Progressive Rock Guitar
Progressive rock pushes boundaries. Odd time signatures, long compositions, complex arrangements and virtuoso playing define the genre. If you want to challenge yourself as a guitarist and a musician, prog is where you go.
Pink Floyd dominates our prog collection with their atmospheric, emotion-driven approach. You'll also find Rush, Kansas and Dream Theater for more technically demanding material.
Songs to Start With
Guitar Through the Decades
The 1960s
Progressive rock was taking its first steps in the late 1960s, growing out of psychedelic rock and classical influences. Guitarists began experimenting with longer, more structured compositions and moving away from simple verse-chorus arrangements. Tunings stayed mostly standard, but players started reaching for more complex chord voicings and modal ideas borrowed from jazz.
3 songs in our catalog from this era
The 1970s
The 1970s were the peak decade for prog rock guitar, with bands like Pink Floyd, Rush, and Kansas defining the sound. David Gilmour favored long, melodic phrases built on feel and sustain, while Alex Lifeson brought in jazz-influenced chord work alongside hard rock power. Odd time signatures became standard tools rather than novelties, and guitarists were regularly playing through rotary speakers, tape delays, and early synthesizer rigs.
49 songs in our catalog from this era
The 1980s
Prog rock contracted in the 1980s as pop and new wave dominated, but the guitarists who stayed in the genre adapted by incorporating chorus, digital delay, and cleaner tones common to the era. Many bands shifted toward a more polished, keyboard-heavy sound, which pushed guitar into a supporting role at times. The players who thrived tended to combine technical precision with a broader range of effects and tighter song structures.
15 songs in our catalog from this era
The 1990s
The 1990s brought a strong revival through bands like Dream Theater, whose John Petrucci applied a highly technical approach built on alternate picking, sweep arpeggios, and command of modes across the full neck. Heavier tunings started appearing as prog crossed over with metal influences, and seven-string guitars became a practical choice for extended range. The era rewarded guitarists who could handle both shred-level technique and the rhythmic complexity of alternating time signatures.
49 songs in our catalog from this era
The 2000s
Prog rock in the 2000s saw guitarists drawing from a wider set of influences, blending ambient textures with technical riffing and extended instrumental passages. Loopers and sophisticated pedalboards allowed a single guitarist to build layered, orchestral sounds live. Bands continued to emphasize long-form compositions where guitar solos served the structure of the piece rather than standing alone as showpieces.
10 songs in our catalog from this era
The 2010s
In the 2010s, a new generation of prog guitarists worked with extended-range guitars and more experimental tunings while staying rooted in the complex arrangements the genre requires. Production became cleaner and more detailed, which put extra pressure on players to be precise with technique. Influences from post-rock and math rock started blending into the prog guitar vocabulary, adding more use of clean fingerpicking and volume swells alongside traditional high-gain passages.
3 songs in our catalog from this era
Gear & Technique
Progressive Rock Guitar: Beyond the Basics
Prog rock demands more than pentatonic scales and power chords. You'll encounter modes (Dorian, Mixolydian, Lydian), irregular time signatures (7/8, 5/4, alternating meters), and extended chord voicings. Tone matters too: prog guitarists often use a wide range of effects, from delay and reverb to rotary speakers and synth-like patches.
Pink Floyd's David Gilmour is famous for his melodic, emotional soloing. The solo in Comfortably Numb is considered one of the greatest ever recorded. Rush's Alex Lifeson combined jazz chords with hard rock power. Dream Theater's John Petrucci pushed technique to its absolute limit.
Start with Gilmour's phrasing if you want to develop feel. Move to YYZ when you're ready for odd-time rhythm work. For the ultimate prog challenge, explore Dream Theater's catalog.
Related: Progressive Metal, Instrumental Rock. Or browse 70s music for the golden era of prog.
All Progressive Rock Artists
Browse every Progressive Rock artist in our catalog, A to Z.
