Jeff Beck is one of the best guitarists of our time. Over the years, many respected musicians such as Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Brian May, David Gilmore and Slash have declared Jeff Beck to be the best guitarist on the planet. A multidimensional guitarist, Jeff Beck’s career spans decades of innovation, from the Yardbirds to the various incarnations of the group that bears his name.

Jeff Beck plays with inventiveness and a fire that is hard to match. He has one of the most recognizable sounds of any guitarist; one note and you know it’s him. His music, his playing and his tones have influenced many guitarists, including me.

So when I was recently giving a lesson to a budding young guitar player and he asked me “what are the best Jeff Beck songs to listen to?” it got me thinking. When I was his age I had to buy the whole album to get the songs, now we live in an “MP3 only” world. So if you have $10 to spend, which 10 Jeff Beck songs should you get?

1 “Becks Bolero” (Truth)

• Writing credit goes to Jimmy Page, but that tune is all Jeff Beck’s. You know who is playing after a note.

2 “Because We’re Through As Lovers” (Blow by Blow)

• Beautiful lyrical performance and phrasing. A Zen lesson on “music is the spaces between the notes”. By the way, this tune was written by Stevie Wonder.

3 “Scatterbrain” (Blow by Blow)

• Epic; the lead guitar riff (in 9/8) is a must learn. You can hear the influence of George Martin’s production on this track.

4 “Blue Wind” (wired)

• Great interaction with Jan Hammer. Is it a synthesizer or a guitar? Beck imitates the pitch bend of the Moog synthesizer. Who says you need vocals to have a killer hook?

5 “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” (Wired)

• Great variety of tones and dynamics in this incredible melody. I wonder if this was recorded in one take.

6 “LED Boots” (wired)

• Rock and Jazz Fusion at its best; this is where it came from.

7 “Star Cycle” (Round Trip)

• Greatest Beck vs. Hammer interaction. “There and Back” was actually my first exposure to Jeff Beck; I remember buying it at the store where he took guitar lessons as a kid.

8 “The Bomb” (Round Trip)

• pure groove; great performance, great melody

9 “Where Were You?” (Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop)

• Amazing use of the vibrato bar when playing melodies; a perfect blend of technique and melody.

10 “Behind the Veil” (Jeff Beck’s Guitar Shop)

• A key aspect of Beck’s music is that it frames his playing in the best possible settings. On many songs, including this one, keyboardist Tony Hymas gets a lot of credit for helping make this happen.

OK, we have no money; Guess we’d better save up for a couple more.

11 “Angel (Steps)” (Who Else!)

• Probably one of my favorite songs played with a slide. With a slide there are notes to the bridge.

12 “Nadia” (You Deserved It)

• Not resting on her laurels, Beck charts new territory in this melody influenced by Bulgarian female choral music.

Final note: The DVD, “Live at Ronnie Scotts” is a must see. I looked at the song list for that show, after making this list, and a lot of the songs I recommended are there. Buy this DVD and witness a group of incredible musicians at their best.