This is just so cool in so many ways. Let's start at the beginning and work our way to the end...
1. Somebody identified what he considers to be the 100 most essential riffs of all time -- spanning seven decades of rock history
2. This person can play every single one in a convincing manner
3. He has created a video of himself playing each of them in chronological sequence, one at a time, recorded in a single take (over twelve minutes of riffage)
4. The video was recorded in Chicago at the legendary Chicago Music Exchange
5. The guitar used is a 1958 Fender Stratocaster Three Tone Sunburst, which can be purchased from CME for just a smidge under $33,000
6. Adrian Hovolaty and PJ Macklin have invented Soundslice, a web-based software that allows users to sync guitar tablature with YouTube videos and view the mashup using only a browser (even on an iPad)
7. The 100 Riffs video has been uploaded to the service, allowing you to view tabs for all 100 riffs as they are being played, plus notes and comments (such as tuning and decade).
8. You can also play select videos (unfortunately not this one) at half speed (without altering the pitch) or create looped sections nail down a specific riff. The service even has the ability to display both chords and solo simultaneously, like this gypsy jazz version of the Super Mario Brothers 2 Theme Song
Click the chart below to be directed to the interactive Soundslice page for this amazing work. A list of all 100 riffs included is below...
2 Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash
3 Words of Love - Buddy Holly
4 Johnny B Goode - Chuck Berry
5 Rumble - Link Wray
6 Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran
7 Pipeline - The Chantays
8 Miserlou - Dick Dale
9 Wipeout - Surfaris
10 Daytripper - The Beatles
11 Can't Explain - The Who
12 Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones
13 Purple Haze - Jimi Hendrix
14 Black Magic Woman - Santana
15 Helter Skelter - The Beatles
16 Oh Well - Fleetwood Mac
17 Crossroads - Cream
18 Communication Breakdown - Led Zeppelin
19 Paranoid - Black Sabbath
20 Fortunate Sun - Creedence Clearwater Revival
21 Funk 49 - James Gang
22 Immigrant Song - Led Zeppelin
23 Bitch - Rolling Stones
24 Layla - Derek and the Dominos
25 School's Out - Alice Cooper
26 Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple
27 Money - Pink Floyd
28 Jessica - Allman Brothers
29 La Grange - ZZ Top
30 20th Century Boy - T. Rex
31 Scarlet Begonias - Grateful Dead
32 Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
33 Walk This Way - Aerosmith
34 Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
35 Stranglehold - Ted Nugent
36 Boys Are Back in Town - Thin Lizzy
37 Don't Fear the Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
38 Carry on My Wayward Son - Kansas
39 Blitzkreig Bop - The Ramones
40 Barracuda - Heart
41 Runnin' with the Devil - Van Halen
42 Sultans of Swing - Dire Straits
43 Message in a Bottle - The Police
44 Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black) - Neil Young
45 Back in Black - AC/DC
46 Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne
47 Spirit of Radio - Rush
48 Pride and Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan
49 Owner of a Lonely Heart - Yes
50 Holy Diver - Dio
51 Beat It - Michael Jackson
52 Hot For Teacher - Van Halen
53 What Difference Does It Make - The Smiths
54 Glory Days - Bruce Springsteen
55 Money For Nothing - Dire Straits
56 You Give Love a Bad Name - Bon Jovi
57 The One I Love - REM
58 Where the Streets Have No Name - U2
59 Welcome to the Jungle - Guns N' Roses
60 Sweet Child 'O Mine - Guns N' Roses
61 Girls, Girls, Girls - Motley Crue
62 Cult of Personality -Living Colour
63 Kickstart My Heart - Motley Crue
64 Running Down a Dream - Tom Petty
65 Pictures of Matchstick Men - Camper Van Beethoven
66 Thunderstruck - AC/DC
67 Twice as Hard - Black Crowes
68 Cliffs of Dover - Eric Johnson
69 Enter Sandman - Metallica
70 Man in the Box - Alice in Chains
71 Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
72 Give it Away - Red Hot Chili Peppers
73 Even Flow - Pearl Jam
74 Outshined - Soundgarden
75 Killing in the Name - Rage Against the Machine
76 Sex Type Thing - Stone Temple Pilots
77 Are You Gonna Go My Way - Lenny Kravitz
78 Welcome to Paradise - Green Day
79 Possum Kingdom - Toadies
80 Say it Ain't So - Weezer
81 Zero - Smashing Pumpkins
82 Monkey Wrench - Foo Fighters
83 Sex and Candy - Marcy Playground
84 Smooth - Santana
85 Scar Tissue - Red Hot Chili Peppers
86 Short Skirt, Long Jacket - Cake
87 Turn a Square - The Shins
88 Seven Nation Army - White Stripes
89 Hysteria - Muse
90 I Believe in a Thing Called Love - The Darkness
91 Blood and Thunder - Mastadon
92 Are You Gonna Be My Girl - Jet
93 Reptilia - The Strokes
94 Take Me Out - Franz Ferdinand
95 Float On - Modest Mouse
96 Blue Orchid - White Stripes
97 Boulevard of Broken Dreams - Green Day
98 Steady As She Goes - The Raconteurs
99 I Got Mine - Black Keys
100 Cruel - St. Vincent