Guitar Tricks - What ever happened to the guitar solo???

Willdridge

11-25-2001, 03:58 AM

I thought about this when I heard a Nu-Metal band do a solo and I came up with this conclusion.
Solo's decended into absolute meaninglessness (is that word?...It is now!) They just became a way of filling a few seconds on the song rather than an expression of the guitarist. Instead of playing to fit the song, a lot of guitarist played to showcase their abilities and (in a lot of cases) simply weren't all that good I've noticed.
Also, if you look at a lot of the band structures, there's often only one guitarist nowadays and in a live situation, take away the rhythm guitarist and often a song will lose alot of its power and drive. I think a lot of people realised it was a lot more important to maintain the riff throughout the song rather than take a 20 something second solo.
Will it continue? I don't think so - at least, I hope not. Some new, more mainstream bands are bringing solos back, while some bands never stopped doing them. I think given a little bit of time, the up and coming "kids" will get bored of what they're getting at the moment and perhaps go back a generation or so, discover what influnced their influences or perhaps just us, the fans of soloing...I guess time will tell!
Anyone any other thoughts?...

zepp_rules

11-25-2001, 11:11 AM

here's my very cynical view: the guitarists today do not have the skill to perform a solo.

however, i know that's not completely true. there are many factors. i don't think it's because there is only one guitarist, because i can name hundreds of bands that with on guitarist that still performed great solos. (Zeppelin, J.H. Experience) anyways, nowadays everything being crunched down into a three minute pop song. in addition, in todays record industry i've noticed that you don't necessarily need talent to succeed. anyways i am major cynic when i comes to tdays music. there may be other reasons.

Willdridge

11-25-2001, 11:24 AM

I think you've got a point. I'm not sure whether it's down to skill as such, but perhaps after the eighties' somewhat flamboyant solos, people got wanted something completely different...hence no solos!
You're right too about being condensed into a 3 minute pop song. I think the music business has become a lot more of an industry than a profession...It's not about being popular than being talented. I wouldn't apply this so much to the guitar bands that are around, but the lack of popular guitar bands in the "industry" means has given birth to the lack of a lot of deserved talent.
Something that's just come to mind is also the change in music styles...Guitar's aren't overly mainstream any more so perhaps that's why we're not hearing as many solos any more?...
Hmmmmm...I think you've opened a very interesting subject - let's get everyone's views here!

lalimacefolle

11-25-2001, 03:46 PM

first time I heard "killing in the name of" by Rage against the machine, I just went "Huh?" might not be a shred fest nor very hard to play, but dang, makes you go "wow"... And it was on the air!! (maybe a long time ago, but it was cool)

AuralXiter

11-26-2001, 10:23 PM

It's all about what trend that's out or not out.
It's all about what type of music we're talking about.
A lot of truth on the posts. It got real boring when everybody copied Eruption but they couldn't come up with their own.

I think the problem is lack of creativity. I got bored so I started listening to guys like Matheny, and S. Henderson. These guys have speed and content which is more important.
A lot of guys (and girls) don't know what a song needs. Solos aren't the answer for every song.
If you play too many nobody wants to hear them. If you play just enough the'll beg for more.
it's all about variety. That's what makes the whole thing come together

crazyguy

11-27-2001, 05:50 AM

There were '60 and early '70, and then there was punk. There were '80 and then came grunge. I have no idea what this nu-metal crap has to do with that, but all that looks like a cycle to me.
Although I mostly listen to the likes of Steve Vai and Buckethead, my perfect solo is more "November Rain"-like, so I'd say it's not only the lack of technical abilities, but the overall impact of the music. It is not (at least for me) as emotionally involved as it used to be. It seems people want shallow music they can listen while having lunch and relaxing after work.
Last, but definitelly not the least, is the industry: If they make the "no-solos-easy-for-playing" music commercial, they get millions of kids buying guitars (and other instruments, for that matter) thinking they could do it themselves. But, in a way, that makes centuries of musical heritage painfully obsolete. And that, for me, is the real problem.

u10ajf

11-27-2001, 09:17 AM

OK, I think this thread seems a bit pessimistic but I agree with most of it. Commercial tunes generally only purvey single-mindedly trite ideas about "love" (itself a complex topic that most people seem too stupid to write anything really revealing about) and add some cheesy pop-riff that you don't need any musical aptitude to remember and wish to hell you couldn't!
I think that what guitarists need to do is to cultivate a shift in empthasis away from the whole idea of grand guitar solo vying with mainstream music to using their technique to properly augment their music. A guitar solo doesn't have to be long to be impressive. With the levels of technical knowledge available to players today there are ways of packing blistering licks into impossibly small spaces without losing the drive of the song. What's wrong with players dropping in the occasional explosion of dexterity every now and again and keeping the real solos a bit more tuneful and radio friendly - like for instance David Gilmours solos on the Pink FLoyd album division bell? 1 or 2 seconds of tapping/sweeping says all anyone needs to know about your abillity to play scarily fast. Add these up during the course of a song and you have.. a complete solo slot. Such short-lived displays of virtuosity are also hard for even the most bigoted of DJs to edit out!
Perhaps eventually people will eventually come to like the guitar again and being able to play it properly will become fashionable just like it was in the 80s. Perhaps next time round everyone will realise that shredding isn't an aim in itself but simply a great way of adding rhythmic variation and colour to their playing.

chris mood

11-27-2001, 11:24 AM

It seems with modern music that the guitar is taking a back seat to the bass and drums. The bass and drummers are kicking, some real good players doing some interesting stuff, but not much happening in the guitar dept. It seems almost uncool to be a good player anymore. Guess thats why I get so bored so easily with the modern rock.

Christoph

11-27-2001, 12:45 PM

Originally posted by chris mood
It seems with modern music that the guitar is taking a back seat to the bass and drums.

Yup, there are some incredible dummers and bassists out there now, but if the guitarist dares to do anything but bang on a few power chords, forget it. You're too 80's man!

u10ajf

11-28-2001, 02:45 PM

Kicking drummers and bassists make great music in their own right. Heretical though this sounds I listen to some fabulous music without any guitar players in it but if these players are so great then surely their egos are not so fragile they can't play with other acommplished players. Ever heard of Dream theater?

educatedfilm

11-28-2001, 05:10 PM

right..just a quick word... Hendrix, Zepplin, The doors, Pink flyde etc are all greats, but remember you have the benifit of retrospect... When these bands were around, there was alot of crap then as well, but it's all be forgotten (praise the lord)... So there will always be this mentality of "yeah, the new music is no good"...

