This just in: Non-Guitarists don't give a crap about guitar solos.

[Wizard of Wailing]

    Whenever I talk to a non-musician (specifically a guitarist), about a song and I bring up something about a guitar solo they usually get a confused look and say, "I don't remember how that guitar solo went."  I asked my wife (who listens to way more music then I do), if she could think of how any guitar solo in any song went.  The only two she could come up with were "Buddy Holly" and "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer.  So I guess it's high praise for a solo if a non-guitarist finds it memorable.  Even Chuck Klosterman (a great writer and huge music fan who writes a lot about rock 'n' roll),  said in his book "Fargo Rock City" that he found guitar solos "boring as S***.  Doesn't everyone?"  The one exception he made was Randy Rhoads.  That makes me think Rhoads isn't overrated due to his untimely death.
    On a side note in "Fargo Rock City" Klosterman has a great section where he lists how much someone would have to pay him to never listen to certain 80's hair/hard metal albums for the rest of his life.  The highest value goes to  "Appetite For Destruction", which he says someone would have to pay him $5000 (in year 2000 dollars) to never listen to again.

 

[Fat Pete]

Whenever I talk to a non-musician (specifically a guitarist)...

you looking for trouble?!

 

[Wizard of Wailing]

    Oops.  I meant non-guitarist, but I'm sure that's applicable to some players out there.  Nobody on this site of course, we're all awesome.  :icon_biggrin:  It's occurred to me that both those Weezer songs have vocals that lead right in to the solo.  Maybe that helps the solo be more memorable.  The melody is what everybody remembers best so if there's almost no time spent between the vocals and solo people pay a little more attention to the wailing.

 

[Cagey]

This just in: Non-Guitarists don't give a crap about guitar solos.

Not only that, non-musicians don't give a crap about accuracy. As long as you're within hand-grenade range of what you're attempting to do, people love it.

I've never been creative enough to produce original material, nor have I ever played in a band that did original material. All I've ever been was a talented mimic, so all I do is covers. I'm quite anal about doing things exactly like the original artist, and if I (or the band) don't sound like the CD then I won't do it live. But, the inevitable screw-up always occurs, so then I'm embarrassed and want to slink off stage with my tail between my legs and hide somewhere. Also inevitably, when I finally show my face again, people want to be my friend and buy me beers and ask a million questions. What?! I just blew it so hard I nearly fractured the space/time continuum!!

We're our own worst critics. Nobody cares. They just wanna drink, dance and get laid. So, you do your best and caulk the rest  :laughing7:

 

[Re-Pete]

This just in: Non-Guitarists don't give a crap about guitar solos.

Not only that, non-musicians don't give a crap about accuracy. As long as you're within hand-grenade range of what you're attempting to do, people love it.

I've never been creative enough to produce original material, nor have I ever played in a band that did original material. All I've ever been was a talented mimic, so all I do is covers. I'm quite anal about doing things exactly like the original artist, and if I (or the band) don't sound like the CD then I won't do it live. But, the inevitable screw-up always occurs, so then I'm embarrassed and want to slink off stage with my tail between my legs and hide somewhere. Also inevitably, when I finally show my face again, people want to be my friend and buy me beers and ask a million questions. What?! I just blew it so hard I nearly fractured the space/time continuum!!

We're our own worst critics. Nobody cares. They just wanna drink, dance and get laid. So, you do your best and caulk the rest  :laughing7:

Guess what Cagey? Those artists that have a setlist of their own hits stuff up their well known solos and riffs more than enough times, and they will often have the same thing as happens to you, happen to them. "Brilliant solo man, great guitar work!" Meanwhile they are worried the drummer will want to kill them for missing the cue to the solo.

 

[ByteFrenzy]

How do you guys balance this? On one hand you strive for perfection. The last thing you want, is to be satisfied with mediocrity - there is already far too much of that going on all around us. On the other hand, you know very well that you will never reach that perfection, and it's very easy to get so convinced of how far from perfection you are, that you just give up trying altogether. And this is not just true for playing, it applies to all areas of life in general as well. With almost fifty-eight candles on my cake, I've found the balance that works for me, but my son currently has serious issues with this and I just can't find a good way of guiding him through it. Probably also due to me being a big factor in causing it, I always pushed him to strive for perfection and he's come to the point where he's convinced that nothing he does is good enough for him (which is probably true) or for me (which is definitely not the case)...

