The 10 most played riffs in American guitar shops

There is a famous scene in Wayne’s World, a 90s comedy which in Italy was translated with the unlikely title of “Fusi di testa”, in which in an instrument shop it was forbidden to play “Stairway to Heaven” to test a guitar. Surprise: the Led Zeppelin classic is not among those most played in the same context today: this was revealed by the Guitar Center chain – which defines itself as “The world’s largest musical instruments store” and which told Rolling Stone the results of an internal survey conducted to identify the songs most played by customers.

A marketing operation, of course. But interesting for the results. At the top of the ranking there is no Zeppelin classic, which isn’t even in the top 10. Maybe it’s the “Stranger Things” effect, who knows, but “Master of Puppets” by Metallica stands out, followed by other great classics: “Sweet Child O’ Mine” by Guns N’ Roses, “Seven Nation Army” by The White Stripes and “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana. In the ranking, Metallica and Nirvana are the only artists present with two songs each, respectively also with “Enter Sandman” and “Come As You Are”. Completing the list are “Crazy Train” by Ozzy Osbourne and “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple, which Dalporto ironically defines as a torment for the staff “for decades”.
Among the less obvious presences are “Schism” by Tool and “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” by John Mayer, a softer song compared to a list that, overall, is very rock, metal and hard.

The absences are also striking, notes Rolling Stone USA: no songs by Jimi Hendrix, but not even any other group of the grunge era besides Nirvana. Sign of the times?

here are the 10 most played riffs in Guitar Center stores:

1. Metallica – “Master of Puppets”
2. Guns N’ Roses – “Sweet Child O’ Mine”
3. The White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”
4. Nirvana – “Smells Like Teen Spirit”
5. John Mayer – “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room”
6. Metallica – “Enter Sandman”
7. Tool – “Schism”
8. Ozzy Osbourne – “Crazy Train”
9. Nirvana – “Come As You Are”
10. Deep Purple – “Smoke on the Water”