A solo is be no means an essentail part of the song, and you dont really need it... It's actaully worse (i find), to have a routine song, with perdictable solo... Right I'm gonna say something against Gun's and roses, so hold on, right, Slashs solos are ok, but sadly they're over hyped to proposterous levels, and sadly they're quite cheezy... now if you look at a band like Radio head, and listen to the solo from "paraniod android", you'll see it's not preditable or cheesy, unless you've heard the solo from "just", which isn't too disimlar ... what I'm trying to say is that you can over do it with solos... Why not have keyboard or bass solos, or the hell with solos...
Anyway that's just my humble oppinion..

chris mood

11-28-2001, 08:23 PM

Personally I like solos, thats why I love jazz, cause everybody solos all the time.............................!!!
the solo gives us an uninhibited view into the mind of the artist (maybe thats why you find Slash's solos cheezy)

u10ajf

11-29-2001, 10:16 AM

I'm with Chris on that one but quite agree that solos aren't strictly necesary and very often cover the same ground to the point that they are cheesy; it's so easy to play the same shapes again and again simply cause they're easy to do fast. I'm getting bloody bored of my soloing. I'm even getting bored of some really smart guitarists, I know how important a good song is.

Ken Grassfoot

11-29-2001, 10:51 AM

MTV has shoved dance music down the throats of the hungry consumer. People want the same four count heavy bass drum beat in everything they listen to. It is even an underlying theme in other types of music. Radio will only play what they think people want to hear. They think people dislike guitar bands, and the labels are scared of guitarists right now. Playing live is evidence to me that people still love a killer guitar solo. We do it with our 3 piece in about 80% of our original material. I think it will come back around, people will get tired of the steady dance beat thing, and guitar solos that really come from the soul will be heard on the air once more.

thomflash

11-30-2001, 02:31 PM

indeed, the guitar is getting more into the rhythm section again (think James Brown, but ok, different).
Lallimacefolle is right: when I heard the Rage stuff, the first album, I learned to play every song and hey it basically wasn't all that difficult. But at the same time that the catch: seemingly simple things can be really hard to play fully with the heart and soul. Only after years one discerns an evolution within oneself in doing so. Frusciante (RHCP) can sometimes give so much in playing so few-noted solos.

Azrael

12-01-2001, 05:42 PM

I can only say - there ARE guitarist that still play GREAT solos!

JEFF BECK ( do i need to say more??)
STEVE LUKATHER (he knows what a song needs)
DIETER LIBUDA (unknown dude from my hometown - can be compared with Beck - noone knows how he does that)
etc...

Solo is not dead - it´s what YOU make of it ;)

-=[Azrael]=-

Vertigo

12-02-2001, 04:25 AM

I still believe the Solo is an art.

Some of the greatest solo's make me want to be a better guitarplayer...they are my urge.

someone said it earlier...you had punk...grunge...and now nu-metal. It's just a fase. I don't say i don't like these styles (i love system of a down) but they will never be as immortal as 'the classics'

jac0me

12-03-2001, 01:56 AM

Sorry guys but what about Billy Corgan and the ex-Smashing Pumpkins, they had some sick solos, yet no-one seems to have metntioned them...

trebledamage

12-03-2001, 07:22 AM

Don't get me wrong, I don't want to see a return to the days of Winger, Poison, and White Lion. Soloing just for the sake of soloing gets just as old as all of this "teen angst" music you hear on the radio today. I'm not saying that I hate nu-metal--it kicks ass when you're work out--I just won't buy any of it because it gets old quickly. I'm just hopeful that music sees a return to the days of the "megabands," where the solos were as memorable as the songs themselves. To the guy who mentioned Jeff Beck -- he is still one of my personal favorites. I have also heard some buzz about a guy named Derek Trucks. A friend saw his band open for Gov't Mule a couple of years ago and said that he was pretty incredible.

chris mood

12-03-2001, 10:53 AM

DEREK TRUCKS is the son of one of the original Allman Bros. members. He also has his own record label and signs a lot of the jam bands. When not touring with his own band he tours with the allmans.
check out Indigenous, this guy (Mato) really rocks
http://www.indigenousrocks.com

[Edited by chris mood on 12-03-2001 at 11:55 AM]

lynng

12-03-2001, 02:13 PM

I've been hanging back waiting for this to be said:

"MTV has shoved dance music down the throats of the hungry consumer. People want the same four count heavy bass drum beat in everything they listen to."

Give it a time and it'll swing back around (if we live long enough)

lynchnbones3

12-06-2001, 02:20 PM

George Lynch......theres one i didnt here about....Hes coming back with Jeff Pilson...i guess there going to start a trio thing that will be SO KICK ASS to here them again....yes iam 80`s , grew up Dokken,Lynch Mob......

LynchnBones3

jonfrinkle

12-10-2001, 11:50 AM

I know this has probably already been said, but the amount of music you get out is only what you put in. I know a lot of people expect to pick up the guitar and be able to play anything they want. For me it has to do with what i listen to. If i listen to a lot of inspirational music then that starts to expand my mind a little bit. That's one of the many reasons why i hate some of the stuff that's out there today. It's a three minute song with four power chords and a bunch of effects from a processor. It also has to do with the fact that some kids just don't want to take the time to better themselves at there intrument. Sure they might know every chord ever writen but they can't play a solo to save there life.

ibanezmp

12-12-2001, 12:13 PM

In my opinion Solos are the basis of a really good song. I am out to bring solos back. I am 14 and have a lot of talent and am useing it to put solos back on track.
Take... Well Crazy Train for example. You don't see people doing that kind of thing today!I love solos.Myself and my freind frank have learned that guitar solos are our life.And life wouldn't be the same without them.

pstring

12-13-2001, 10:03 AM

What killed the solo? Too many bands with shallow songwriting, combined with too many guitarists who thought they were the next EVH, and played too many notes, showing off the latest technique, until you couldn't tell one band from another. If you want to revive the solo, write good songs, and make you solo part of the song, not the other way around, every solo shouldn't be an excuse to play as fast as you can, a chainsaw is fine for cutting wood but people really don't want to hear a chainsaw everytime the guitarist takes a solo.

snimbkar

12-13-2001, 11:19 AM

snimbkar

12-13-2001, 02:13 PM

Originally posted by ibanezmp
In my opinion Solos are the basis of a really good song. I am out to bring solos back. I am 14 and have a lot of talent and am useing it to put solos back on track.
Take... Well Crazy Train for example. You don't see people doing that kind of thing today!I love solos.Myself and my freind frank have learned that guitar solos are our life.And life wouldn't be the same without them.

