Led Zeppelin, despite their public perception as the archetypal Heavy Metal band, were actually talented and inquisitive musicians, more likely to hypnotise with folky subtlety than hammer an audience with bludgeon riffola. When they did choose to rock, though, they were without peer. Here are ten classic Zeppelin songs every aspiring guitarist should learn.

1: Immigrant Song

A deceptively tempting ostinato that lures the guitar novice with its endearing brute stupidity before exhausting them with the minefield of tricksy anacrusis concealed within. Still, audiences should be bludgeoned into submission by the riff or distracted by the singer’s shrieking long before the guitarists’ fingers wilt from exhaustion.

2: Black Dog

It could well be that even Jimmy Page doesn’t really know what time signature Black Dog is in. The mixture of outlandish syncopation underpinned with Bonzo’s apparently unrelated tub-thumping produces an occult alchemy that has to be heard to be believed, and even then is only imperfectly understood.

3: Whole Lotta Love

To a certain generation this will always be ‘The Top of the Pops Riff’ even though the recording used in the BBC’s flagship (arguably only) pop show was by CCS, a loose aggregation of session players led by Alexis Korner. If Mankind ever does encounter an extraterrestrial species, and for some reason needs to explain what a guitar riff is, this is the one to play them.

4: Stairway to Heaven

The sound of a million guitar shops, the arpeggiated introduction to Stairway rather overshadows the crudely effective restatement of the three descending chords at the end of the song that is, mercifully, within even the most inept guitarist’s compass.

5: Heartbreaker

Another riff that sounds easy, but defies the tightest bands and illustrates what a sensationally together band Zeppelin were. It’s worth persevering to see if you can get to the halfway mark for the guitar solo that definitely inspired some of Nigel Tufnel’s best work.

6: Kashmir

With its eastern harmonies and exotic meter, Kashmir wouldn’t seem the obvious place to look for a powerhouse guitar riff but the hypnotically looping chug of guitar (which also underpins P.Diddy’s Godzilla soundtrack song and a wildly irresponsible Schooly D. rap) is one of the most compulsive pieces of music ever put to tape. At almost nine minutes long, it’s still too short.

7: Nobody’s Fault but Mine.

Played by a good guitarist, the Nobody’s Fault but Mine riff is a masterpiece of blues-rock economy. Played in unison by guitarist and bassist, as it is for about half of the Zeppelin recording, it’s one of those nuggets of music that gets into your ear and refuses to leave. Few listeners get to the end of the song without wishing it were just another false ending.

8: Rock & Roll

A riff which takes the basic Chuck Berry rock'n'roll template and wrings it by the neck. If Chuck were ever to be possessed by Satan, he’d probably play this.

9: Houses of the Holy

Led Zeppelin aren’t conventionally thought of as a funk band, but the swaggering riff at the heart of Houses of the Holy (which, confusingly, was left off the album which bears its name) is as funky as any Meters number, just a good deal heavier.

10: When the Levée breaks

Famed for its drum intro but also possessed of a rolling, looping slide guitar rhythm ostinato that just will not quit. The ideal choice for a guitarist who’s unexpectedly found a bottleneck in the bottom of his case and is keen to impress with some southern fried heavy metal blues.

Explore Music

• CD Reviews

• Live Reviews

• Classical

Editor's choice

• The 100 Best Films of the Decade
• 70 facts you didn't know about Marvel
• The 50 Biggest Movies Of 2010