Are guitar solos passe?

[Gruupi]

So if all soloes for soloes sake are crap does that mean all jazz since from Louis Armstrong to present is invalid? I know the point that Chubby is trying to make but I think it shows a very limited point of view.

 

All music played by musicians is somewhat self indulgent. If a singer is singing a song, his motivations can be many. He may have a great voice, or be able to express himself emotionally. He may have a story that he needs to tell. On the lowest level he may just be trying to party or get laid.

 

I think most of the "serve the song" attitude amonst a certain crowd is a cop out. They use music for a narrow set of reasons, whether its to dance to or party to. They don't understand the full range of artistic expression that an instrumentalist can portray. As a listener I guess you have the right to limit your music to 3 minute pop tunes. For the average guy, this is all he wants from music.

 

Myself and many other musicians and music lovers are in it for deeper reasons. They can listen to music that has no vocals at all. It can be composed music that lasts for an hour a piece. It can be a master improviser who can go off and play for 20 minutes straight and play something comepletly unique and inspriring.

 

I guess if you are playing to an audience you have to make choices on what they are there for and what your abilities are. If you are playing a wedding reception or frat party your approach may be different than if you are playing for an musically educated crowd. Frat boys don't want to hear a 3 minute guitar solo, especially if its not dancable. I don't think you would go over well in a jazz club playing a Green Day song either. To say either situation is crap and invalid is just taking everything out of context.

[Xplorer]

Originally posted by Hard Tail:

Really? All I ever hear from any new metal bands is Drop D, muddy sludging, diad chord cranking shit! Oh... and Cookie Monster is always the lead singer. That little bastard gets around.

Well, you obviously have done your homework.

[Ricardo.]

Originally posted by Xplorer:

Originally posted by Hard Tail:

Really? All I ever hear from any new metal bands is Drop D, muddy sludging, diad chord cranking shit! Oh... and Cookie Monster is always the lead singer. That little bastard gets around.

Well, you obviously have done your homework.

Haha.

[Hardtail]

Originally posted by Xplorer:

Originally posted by Hard Tail:

Really? All I ever hear from any new metal bands is Drop D, muddy sludging, diad chord cranking shit! Oh... and Cookie Monster is always the lead singer. That little bastard gets around.

Well, you obviously have done your homework.

Ok, I'm sorry. The guy who calls himself a lead singer in Trivium isn't a cookie monster. He just has a sore throat or something.

[Xplorer]

Originally posted by Hard Tail:

Originally posted by Xplorer:

Originally posted by Hard Tail:

Really? All I ever hear from any new metal bands is Drop D, muddy sludging, diad chord cranking shit! Oh... and Cookie Monster is always the lead singer. That little bastard gets around.

Well, you obviously have done your homework.

Ok, I'm sorry. The guy who calls himself a lead singer in Trivium isn't a cookie monster. He just has a sore throat or something.

I can see how being a great singer relates to the conversation.

[Tedster]

Guys, guys, easy...this is about guitar solos...

 

Me want cookie anyway.

[Hardtail]

Originally posted by Xplorer:

Originally posted by Hard Tail:

Originally posted by Xplorer:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Hard Tail:

Really? All I ever hear from any new metal bands is Drop D, muddy sludging, diad chord cranking shit! Oh... and Cookie Monster is always the lead singer. That little bastard gets around.

Well, you obviously have done your homework.

Ok, I'm sorry. The guy who calls himself a lead singer in Trivium isn't a cookie monster. He just has a sore throat or something.

I can see how being a great singer relates to the conversation.

---

Because I can't stop laughing my ass off enough at the God awful singing to even listen for any redeeming guitar stuff.

 

But hey, if the stuff moves you, have at it. It moves me too.... it moves my bowels.

 

You might think I don't like Heavy Metal. That is definitely false. It used to be about making a statement... like Black Sabbath's War Pigs, or Megadeth's Architecture of Aggression. Now it's only about making noise.

[Ricardo.]

It was also about mystical fairies, and gas station attendees who want sex (Black Sabbath, Megadeth). There's modern bands who are into 'making statements.' In fact there's every kind of band these days. I'm sure you could find whatever you wanted somewhere on Soundclick or MySpace (and that's probably only a fraction of Europe and the world's musical offerings). But if you can't listen to the guitar, how can you tell there's nothing but Drop-D'd, muddy, diads, anyways? I can understand if you're at the point in life where you no longer appreciate modern music, but as a musician one should seek to understand, if not like.

[Big Red 67]

Originally posted by Hard Tail:

Originally posted by Xplorer:

Originally posted by Hard Tail:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Xplorer:

quote:

---

Originally posted by Hard Tail:

Really? All I ever hear from any new metal bands is Drop D, muddy sludging, diad chord cranking shit! Oh... and Cookie Monster is always the lead singer. That little bastard gets around.

Well, you obviously have done your homework.

Ok, I'm sorry. The guy who calls himself a lead singer in Trivium isn't a cookie monster. He just has a sore throat or something.