Good post dude. A perfect example of what a solo can do for a song is Michael Jackson's "Beat It" . The song is pretty mundane but when Eddy kicks in, The song just comes alive and goes to another level.

chris mood

12-14-2001, 12:47 PM

Did you ever notice that in just about every Van Halen song the solo section is different then the rest of the song? He hardly ever solos over the verse or chorus format but instead creates a seperate section for the guitar solo. It makes for a more interesting composition.

snimbkar

12-14-2001, 01:21 PM

Originally posted by chris mood
Did you ever notice that in just about every Van Halen song the solo section is different then the rest of the song? He hardly ever solos over the verse or chorus format but instead creates a seperate section for the guitar solo. It makes for a more interesting composition.

Chris That is an EXCELLENT Point. You hit upon an important issue. The beauty of the solo is that it should tell a "story within a Story". And That doesn't happen when the solo is "genericized" (i.e. soloing over the same chord progression as the verse or chorus). In my original compositions, I always solo in a different Key/mode than the rest of the song. A trick I heard from Satch,Eddie,Vai. It's almost like artists today are Afraid to change keys at all because they'll lose the listener, the "fast-food", flash-card, 0 attention span listeners that our culture is mass producing.

lalimacefolle

12-14-2001, 01:50 PM

well, I hear solos all the time in jazz!!
If you look for them on the TV and radio, switch to internet radios, actually, there's cool rock bands in europe
http://www.freakkitchen.com there's a whole album with scary solos on it...

StratsGalore

12-14-2001, 04:04 PM

I guess it depends on what type of music we're talking about. Solos are fading in the world of commercial alternative modern rock, but they're still alive and well in jazz and fusion. Scott Henderson is living proof of that. Vital Tech Tones feature solos on just about every cut. Of course with no vocals, there's tons of space for blowing. I agree with the Gibson ad that says, "lyrics: wasted time between solos". Matter of fact, I'm gonna put that as my signature!

snimbkar

12-17-2001, 07:49 AM

Originally posted by StratsGalore
I guess it depends on what type of music we're talking about. Solos are fading in the world of commercial alternative modern rock, but they're still alive and well in jazz and fusion. Scott Henderson is living proof of that. Vital Tech Tones feature solos on just about every cut. Of course with no vocals, there's tons of space for blowing. I agree with the Gibson ad that says, "lyrics: wasted time between solos". Matter of fact, I'm gonna put that as my signature!

Two guys that I feel are VERY underrated in their soloing abilities are David Gilmour and Mark Knopfler (sp?). You know you have played a great solo when the listener can "hum" it by itself, and their solos are so musical

snimbkar

12-17-2001, 01:20 PM

Originally posted by lalimacefolle
well, I hear solos all the time in jazz!!
If you look for them on the TV and radio, switch to internet radios, actually, there's cool rock bands in europe
http://www.freakkitchen.com there's a whole album with scary solos on it...

Europe is WAY AHEAD of things in some respects than the U.S. The concept of "loyalty" exists in Europe.Many bands that are 'yesterdays news' in the U.S. are still popular in Europe, particularly the Metal Bands, Iron Maiden, Dio, Judas Priest,etc... In Sweden Jazz in HUGE from what I understand. It's one aspect of the U.S. that dissapointments me. We live in such a Short-Term society in terms of music, and many other things.

educatedfilm

12-17-2001, 03:32 PM

hmmm... There's a little more "loyalty" over here (not much more though)...
Still I'm unconvinced of the whole solo thing... Bands who solo too much burned out the trend (I'm talking about the mainstream), The "anti-playing" trend burned it self out... both were SWEEEET at their peak, but there is only so much you can take before it starts to sounds repeatative...
Anyway, that's my humble oppinion.. (anyway, what about the other more intresting syle of playing in the 80's, yeah, I'm talking about "blondie", "Talking heads" and the slightly depressing yet fasinating "Joy Division"?... New wave?... I love that.. that a prime example of an era with geat song writing combined with great melodies, but even then there was the crap... By the way what ever happened to the "specials"?)

snimbkar

12-18-2001, 07:16 AM

Originally posted by educatedfilm

Anyway, that's my humble oppinion.. (anyway, what about the other more intresting syle of playing in the 80's, yeah, I'm talking about "blondie", "Talking heads" and the slightly depressing yet fasinating "Joy Division"?... New wave?... I love that.. that a prime example of an era with geat song writing combined with great melodies, but even then there was the crap... By the way what ever happened to the "specials"?)

There were a lot of GREAT bands from the 80s that never got the accolades and respect they deserved, The two that jump out to me are Living Color and Kings X. Bands that were way ahead of their time. Also , bands like the Fixx, Eurythmics, Big Country. It's too bad really, some great , great stuff.

Living color is playing a reunion tour currently. They just played in my town. Of course I didn't hear about it until the next day...Arghh!!!

Zeppelin

12-18-2001, 01:01 PM

i dont think that europe is more open to "clasic" rock stuff than the usa
good example for it are KWS and Jonny lang. I searched for records of those two guys in every possible shop in israel, and my dad searched for them in europe (prague and germany)
and we werent able to find them
luckily by the end i found jonny lang's album in some shop here around, but the point is, that even SRV was a major star in the usa, while almost unknown in europe

snimbkar

12-18-2001, 01:42 PM

Originally posted by Zeppelin
i dont think that europe is more open to "clasic" rock stuff than the usa
good example for it are KWS and Jonny lang. I searched for records of those two guys in every possible shop in israel, and my dad searched for them in europe (prague and germany)
and we werent able to find them
luckily by the end i found jonny lang's album in some shop here around, but the point is, that even SRV was a major star in the usa, while almost unknown in europe

Yes I was generalizing , but then again bands like Iron Maiden, Dio, Judas Priest, Scorpions, MSG, Still play the Donnington Festival, and damn near sell it out. All these bands play the club circuit (for the most part) in the USA while 12 years ago everyone (except MSG) was playing Arenas.
Then There are guys like Yngwie, Who lives in a mansion in Miami, and has a garage full of Ferraris. Which he certainly did not buy from any 'American' royalties.

