Guitar World has put together their list of the 50 greatest guitar solos. I don't know if this is a common symptom of those of us not musically inclined, or if it's just me, but great solos of any kind of any instrument never cease to amaze me. But guitar solos will always hold a special place in my heart. For music fans this will be a great read with some insight into how those great solos came about. I find it particularly interesting how different the process can be from song to song.

6 - "November Rain" (Slash) - Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion I, 1991

"I think that demo session was the first time we played 'November Rain' together as a band," says Guns guitarist Slash. "We actually did it on piano and acoustic guitar. As far as the guitar solo, it was so natural from the first time I ever played it on the demo that I don't even know if I made any changes to it when we did the electric version on Use Your Illusion. I never even went back and listened to the old tapes. One of the best things about a melody for a guitar solo is when it comes to you the same way every time, and that was definitely the case with 'November Rain.' When it came time to do the record, I just went into the studio, played the solo through a Les Paul Standard and a Marshall [2555, Jubilee head] and said, 'I think that sounds right,' " he laughs. "It was as simple as that."

4 - "Comfortably Numb" (David Gilmour) - Pink Floyd The Wall, 1979

Gilmour's classic guitar solo was cut using a combination of the guitarist's Hiwatt amps and Yamaha rotating speaker cabinets, Ezrin recalls. But with Gilmour, he adds, equipment is secondary to touch; "You can give him a ukulele and he'll make it sound like a Stradivarius."

Which doesn't mean Gilmour didn't fiddle around in the studio when he laid down the song's unforgettable lead guitar part. "I banged out five or six solos," says Gilmour. "From there I just followed my usual procedure, which is to listen back to each solo and make a chart, noting which bits are good. Then, by following the chart, I create one great composite solo by whipping one fader up, then another fader, jumping from phrase to phrase until everything flows together. That's the way we did it on 'Comfortably Numb.'"

Sometimes I like to think of my favorite music as these magical, intangible forces. More then just a man-made arrangement but a gift given to the artist from the heavens above. Now I'm envisioning David Gilmour sitting with a notebook (like Michael Bierut), sketching a working chart of solos that he is fusing into one incredible piece of music. Working alone in the studio for hours and hours, placing notes and rhythms here and there until the puzzle is complete and now I'm beginning to think that envisioning a heavenly gift diminishes and marginalizes the level of work, dedication, effort, sacrifice, love and patience required for such a piece of art. The result is a magical, intangible force BECAUSE it's a man-made arrangement not in spite of it. Intelligent design anyone?