm section. The purpose of the guitar battle is to determine who among each of the guitar players present is the most proficient on the instrument. Often, it begins with the guitarists trading licks and phrases, while gradually increasing the complexity of the techniques used. A guitar battle can be said to be over when one guitarist outplays (either through skill, endurance or the other guitarist(s) acknowledging that they cannot win) all the other guitar players present. This is also known among guitarists as a "head-cutting" duel.

[edit] Examples

Near the end of the 1986 film Crossroads, Eugene Martone (played by Ralph Macchio) has a guitar battle with Jack Butler (played by Steve Vai). Macchio's guitar work was actually done by Steve Vai and Ry Cooder.

Other examples of double guitar solos are Eric Clapton and George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps," Thin Lizzy's 'Emerald', DragonForce's "Through the Fire and Flames", The Outlaws' "Green Grass and High Tides" (a triple guitar head cutting duel) and, perhaps most well known, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," and a mode in Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock called Battle Mode.

A similar battle known as "Dueling Banjos" occurs at the beginning of the film Deliverance.

The progressive rock band "Dream Theater" is known to feature head cutting duels between their guitarist, John Petrucci, and their keyboardist, Jordan Rudess (who often plays a "keytar" in those situations.) Examples of this can be seen in live performances of "Ministry of Lost Souls" and "Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle and the Sleeper"