Barreta_jetstream1

12-22-2001, 09:41 AM

Not since the late 80's or early 90's has there been a decent complex guitar solo in a popular song.

this isn't true but the problem is that the solo is nolonger mainstream. the few guitar bands that are mainstream make it very hard for solo-players to make it. as many have said, the solo isn't dead, it is just hiding from ridicule. personaly i can't wait for the solo to reture to the world, as proud and powerfull as it always was, but i think we cound be in for a long wait

snimbkar

12-24-2001, 07:58 AM

Originally posted by Barreta_jetstream1
Not since the late 80's or early 90's has there been a decent complex guitar solo in a popular song.

this isn't true but the problem is that the solo is nolonger mainstream. the few guitar bands that are mainstream make it very hard for solo-players to make it. as many have said, the solo isn't dead, it is just hiding from ridicule. personaly i can't wait for the solo to reture to the world, as proud and powerfull as it always was, but i think we cound be in for a long wait

Let's face it, In "Rock" music today, The Guitar Solo has been replaced by the turntable. Sad Indeed!

lalimacefolle

12-24-2001, 08:05 AM

I've heard a tune by Daft Punk, a dance music band...
At the end of the tune, there's a solo with a moog sound (it's a synthesizer that uses analog circuits, so it sounds warm) that was pretty close to the first van halen's albums sound... And actually, it also has some amazing licks, that sound like tapping ans sweeping... Maybe the guitar solo is not there on its own, but you still can hear interesting stuff... (there's another tune by that band that uses the intro of ACDC's thunderstruck, pretty cool...)

Barreta_jetstream1

12-24-2001, 01:29 PM

Let's face it, In "Rock" music today, The Guitar Solo has been replaced by the turntable. Sad Indeed!

too true!
unfortunetly!
the whole point of rock music by its very definition is based around the guitar so why is it getting the back seat? i can see why some people could praise "nu-metal" for what it is doing to the popularity of the guitar, after all anything that will encorage someone to pick up a guitar can't be all bad, but i do agree the guitarist is been give less than their fair share of the limelight. the problem is, what can anyone do about it? record companies are terified of change. thats why they all churn out identical manufactured bands. what the world needs is for somone to show them real rock music, not looped break beats and rap!

educatedfilm

12-24-2001, 05:50 PM

Glad that someone has mention daft punk! My favourite song by them is "aerodynamic", but there are tracks like "digital love" which have better giutar solos, they're "happy" sounding, but they've gone alittle bit over the top with vocoders (or pitch altering machines, as you call them across the pond) ... I like the cheesy mangaesque vidoes... Reminds me of alot of the cartoons i used to watch as a kid... Personally I'm glad to se the back of the routine solo... I love solos, but as long as they dont become mundane, dont sound similar, and they're not cheesey.... doesnt matter wether it's eighties or rockabilty or whatever... Still, for me, Hendrix really hits the spot... He doesn't really have the predictable key changes, or the gaps or whatever, the song just flows...

lalimacefolle

12-24-2001, 06:17 PM

The problem is that we are whining about how good hendrix was, how the solos used to be great... We have to see the future of music, and it's not whining here that will make it brighter... I work everyday in schools, and I know that a lot of those kids will play the guitar later in their lifes, because I teach them to appreciate it, and the music that comes with it... I also know my way around ACID and the REBIRTH (two techno/dance softwares) and I have taught them how to use them both, because we are writing a musical... And they asked me "can we put some of your guitar loops in it??" well, no problem, because that's what music is about...
Take what you've heard, blend it in your own way, say what you have to say, make the noise you were meant to do... Enjoy....

educatedfilm

12-24-2001, 06:43 PM

Hold on, I'm all for working with out rules, simply with the soul goal of producing a good peice of music...

snimbkar

12-26-2001, 07:23 AM

record companies are terified of change. thats why they all churn out identical manufactured bands. what the world needs is for somone to show them real rock music, not looped break beats and rap!
[/B]

Nothing changes. The Popular music industry is forever changed by Artists like Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Fleetwood Mac, and Mostly Peter Frampton. Since they sold millions of albums in the 70s, things changed overnight. Milli-Vanilli epitomized the "cookie-cutter" mentality of the industry perfectly, i.e. Just "look" the part and we'll take care of the rest. There were some hair bands that didn't even play on their records! Sure they were musicians and could play live, but not in the studio. The 70's were an exciting time because so many different voices were heard (musically) bands like Steely Dan, Zeppelin, Yes, Journey, Lynyrd Skynyrd. All played on the same radio station and each band had a completely different sound. I doubt we will ever see another Yes, because audiences are used to the 4 minute cookie cutter song. The closest thing to Yes that had any sort of success was Dream Theater.

lalimacefolle

12-26-2001, 08:03 AM

Bands that have talent have a strong fan base, and they can live thanks to their music, of course, they don't make millions, and they don't have as much recognition as they deserve, but they live thanks to their art...
And that's a good start...

booth421

12-29-2001, 08:16 PM

El Groupo:
I may be way off(I get that often), but I don't distinguish much between cord parts and soloing.. I always place quirky fills, and stabs of strangeness when playing the rythym.. I look toward Jeff beck, Les Paul, and Chet Atkins for examples of this..Listen to the cords in back of the solo or verse, they kill me..
I prefer not to take a Solo vs. Cord stance.. If the song calls for a solo, I am obligated to serve it up with more than a little hot sauce.
Sad fact: Most of the time nobody knows or cares what I am doing during the verse, or how the bridge anticipates and sets up the solo. They never did care. Only other obsessive musicians actually "hear" what's going on, and sometimes they are thinking about their laundry list.
For those who agonize and wring their hands because shred is dead, don't worry, something else will come up.. Plenty of solos to be had in country..

"Why wallow with eagles, when you can soar with pigs."
Dr. Hunter S. Thompon

lalimacefolle

12-30-2001, 05:53 AM

If you listen to Van halen's songs, he's even a better rhythm player than soloist!!!

snimbkar

12-31-2001, 09:02 AM

Originally posted by lalimacefolle
If you listen to Van halen's songs, he's even a better rhythm player than soloist!!!

Yes no doubt, I agree. Think about it, aside from the "tapping", The majority of Eddie's licks have already been played a hundred times by Clapton, And Eddie would probably be the first to admit that. IMO, Eddie's biggest contribution has been the addition of Rhythm playing to the Hard Rock/Metal Genre. A cue I feel he took from Blackmore who is an excellent Rhythm player. Speaking of Eddie, has anyone heard any news about Sir Edward? The last I heard, He was in remission from Cancer, but that's all.

