10 Rock Guitarists That Are Impossible To Imitate

10. Mark Knopfler - Dire Straits

Around the mid '70s, rock was starting to see a turn towards the more virtuoso style of playing. As musical marvels in the jazz fusion world started to change the game, the focus started to shift to how many notes you could play rather than what you actually did with them. Even as the tides were changing, Mark Knopfler turned into the coolest guitarist in the world by being the exact opposite of cool.

Aside from the standard pop rock material coming from albums like Brothers in Arms, Knopfler had an almost symbiotic relationship with his instrument, which made each of his licks break through the mix just as much as his vocals. Most of the character of Knopfler's playing comes from the fact that he rarely used a pick, which is a style that normally is only reserved for folk music or the classical side of the spectrum.

When you put that same mindset into a roaring amplifier, you get songs like the wah-soaked Money For Nothing as well as the legendary solo on Sultans of Swing, whose licks are lightning fast while staying as smooth as butter across the speakers. Though Knopfler has left his touch on fellow rock luminaries like Bob Dylan and Tina Turner over the years, there's no mistaking the laid back coolness of his playing on everything he touches.