The 2010s Guitar
2010–2019
The 2010s saw guitar music thrive in new ways. While pop charts were dominated by electronic production, guitar-driven artists found massive audiences through streaming, social media and live performance. A new generation of players emerged alongside the legends.
Ed Sheeran proved acoustic guitar could top global charts. Ghost brought theatrical metal to a mainstream audience. Metallica and Iron Maiden continued to fill stadiums. And creators on YouTube made guitar education more accessible than ever.
Essential Songs from The 2010s
Adele 6
Jason Aldean 1
Marshmello & Anne-Marie 1
James Arthur 1
Avantasia 1
Iggy Azalea 1
Zac Brown Band 1
Clean Bandit 1
Bastille 1
Belousova, Sonya 1
Sheet Music Boss 1
Fall Out Boy 1
Alter Bridge 1
Camila Cabello 1
Alessia Cara 1
The Chainsmokers 2
Kelly Clarkson 1
Coldplay 3
The Chainsmokers & Coldplay 1
Tenacious D 2
Darkenhöld 6
Dusk Till Dawn 1
The Chainsmokers ft. Daya 1
Deftones 1
Jason Derulo 1
Panic! at the Disco 2
Djawadi, Ramin 1
Imagine Dragons 9
Foo Fighters 2
Greta Van Fleet 3
Five Nights at Freddy's 1
Lady Gaga 4
Disturbed / Simon & Garfunkel 1
Ghost 11
Tokyo Ghoul 1
Ellie Goulding 1
Lukas Graham 1
Ariana Grande 3
David Guetta 1
Halestorm 2
The Chainsmokers ft. Halsey 1
Ella Henderson 1
Tones And I 1
Jessie J 1
Nick Jonas 1
Kehlani 1
The Black Keys 1
Wiz Khalifa 1
Elle King 1
Adam Lambert 1
John Legend 1
Kings of Leon 1
Def Leppard 2
British Lion 1
Dua Lipa 1
Tove Lo 1
Demi Lovato 5
Al Di Meola & Paco de Lucía 1
The Lumineers 2
Iron Maiden 9
- 1 Empire Of The Clouds Dave Murray TAB 2015
- 2 The Book of Souls TAB 2015
- 3 The Book Of Souls Dave Murray's TAB 2015
- 4 The Book Of Souls Janick Gers TAB 2015
- 5 The Final Frontier Adrian Smith TAB 2010
- 6 The Writing On The Wall Adrian Smith TAB 2015
- 7 When The Wild Wind Blows TAB 2010
- 8 When The Wild Wind Blows Dave Murray's TAB 2015
- 9 When The Wild Wind Blows Janick Gers's TAB 2019
Zayn Malik 1
Portugal. The Man 1
Rag'n'Bone Man 1
The Mandalorian 1
Bruno Mars 3
Shawn Mendes 3
Metallica 10
- 1 All Within My Hands LESSON 2019
- 2 Atlas, Rise! LESSON 2017
- 3 Dream No More LESSON 2016
- 4 Halo On Fire LESSON 2016
- 5 Hardwired LESSON 2016
- 6 Moth Into Flame TAB 2016
- 7 Now That We're Dead TAB 2016
- 8 Spit Out The Bone LESSON 2016
- 9 Spit Out The Bone Guitar Solo LESSON 2016
- 10 The Unforgiven III TAB 2011
Arctic Monkeys 3
Walk the Moon 1
Muse 4
OneRepublic 1
Linkin Park 1
Passenger 1
Christina Perri 1
Katy Perry 5
Twenty One Pilots 2
Five Finger Death Punch 1
Radiohead 1
Martin Garrix & Bebe Rexha 1
Lana Del Rey 1
Mark Ronson 1
Avenged Sevenfold 5
Ed Sheeran 11
- 1 Blow LESSON 2019
- 2 Castle On The Hill COVER 2017
- 3 Galway Girl TAB 2017
- 4 I See Fire TAB 2013
- 5 Perfect TAB 2017
- 6 Photograph COVER 2014
- 7 Photograph - Super Easy w/No Capo LESSON 2014
- 8 Shape Of You COVER 2017
- 9 Thinking Out Loud COVER 2014
- 10 Thinking Out Loud Pt.1 - Chords LESSON 2014
- 11 Thinking Out Loud Pt.2 - Solo LESSON 2014
Naruto Shippuden 1
Sia 7
Slash 17
- 1 Anastasia TAB 2012
- 2 Anastasia - Acoustic Intro LESSON 2012
- 3 Anastasia - First Solo LESSON 2012
- 4 Anastasia Pt. 2 LESSON 2012
- 5 Anastasia Pt.1 - Acoustic Intro LESSON 2012
- 6 Anastasia Pt.3 - First Solo LESSON 2012
- 7 Anastasia Pt.4 - Outro Solo LESSON 2012
- 8 Godfather Theme Solo TAB 2012
- 9 Godfather Theme Solo - Guns N' Roses Live in Tokyo 1992 LESSON 2012
- 10 Killing Floor TAB 2015
- 11 The River Is Rising LESSON 2012
- 12 World on Fire TAB 2014
- 13 World on Fire - All Rhythms LESSON 2014
- 14 World on Fire - All Rhythms Pt.2 LESSON 2014
- 15 World on Fire - Main Solo LESSON 2014
- 16 World On Fire - Outro Solo LESSON 2014
- 17 World on Fire Intro TAB 2014
Sam Smith 3
Major Lazer & DJ Snake 1
Mumford & Sons 1
Harry Styles 1
5 Seconds of Summer 2
Superheaven 1
Taylor Swift 5
Attack on Titan 1
Little Big Town 1
Undertale 1
Alan Walker 6
The Weeknd 10
- 1 Angel COVER 2014
- 2 Blinding Lights COVER 2019
- 3 Can't Feel My Face COVER 2015
- 4 Earned It COVER 2015
- 5 I Feel It Coming ft. Daft Punk COVER 2016
- 6 In the Night COVER 2015
- 7 Shameless COVER 2018
- 8 Starboy ft. Daft Punk COVER 2016
- 9 The Hills COVER 2015
- 10 Wicked Games COVER 2011
Westworld 1
Juice WRLD 1
Guitar in the 2010s
Ed Sheeran redefined what a solo guitarist could do on stage, using loop pedals, percussive slaps and clever arrangements to fill arenas with just an acoustic guitar. On the heavier side, Ghost proved that riff-heavy, hook-laden metal could still break through to mainstream audiences.
The decade also saw a blues revival with artists like Gary Clark Jr., Joe Bonamassa and John Mayer keeping traditional guitar tones alive. Djent and progressive metal pushed technical boundaries through bands like Periphery and Animals as Leaders. And classic acts like Metallica, Iron Maiden and Slash released some of their strongest work in years.
Gear That Defined the Decade
Digital amp modelers (Kemper, Axe-Fx, Line 6 Helix) matured into professional-grade tools. Multi-scale and extended-range guitars became common in metal. Compact pedalboards replaced rack systems. And the guitar tutorial industry on YouTube created a new generation of educated players.
Key Genres of the 2010s
Pop Rock, Pop, Heavy Metal, Hard Rock, Alternative Rock. The 2010s proved that guitar is never going away. It just keeps evolving.