What has happened to the guitar solo?

[lovers_spit]

And yet they say emos have no sense of humour...

No, we dont

(sorry, completely missed the joke there)

[Guest idol_wild]

I prefer a pleasing melodic hook to a guitar solo.

Music that relies on guitar solos has never interested me. Nor will it ever.

[KimyReizeger]

he's just a bit too intelligent for his own good, totally up his own arse (insert your own obvious gay puns here), and just an all round knob.

I sense a bitter bastard...

[soundian]

I prefer a pleasing melodic hook to a guitar solo.

Music that relies on guitar solos has never interested me. Nor will it ever.

Any "solo" that lasts more than 16 bars incurs the same hatred that fascism/racism gets from me (not really, but you get what I mean), unless it has a point in the song and isn't just "look at me, I'm better than him" wank.

Pity I've got a job where I have to suffer them at times.

[feeble!]

What about stuff like the godfather theme that slash plays? That's technically I guess a big guitar solo, but it sounds damn good. Or what about classical pieces transposed onto guitar, such as pachabel's canon, or that paganini 5th caprice thing at the end of crossroads? Are they classed under "look at me I'm better than him" or could it be that someone thought it might sound, like - I don't know, nice maybe?

[Stripey]

since when is the guitar solo the sole preserve of cheesey 80's metal twats?

[soundian]

What about stuff like the godfather theme that slash plays? That's technically I guess a big guitar solo, but it sounds damn good. Or what about classical pieces transposed onto guitar, such as pachabel's canon, or that paganini 5th caprice thing at the end of crossroads? Are they classed under "look at me I'm better than him" or could it be that someone thought it might sound, like - I don't know, nice maybe?

Do you mean pieces where the guitar part actually carries the main melody line somewhere in it?

I mean pieces of music where what the soloist, and quite often the entire band, play something which bears absolutely no relation to the piece that they're played in.

[HateEvent]

I'll put a solo in if I think it works.

[Bigsby]

I mean pieces of music where what the soloist, and quite often the entire band, play something which bears absolutely no relation to the piece that they're played in.

Worst example of this:

YouTube - van halen - jump

[soundian]

Worst example of this:

YouTube - van halen - jump

I don't have any speakers or 'phones at the moment but iirc a generous person would call that an instrumental middle 8. I'm not particularly generous.

I blame The Beatles, "A Day in the Life" just gave unimaginative fuckwits a licence to shoehorn unrelated bits of music into the same song.

[Bigsby]

I don't have any speakers or 'phones at the moment but iirc a generous person would call that an instrumental middle 8. I'm not particularly generous.

I blame The Beatles, "A Day in the Life" just gave unimaginative fuckwits a licence to shoehorn unrelated bits of music into the same song.

I think in this case they just sat there and said "Hey, we're Van Halen, we can't just have a catchy synth-driven pop tune, we have to have some fret wanking in it.", but yes, it is completely unrelated to the rest of the song.

[Stamina]

I'm pretty sure that many folks who decry solos just aren't good enough to play that kind of stuff, and just call it wank to make themselves feel superior. Personally, I love listening to a good 'shred' solo (though obviously some do go on a bit) and I'm really shit at guitar!

I think that a lot of today's 'shredders' are somewhat robotic and lacking any kind of emotion in their playing. A lot of them do seem to be doing it just to show off. They also lack personality, unlike Malmsteen or Vai. Hmm, maybe to be really good at it you need to act like a ponce?

Anyway, perhaps some people need to grow up and focus their hate elsewhere...just my tuppence worth. 8-)

[Domino]

People love listening to shite music nowadays and that simply explains the lack of solos in new bands.

80s!

[TR!ΔNGL€ T€€TH]

I'm pretty sure that many folks who decry solos just aren't good enough to play that kind of stuff, and just call it wank to make themselves feel superior. Personally, I love listening to a good 'shred' solo (though obviously some do go on a bit) and I'm really shit at guitar!

I think that a lot of today's 'shredders' are somewhat robotic and lacking any kind of emotion in their playing. A lot of them do seem to be doing it just to show off. They also lack personality, unlike Malmsteen or Vai. Hmm, maybe to be really good at it you need to act like a ponce?

Anyway, perhaps some people need to grow up and focus their hate elsewhere...just my tuppence worth. 8-)

I'm the first to admit that I'm not a good guitarist, but I've never had an urge to learn how to shred. Mostly as it sounds terrible...

This youtube clip pretty much sums it up to me:

YouTube - Fastest Guitar Shredding Solo Ever!!!

[Guest idol_wild]

I'm pretty sure that many folks who decry solos just aren't good enough to play that kind of stuff, and just call it wank to make themselves feel superior.

I'll openly admit to being the most basic* guitar player ever. But sort of on purpose. I have absolutely NO desire whatsoever to learn to play complex or technical guitar techniques, because I rarely appreciate them in other people's music. My hands and fingers are nimble enough, and my eye-to-brain-to-hand-to-finger co-ordination is good enough to be able to learn complex solos, but I just don't want to.

