O/T Who listens to guitar solos??

[walleye]

to a non musician, guitar solos are more impressive when they watch it rather than just listen to it, and by watch i mean 'watch and listen' of course.

on a cd or on the radio, guitar solos are just in one ear and out the other, but in concert, they take notice.

 

[ba2m]

Interesting thread. I also have several thoughts on this solo guitar importance in songs.

First, to answer the thread questions.. i think the solo needs to really be a part of the song.. so the song will be incomplete without the solo, whether it's technically difficult/not. Sometimes i even miss out the beautiful solo of pete lesperance in haremscarem songs because it's too blended with the song, too busy enjoying the songs. hehe

I'd like to share my experience as well related with this issue:

I like to listen guitar instrumental album too. It's interesting when i play those song in my car stereo, most of other people (non guitarist) will ask 'where's the song?' after around 1 minute in the beginning of the song (they are waiting for the vocal comes.)

But i also wonder why do many people like those house or lounge music (those dj's also earns good like famous singers you know ) , many of house/lounge music doesn't have any lyric either. So i wonder it's probably the beat attracted them unconsciously.

Then i guessed maybe most of the people's concentration got occupied mostly by the beat of the drum (so their feet/head will automatically follow the beat), but we also know that vocalists are the most famous people in most of the bands.. wow.. confuse.

From my experience i also found that non-guitarist people likes chet atkins and les paul songs more than steve vai and yngwie malmsteen fast stuffs, or the guthrie govan progressive technics.

but then i just think that it's their lost for cannot enjoy what i enjoy

 

[ba2m]

Yes. It is wasted for sure.

agree

 

[Slingy]

Not so sure about this. Long before I ever played a guitar, I remember rockin out to every note of the great solos back then.

 

[Nitrix]

Solos

As ba2m said, the solo has to be a great part of the song. I know a lot of non guitarists will hum a riff like Black Dog by Led Zeppelin. They will also hum a signature melody, like American Woman by The Guess Who (from my home town, so I had to pick one from them ).

I had the pleasure of jamming with one of the guitarists from the Guess Who, Kurt Winter, a number of years ago. A world class player who took me to school that night. He could rip it with the best of them but when you listen to the Guess Who songs that wrote and/or played on - the solos are short, concise and melodic. They fit the song perfectly. For historical accuracy, BTW - he didn't write the American Woman melody, BTW, that was Randy Bachman. Kurt passed away about 10 years ago.

I think that guitarists, along with other music aficionados, appreciate the top players like Steve Morse, Vai. Metheny, etc. The non players will generally search for a hook of some kind. The opening drum beat of Walk This Way, the keyboards in Viva la Vida (sorry Satch!), the piano of Linus and Lucy etc.

I love all aspects of music and my leanings as a player are towards a melodic guitarist/song writer. As one other person said, most people rarely turn down the great solos like Sultans of Swing, Crazy Train (insert 1000 more great solos here!) etc that are part of pop songs.

Let's keep doing what we love. Write songs, play solos and play great guitars!

 

[B2D]

I don't drink Haterade. Some beverages (music) is just not my cup of tea. Don't listen to, but definitely don't hate.

Amen to that. If it's not my thing, I don't bother and move on. I've got better ways to spend energy than for it to be hating on people.

Except if they really deserve it.

For instance, Ke$ha.

Or Creed.

 

[browndog]

I listen to solos, thats how I learned to play the air guitar.

 

[Dante]

hmm, i think solos are a huge part of the music i listen to. even before i played guitar, there was something in the sound of the music between the sung parts.

to be more specific, i love metallica, try imagining master of puppetes without the solos and the awesome melodies? to some music styles it's indispensable (although it can always be done poorly) but other music styles it just gets in the way. kinda like, nirvana had these 2 bar solos and it was perfectly enough to leave a rememberable mark behind of that song.

edit: and i guess in the end the real question is, how important is the guitar on its own? and imho, the farther you move from the 3:30 pop music with drums and vocals mixed at 80%, the more "other" stuff gets in. in good metal and rock, all the instruments (including the bass) get space in the mix. Tool is a perfect example of music without any real solos but filled with great melodies and figures, as is pink floyd.

and so, to me, the answer is, the better the music, the richer the sound pallet and more space for each instrument, and the less sheeple are willing to listen to it.

 

[RocketRalf]

I can't honestly contribute to this thread because I've been involved with music since I was 5, but I can tell from watching and talking to "normal" people that, if you can sign it, they will remember it. I will tell you, Coldplay made Satch famous around here!

