Is Myles Kennedy a Good Guitar Player?
Myles Kennedy is well recognized among rock and metal fans as one of the best vocalist of the modern era. His singing in Alter Bridge and Slash feat. Myles Kennedy & The Conspirators is simply superb. But Myles also plays guitar, a skill that sometimes gets overlooked, simply because of how impressive his vocals are.
And some fans ask: How good is his guitar? Is Myles Kennedy a good guitar player? Well, if you listen to the songs where he actually showcases his ability to play the instrument, or you hear what other musicians say about him, then the answer is pretty clear:
Myles Kennedy is an exceptionally talented and skilled guitar player. It’s less a question of “is hi good”, and more one of “just how great he is”.
If you need proof, let me show you the examples of the songs where Myles displayed his incredible mastery of the guitar. And I’ll also quote what other renowned guitarists said about him.
Myles Kennedy’s Music Background
The first instrument Myles Kennedy began playing was trumpet at the age of 10. By 13 he was performing with friends in their air guitar band. Soon after he picked up a real guitar, inspired by Jimmy Page’s playing. Not a bad guitarist to follow, don’t you think? He also started to sing after listening to legends like Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Robert Plant.
In high school Myles played guitar in the jazz band and trumpet in the marching band. He also played lead guitar in a local metal band called Bittersweet. And after the university Kennedy started teaching guitar in a store called Rock City Music. As you can see he was constantly developing his musical skills, indulging the guitar from an early age.
But of course, simply studying or even teaching guitar doesn’t mean you’re great at it yourself. You have to be really, and I mean really good at it, if you want to get into a big band, or make it as a solo artists. And that’s exactly what Myles did.
Songs Showing Myles Kennedy’s Guitar Skills
In 2004 Myles Kennedy got invited and joined Alter Bridge. His band-mates were former members of Creed. That was an opportunity very few musicians ever get. Thankfully for the newly formed band, the sheer amount of talent and skill among all the members pretty much guaranteed their success. As for Myles – not only was he the lead vocalist. He also took on a rhythm guitar, and became a co-lead guitar player for Alter Bridge.
And that’s alongside such an amazing lead guitarist as Mark Tremonti, who is well known and widely regarded as a master of the instrument. Incredibly skilled, capable of powerful, fast and technical solos – the sound every rock and metal fan loves to hear.
But hey, why don’t you listen to Myles playing? I think it’s fair to say his guitar 🎸speaks louder than my words 😎. Here are couple of great example where you can see yourself how fabulous Myles guitar actually is.
“Blackbird” by Alter Bridge. The into and the solo in the middle are just incredible:
“Hallelujah” by Myles Kennedy with Jeff Buckley’s guitar. This is a song that doesn’t have any fleshy solos, but if you mess the guitar part, you kinda ruin the whole composition and the feeling of the song. Needless to say Myles nailed it. Sometimes staying delicate is more important than being loud, fast and intense.
What Other Guitarists Say About Him
Myles Kennedy has earned respect from many well-known rock guitarists. I already mentioned Mark Tremonti who often praised his skills. Here’s what he had to say about his bandmate:
One night I was going to bed and he was staying in the guest room underneath the staircase. And I heard this Jazz coming on the room. And I thought – Wow that’s cool! And I opened the door and it’s him, playing guitar, playing Jazz. I’m like – what in the world are you doing!? Playing jazz guitar really really really well. When I saw him I’m like immediately – you are better than I am…
Here’s a part of the interview if you’d like to watch it yourself:
Then there’s also Slash, who has collaborated with Kennedy on multiple projects. He also described him as a super talented guitarist*:
“Myles teaches me stuff. Technically he’s much more proficient than I am. He knows way more about all that stuff. There’s been a few times where he’s shown me licks, runs, arpeggios or scales and I’m like, ‘What was that?'”
Vocalist, Songwriter, Guitarist
The crazy part about Myles being that good with the guitar is that he has to combine it with singing. The man sings and plays the instrument at the same time. Can you imagine how much harder is it – to do both simultaneously? The level of attention, concentration and just the ability to do it all together… And yet, he has been doing it for years.
And according to Myles himself, he always put his guitar skills before vocals**:
My biggest issue is I’ve always considered myself a songwriter and a guitar player first and singing just kind of…
So he obviously takes guitar very seriously. It just so happened that the two bands he is a part of, he mainly does the singing.
Analyzing His Guitar Style
Myles Kennedy’s guitar style is like fine wine. It’s super tasty but it doesn’t overwhelm you. It’s a perfect blend of technical precision with emotional and expressive melodic playing. He mixes rock, blues, and jazz influences so well and so skillfully.
Myles can effortlessly shift between rhythmic riffs and intricate leads. He is awesome on acoustic guitar. What else to say – he can do it all. I often find myself replaying the songs just to hear those parts where Myles plays his guitar parts.
BTW, I have prepared Myles Kennedy Best Songs chart, feel free to enjoy it here:
Conclusion
If you’ve watched the videos I provided and listened to the songs, you can not deny that Myles Kennedy is a hell of a guitarist. His skills are quite obvious, it’s just that people notice his incredible vocals first, and remain in awe of that. Meanwhile he can deliver beautiful music with his guitar just as well.