I'd rather a song possessed a hook, melody, all-defining key change, build-up of harmonies, or featured clever interplay. Interplay is far more interesting and engaging to listen to and watch as part of a live performance.

* Shit

[Bigsby]

I'm the first to admit that I'm not a good guitarist, but I've never had an urge to learn how to shred. Mostly as it sounds terrible...

Me too, I'm crap. Although I'd love to be able to do multi layered Chet Atkins stuff or Albert Lee style chicken picken', much more impressive to me than Vai style fret wanking.

[Soda Jerk]

I think being a 'good guitarist' and being able to shred are two different things though. I know a couple of guitarists who've spent weeks locked away in their bedrooms learning how to sweep pick, but they can't for the life of them put together a decent riff or even an interesting chord progression. In my opinion, speed doesn't instantly equal skill. Cock rock guitar solos aren't as prominent as they used to be in rock music, but there are still excellent guitarists who are really developing intersting uses of rhythm guitar, and due to the stereotype of "guitar gods" being able to shred, it takes a HELL of alot more to stand out as a rhythm guitarist, or merely just a guitarist that avoids solos. Guitar partnerships go completely unnoticed, when what I find really impressive in rock music is two guitarists that play off each other incredibley well. Not one guy chugging a powerchord whilst another one shreds, but the guitars just independtly playing together. Fugazi's Piciotto and Mackaye, Hot Water Music's Wollard and Ragan, Drive Like Jehu's Reis and Froberg, all have exceptional guitar work when played together, and are rarely heard playing the same chords as each other. I'd rather hear something like that than some poncey cockshiner just wanking away on the top three strings. It's all for style and glamour, but there's no real substance to it.

[Dan G]

Horses for courses.

I love great solos, but there's definitely a "does-it-ADD-something-to-the-song" element about it. Some people hate any form of guitar virtuosity whether it's benificial to the song or not, and some people like lots of solos even if it's just self-indulgence, soul-less wank. Ultimately a solo has to have feeling and a point to it - and even the odd bit of shred amongst a well written/played solo can do wonders for dynamics.

Back in the day every song I wrote would have a minute or so designated for soloing, but I'm well past that and realise that isn't particularly great songwriting. Some songs just scream out for a solo though, whether it's 2 bars or 20. I try and mix them up as much as possible though; simple solos, occasional shredding, exotic modes and scales, different rhythms and key changes under the solo.

And I fucking hate it when you hear the same cliched sweep-picking patterns played by someone who can't do the simplest of niceless phrased passages. Sweeping should probably be the last skill to master on the guitar, and used sparingly for good effect. Even the absolute masters of this (Malmsteen for example) bore the tits off me after about 5 minutes.

[Bigsby]

Sweeping should probably be the last skill to master on the guitar

Oh good.

[Lemonade]

Can anyone explain to me what sweep picking is?

[Chris]

Can anyone explain to me what sweep picking is?

Sweep-picking - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Essentially it's a way of rapidly playing up or down a scale in one fluid motion while still picking the notes.

[Stamina]

Sorry folks, I really should have said "I love listening to a good shred - in the context of a well constructed song!" Obviously someone just widdling away isn't the most musical thing in the world, but in the right place, shredding can be just pure dead brilliant! I also agree that if you can't play the basic stuff well, don't try and be a flashy cunt when it comes to solo time.

[Kaizen]

In my opinion, alot of band used to use solos as a way to remind their audience that they could in fact play guitar... Take AC/DC for example! they come up with or or 2 riffs per song then every so often bash in some mental solo as if to point out that they do, in fact, have talent (im not a big AC/DC fan... you might have guessed).

However, There are a lot of good bands using solos well in todays music. Take the solo in killswitch engages cover of Dios holy diver. (granted its a cover... but the solos are still impressive, and i feel they just fit in well. My opinion however. Im sure someone here will disagree)

Even Aberdeens own My Minds Weapon make good use of a nice wee solo here and there, but its not all just shredding, sweeping and other guitar wankery. It still sounds good though.

And in reference to an earlier post, yes. Im shit at guitar...

[TheTickingTime-Bomb]

He's just a total knob, what other explanation is necessary?

Other well known knobs in bands:

J Kay out of Jamiroquai

Damon Albarn (the bass player's a knob as well)

Paul Weller

MIke Love out of The Beach Boys

Elton John

David Crosby

Sting

Pete Townshend

Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield out of Metallica

John Lydon

Kele Okereke

Bjork

Axel Rose

Rufus Wainwright

Bono

Billy Corgan

Noel and Liam Gallagher

Madonna

I'm sure more will come to me later.

Get Bjork out of that list, I won't have her subjected to a list that contains Bono.

[scottyboy]

A bit late here, but guitar solos are are more amazing than ever, if you know where to look (i.e. not the charts or indie clubs...).

Seriously though, people need to get over the whole 'shredding/wanking' thing. If you want to learn to 'shred', learn a simple three note sequence and play it regularly for a few weeks/months. You'll soon find you can play it really fast. There, you're 'shredding'. There are many reasons why vai/satiani etc are amazing guirarists and being able to play fast is only one of them.