lalimacefolle

12-31-2001, 08:46 PM

I know that the die hard fans are pretty mad after the band because they haven't let out anything, so wild rumors go around. You can check the official and the unofficial sites
http://www.vanhalen.com (unofficial) http://www.van-halen.com (official)

nechako

01-02-2002, 05:58 PM

When I look back at the 80's(the sick 80's), I don't see a whole lot I like; I'm ashamed to have grown up in them sometimes. Hendrix opened a door of perception to a new sound, it was now acceptable to play freely, for a while. Then every caulk rocker on the planet was more interested in looking cool and convincing mindless multitudes that they were great, with the audacity of there leather pants and wanna be rock, a totally artless sound. And where are they now? True art lives on amidst the "fill" of wanna be soundslike music solos. Most music is just the backdrop for a great sound aching to amerge upon the planet, the true spirit is tired of this planet, its saturated with illusion and white noise: its the universe that yerns for the music of artists like Bach, Hendrix, SRV, Enya, Metheney, Black Sabbath(earlyyrs). Great soloing is creation itself speaking uninhibited through a medium(an artist), not an egomaniac looking for fame-their music may shock you but it will never move the spirit in you. 80's rock was the death force trying to smother out life spirit in dull Telsa riffs and other such garbage. Modeless music sux in other words, play with the modes and the circle of 5th's 4th's and let the emotion flow uninhibited by how cool you want to be and the music will visit you and play "with" you. Music is the voices of angels the emotions of creation and is alive, and is disgusted by ego(rap), there is another force in the universe that takes care of the artless forms,a dark lifeless entity that entices with luxury and forfits all its promises leaving the follower reeling in a loneliness undecribable.

snimbkar

01-03-2002, 07:22 AM

But The 80's weren't ALL bad. They did give us Megadeth, Queensryche, Metallica, Living Color,Anthrax,Iron Maiden,Randy Rhoads,Satriani, George Lynch,Prince. Just like everything else, the solo became homogenized (32 bars after the bridge, Aeolian, with tapping, dive bombs, and artificial harmonics). Love him or Hate him, Slash changed that to a degree, when he got back to basics on Appetite for Destruction. I guess you always have to take the good with the bad, because for eveyone of the artists listed above, there was one Poison,Britney Foxx,Tesla,Faster Pussycat,Motley Crue etc.
The nineties gave us Nirvana, STP,Pearl Jam, Bands which I can't stand, but they also gave us Dream Theater, Pantera, Sevendust, Dave Matthews. There is always a trade off.

trebledamage

01-03-2002, 10:58 AM

Everything goes in a cycle of sorts. I think at some point you will see bands return to a more technical and theory-based style of music.

snimbkar

01-03-2002, 11:04 AM

Originally posted by trebledamage
Everything goes in a cycle of sorts. I think at some point you will see bands return to a more technical and theory-based style of music.

...and the cylce always seems to be about 20 years. The 90's were a rehash of the 70s, so logically you would think that this decade would be a rehash of the 80s. We'll see...

trebledamage

01-03-2002, 11:35 AM

Let's just hope spandex, the mullet, and parachute pants don't make a comeback as well.

snimbkar

01-03-2002, 12:29 PM

Originally posted by trebledamage
Let's just hope spandex, the mullet, and parachute pants don't make a comeback as well.

I go to my local mall these days and I see a lot of "hip" stores selling those leather studded arm bands that Judas Priest Popularized, Spandex can't be too far behind ( As long as the mini-Skirt w/ high heels comes back, I'll be happy with that !!

trebledamage

01-03-2002, 12:42 PM

The high heels, mini's and fishnet stockings are due for a comeback!!!

nechako

01-03-2002, 02:54 PM

you guys rock. I recant, there were some great 80's bands, my favorite sound for solos was Judas Priest, I never got into the look though, or lived in a trailer park. Its refreshing to see that there are musicians out there with taste and brain cells, that means you people.
My sound is mainly solos, my songs are not songs I refer to them as meditations 15, 30, 45 minutes long using drum machines/dance/techno/jazz/etc beats or even longer, however I focus on what I feel not what I think or think will sound cool-I play to entertain the universe and myself as well as anyone else who listens at my gigs. I guess trance guitar solos, sort of like heavy metal raves without the white trash.

snimbkar

01-04-2002, 07:40 AM

Originally posted by nechako
you guys rock. I recant, there were some great 80's bands, my favorite sound for solos was Judas Priest, I never got into the look though, or lived in a trailer park. Its refreshing to see that there are musicians out there with taste and brain cells, that means you people.
My sound is mainly solos, my songs are not songs I refer to them as meditations 15, 30, 45 minutes long using drum machines/dance/techno/jazz/etc beats or even longer, however I focus on what I feel not what I think or think will sound cool-I play to entertain the universe and myself as well as anyone else who listens at my gigs. I guess trance guitar solos, sort of like heavy metal raves without the white trash.

Despite what other posts might have said(check the thread 'How to play jazz'...I love playing Devil's Advocate :-) ) There is no such thing as "right" or "wrong" You'd be surprised to see my CD collection, jazz,blues,Metal,Classical,Flamenco,Even Rap. Every style of music has it's merits and you can learn just as much from a Segovia Cd as you could from an NWA CD (Granted you'd be learning different things!).
If you can hold an audiences attention for a 45min song, you're doinf something right, keep it up.

nechako

01-04-2002, 12:14 PM

The concept in western music is shifting. 60s were a good example of this, Hendrix' idea of longer tracks, Miles Davis experimenting with longer more meditative hypnotic tracks. The people thought they were onto something new, new ideas from old if you consider sitar music has been doing these concepts and more for centuries. We think of the 40's,60's,70s, a long time ago, classic rock; however it is only a flash in the pan, 50 years is nothing in evolutionary terms. Stringed instruments have been around for thousands of years, we are only part of the puzzle, and all can do the part asigned to us. So my point is great soloing will return like a screaming comet soon enough.

Big_Chief

01-07-2002, 03:26 PM

Basically one series of words will devise my master answer: consumer market research, or as i like to call it commercialism, fake rap and talentless vocalists have hit the stage and sadly enough became popular, therefore depleting the reason to make a crowd go wild with a litle talent, man, songs today don't even require the knowledge of scales to learn them, they are basic, but hopefully we can look at this as going back to the basis of guitar playing so that we may redifine and shape what we knew as guitar yesterday

lalimacefolle

01-07-2002, 03:32 PM

I think that some rappers are talented...

nechako

01-07-2002, 03:53 PM

the act of playing music is pure joy for me. I play the music that honestly entertains and inspires me, thats the pay. There are only a small number of players in the lime light at one time, why should that dictate what anyone feels. Who cares, you don't have to be in the lights of corperations to be a brilliant musician and enjoy yourself, publish your own work, set up your own jams. Remember popular music is only a very small minority of all that there is. When I started to play what honestly was "me", without trying to be something else and enjoying the pure process of it all, things started to fall into place and people respected that. People respect honesty, even if it is a little ruff around the edges.

lalimacefolle

01-07-2002, 03:58 PM

yep!

snimbkar

01-07-2002, 04:44 PM

Originally posted by Big_Chief
Basically one series of words will devise my master answer: consumer market research, or as i like to call it commercialism, fake rap and talentless vocalists have hit the stage and sadly enough became popular, therefore depleting the reason to make a crowd go wild with a litle talent, man, songs today don't even require the knowledge of scales to learn them, they are basic, but hopefully we can look at this as going back to the basis of guitar playing so that we may redifine and shape what we knew as guitar yesterday

Big Chief,

Check out a rapper named Michael Franti,and the group, Disposable Heroes of hip-hoprisy. He is One of the most incredible lyricists I have ever heard. He makes "rap- Poetry" dealing with social issues, but told in a highly metaphorical way. He is a genius. I think you'd like him.

