What makes a truly/genuinely great guitar solo?

[jumpnblues]

Discuss...:RoCkIn


Tom

[H_V_C]

tweedly tweedly tweedly DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tweedly tweedly............................

[Dandy13]

taste, tone, melody, and this:
tweedly tweedly tweedly DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tweedly tweedly............................

[jumpnblues]

tweedly tweedly tweedly DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tweedly tweedly............................\


Of course! ;)


Tom

[H_V_C]

taste, tone, melody, and this:

you rock cleveland!!!!!1!


:)

[jazzandmetal?]

What makes a truly/genuinely great guitar solo?



If it moves me, it is a great solo.

If it doesn't, it isn't.

YMMV:D

[Guitar Dave T]

A truly/genuinely great guitar solo uses phrasing, tone and dynamics to tell a story, preferrably a succinct one with beginning, middle and end, that can move the listener emotionally, regardless of whether the listener is another guitar player or not.

Oh yea, and it also needs to go:

tweedly tweedly tweedly DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO tweedly tweedly............................

[?&!]

As far as rock'n'roll goes, my uncle gave me great advice on constructing a solo when I was a wee youngster. He said, "As long as you throw in a Chuck Berry lick, an Albert King lick, and some of your own licks, things will probably turn out OK". Works for me!!!

[seiko]

I don't think there are any absolutes. Tone, taste and melody might apply sometimes but then other times you might want rude and out of tune.

[Robertito]

Surprise.

[jrigg]

If I could talk about it it wouldn't exist.

[Kyle vs. Guitar]

The melody is important above all else. This is why blues solos usually bore me - they're all "emotion," but the constricting blues scale often makes it a moot point. Things like phrasing, vibrato, etc. are nice, but I care more about the melody and its ability to move me much more. For example, Hideki Yoshimura of bloodthirsty butchers solos might be brash, messy affairs, but they *sound* beautiful in spite of his imperfections.

I might add that I don't really care if a solo is slow or fast as long as the melody and emotion is there - that's why I somehow manage to like stuff like Dragonforce!

[re-animator]

If you still get the chills even after you've heard it 100 times (Achilles Last Stand, i'm looking at you....)

[takakat]

Great solo is the one stick in your head.

[funkle]

A truly/genuinely great guitar solo uses phrasing, tone and dynamics to tell a story, preferrably a succinct one with beginning, middle and end, that can move the listener emotionally, regardless of whether the listener is another guitar player or not.

Oh yea, and it also needs to go:

Often that's true, but there are some great soloists who do exactly the opposite and come out of left field with something that works. Jeff Beck and Greg Howe come to mind.

[splatt]

What makes a truly/genuinely great guitar solo?



If it moves me, it is a great solo.

If it doesn't, it isn't.

YMMV:D
my mileage is similar to your own.....
but not the same.

i'm aware of the fact that what moves me
& what moves others may,
in actuality & practise,
be very, very different.
so it goes!

dt / spltrcl

[marinblues]

For me, a good solo makes shivers go down my spine....

It used to happen more often when I was a kid. These days its less intense, but I still feel something similar.


M.

[shaneygoo]

good solo indicators... it's on the news, melted faces, women crying, panties thrown on stage, broken strings, stuff on fire or knocked over...

jeff beck is my hero, his solos are songs

i really like it when you can identify a key or mode change in a solo

[mikem]

Good solos make my bowels turn liquid!

Mike

[puckhead]

speed. pure and simple.
and if you can somehow work in a guitar-humping, all the better.

there, I said it. :rolleyes:

[shredtrash]

I'm not really sure. I like all kinds of solos. However, my rule is, if it feels and sounds like elements or all of it need to be covered exactly as it is on the record, it's great! This isn't a hard and fast rule but...Oh yeah, and this...

Good solos make my bowels turn liquid!

[nnick]

I am not a huge guitar solo fan but a couple I really enjoy are:

White Room - Cream
The Phoenix - The Cult

The solos are what makes these good songs great.

