Is the guitar solo really dead? Good question.
Once a intricate portion of any rock song, it seems to have skipped a musical generation of today’s Top 40 scene. To some listeners, if you play one you are dating yourself. The bands today, if you can call some of them that, seem to think that they take up too much precious air time. What the hell are they thinking/smoking?
Depending on your musical upbringing, you might now be praying for a musical messiah! Remember when Disco was at the height of musical fashion and you were of the Rock & Roll ilk? Everyone wanted to dig disco an early grave. Maybe we should entertain this train of thought for some todays bands?
Today’s musical style seems to be influenced by the alternative and the grunge scene of the 90’s. They seemed to have got the ball rolling on the decline of the guitar solo. They concentrated more on the means and lyrics of their songs. Let’s not even venture off into the dance or hip hop scene for the time being!
As for the general listening public of today, the intricate aspects of this lost art is well … lost! Should we also blame the bands themselves? Do they think it’s too hard to come up with new ideas to share with us OR is it the music industry stunting it’s grow? Why isn’t anyone out there using this tried and tested rock and roll tool? Ok, just maybe the hair bands of the 80’s went way over the top (or just plain showing off!) on this one, but lets try and rethink this one a bit shall we?
I think that the guitar solo’s of the 90’s and even todays’ bands, are not as singable as the fore fathers of the guitar solo intended them (knowingly or not) to be. Everyone in the world can hum along to the guitar solo in Hotel California, Stairway to Heaven and that ilk. So why can’t they do this now?
The public now seems more fixated on that little plastic guitar thingy called Guitar Hero. I honestly thought at first, this was a good thing, but the jury is still out on that one. They have these blistering solo’s in their play list from past guitar greats such as Van Halen or Jimi Hendrix on this toy. I for one am waiting for the next wave of guitar greats to be added to the collection! What’s your take on this one?
LONG LIVE THE GUITAR SOLO!!!
For the love of God, Keep on Jammin’
Ahh, don’t scare me like that! The guitar solo will never die! I hear new albums come out all the time with a solo in it and love every second of it!
Ok, ok, I’m not trying to scare you there Stan James.
I’m just attempting to bring to light what I have been thinking, in the back of my brain, for a while now.
Stan, do you know a solo that everyone hums to that you instantly associate with the song? I realize that there are still some GREAT solo’s out there being played but just not at the same level. I’m finding it harder to do that with tunes of today.
Am I just the only one who is paying attention to this? I’ve been asking this to many of my fellow musicians and they have to think about their response for a second then they agree with me, but I know that in the back of their mind, they are thinking about it!
Keep on Jammin’ Stan!
I’d say it really didn’t die, probably just laid low for a while when alternative rock sort of resorted to acoustic guitar solos. I really miss those really long guitar solos of the 70s and even the 80s. Just made me sit and also think about those wicked neo-classic licks of Malmsteen, Mcalpine and their ilk. Yea Chris I haven’t really heard from any of the rock songs today that carry a guitar solo that sticks to your mind and basically hum to it.
The guitar gods are probably hibernating for a while. Sure hope they wake up… and soon!
Ya, I miss those guitar solo’s of the 70 – 80’s style too rhonb!
I think that you hit the old nail on the head when you say that they are just “hibernating”, I like that word to describe it. Let’s pray to those guitar gods that you are right!!!
Keep on Jammin’ rhonb
i don’t think solo guitar is dead, to say in popular terms , country music is the form where solo performances are living till today
Very good point, tony from Chicago! I have to admit that some country music still holds the torch for solo guitar playing.
I don’t need to name some fantastic guitar players from the past, way too many to bring up (Chet somebody, comes to mind;), who ran with the ball on this one and raised the bar up really high.
I think that I will take a gander at some of these new country music acts to see what you mean Tony!
Thanx for the comment!
Perhaps all the best guitar solos have been used up.