+1 for melodic solos

 

[BobMac]

Sorry for the OFF-Top, but do You even know how I envy You for that?

+100000000000000000000000000

ah man , I can only imagine how good that was.

 

[PugNinjas]

I realized long ago that the guitar solo is basically the 'commercial' within the song

 

[73h Nils]

Well, considering people I know that don't play guitar, lots of them consider the Stairway to Heaven solo one of the hardest/fastest etc. solos.... So, I don't know

Probably not very important to them, at any rate.

 

[D.K.]

Well, considering people I know that don't play guitar, lots of them consider the Stairway to Heaven solo one of the hardest/fastest etc. solos.... So, I don't know

Probably not very important to them, at any rate.

What is wrong with me then - I do consider it nearly impossible to play that solo in the same league as it was recorded on the album (with a telecaster, BTW)?

I also do think about my father - he is very musical, but was unfortunate not to learn any instrument. He does care a GREAT DEAL about what is being played and how. And I know there are very many people like that, especially in countries, where live music (like choir singing, dancing...) is very popuplar with people.

 

[jamminjim]

the human vocal chords are an instrument.....

 

[Smellybum]

I listen to clever solos, like the solo from bonamassa's version of Stop - it goes round in my head, but by the same token I listen and love the hammond version of the original Sam Brown version.

I think it's the icing on the cake, the days of crowds going wild for the solo are gone? - the last one in my head that I can recall is bon jovi's living on a prayer - Kiss' crazy nights, - 3 note count in! - song hooks by proxy....

just my 2 cents....

 

[73h Nils]

What is wrong with me then - I do consider it nearly impossible to play that solo in the same league as it was recorded on the album (with a telecaster, BTW)?

I also do think about my father - he is very musical, but was unfortunate not to learn any instrument. He does care a GREAT DEAL about what is being played and how. And I know there are very many people like that, especially in countries, where live music (like choir singing, dancing...) is very popular with people.

Oh, nailing that solo isn't easy . It has lots of nuances in it, etc. I just meant from a purely technical standpoint.

 

[fogman]

Great topic!!!

I think the relevance of the guitar solo for non-guitar players greatly depends on the music type. U2 doesn't have any solos. But Deep Purple always does.
I think top 40 pop type music doesn't really require one, and the average listener wouldn't notice it one way or the other.
However, I think the heavier rock and metal requires a solo and is even expected from the non-musician.
I think the difference is if the song is strong in lyrics or not. Some songs only exist from their 'content' whereas some are hugely popular from it's sound regardless of the words.
How many times have you been to a party or bar and you see some guy playing air guitar at the solo??? I can guarantee they're probably not musicians. I've also seen women playing air guitar as well.
With that, the solo obviously does something for them and is therefore important to that particular song.

I know before playing guitar, the whole thing that attracted me to the instrument was either power chords or solos.
I don't find a drive in wanting to be a rythm player (not knocking it's importance).

to a non musician, guitar solos are more impressive when they watch it rather than just listen to it, and by watch i mean 'watch and listen' of course.

on a cd or on the radio, guitar solos are just in one ear and out the other, but in concert, they take notice.

It works for me too! There have been times where a certain guitarist/solo has never done much for me until I've seent it played, then I grow a whole new appreciation for it.

As ba2m said, the solo has to be a great part of the song. I know a lot of non guitarists will hum a riff like Black Dog by Led Zeppelin. They will also hum a signature melody, like American Woman by The Guess Who (from my home town, so I had to pick one from them ).

I think that guitarists, along with other music aficionados, appreciate the top players like Steve Morse, Vai. Metheny, etc. The non players will generally search for a hook of some kind. The opening drum beat of Walk This Way, the keyboards in Viva la Vida (sorry Satch!), the piano of Linus and Lucy etc.

agreed

and before I ever even touched a guitar, I could hum every single note to certain songs. Solos included.
There just some songs that wouldn't be what they are if not for their solos.
As mentioned already...Jump....Stairway to Heaven...

 

[Dizzy]

Absolutely,

From the time I was a kid I was captivated by the sound of lead guitar.
(I was obsessed with Sultans of Swing as a 4-5 yr old)

There'd be plenty of songs around that I can 'hear' the solos in my head, but wouldn't have a clue about the lyrics.

 

[dwells]

Guitar slos what got me interested in guitar ,so yeah they have there place But it's all about a good song,a solo is the icing on the cake for me
a good leadtone usually comes from a good rythm tone.
November rain woul just benovember with out the solos:

 

[whitestrat]

"Still got the blues" is one song I can think of that made it big purely because of the guitar solo. The rest of the song was so-so.