What ever happened to the guitar solo???

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...)

Let's face it, In "Rock" music today, The Guitar Solo has been replaced by the turntable.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

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...

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....

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

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!
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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.

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...

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

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

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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...

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

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 !!

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

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.

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.