Harrison as a Soloist

[Phoebe]

For so many reasons there's a lot of love and respect for George. But, as many opinions as there are to the contrary, I never thought of him as a great soloist.

Explain to me what aspect of his playing you think is extraordinary.

 

[CharAznable]

There are more aspects to playing than soloing

 

[TravisE]

There are more aspects to playing than soloing

...and more aspects to soloing than speed/fancy licks.

 

[pirateflynn]

I think he played well to the song. He was good at the chord shape type of soloing (I'm sorry, I don't know the proper name). The Beatles were a great BAND .. meaning that they all played well together. All that club experience.

 

[rwe333]

One of the most identifiable and utterly unique slide voices of all time.

Plus an astonishingly iconic and melodic single-note soloist.

A total one-off, unmistakeable, with some wonderful sounds.

'Course then there's his rhythm work, his composing and that wonderful voice.

 

[seiko]

For so many reasons there's a lot of love and respect for George. But, as many opinions as there are to the contrary, I never thought of him as a great soloist.

Explain to me what aspect of his playing you think is extraordinary.

Very melodic and quoteable solos, which is an art, I don't say that as a huge fan of either the Beatles or Harrison's solo albums but he had an economic and melodic guitar solo style that has been copied by many, many people. Maybe it doesn't seem that hard to play what he wrote as a solo after the fact, that's cos the hard part was writing it in the first place.

 

[Mandoboy]

parts
tone/colors
the right thing at the right time
vibe/feel

 

[drewl]

Despite not playing guitar much in late 66 through 67, concentrating on the sitar, his renewed passion for guitar playing really showed on the white album and especially Abbey Road, where although not really a "shredder" his lead parts were tasteful and well executed.
Just look at the great playing on a throwaway track like "Octopus' Garden" for example.

 

[The Cowboy Poet]

George was a very unique soloist. You can recognize him easily when he played on a Ringo or Clapton record... he just had his very melodic style.

 

[mediocreplayer]

The solo on 'Something' is enough to earn him a place among the greatest soloists of all time. It is almost impossible to get more melodic than that.

 

[small axe]

why discuss george harrison as a guitarist...i cant play like him....he was great

 

[doublee]

Listen to the Ballad Of Sir Frankie Crisp (sp)....magic

 

[lhallam]

One of the most identifiable and utterly unique slide voices of all time.

Plus an astonishingly iconic and melodic single-note soloist.

A total one-off, unmistakeable, with some wonderful sounds.

'Course then there's his rhythm work, his composing and that wonderful voice.

And there you have it.

 

[ricoh]

For so many reasons there's a lot of love and respect for George. But, as many opinions as there are to the contrary, I never thought of him as a great soloist.

Explain to me what aspect of his playing you think is extraordinary.

Harrison's guitar hero was Carl Perkins. He learned to emulate that style well. He applied it to early Beatles tunes.The guitarist as a blues based soloist came near the end of the Beatles. I don't think he ever felt comfortable with that era. In the end it does not matter as there are thousands of wanking, squealing soloists but only one George Harrison. What was extraordinary about his playing was his ability to play for the song. Those Beatles covered a lot of ground during their recording years!!!! Check out the Concert for George band footage to get a deeper appreciation for his body of work.

 

[Carlo]

+1 on what everyone is saying.

My all time favorite guitar player and my main influence.

Heart,Soul, and Sincerity.

He crafted the perfect parts for any given song.

His slide playing was impeccable, with spot on intonation.

Incredible phrasing.

Beautiful tone.

 

[fyrwyr]

His slide playing alone is enough for me to put him in a class all his own, very unique and recognizable...

 

[VaughnC]

George had the unique ability to come up with the perfect part for the song. He's also one of the few guitar players that are recognizable from just a few notes. And that 3rd voice added so much to the Beatles sound.

 

[Snail]

The solo on 'Something' is enough to earn him a place among the greatest soloists of all time. It is almost impossible to get more melodic than that.

Amen to that!

 

[harmonicator]

The solo on 'Something' is enough to earn him a place among the greatest soloists of all time. It is almost impossible to get more melodic than that.

+ another 1

 

[Guitar55]

...Just look at the great playing on a throwaway track like "Octopus' Garden" for example.

I love the playing and tone on that track! Abbey Road is full of incredible guitar work from all three Beatles guitarists.