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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:52 am
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For recent music with some excellent solos check out, first, Clapton's album with the guy who wrote Cocaine. Sorry, that's the 3d month of vinblastine (chemo scars) blocking the recall there.

I've got to say something about Lindsey Buckingham. Interesting guy - an artiste by reputation, and a lot of times he intentionally writes songs with no solos because he's from a folk background. Yet, when he will do it, dating back to Rumours with some great solos, he generates some of the greatest recorded (he's a studio whiz) solos around. On Fleetwood Mac's 2003 album "Say You Will" Buckingham's guitar army took the solo hill and planted a flag. I've never heard much of it on the radio. It's the music industry and the radio that are doing it. They shove rap and saccharine down everyone's throat, won't play ambitious if uneven efforts by Fleetwood Mac or the Eagles, and wonder why record sales plummet. When's the last time a Clapton song was on a non-classic rock station. The legend just did that big album with JJ Cale (another legend and there's the name!) and it gets no play. The music industry is run by chimps.


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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:12 am
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Quote:
The music industry is run by chimps.

The music industry, for the most part, is run by corporate gorillas in three-piece suits who haven't a clue what real music is all about..... they judge any song and artist's worth by the volume of the "Ka-Ching!" and the size of the green pile. Inside information, which exposes the truth, leaves no room for an argument, as the blatant evidence is overwhelming. Just read about all the BS that many artists have had to go through, such as Richard Marx.

From many years of experience, I know that it can be difficult to realize (even in one's own playing) where any improv leaves off and those exactly nailed, practiced lines begin. In reality, no one in their right mind is going to 'solo' without having 'jammed-out' what works and what doesn't......which is what fills everyone's 'bag of tricks' that we all keep up our sleeves, under our hats or in our back pocket. If you've ever 'sat-in' with a band at a moment's notice and you have no idea what arrangement, key or tempo the group is doing with even a song YOU other-wise know cold, you're probably aware that it is asking for trouble, if not down-right embarrassment..... the best of us can end up looking (and sounding) like a hack. Besides, most will already be at a disadvantage using someone else's equipment, let alone playing under a certain amount of pressure with musicians you may have never worked with before.

As far as any song having a section (or sections) that are considered to be 'solos', be they for guitar or not, (tons of tunes have keyboard solos, alone or shared with guitar), it seems to me that it's the arrangement of the entire piece that dictates the results by which any song is judged...... especially in THIS thread-discussion.

In my humble opinion, there are three venues that juggle &/or create such controversy about songs, the styles of performance and the general perception of a song's worth. The first is how it is embraced by the general audience due to air-play. The second is how said tune is done LIVE by the recording artist and lastly, in multiplicity, how well semi-pro and amateur bands are able to either render a decent version of the song, or butcher the crap out of it. I am SURE everyone reading this has made decisions on what tunes the band will (attempt to) learn and perform -or not- based on the combined skills of the group. Let's face facts; if your drummer, lead singer, keys and bass player can easily do their parts on a song like VH's JUMP, but the guitarist can't manage to pull off the guitar solo, the entire song sux. I tend to believe that song writers & performers DO their material, not just in ways that may enhance the tune, but in consideration of their own abilities, to either showcase talent(s) or hide the lack of them.

In conclusion, there is a real art to soloing in that it dresses-up (& can enhance) a song in a similar way to what clothes & jewelry-bling we wear to enhance our persona. Knowing what will fit (appropriate), the length and 'color' seem to be the main criteria of how such soloing is approached by great guitarists, whether they consciously realize it or not. (By color, I mean is it: acoustic, electric, clean, over-driven, edgy, slide, dry or wet, slow, fast, jazzy, rocky, & so forth...... any one or combinations, etc.)

By definition, actual soloing equates to whether or not you are being featured.... standing up to do your part(s) in an orchestra, performing literally ALL by yourself (akin to drum solos), or having the spotlight shine on you alone. None of these is required to solo and most think of a solo as a free-form melody over (usually) the same chords as a verse, but then there are always exceptions. In some cases, free-form won't cut it even if you are the greatest guitarist alive, as it all depends on the song. Sure, we all mess around with 12-bar formats and MAYBE have the balls to fool with the leads in Cream's Crossroads, but personally, I wouldn't touch a note in material like Black Magic Woman. Learning A solo is different than leaning TO solo.

BTW: Ask nearly any classically-trained (a total read-to-perform) type of musician to solo off-the-cuff and they will usually look at you like you're out of your crazy rock & roll mind! LOL


Last edited by Guitarman1117 on Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:41 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 11:36 am
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Well said Guitarman 8)


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Posted: Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:04 pm
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Thanks murdochart.
I have noted that there are people who see musicians as lazy bums who are just lucky to have the talent &/or ability to make acceptable 'noise'. Sadly, those are the ones who haven't (discovered) any talents of their own other than sweating to earn their living. I think it only looks that way because once a musician becomes a public figure, they are usually making enough money to relax and take time off, much more than a couple weeks a year.

Any seriously dedicated musician needs to have more than just the natural communication between them, their instrument & the other musicians they perform with. What we seem to be endowed with is the work ethic that prompts us to practice our butts off without having to punch a time clock.

For me, is shows up in many other things I do, such as write stuff like this, as I hope it is apparent that I put much thought and effort into what I say and HOW I say it. Quite similar to my musical speak, through or with whatever instrument I'm playing. Thanks again....... any applause IS appreciated.


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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 6:47 am
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There's a lot of good solos coming out of modern day metal bands. BFMV, Children Of Bodom, Dragonforce, Trivium. And a lot of the classic bands like Megadeth, KISS and Metallica are still cranking out the mega-solos! Just look at Malmsteen!


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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:32 am
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metalhead5396 wrote:
There's a lot of good solos coming out of modern day metal bands. BFMV, Children Of Bodom, Dragonforce, Trivium. And a lot of the classic bands like Megadeth, KISS and Metallica are still cranking out the mega-solos! Just look at Malmsteen!


Some of the people on the forum don't consider what some of those bands do as solos

I personally do, but to each his own I suppose

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Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 8:46 am
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I just got back in from Nashville recording my guitar parts for my first rock album and I am putting solos in almost every song that I can. Of course, it has to be appropriate for the tune.

I miss hearing them so much! SOLOS come back!!! Maybe that could be the name of a new song, haha :D

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Posted: Tue Apr 08, 2008 7:23 pm
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THE primary thing Instrumentals (ala the Ventures, etc.) do for any lead guitarist is playing melodies ALL the time....... once you get comfortable with THAT format, playing an intro &/or bridge solo (in vocal tunes) is relatively easier to deal with. The more experience you can tuck 'under your belt', the broader your scope in developing a personal style. Also, there appears to be a sharp difference in approach &/or attitude between a set, note-for-note Solo and a total off-the-cuff Solo. Either way, no matter how we 'feel' it, everything boils down to "the shoe fitting the foot....." Ye ol' Cinderella story, LOL

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Last edited by Guitarman1117 on Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:31 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Posted: Wed Apr 09, 2008 4:33 pm
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If you guys want progressive bands, check out the following:

Dream Theater
Opeth
Between the Buried and me


I listed those in the order that the majority of the people would like from first to last (as they are all metal bands)

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Posted: Thu Apr 10, 2008 8:39 am
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I've heard Dream Theater's album 'Seasons' and in my humble opinion, the medley was freakin' INCREDIBLE! However..... not one of the other tunes moved me at all. Seems to me they are monsters at cover tunes, yet their originals just don't measure up and I can't understand why. All that talent and they sound like two totally different bands. Kind of like when Metallica cut their hair and went 'country'.... sort of, LOL


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