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Top eleven annoying qualities of guitar solos


Dan South

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(11) String bending does not make up for a lack of music theory training.

 

(10) A "lick" is not a phrase.

 

(9) We've all heard Johnny B. Goode enough times already, thank you.

 

(8) Hey, the pentatonic scale! Again!

 

(7) For some strange reason, the "rhythm" player is usually a better musician than the "lead" guy.

 

(6) Didn't you just play a solo on the LAST song?

 

(5) Don't worry. The other guitar players in the audience don't think that they're better than you. (Yeah, right!)

 

(4) Oh, no! Please don't turn up the volume! PLEASE don't turn it up!

 

(3) It's fascinating how he plays that same mode over all of the changes.

 

(2) Two words: whammy bar.

 

And the number one annoying qualities of guitar solos...

 

(1) The dude with the pick in his hand.

 

:D

The Black Knight always triumphs!

 

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Y'all need to go listen to a JoeyD recording, right now. Yeah he's a great player. But.... tell me if he doesn't roll out the entire bag of tricks on every solo. ALWAYS, roughly 2/3 of the way through, he will do the "pedal tone" thing.

 

Now go listen to a Coltrane recording. Tell me he's not re-deploying the same basic melodic concepts over and over and over, thus turning them into mere 'licks'.

 

Sounds to me like there's a lot of guitar envy around here :bor:

I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist.

 

This ain't no track meet; this is football.

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Only if you can write in TAB format :D

Originally posted by FunkJazz:

from a guitarist ;)

-having to play them, regardless of how much you protest, because the songwriters in the band won't bother to write complete songs and needs filler.

p.s. you can cure this problem with written music :idea:

I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist.

 

This ain't no track meet; this is football.

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Originally posted by The Pro:

Where's the slot for the "inability to play a rest" thing?

Agreed! Biggest infraction there is!

You can stop now -jeremyc

STOP QUOTING EVERY THING I SAY!!! -Bass_god_offspring

lug, you should add that statement to you signature.-Tenstrum

I'm not sure any argument can top lug's. - Sweet Willie

 

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Originally posted by Dan South:

(7) For some strange reason, the "rhythm" player is usually a better musician than the "lead" guy.

How to make a pretty good rhythm guitarist

 

- Start with one lead guitarist

- Add a double helping of musicianship including the ability to play in time and a deep understanding of music theory

- Add enough self-confidence so that the budding rhythm guitarist will no longer need the reassurance of being in the spotlight to serve his ego needs

- Subtract four pedal effects

- Add the ability to actually play notes on all six strings

- Turn the volume down from 10 to 6

- The ability to smoke cigarettes while playing is important, but not as crucial is at is for drummers.

 

I used to play classical guitar but have given it up. I have never played rhythm or lead, so this is based on my observations of others.

 

Bartolomeo

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Don't worry, keyboardists. We guitar players won't hurt you. Just keep on pushing your little buttons and have the instrument play for you, and stay in the back where you won't interfere with our groupies. No need to get callouses or dirty hands. :D:P

 

Seriously, I don't like cliche guitarists. But I don't like cliche keyboard solos either.

 

But DAN... pop and rock music has been severely missing guitar solos over the past 7-8 years. It's time for MORE, not less! :thu:

 

- Jeff

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Originally posted by Jeff Da Weasel:

... But DAN... pop and rock music has been severely missing guitar solos over the past 7-8 years. It's time for MORE, not less! :thu:

 

- Jeff

I really did not know they ever made a comeback. In the early 80's they were replaced by the mandatory sax solo. Then in the mid to late 80's all music solos were dropped in favor of the rap break. Of course in the 90's the turntableists took over. Jeff's right. I miss the guitar and keyboard solos.

 

Robert

This post edited for speling.

My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page

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AND ONE MORE THING !

 

(Rabid steps upon the box.)

