Daniele Gottardo: What's on My Playlist

(Image credit: Simone Furia)

Italian neoclassical electric guitar luminary Daniele Gottardo has been hailed by the likes of Steve Vai as one of the brightest talents in shred, thanks to the formidable chops he displays on his scalloped-fretboard Strats.

Here, he reveals the songs that have inspired him over the years...

1. Scherzo Fantastique Op. 3, Igor Stravinsky

"This piece is always a source of musical inspiration. Tonality at its limits, luminescent orchestration and the freshness of a genius composer in his twenties."

2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aijxjLvlh6E

"Probably the first solo I learned on the guitar! I always loved the genuine energy of Ace Frehley in his prime."

3. Anatoly Liadov - Nenie Op. 67

"The real Russian sound from a relatively unknown composer. Perfect and colorful harmonies give his music a visionary and evocative sound."

4. Gretchen Menn - Bloodshed

"Gretchen showcases her compositional skills in this quasi-atonal piece that blends distorted guitar and a string quartet."

5. Pasquale Grasso - Oblivion

"Pasquale (playing Bud Powell) shows his knowledge of the classic-jazz idiom, combined with an incredible technique nurtured by his classical background. He’s my favorite bebop guitar player."

Since 1980, Guitar World has been the ultimate resource for guitarists. Whether you want to learn the techniques employed by your guitar heroes, read about their latest projects or simply need to know which guitar is the right one to buy, Guitar World is the place to look.

More about guitarists

“I wasn't familiar with PRS. If anything, I was like, ‘The birds are too flashy!’ But the moment I played one I was like, ‘Whoa, I can play faster now!’”: Meet Mei Semones, the Berklee graduate reimagining New Orleans vibes with an intricate indie flair

“I hear the promoter got a phone call from Eddie, who said, ‘If Yngwie Malmsteen is playing, I'm not playing’”: Yngwie Malmsteen claims Eddie Van Halen felt “threatened” by him

“Prince writes, ‘Luka is the most compelling piece of music I’ve heard in a long time’”: Suzanne Vega on the time Prince sent her a handwritten letter to praise one of her most iconic tracks

See more latest

Most Popular

Peter Brewis of Field music is bathed in pink and blue lights as he performs live

“A lot of modern guitarists want to get all the notes right but if you listen to Jimi Hendrix or Jimmy Page, it’s beautiful playing, with loads of mistakes”: Peter Brewis on Field Music’s ‘collage rock’ – and why he owes his career to Robert Zemeckis

A live shot from the side of the stage as Dead Kennedys play the Mabuhay in 1978. East Bay Ray wears a hooped T-shirt and plays a Strat while a shirtless Jello Biafra works the crowd in the background.

“Iggy left the Stooges and had a career – ditto Lou Reed with the Velvet Underground or Morrissey with the Smiths. Where’s Biafra’s solo career?”: East Bay Ray explains why the Dead Kennedys’ chemistry hit its peak on Fresh Fruit... and why it fell apart

The Night Flight Orchestra all glammed-up in stage clothes and photographed against a green backdrop: guitarists Rasmus Ehrnborn [second from left] and Sebastian Forslund [fourth from right]

Faced with the loss of their founding guitarist and creative leader, Night Flight Orchestra are persevering with the big melodies and sonic largesse of rock's golden era

“There’s a sleek look to bands like Loathe, Spiritbox or Knocked Loose. Spiky shapes are engrained in our values – we want to wear our influences on our sleeves”: Employed To Serve are re-embracing metal guitars – but dropping amps

There’s no getting away from the fact that many major Japanese brands gained ground by cloning US designs, even fairly niche ones such as this 1972 Ibanez 2380 – a copy of the Gibson Les Paul Recording model of the era

“Tokai’s LS series are probably the best-built Les Paul-style guitars that have ever come through my shop”: How the Japanese guitar market came of age with ’80s Fender and Gibson clones – some that would rival the originals

1964 Epiphone Riviera: By 1964, the earlier ‘Mickey Mouse’ body ears of the Riviera had slimmed. The six-string is an unusual sunburst with narrower dark edges, while the 12-string E360TD-12 is the more common Royal Tan

Played by everyone from Magic Sam and Otis Rush to Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robbie Robertson, Noel Gallagher, and Robben Ford, the Riviera remains Epiphone's semi-hollow superstar

“Smashing Pumpkins taught me that music doesn’t have to fit neatly into a box… it’s not as easy as pie. It’s pie with a side of metal!” Billy Corgan asked Jenna Fournier to go back to bass, and she says the timing is perfect

Pictured from below, Doug Aldrich of the Dead Daisies plays his Gold Top Les Paul onstage.

“I always used it with Whitesnake, which was perfect because it sounded like John Sykes' Les Paul”: Doug Aldrich on how Randy Rhoads’ inspiration helped him find a “killer” Les Paul – that was owned by the man who co-wrote Eric Clapton’s Tears in Heaven

Klon Centaur creator Bill Finnegan once said that the hype around his pedal was “ridiculous,” yet originals still fetch $10,000 or more on the secondhand market. With plentiful, far cheaper clones, why does the Klon remain a holy grail pedal?