I can see how being a great singer relates to the conversation.

---

Because I can't stop laughing my ass off enough at the God awful singing to even listen for any redeeming guitar stuff.

 

But hey, if the stuff moves you, have at it. It moves me too.... it moves my bowels.

 

You might think I don't like Heavy Metal. That is definitely false. It used to be about making a statement... like Black Sabbath's War Pigs, or Megadeth's Architecture of Aggression. Now it's only about making noise.

---

Wow, you just described the birth of Rock and Roll. Just to make noise!

[Xplorer]

These guy's are from a cookie monster band.

 

I'm a huge metal fan but I don't like all metal bands. In every genre there are a great deal of new bands that sound like crap, and ones that don't. I get the impression that some of you only hear the crap bands in new metal and have applied it right across the board because you are 'out of touch'.

I don't mind the cookie monster vocals, I even think they are kind of silly. I still love the music though. I'm also a huge Faith No More fan. As well as Slayer, Stevie Wonder, Cash, Cypress Hill, Type O Negative, Primus, NoFX, Nashville Pussy, Prince... man, the list goes on and on. I listen to music from every genre. I can appriciate talent in any style of music or instrument.

 

I also apprecite anyones prefrence to dislike a certain genre or style of music. I don't however, appreciate hearing people slaming a style of music I'm passionate about with uneducated gerneralizations. Cookie monster vocals are an obvious target, but that's cool because alot of metal really does kinda sound like Cookie Monster is singing. I can even picture Animal playing blast beats. But the "Drop D, muddy sludging, diad chord cranking shit" comment is just dumb.

[Dr. Ellwood]

"Honestly, I don't do the big solo because, very simply, I haven't written it yet. I'm not going to wank off for a minute and a half without saying anything"

 

Now there's a new one! better than saying something like: " I can, I just don't want too"

[Gifthorse]

I always throw in a couple cool licks when I play electric before we go on or in between songs if there is any down time.

 

I did an acoustic instrumental at one of our gigs. It went over well. I didn't think people would care but everyone went sick when I was done.

[Dr. Ellwood]

Originally posted by flagshipmile:

I always throw in a couple cool licks when I play electric before we go on or in between songs if there is any down time.

 

I did an acoustic instrumental at one of our gigs. It went over well. I didn't think people would care but everyone went sick when I was done.

Went sick OR where sick!! LOL!! JK buddy

[Justus A. Picker]

Originally posted by flagshipmile:

I did an acoustic instrumental at one of our gigs. It went over well. I didn't think people would care but everyone went sick when I was done.

I used to do that between band sets, partially because I'm not into the small talk you have to make with the drunks. It kept people from playing annoying music on the juke box too.....

[Dr. Ellwood]

Originally posted by Justus A. Picker:

Originally posted by flagshipmile:

I did an acoustic instrumental at one of our gigs. It went over well. I didn't think people would care but everyone went sick when I was done.

I used to do that between band sets, partially because I'm not into the small talk you have to make with the drunks. It kept people from playing annoying music on the juke box too.....

Well we get them back! we play annoying music all the time in our regular sets! In fact we can be MORE annoying, we have a bigger PA LOL!!!!

[Justus A. Picker]

Originally posted by ellwood:

Originally posted by Justus A. Picker:

Originally posted by flagshipmile:

I did an acoustic instrumental at one of our gigs. It went over well. I didn't think people would care but everyone went sick when I was done.

I used to do that between band sets, partially because I'm not into the small talk you have to make with the drunks. It kept people from playing annoying music on the juke box too.....

Well we get them back! we play annoying music all the time in our regular sets! In fact we can be MORE annoying, we have a bigger PA LOL!!!!

 

Yes! Hurling subtle insults they're too dense to understand is fun too!

[Dr. Ellwood]

YEAH!!! oh man our bass player Jim is a expert at that! he's always doing it, we are all just about rolling around on the stage and most of the audience is like ...what?? Listen to THIS.. one time and not too long ago I said "that was Kurt on the harp" and pointed at him. after that set this guy comes up with his buddy and says with a know-it-all smug face "yeah RIGHT you guys don't EVEN have one!!" I said yeah.. we where just seeing if you where listening!!

[Big Red 67]

Oh my!

[Eric Iverson]

Cookie monster singers?

 

Well, make a deal with them: "I will buy you all the cookies you want, as long as you DON'T SING!"

 

Seriously, I bought a nice CD by a blues mandolinist and sent a copy to my best friend, who said, "I like his playing, but he sings like the cookie monster."

 

So apparently it's not a phenomenon that's limited to heavy metal bands!

[GuitarPlayerFL]

Originally posted by Eric Iverson:

Cookie monster singers?

 

...it's not a phenomenon that's limited to heavy metal bands!

Since Rock came from Blues, I guess that means modern Cookie Monster singing came from Tom Waits.

 

 

http://www.manifesto.com/artist-art/tom-waits-perform.jpg