PERFECT TEN

The guitar heroics of Matt Bellamy in the top 10 Muse songs - as voted by TG readers

- Amit Sharma

10 BLISS ORIGIN OF SYMMETRY (2001)

How exactly do you go about following the crowd-conquering and era-defining perfection of Plug In Baby and New Born? For the third single from Origin Of Symmetry, it was a case of adding even more experimentation to the mix, with futuristic synth lines warring against jangly minor chords from the very start and continuing through the hard-strummed, open position shapes of the chorus – which interestingly go into the double time after the initial opening cycles. Although it’s a simple enough technique for songwriters to use, this change of pace really adds to the dramatic tension of the build, making for a climactic rise that ends on a suspenseful F minor barre chord. And, while they’re not actually played on guitar, the opening and closing keyboard arpeggios – which move from Cm to Bb to Fm – actually make for an excellent sweep picking exercise, particularly for those interested in moving down one area of the neck and coming back up in a different position before each chord change.

09 TIME IS RUNNING OUT ABSOLUTION (2003)