Like all things in life, it seems, YouTube can be both great and, er, not so great. As my pal, ace YouTuber Ben Eller, recently quipped: “The great thing about YouTube is that anyone can post a video . . . the bad thing about YouTube is that anyone can post a video!” Yep, there’s a lot of flotsam and jetsam on that portal. That said, there are some true gems on YouTube channels, too — the aforementioned Mr. Eller, Pete Thorn, Fluff, Paul Davids, Bernth, Ola Englund, and David Brewster are all, in my humble opinion, well worth checking out or even subscribing to. Another great one is this wise, gray-haired sage, Rick Beato.
Not so long ago, Rick did one of his popular “Top 10” lists, and the subject matter was Led Zeppelin riffs. While making it clear that said 10 were his own personal favorites, he did throw down his usual “let me know your list” gauntlet, too. And, as a huge Zep fan, I had no choice but to accept said challenge.
Mr. Beato’s top 10 choices were the following excellent Jimmy Page riffs:
- Moby Dick
- Good Times Bad Times
- The Ocean
- Heartbreaker
- Ten Years Gone
- Whole Lotta Love
- Black Dog
- Dancing Days
- Stairway to Heaven
- Kashmir
And, as it happens, no fewer than five of his would also make my own personal “Top 10” list. They are: “Moby Dick,” “The Ocean,” “Heartbreaker,” “Whole Lotta Love,” and the mighty “Kashmir” main riff.
So, that leaves me with five more to add. It, of course, goes without saying that choosing only 10 from such a vast menu of wonderful Zeppelin riffage is incredibly difficult — in fact, some might say impossible — but I took a deep breath and did exactly that!
Which ones did I pick? You’ll have to watch the attached video to find out . . . sorry!
Once you’ve done so, I’d love to know which ones would be in your top 10 that aren’t covered by Rick’s 10 and my additional five. So, please let me know in the video comments section the MIA Zep riffs you think are king. I look forward to seeing what comes up! You never know, it might just inspire another video. Also, if there are any of Zeppelin’s truly timeless riffs that you’d like me to do a video lesson on, please let me know that in the video comments, too.
I hope you enjoy the video. Special thanks to Rick Beato for planting the seed that sprouted this one. Plus, of course, a huge thank-you to the riff master we all know and love as Jimmy Page!