Big_Chief

01-07-2002, 07:51 PM

regardless of the change in musical interests, why buy a gibson to play power cords? why buy a marshall tube?, a digitech gnx2?, hell u buy good enough equipment and it basically does it for you, I am no Zach Wylde, or Jimi Hendrix, I have been playing for a year, nuthin big, oh and if anyone has any tips tricks scales of key explanations I would be more than delighted to see them, but anyways, bands like rage were crawling with talent militance and education, I Idolize that band, and enjoy their work, but to top it off, the solo needs to be reborn, it is essential to all guitarists to have a little more showman-ship than gold chains and good looks.

nechako

01-08-2002, 02:30 PM

we are educating the masses, as artists that is our "job"; pack mentality is very base ie; violence, attitude, ego, aggression, assimilation, sex(all of wich usually stems from a species insecurity and need to band weak members of a tribe for security and safety). Most artless rap is gang assimilation music-war chant- pack mentality. When an animal lacks the ability to think it's way around a problem, it usually resorts to violence to get it's way. Untalented musicians use powerfull ego displays and curt lyrics to convince "spineless" members of a tribe that they are hip.

snimbkar

01-08-2002, 02:52 PM

Originally posted by nechako
we are educating the masses, as artists that is our "job"; pack mentality is very base ie; violence, attitude, ego, aggression, assimilation, sex(all of wich usually stems from a species insecurity and need to band weak members of a tribe for security and safety). Most artless rap is gang assimilation music-war chant- pack mentality. When an animal lacks the ability to think it's way around a problem, it usually resorts to violence to get it's way. Untalented musicians use powerfull ego displays and curt lyrics to convince "spineless" members of a tribe that they are hip.

Most "Gangsta" Rappers have grown up in and lived under conditions that you and I will never comprehend, Drug addiction,Drive-by shootings,Crime,Gangs,Prostitution,AIDS.Physical + Mental Abuse,Broken Families.And the people that are supposed to "help" them (the Police) usually turn a blind Eye.When They talk about violence, it is a product of their world. Do them "glamorize" it? Sure they do. But Is it any different than The way nations glamourize war, and Their own Military forces?

Big_Chief

01-08-2002, 03:51 PM

First of, a bid "Touchez" goes to those that have brought about the sometimes foalse magnitude of a solo, but think, guys like ted nugent and zakk wylde can set the emotion of a room by playing a long solo, it isn't so much as showman-ship in the solos but more or less the ability to invoke emotion to a room of listeners, I love guitar, i treat my Godin Radiator like it's me son, I feel lonely wjen it's not in the some room as i am, none of these new guitarists can possibly feel this way, it's passion that guitar players lack, the more passionate you are, the better and cooler your riffs and solos will sound, that's what it is

Kory Gallipeau

Big_Chief

01-08-2002, 03:54 PM

and to reply to snimbkar, I have lived no more different than what you have described, and rap, real rap in its truest form to me, is a coulpe of guys around a burning barrel in some ghetto passing beats and lyrics back and forth with their mouth

snimbkar

01-08-2002, 04:40 PM

Originally posted by Big_Chief
and to reply to snimbkar, I have lived no more different than what you have described, and rap, real rap in its truest form to me, is a coulpe of guys around a burning barrel in some ghetto passing beats and lyrics back and forth with their mouth

You are entitled to your opinion and I respect that opinion. I used to find nothing redeeming in Rap. But then I stopped and actually listened closely. What I admire about rappers is their ability to take a sample and use it effectively, to create a new texture. They have to know which samples to use or else their song will crash and burn. Rap is no different than Metal in many respects, both were extremely controversial when they became 'mainstream', both dealt with sexism,violence,misogyny, drug use (Checkout how many Black Sabbath, Deep Purple songs are about drug use),although Rap tends to be far more graphic. Both form of music irritate parents , and came under fire from the Gov't (PMRC).
Many people won't call rap 'music' and rappers 'artists'. I think of them as chefs. Afterall, a chef doesn't 'invent' ingredients to a meal, he takes ingredients that already exist, mixes them creatively, and makes a gourmet meal, as does the rapper, if I can continue with the metaphor.

lalimacefolle

01-08-2002, 04:46 PM

that thread was deleted due to the insults you kept throwing at others users skim!!
But I think that you can learn A LOT from nirvana in songwriting, even though you can't stand them!

Big_Chief

01-08-2002, 06:24 PM

snimbkar, you do make a great point, with these "artists" being chefs, it is a great analogy, but nonetheless, would you like to write a song, have it become famous, then say I come in, take that song, spice it up more and get more credit and money than I actually deserve?, oh and if a man by the name of Bob Revell is reading this, reply to me, I'd love to talk and catch up since I left the some day chris did.

snimbkar

01-09-2002, 07:10 AM

Originally posted by Big_Chief
snimbkar, you do make a great point, with these "artists" being chefs, it is a great analogy, but nonetheless, would you like to write a song, have it become famous, then say I come in, take that song, spice it up more and get more credit and money than I actually deserve?, oh and if a man by the name of Bob Revell is reading this, reply to me, I'd love to talk and catch up since I left the some day chris did.

They must get written permission from the original artists before they use their stuff,and the original artists get royalties, otherwise it's copyright infringement, lawsuits etc...That's the thing, the original artists don't seem to mind their stuff being used as in most cases, they are consenting.

trebledamage

01-09-2002, 07:24 AM

True. But even in this day and age there are several examples of artists who use other artists' material without permission and pay no royalties. This happens quite frequently when an artist has passed away and someone starts using their material or their likeness. Many times the artist's family members never take legal action.

snimbkar

01-09-2002, 09:43 AM

Originally posted by lalimacefolle
that thread was deleted due to the insults you kept throwing at others users skim!!
But I think that you can learn A LOT from nirvana in songwriting, even though you can't stand them!

