Lindsey Buckingham, often seen as an underrated guitar giant, deserves far more recognition than he gets. While it’s hard to imagine such a claim about the man who created iconic riffs for tracks like “Rhiannon,” “Go Your Own Way,” and “Big Love,” it’s surprising how rarely his name surfaces near the top of classic rock guitarists’ lists.
What makes Buckingham stand out is his singular playing style, which blends folk chord shapes, banjo-style fingerpicking, and sharp electric lines. Unlike many guitarists of the 1980s, he was never one for flashy solos. Instead, he let his guitar work serve the song, making him an anomaly in the era’s high-energy rock scene.
In a 2012 interview with Guitar World Acoustic, Buckingham shared his views on guitar playing, criticizing the trend of flashy virtuosity. He didn’t mince words when talking about guitar heroes like Eddie Van Halen: “I’ve always believed that you play to highlight the song, not to highlight the player,” Buckingham stated.
“You can try to be someone like Eddie Van Halen, who is a great guitarist, a virtuoso. Yet he doesn’t make good records because what he plays is totally lost in the context of this band’s music.”
In contrast, Buckingham praised guitarists like Chet Atkins, who used the instrument not as a spotlight for themselves but as a vital tool to shape the song. “I remember loving Chet’s work when I was a kid,” Buckingham said. “But it was only later, when I really listened to his guitar parts, that I realized how much they were a part of the song’s fabric.”
Buckingham’s own style was influenced by musicians like Atkins, who often played without a pick—an approach Buckingham adopted himself. His sound was also shaped by classical guitar and folk music, which helped him craft his distinctive style.
While Van Halen and Fleetwood Mac may not have been direct competitors in a musical sense, both bands dominated the 1980s rock scene. Buckingham’s comments weren’t meant to disparage Van Halen’s talent, but rather to highlight the difference in their musical approach. For Buckingham, it wasn’t about the virtuosity of the guitar; it was about how it fit into the bigger picture of the song.
