Death of the Guitar Solo

squid · Post by **squid** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:13 am

Here's a long but interesting read posted on the CBC's website about how uncool guitar solos have become. Guess I don't have to worry about my ****** lead playing anymore.

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/guitarsolos.html

tony_carey · Post by **tony_carey** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:45 am

Hmmm, I think a pinch of salt is called for here!

bob_the_bass · Post by **bob_the_bass** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:50 am

A sack full me-thinks !!

longhouse · Post by **longhouse** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 5:53 am

Interesting.

Some of my songs have solos, some do not. Sometimes the guitar must be used to kick @$$. At these times I strap on my size 52 boots.

Other times it's a tool for providing ornamentation or simple melody. At these times I try to be articulate and clean.

It's all music at the end of the day. You find the balance; the expression that happens somewhere between the song and the self.

It's all music.

jeff_ulmer · Post by **jeff_ulmer** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 6:38 am

Fortunately I don't listen to the news or care about being cool.

The last album I released featured a 9.5 minute instrumental which was for all intents one big solo, and a fan favorite. To me there is little difference between voicing with the guitar or another instrument and using a vocalist. As long as they tell a story and aren't just a bunch of wanking, it's all good.

Long live the guitar solo! Drum solos on the other hand...

bitzerguy · Post by **bitzerguy** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 7:30 am

I guess Rics will become even more popular then, knocking the great soloing guitars off their pedestals, because everyone knows Rics aren't for soloing.

Pardon me while I go brush up Frankenstein on the 660/12...

...Dean

winston · Post by **winston** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:16 am

Well once again I am behind the times. I guess I'll have to move to bass to do my noodling er ... soloing.

sowhat · Post by **sowhat** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:20 am

Bass solo is a great thing. Maybe the greatest. IMHO.

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:32 am

No surprise to me since the quality of musicians on the radio has been dropping steadily for about fifteen years. The idea that soloing was uncool no doubt originated with those who couldn't play a solo in the first place. By starting a vibe that soloing is uncool, they protect themselves from any expectations of ever actually learning their craft. I got a free copy of Guitar World magazine that comes with a CD of stuff in the mag. When I put it on, I thought there was something wrong 'cause all I heard was very sparse guitar playing with very poor tecnique...and NO LEADS!

jeff_ulmer · Post by **jeff_ulmer** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:05 am

I think that ANY instrument can and should be featured in an artist's work, assuming of course that there is something engaging about it. Sure, there are some genres where soloing isn't necessary, but there is room for everything if done with taste and artistry. I would agree that the level of talent in a lot of today's popular music is extremely lacking, including musicianship, songwriting, arranging and production.

If, on the other hand, you have nothing to say, why not do everyone a favor and shut up!

woodsgirl · Post by **woodsgirl** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 9:08 am

Yeah, Sheena, I play lead on my bass all the time! It is very popular, though not a bass "solo"!

expomick · Post by **expomick** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 11:49 am

guitar solos...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

WAIT, I'm being unfair...love the solo from "I Wanna Be Sedated", which is exactly what I'm clamouring to be when I gotta sit through another guitar solo...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 1:56 pm

Dane: Let's be honest here. It is the NUMBER of musicians on the radio that has declined. So much passes for music now. What with prefabricated Disney style acts, computer generated drum tracks and rampant sampling. Art seems to have gone out of the equation.

johnallg · Post by **johnallg** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 2:46 pm

Where would "Reelin' in the Years" be without the guitar solo?!

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Tue Aug 15, 2006 2:51 pm

Watered down.