Really I did! I couldn't get past the horrendous vocals (after being spoiled by Geoff Tate,Halford,Annie Lennox,Sinead,PJ Harvey etc..) His voice just grated on my nerves, and I couldn't take it. One artist that I try to study for songwriting tips is Elton John, Fabulous Songwriter and Excellent singer, and of course the master, John Lennon.

lalimacefolle

01-09-2002, 09:47 AM

that's right his voice was more on the screaming side than on the singing... Elton does have a beautiful voice, and he has written fabulous songs. But for shear despair, Kurt was the best, you can hear harsh feelings in his voice.

Lordathestrings

01-09-2002, 11:39 AM

Elton John writes the music. The lyrics are always written by Bernie Taupin.

lalimacefolle

01-09-2002, 11:53 AM

I've always thought that 'Bernie TAUPIN' sounded like a cartoon character's name...

Big_Chief

01-09-2002, 12:32 PM

yes, copyright infringement, forgot about that deal, but still, it's no talent to have producers say "do this song, it's not yours but you'll make more money" that's the problem,I am not gonna start a band for money, god no, I will never become a commercial pawn, I'd rather be doing remixes of K.C and the Sunshine band before I gave in. People today are weak to these messages, everyone's angry and they don't know who to be angry at, people like eminem, and Fred Durst piss the masses off and don't tell them what to be angry at, the anger today needs a focal point, and that focal point should be big business, industry, or the government.

lalimacefolle

01-09-2002, 02:22 PM

I've played with fred durst character in 'WWF just bring it' on PS2, and he has cool moves!!! I know I'm off topic, leave me aloooooooooone.... Cough COugh...

Jay C. James

01-09-2002, 02:37 PM

look, a decent guitar player can still get off playing
rhythm. dont feel left out of the solo thing... rhythm
playing still allows you to get your voice heard.

want examples? check the rhythm playing on
some of my mp3's at http://www.mp3.com/jaycjames
specifically My Crotch Is On Fire for a good
example of rhythm playing in a straight rock context.
or even 'I Think' for a most interesting riff and
a most interesting rhythm track.
ok, so the vocals suck... i am NOT a singer, but
i have some things to say that a guitar just cant :)
like... REAL WORDS! :)

nechako

01-09-2002, 03:33 PM

" is your mind so small, that you have to fall in with the pack wherever they run..."
"are you afraid of what your friends might say when you believe in God above,..they should realize before they critisize that God is the only way to look" OZZY BLACK SABBATH. I woulkd like to appoligize if I hit some nerves against rap music, when a person becomes defensive there is usually some truth behind what makes them so. I can relate to the lyrics in rap, In my younger years I lived in the streets, I knew prostitutes, was addicted to drugs, sex alcohol, violence, I was homeless, I whatched life being drained from people including myself by the lifestyles we chose..the music we chose. All music has its place I just decided to change my tune, or tune in to sounds and music and attitudes that were more positive and that enhanced my life and others from a heart and spirit from within instead of violent complaining attitudes, blaming everyone and everything and giving into my vices. I must admitt I like a lot of "rap" dance techno style rythms and I use them alot, I just try to keep my attitude above water because I have been right at the bottom of it all.

Nirvanurism

03-25-2010, 07:28 PM

My opinion on what "killed" the solo? The "anti-playing" backlash, created by Nirvana, and grunge. These guys were either incapable of playing anything challenging, or simply did not put in the effort. As a result, Nirvana got extremely lucky, let's face it, Their songs are sh*t, but their timing was good. I love the fact that "artists" who write three chord songs with lyrics about depression are considered to be profound, intuitive, visionary...Give me a break. So the music "band wagon" jumped to the 'anti-playing' trend, and is slowly coming around thanks to bands like Godsmack, even Sevendust. And as far as Cobain being a visionary? , the best thing he did was pull the trigger.

Have you ever heard Cobain solo? He is a genius. He shapes all the feedback he gets out of crappy guitars to make amazing guitar solos. The "anti-playing" that you're talking about is not about playing simple little songs. It's a mindsett against Pop music and against order in music. He throws his emotions into his music and clearly depicts his feeling through his guitar. This makes him an outstanding guitarist. The measure of a great guitarist is not how well they understand music theory or how fast they can play. It's about their ability to put themselves completely into their music. Grunge music is all about doing this. Look at Jerry Cantrell from Alice in chains. He's a great guitarist with a completely origional sound. Mike McCready from Pearl Jam is one of the best grunge guitarists of all time. He's just as good as any Metal Guitarist. You obviously don't understand the feeling and emotion behind music. I'm guessing your a fan of Dragon Force. Cobain was a visionary and deserves more respect than he gets. If you want to point fingers at bands for ruining the guitar solo look at the Ramones or The Misfitts. Both are great bands but they are both anti guitar solo. You don't know what you're talking about and this is exactly the reaction Cobain hoped to get from people like you.

deadlynumber7

03-27-2010, 07:00 PM

i dont think you can blame any bands for ruining guitar solos, you can blame the consumers that chose purchase music with less solos.

i've never thought music was about technical skill, but more the feeling you can convey thru it, if you can convey your feeling thru 3 chords and no solo then thats fine.

i have always been a nirvana fan, as well as a fan of a lot more technical playing styles. to me its about the music, if i'm writing a piece of music and i feel a solo will enhance it, then i try it, if i feel it does not need on i dont force it.

i'm a pretty gheto guitar player, and just as ghetto a song writer, but i do my best. but i never feel i need to force a solo into something

shredhead_x

04-02-2010, 11:08 AM

Personally I was thrilled when rock and metal acts started playing some decent solos again. Something that comes to mind is Slipknot, actually. Now. I must stress I'm not a fan, but it interested me when it was revealed that the band had been asked not to play any solos on their records for years by their label and management as solos weren't in vogue. Then, the label finally gave in once the band was big enough, and their solos were awesome (technically speaking rather than melodically).

Granted, I'm a shred addict through and through, but I can appreciate a beautifully melodic solo too, and really misssed them throuhgout the whole grunge thing. Plus there was nu-metal, which seemed to further dumb down guitar playing, but at least with nu-metal there were some acts doing interesting things with different time signatures.

Anyway, just thought I'd jump in and worship at the altar of expressive, impressive and infuriatingly good solos ;)

Jarsew

04-02-2010, 02:41 PM

Quite the old thread! Always a good subject though.

Personally I was thrilled when rock and metal acts started playing some decent solos again. Something that comes to mind is Slipknot, actually. Now. I must stress I'm not a fan, but it interested me when it was revealed that the band had been asked not to play any solos on their records for years by their label and management as solos weren't in vogue. Then, the label finally gave in once the band was big enough, and their solos were awesome (technically speaking rather than melodically).