 

Why does every guitarist AND bassist think that playing a stick with a few strings attached grants an ability to play keyboards? How many keyboardists here have arrived at practice and found the "stick with strings" players huddled around the keyboard setup? :P

 

Robert

This post edited for speling.

My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page

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Originally posted by Rabid:

How many keyboardists here have arrived at practice and found the "stick with strings" players huddled around the keyboard setup? :P

 

Robert

If possible, I usually leave one of my rack modules on maximum volume with some nasty arpeggio pattern ready to go... needless to say, most people I play with don´t touch my stuff more than once! :D
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I started with sticks to bang on things.

then I learned to play the stick with strings.

now I play keys and I am the King.

maybe one day I'll learn to sing.

 

(sorry about that)

I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist.

 

This ain't no track meet; this is football.

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The day more keyboardists have learned to Get It UP and Keep It UP with less gear (not talking those heavy old painos, Rhodes and B3s here - those were necessary evils for the time) is the day they'll have less to be annoyed by.
.
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Seriously though, I think one of the previous posters hit the nail on the head - talented soloists have the ability to improvise an original solo that is tasteful and appropriate to the song - without depending on hackneyed, trite musical cliches. And as we know, it is not easy to be creative under pressure. So, in general, most of us resort to playing something that has worked before - riffs, pentatonic scales, whatever, - or what feels comfortable - and that usually ends up being a little stale.

 

Maybe written out solos - as in classical music - ARE really the way to go when composing new material.

Tom F.

"It is what it is."

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Perhaps when composing or when recording in the studio.

 

But onstage, please give me the excitement of improvised solos! There's nothing more exciting than knowing the wheels could fall off the performance at any moment... actually there's one thing more exciting, and that's when a performer pulls off a great solo under that pressure.

Originally posted by Tom Fiala:

Maybe written out solos - as in classical music - ARE really the way to go when composing new material.

I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist.

 

This ain't no track meet; this is football.

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Originally posted by Jeff Da Weasel:

But DAN... pop and rock music has been severely missing guitar solos over the past 7-8 years. It's time for MORE, not less! :thu:

 

It's been missing an arrangement, a melody, and a vocalist who can sing without computer assistance, too!

The Black Knight always triumphs!

 

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Originally posted by bartolomeo:

Originally posted by Dan South:

(7) For some strange reason, the "rhythm" player is usually a better musician than the "lead" guy.

How to make a pretty good rhythm guitarist

 

- Start with one lead guitarist

- Add a double helping of musicianship including the ability to play in time and a deep understanding of music theory

- Add enough self-confidence so that the budding rhythm guitarist will no longer need the reassurance of being in the spotlight to serve his ego needs

- Subtract four pedal effects

- Add the ability to actually play notes on all six strings

- Turn the volume down from 10 to 6

- The ability to smoke cigarettes while playing is important, but not as crucial is at is for drummers.

Agreed on all points. Except perhaps for the cigs.

 

;)

The Black Knight always triumphs!

 

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Originally posted by FunkJazz:

.... what is it with keyboardists and bass players compulsively ripping on everyone else?

Hey, you do realise that a bass player came to the keyboard forum to start this trouble. And just as trained, we follow the bass player. :D

 

Robert

This post edited for speling.

My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page

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Originally posted by Dan South:

(2) Two words: whammy bar.

Two words: Pitch wheel.

 

And another: Modulation wheel.

 

;):P

"I look for whatever will cut the deepest... whammy bars and wah wah pedals can't be used as just gimmicks. They have to reflect and express your feelings." - Jeff Beck
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BTW, for those of you who bash pentatonics so frequently, what the hell do you use to solo? Harmonic and melodic minor all the time? I'm sure that would sound great over blues changes. :D

 

(for what it's worth, I'm not personally attacking anyone here-- just throwing some ideas back at the thread, no hard feelings)

"I look for whatever will cut the deepest... whammy bars and wah wah pedals can't be used as just gimmicks. They have to reflect and express your feelings." - Jeff Beck
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