[Rick51]

Just playing fast gets boring long before the player is done.

A great solo alternates tension and release while it builds to a finale.

Pink Floyd and David Gilmour (Gilmore?) are masters of this.

[Guitar Dave T]

Often that's true, but there are some great soloists who do exactly the opposite and come out of left field with something that works. Jeff Beck and Greg Howe come to mind.

See, I hear both Jeff Beck and Greg Howe as doing exactly that. Phrasing does not have to follow a specific 'mellow' melody, nor does story telling need to follow a specific style. Think of Beck as like the Richard Brautigan of guitar players.

Except for the part about schizophrenia, depression, alcoholism and suicide.

Ok, bad analogy, but you get the point.

[siore]

First and foremost, a balance of melody and technicality! A good solo makes me want to skip the entire song to get to it, while an awesome solo makes me want to listen to that song over and over again, just because the solo fits! :cool:

[Guitar Dave T]

Examples of scary good solos:

Larry Carlton on Steely Dan's "Kid Charlamagne"

Allan Holdsworth on Bill Bruford's "Forever Until Sunday"

Duane Allman on, er, on damn near anything he's ever done.

[violetlove]

First and foremost, a balance of melody and technicality! A good solo makes me want to skip the entire song to get to it, while an awesome solo makes me want to listen to that song over and over again, just because the solo fits! :cool:

Ya saved me fingers laddie !!

[duckbunny]

1. It
2. Tells
3. A
4. Story


That said, humor is always a welcome addition, when appropriate.





-db

[blownirocz]

IMHO, it's 5 Things...


Melody
One that is "vocal" in nature...that you can, and even want to, sing.
Melody
One that "serves the song" that it is intended to be a part of.
Melody

[rob2001]

Surprise.


I respectfully disagree and think quite the opposite actually. To me, a great solo doesn't contain any suprises at all. In fact to the point of almost being able to feel or predict where it's going on the first listen. Maybe not a note for note foretelling but you know where it is and how it's gonna end up.

[splatt]

I respectfully disagree and think quite the opposite actually. To me, a great solo doesn't contain any suprises at all. In fact to the point of almost being able to feel or predict where it's going on the first listen. Maybe not a note for note foretelling but you know where it is and how it's gonna end up.
wow.
of all the things i've read here
--- and i certainly mean no insult to you ---
that truly makes me sad.
dt / spltrcl

[rob2001]

wow.
of all the things i've read here
--- and i certainly mean no insult to you ---
that truly makes me sad.
dt / spltrcl


LOL!! no insult taken but I figured i'd have to qualify this one!

One of my favorite solo's is All along the Watchtower. (Hendrix) To me, that solo doesn't contain any suprises at all. It starts slow, works up and follows the music in intensity and ends unresolved, as the song would suggest a feeling of being lost. Totally fitting the mood of the song. Then in the outtro, he resolves it with the big double bend.

Maybe I don't describe things very well but I don't think that solo contains any suprises at all. That could be a by-product of having heard and played it many times but to me, it goes as it should.

I can also see how this theory of mine will not apply to all styles of play. To me, Jazz is full of suprises but IMO, they are put there on purpose. When I listen to Jazz, I prepare myself to hear the suprises and I do indeed hear them.

[Lucidology]

Don't forget the solos that add another dimension to the song all together ..
Melody isn't everything ...

[Brett Valentine]

The ability to grab and hold someone's attention!

[Guitar Dave T]

The ability to grab and hold someone's attention!

Huh? What were you saying? (I wasn't paying attention).

[Brett Valentine]

Huh? What were you saying? (I wasn't paying attention).

. . .I was saying WEEEEEDLEEEEY DEEEEEDLEEEEEY

[Guitar Dave T]

. . .I was saying WEEEEEDLEEEEY DEEEEEDLEEEEEY

Spoo!

[Noah]

Any great guitar solos should fit the song and add something to it. Doesn't matter if it's melodic or over the top noise, fast or slow....whatever fits.