Steve Morse Fans!

[yesandno]

>I think your comment about Steve recycling lines is an interesting one- to my ears, >you're right in the sense that sometimes I'll hear the same (or very similar) licks in >different places, but I'm not sure I can think of an example of one that turns a tune >into a "clunker"- can you provide an example of what you're thinking about?

Oh God, I can't think of any off the top of my head. I'd have to go through everything! ;D
I guess what I mean is, there are those songs where everything is just nailed right...pure zen....all the ingredients are there......and then there's the ones where I hear retreaded lines and it.....ah,ya know....just don't quite hit the mark, so to speak. Maybe "fall flat" is more apt. However, its not as common in his tunes as I may make it out to be. Its just when I notice it, I notice it.
Don't get me wrong...as far as I'm concerned, he's THE man. He's my all around favorite.
I am not worthy!

 

[savannah_sean]

>Oh God, I can't think of any off the top of my head. I'd have to go through everything! ;D

Don't get me wrong...as far as I'm concerned, he's THE man. He's my all around favorite.
I am not worthy!

Although it might be kind of a fun experiment (for us uber- Morse fans) to try-

I didn't get you wrong- and my post wasn't a challenge- it's just an interesting observation that you made. Like for instance, how many different places does Yngwie play the exact same harmonic minor lick. Sure, it's lightning fast and sounds awesome, but...

But really, this applies to most guitarists. I can think of a few licks that David Gilmour has played in more than one place, for example.

This raises another question (which, admittedly is totally off the subject of Steve Morse, but what the hell): I have this instructional video by Scott Henderson, which is about improvising over different chords, and on it he says something to the effect of: "when you're soloing, your playing should be about 50% total improvisation, and 50% licks that you already know..." and he talks about the importance of phrasing and being careful to tastefully insert the licks into your solos. Now, I never really learned any licks, and when I practice soloing over chords, it's pretty much 100% improvisation (which is glaringly obvious in my lack of quality phrasing)- I just wondered how some of you other improvisors approach this- do you guys have stock "licks" that you've memorized, or do you just jam? I know that after practicing over the same progression for a long time, I sort of gravitate toward some pattern, or "lick" or melody, so that eventually I'm not improvising anymore, but typically my approach is to think: "OK, these chords are dm-7 and em-7, so I can play d-dorian and throw in an f-sharp or two to get outside"...but I don't really have too many "licks"

 

[kbaim]

I think a reason why shredding sounds a bit the same from song to song is the practice of racing up and down scales.

Brian May was a guitarist (along with Gilmour) whose soloing always sounded like it fit the song perfectly. And it did because it was worked out. Composed like the rest of the song.

My feeling is steve strikes the perfect balance between beautifully worked out lines and the speedy stuff that gives you the adrenaline rush.

 

[NorM]

I have to know every note I am playing before I will perform a song in public.

In the liner notes of Structural Damage the last song / title track is said to be a rehash of Cruise Missile. I think it was something about someone wanted to use Cruise Missile for a movie soundtrack or something and the record label said "no". So Steve re recorded it with enough changes to avoid a Fogerty type lawsuit and put it on Structural Damage.

Being born and raised in Nashville I am just jaded by the record industry.
But I do love to play guitar.

 

[yesandno]

>I didn't get you wrong- and my post wasn't a challenge- <snip>

Oh, no..I didn't take it that way at all. We're all fans and I really love discussing this stuff.
Now I realise I wasn't talking so much about improvisational passages, in which case, sure, everyone has a dictionary of licks and pure going for it-never been played before licks as you said. I guess I was more talking about the actual written out motif passages that define the song for what it is.

>My feeling is steve strikes the perfect balance between beautifully worked out lines and the speedy stuff that gives you the adrenaline rush. <snip>
Kbaim hits the nail on the head.

Cheers
Jon

 

[Hookpunch]

I think Savannah Sean hit it, almost every guitarist can be accused of re-treading his licks.

I cannot think of one with Steve's versatility though, who else can play on one cd - a electric shred , country , jazz, celtic and classical and play them all like they are his forte. I love Satriani and Vai, but Steve can play electric rock with them, then pick up a nylon string classical and play with Manuel Barrueco - Satch and Vai sure couldn't do that.

As for Purple - having seen Steve play with them - he is fantastic with the Purple stuff.

 

[SteveB]

I've copped some of my own licks in multiple songs. Sometimes I've done it intentionally for thematic purposes. Other times it's because I improvised something and drew a card from the deck of licks in the moment, and in the end I kept the improv.

 

[savannah_sean]

I think Savannah Sean hit it, almost every guitarist can be accused of re-treading his licks.

I wasn't meaning to say that playing the same licks in different places is something to be accused of, per se...it's just something that happens, and sometimes it's more obvious than others.

I know there are some licks I tend to play alot, just because it feels natural for my fingers to move that way (particularly when playing pentatonic scales)...sometimes I really hate it because as I play I'm thinking "D'OH! I gotta make my fingers stop doing that!"

 

[Hookpunch]

I wasn't meaning to say that playing the same licks in different places is something to be accused of, per se...it's just something that happens, and sometimes it's more obvious than others.

I know there are some licks I tend to play alot, just because it feels natural for my fingers to move that way (particularly when playing pentatonic scales)...sometimes I really hate it because as I play I'm thinking "D'OH! I gotta make my fingers stop doing that!"

Point taken SS - accused might have negative connatations.