Wow, I wasnt aware that the actual label told them to not do guitar solos. Thats just ridiculous. It you makes you wonder what else perhaps goes on behind the scenes in the recording studio; Just how much are the labels producers pulling the strings in the labels favor...

But anyway, this thread was at the end of 2001. After reading through some of it, it was very relevant at that time. But as of time right now, I think it has actually turned 180 degrees. In alot of current metal, the "progressive" and "classical" influences, even the 70/80's are starting to show their faces in abundance lately.

As one of the very, very dusty responses said earlier in this thread, at one point in the 90's some guitarist were almost ridiculed for being skilled. "Tee hee look at him shredding! Hes stuck in the 80's!"

But in this day & age, I am excited to see musicians constantly testing their abilities and always reaching for higher ground in their skill. Of course good songs can be the simple 3 power cord prgression and a nice vocal melody, but as a guitarist I just get bored frankly, and always want to hear something new and inventive. If we would have stuck with nirvana and green day for too long (which we probably did) we would be going backwards in music, not forward in my opinion.

FlyingJbird

04-04-2010, 02:06 AM

This thread is far too long to read all the way through.

Suffice it to say, I'm in complete agreement: most bands have no clue what it is to actually solo. Most of the solos I hear today consist of the guitarist hitting a large number of random notes that make the band sound "metal."

That being said, there are a few amazing bands I know which consistently put out great solos. I'm just going to name one (a band which has yet to disappoint me. Okay, I take that back. Once they did a techno remix of one of their songs. Barring that, however, they have produced consistently great music, with great solos every few songs) - an alternative rock band called Anberlin. If you're interested, I'd say check out: The Feel Good Drag (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNsacjwX3Ic)

Personally, I don't think that every song should have a solo. Some songs can do without. It really depends on what the song is saying.

shredhead_x

04-12-2010, 07:34 PM

RickBlacker

05-05-2010, 10:41 PM

Solo or no solo, personally I've found that 95% of the rock music post 80s is 100% boring to listen to. Or, if they are exciting to listen to, their singer opens his mouth and ruins it. Sounds more like their trying to pass a turd the size of a log in most cases.

It's amazing how a singer can take a band from great to awesome, or take an awesome sounding band and make them sound like pure trash.

Razbo

05-06-2010, 06:37 AM

It's amazing how a singer can take a band from great to awesome, or take an awesome sounding band and make them sound like pure trash.

Ha, it's true! They either sound like "Rawr look at me I'm making monster sounds" (are they like 12?) or they sound like some emo case whining about existence. Gawd...

hunter1801

05-06-2010, 01:24 PM

I can't stand "radio music" for that reason mainly. The singers all sound the same like you said. Either trying to be tough.....or the complete opposite, sounding like little girls.

Jarsew

05-10-2010, 04:56 PM

Ha, it's true! They either sound like "Rawr look at me I'm making monster sounds" (are they like 12?) or they sound like some emo case whining about existence. Gawd...
Haha well, even though I enjoy a lot of metal that utilizes screaming or "guttural" (cookie monster pretty much) vocals, thats funny.

To each his own I suppose. As a guitarist, well, I listen to the guitar... If I am fascinated with the guitar work, I dont really care what the vocalist is doing for the most part. How much amazing guitar work are you by chance missing out on because you are focusing on the vocals?

Smashing Pumpkins is a good example of a band that didnt get attention from some people solely because of his vocals, which is complete nonsense.

Also consider the theme in which the band is going for. If a band wants to sound very dark, or very heavy and just obnoxiously brutal, you can only sound so "brutal" singing in a clear voice or even a raspy Dave Mustaine/James Hetfield sort. So the guttural/screaming type of vocals came naturally in the path of metal, so they could make it sound even more dark/brutal than what was previously dubbed dark and brutal; Black Sabbath is a really good example of that.

"How can we sound more dark than Black Sabbath? Well, lets growl like we're demons and tune our guitars lower, cant get anymore dark than that, right?"

As a guitarist, I listen to a very wide spectum of genres where the vocals are no where near comparison, because as a guitarist, vocals come secondary. Its the guitar turns me on, than I respect it, no matter the genre/vocals.

Razbo

05-10-2010, 05:03 PM

As a guitarist, I listen to a very wide spectum of genres where the vocals are no where near comparison, because as a guitarist, vocals come secondary. Its the guitar turns me on, than I respect it, no matter the genre/vocals.

I dig metal guitar, but that is only part of the package. Each to his own, as you say. Incessant double bass also turns me off.

RickBlacker

05-10-2010, 05:42 PM

I love guitar as well, but the vocals are so much a part of a song. Personally, the cookie monster vocals turn me off so much, I can't bare to listen to the rest of what's going on.

Sad really because I've heard some music that actually sounded good until the vocals kicked in.

Rocky in Memphi

05-13-2010, 08:37 AM

I listen to intrumentalists like Jeff Beck for inspiration. He can make any sound with just his fingers, his whammy bar and a volume control.
Today's music is pure crap. Everywhere all I hear is profanity shouted over a drum machine. That is NOT MUSIC. Little kids appearing on American Idol and
others just make me laugh....

Rocky in Memphi

05-13-2010, 09:26 AM

Jarsew

05-13-2010, 03:26 PM

Today's music is pure crap. Everywhere all I hear is profanity shouted over a drum machine. That is NOT MUSIC.

Sure its music, you simply just dont like it.

I really dislike the color yellow, but that doesnt mean I can say yellow isnt a color.

Im typically not a fan of Fender guitars, but that doesn't mean I can say that Fender isnt worthy of being considered a guitar.

I really hate running to exercise, so according to your logic, I can say that running is therefore not exercising?

robolead

06-03-2010, 11:41 PM

Todd Rundgren saw it a long time ago toward the end of the seventies, it's called the death of Rock & Roll. Now everybody lives in Hamburger Hell!

He called them at that time: Rock & Roll Pussies! (Is that politically correct?)
Anyway, you gotta let it flow from inside to the outside. It is erronious to "think how to sing or how to write a song". It has to come from the life inside you and flow out to the ears of the hearer!

Now that is what is missing nowadays in most cases. It's more like picking a subject and writing a few clever lyrics and a catchy tune (or toon) to make it pallatable to the ear.

What I miss is the songs that make you feel it, as Led Zeppelin said "Waaaay Doooown Insiiiide! Honey, You need Loooooooove!
You gotta Love what your doin and people will notice. Gotta whole lotta Love?

Go For It, Let it flow, don't force it, it won't work if it is forced.

What is it we're talking about? Oh, Yeah, Its called Music!

Razbo

06-04-2010, 06:08 AM