If you are a big fan of guitar music, then the 21^st century has plenty to offer, proving that modern music can be just as good as the older stuff.  There are so many great guitar songs, and picking your favourites can be quite a tough thing to do.  To help you out here is our selection of the top five songs that you need to listen to.  All of them have amazing guitar riffs as well and you’ll have plenty of fun practicing them.

1. Muse – Invincible

Muse was truly the guitar band of the 21^st century and you need to include their songs in your guitar practice.  Matt Bellamy is very clever when it comes to playing the guitar and you can have plenty of fun practicing his songs on your own instrument.

Invincible is one of the greatest Muse songs and has a great guitar riff.  It was released in 2007 here in the UK and charted at 21 on its debut.  Matt Bellamy has revealed that David Bowie’s famous ‘Heroes’ was an inspiration for the song.  The UberProAudio website is great for finding out more what sort of guitar equipment Matt Bellamy uses, if you want to replicate his sound with your playing.

2. Avenged Sevenfold – Afterlife

Avenged Sevenfold has a big repertoire of great guitar songs and Afterlife is definitely one of them.  The song is unique because it features a string orchestra.  The song was released at the start of 2008 and it quickly became a huge fan favourite.

The guitar solo in the song isn’t anything too difficult to play and thus Afterlife could be a great song to practice with. It isn’t necessarily to easiest song to start with, but once you have a good handle on chords, you could definitely try it.

3. Red Hot Chilli Peppers – Dani California

When it comes to guitar music, the Red Hot Chilli Peppers are one of the bands that have consistently been delivering brilliant music for many years.  Dani California is one of those songs that has a very memorable riff, and it is a great guitar song to listen to as well as play.

The song peaked at number six on the US charts when it was released in 2006. Here in the UK it peaked at number 2, making it one of Red Hot Chilli Peppers’ most successful hits.  In addition to chart success, the song also received two Grammy Awards, one for Best Rock Song and the other for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

Read this Premier Guitar article if you want to know a bit more about one of the guitarists in the band.  The article has some good information on the techniques and the equipment in use and can help you boost your guitar playing.

4. Velvet Revolver – Slither

Slither is a song by the American hard rock band Velvet Revolver.  It is a great guitar song, which will definitely get you excited to play the guitar.  It was released in 2004 and stayed on the charts in the US for quite a while.  In 2005, it won the Best Hard Rock Performance Grammy and the song has become a signature of Velvet Revolver.  It is such a fan favourite that the band often saves the song until the encore of concerts.

5. Queens of the Stone Age – No One Knows

Finally, No One Knows has such a memorable guitar riff that you most likely have had it stuck in your head at some point.  The song by this American rock band quickly gained chart success and it even won a Grammy.

The guitar riff is very fun to learn and you don’t need to familiarise too many chords in order to master it.  It is definitely a fun song to play and will teach you a lot more about proper guitar technique.

Remember that you can check our online lessons if the above guitar songs seem just a little bit tricky for you to play right now, or even if you simply want to add some new techniques and skills to your repetoire.  With practice, you’ll be able to master these as well.