Castlevania 2 1
Dream Theater 10
- 1 A Savior in the square TAB 2016
- 2 Another Day TAB 1994
- 3 Carpe Diem TAB 1997
- 4 Learning To Live _ TAB 1994
- 5 Learning to Live #1 TAB 1994
- 6 Pull Me Under TAB 1991
- 7 Surrounded TAB 1998
- 8 The Best of Times LESSON 2007
- 9 The Best of Times Pt.3 - Solo LESSON 2002
- 10 The Spirit Carries On TAB 1999
Eric Johnson 28
- 1 Cliffs Of Dover Pt.1 - Intro LESSON 1990
- 2 Cliffs Of Dover Pt.2 - Verse & Chorus LESSON 1990
- 3 Cliffs Of Dover Pt.3 - Bridge LESSON 1990
- 4 Cliffs Of Dover Pt.4 - Solo LESSON 1990
- 5 Cliffs Of Dover Pt.5 - Outro Chorus & Cadenza LESSON 1990
- 6 Desert Rose - First Guitar Solo LESSON 1990
- 7 Desert Rose - Outro Guitar Solo LESSON 1990
- 8 Desert Rose - Verse & Chorus LESSON 1990
- 9 Desert Rose Pt.1 - Verse & Chorus LESSON 1990
- 10 Desert Rose Pt.2 - First Guitar Solo LESSON 1990
- 11 Desert Rose Pt.3 - Outro Guitar Solo LESSON 1990
- 12 Manhattan - 2nd Solo LESSON 1996
- 13 Manhattan - Bridge & 3rd B Section LESSON 1990
- 14 Manhattan - First A Section LESSON 1996
- 15 Manhattan - First B Section LESSON 1996
- 16 Manhattan - Main Solo LESSON 1990
- 17 Manhattan - Outro LESSON 1996
- 18 Manhattan - Second A & B Sections LESSON 1996
- 19 Manhattan Pt.1 - First A Section LESSON 1990
- 20 Manhattan Pt.2 - First B Section LESSON 1996
- 21 Manhattan Pt.3 - Second A & B Sections LESSON 1990
- 22 Manhattan Pt.4 - Main Solo LESSON 1990
- 23 Manhattan Pt.5 - Main Solo LESSON 1990
- 24 Manhattan Pt.6 - Bridge & 3rd B Section LESSON 1996
- 25 Manhattan Pt.7 - 2nd Solo LESSON 1996
- 26 Manhattan Pt.8 - Outro LESSON 1990
- 27 Steves Boogie - First Half LESSON 1990
- 28 Steves Boogie - Second Half LESSON 1990
Jason Becker 2
John Petrucci 6
- 1 Glasgow Kiss LESSON 2005
- 2 Glasgow Kiss Pt.1 - Intro Section LESSON 2005
- 3 Glasgow Kiss Pt.2 - First Verse Section LESSON 2005
- 4 Glasgow Kiss Pt.3 - Harmony Section LESSON 2005
- 5 Glasgow Kiss Pt.4 - Acoustic Section LESSON 2005
- 6 Glasgow Kiss Pt.6 - Outro Solo LESSON 2005
Kansas 8
- 1 Carry On Wayward Son - Outro Solos LESSON 1976
- 2 Carry On Wayward Son Pt.3 - Instrumental Section & Solo LESSON 1976
- 3 Dust in the Wind TAB 1977
- 4 Dust In The Wind - Intro & Verse LESSON 1977
- 5 Dust In The Wind - Solo LESSON 1978
- 6 Dust In The Wind Pt.1 - Intro & Verse LESSON 1978
- 7 Dust In The Wind Pt.2 - Chorus, Bridge & Outro LESSON 1978
- 8 Dust In The Wind Pt.3 - Solo LESSON 1977
Marillion 6
Mike Oldfield 1
Pink Floyd 37
- 1 Another Brick In The Wall TAB 1979
- 2 Another Brick in the Wall - Solo LESSON 1979
- 3 Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 TAB 1979
- 4 Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 1 TAB 1979
- 5 Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 TAB 1979
- 6 Atom Heart Mother TAB 1970
- 7 Brain Damage LESSON 1973
- 8 Breathe LESSON 1973
- 9 Comfortably Numb TAB 1979
- 10 Dogs TAB 1977
- 11 Echoes (Live at Pompeii) TAB 1971
- 12 Eclipse LESSON 1973
- 13 Fat Old Sun TAB 1971
- 14 Goodbye Blue Sky LESSON 1979
- 15 Have a Cigar TAB 1975
- 16 Hey Hey Rise Up TAB 2022
- 17 Hey You TAB 1979
- 18 High Hopes LESSON 1994
- 19 In the Flesh? LESSON 1979
- 20 Is There Anybody Out There & Performance LESSON 1987
- 21 Is There Anybody Out There? LESSON 2014
- 22 Money TAB 1973
- 23 Mother TAB 1979
- 24 Nobody Home LESSON 1975
- 25 Pigs TAB 1976
- 26 Run Like Hell LESSON 1979
- 27 Shine On You Crazy Diamond TAB 1975
- 28 Shine On You Crazy Diamond part II TAB 1975
- 29 Shine On You Crazy Diamond part III TAB 1975
- 30 The Final Cut LESSON 1983
- 31 The Fletcher Memorial Home TAB 1981
- 32 The Thin Ice LESSON 1979
- 33 Time TAB 1973
- 34 Us and Them LESSON 1973
- 35 Welcome to the Machine LESSON 1975
- 36 Wish You Were Here TAB 1975
- 37 Young Lust LESSON 1979