 

[swarfrat]

Only #1 instrumental song ever AFAIK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rwfqsjimRM

 

[Wizard of Wailing]

    In the USA the last instrumental to hit #1 was "Harlem Shake" in 2013 (although technically it has a little bit of vocals).  Before that you have go back to 1985 and Jan Hammer's "Miami Vice Theme". 
    Non-musicians also don't give a crap about tone.
    I've never strived for perfection as a guitarist.  It helped that my favorite guitarist when I started playing in 1990 was (and still is) Jimmy Page.  That summer I watched "The Song Remains the Same" over and over and improvised my own bad solos over Page's sloppy but brilliant solos.  Now if my favorite guitarist when I started playing was Steve Vai, I'd probably have a different attitude towards my playing.

 

[amigarobbo]

Well, I don't know about you lot, but I can't believe the number of gigs I've walked out on because of the guitarist had a Telecaster with a ROSEWOOD fretboard.

:doh:

People still play guitar solos?

 

[AutoBat]

Only #1 instrumental song ever AFAIK:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rwfqsjimRM

Ooh that's a good one. How 'bout this one?
[youtube]K8uZutr1avs[/youtube]

 

[stratamania]

Mmm, I've known of non guitarists and audience members that actually did care about whether the solo of a cover was "correct" or not.

Perhaps generally folks don't care for mindless noodling.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I think there comes a point that the solo, or rather "lead guitar" part has served its purpose.

I've trimmed leads in many songs because I felt that they fail to tell a story anymore after a certain point, and then it's just self indulgence.

To me, a lead part isn't an excuse to go off, Yngwie does that plenty. 

I feel that a lead is a part of an instrumental section that is meant to take the listener on a journey where lyrics leave off and the imagination begins. 
Sometimes, words fail to communicate a sentiment, despite it's best effort, and a lead part can help complete the communication of that sentiment.  The lead on the vocal melody as well as the entire chord progression, rhythm section are all part of a bigger collaborative picture.  Making any one piece too long, defeats the purpose, in my opinion.

 

[stratamania]

I think you are right Tony, it's all about balance and serving the song.

 

[ByteFrenzy]

"Perfection is attained not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing more to remove"

 

[swarfrat]

By that definition rap is the penultimate form of music.  I tend to write as a rap, but it's unfinished business IMO.

 

[MikeW]

I think you are right Tony, it's all about balance and serving the song.

I wouldn't say non-musicians don't care about guitar solos. I have several friends who are non-musicians that love Maiden, or Satriani, or Hoey, or Deep Purple, and a large part of that is because of the guitar solos. Hell, with Joe, it's ALL about the solos. The point is that you can be a non-musician and still appreciate the musicality and the talent that goes into it, right?

I will agree with what TFS and Stratamania have said. If it doesn't serve the song then it's likely going to bore the listener. That's where guys like Vai and Holdsworth lose the audience.

Here's an interesting anectode to counter the thread topic. We do three or four surf tunes every set. From Pipeline, Walk Don't Run, Tears of the Dolphin, Peace Pipe, Surfin' With the Alien, two or three original surf tunes, etc. There are always a couple people that will come up at the end of the set/show and compliment us on those. Most don't play, but do enjoy hearing good guitar work. Maybe it's not what they reach for as their 'Go To' music, but they do appreciate good playing.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Even a lot of instrumental music functions in a similar fashion as vocal oriented songs do, melody with a Verse/Chorus/Bridge on the menu in some various arrangement. 

Yngwie, on the other hand, just meedley meedley all the way through for the most part.  I liked his earlier stuff, but he lost me by 1990.

 

[stratamania]

MIkeW, I agree with your point too. Actually if you read a bit further back previous to Tony's comment I said that I've known non musicians that do care if things are played correctly but may not care for mindless noodling.

Instrumentals usually have a song structure, with verse, chorus and solos. Although the instrument is used as the main voice.

So nothing wrong with soloing when it serves the song. Do it well people will come and compliment you. Enhance what the singers doing with a tasty fill people like it. Shred over the main vocal probably not.

 

[swarfrat]

Thats a good observation, and in fact the type of guitar solo that interested me enough to inspire me learn the guitar is in fact where the "guitar solo" functions as a melodic bridge.  I have never been realy been into "show off your guitar skills" solo.

 

[Wizard of Wailing]

                                                                    [youtube]6VgcoSfjtPg[/youtube]

      This is an Yngwie song and solo I actually like.  He dials the solo back a bit (just a bit).  I don't know how this song wasn't used in an 80's sports movie montage.