Random guitar musings

[germdoc]

OK, any fool can strum a rhythm, but a few guitarists know how to play something really complicated while making it sound simple. Like Clapton on Lay Down Sally, or Mark Knopfler on The Walk of Life, or Lindsay Buckingham on Riannon. Pretty much anything by Merle Travis or Doc Watson or Mississippi John Hurt cannot be replicated by mere mortals.

Speaking of rhythm, my favorite rhythm guitar parts of all time are probably in Aretha Franklin's Chain of Fools and Bowie's Golden Years. Awesome.

Finally, any idiot with a Fender Strat and a Marshall stack can play a long guitar solo that would shamelessly ape Carlos Santana or David Gilmour. It takes a real pro to play a short solo that knocks your socks off.

In no particular order, here are some great SHORT guitar solos that make a statement in 30 seconds or less:

1. Scottie Moore on Elvis's Mystery Train
2. Eric Clapton on Badge (probably my alltime favorite)
3. Robert Fripp on Bowie's Scary Monsters
4. Joe Walsh on Life in the Fast Lane
5. Brian May on Queen's Crazy Little Thing Called Love (another awesome short masterpiece)
6. George Harrison on Something
7. Paul McCartney (yes that's right) on Taxman

Any others to add?

[tommyt654]

Carlos Santana,Black Magic Woman and pretty much anything else he ever did.I hardly think too many folks can really hit the licks on an axe like Carlos.

[Knottscott]

I always liked the little riffs that Stevie Ray Vaughn did....tasty flourishes.

It was nice to hear Mark Knopfler mentioned...always liked what he does.

[Rand]

I love the solo Steven Wilson plays that starts 30 seconds before the end of "Blackfield" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dyMp99Q5ss
Very simple, yet elegant.
It's a pretty cool video too.

Jimi Hendrix is still the master in my book. His playing from the 20 second mark to 1:20 is the best. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmzasJcc45Q

[Pappy]

The country side had some great pickers, too. Roy clark was as much fun to watch as to listen to. Chet Akins made everything he played sound like it was so laid back and easy that anyone could do it. Jerry Reed was known more for his writing and singing but was not really known for his playing. He wrote and recorded 'Guitar Man'. When Elvis recorded it, Reed was doing the guitar licks.

[sparkeyjames]

David Gilmour's stuff is hardly easy to ape. The man is a master of the string bend, finger vibrato and use of the vibrato bar. I have seen very few cover guitarists pull off Floyd or Gilmour tunes that were anywhere close they always seem to butcher it. A lot of that butchery has to due with his equipment and his settings. They are hard to reproduce without a couple of thousand dollars of the right effects equipment. Take a listen to this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4kgBpgoQaU

I also love SRV. He used lot's of pull offs, hammer on's and string bends and lots of use of the vibrato bar. His sound is easier to reproduce as he only used a couple of distortion pedals and a loud Fender amp. His style is what is harder to nail down.

As far as Clapton goes I only really like a few of his tunes. My all time favorite of his blues playing style is Cream's original live version of Crossroads. I never get sick of hearing that tune. Layla is another tune of his I really like. It has a very catchy riff.

[Knottscott]

I think you're right SJ...many might try because Pink Floyd maintains insane popularity, but few can offer the epic drama and uniqueness that David Gilmour brings...he was the perfect fit for their style of music.

I've gotta add Billy Gibbons as another favorite who brings a unique style and rhythm....an interesting contrast to Pink Floyd/DG. Obviously it's a group effort, but that Cajun/Tex Mex back beat is pretty unusual... how many can pull off what he and ZZ Top do (with 3 guys no less!)? The older I get, the more I'm amazed at how tight they were....more people probably would have slowed them down!

[germdoc]

David Gilmour's stuff is hardly easy to ape.

I agree. Gilmour, Hendrix, Santana and SR Vaughn are great guitarists who craft great guitar solos. Of lot of guys THINK they can play like them, but they really can't.

For the record, I think that Hendrix' solo in All Along the Watchtower, Gilmour's in Money, Santana' Black Magic Woman, Page's Stairway to Heaven, Mick Taylor's solo in the Stones' Can't You Hear Me Knockin'? and Robert Fripp's solo on Eno's Baby's on Fire are some of the best longer solos on record.

I still think it is harder to play a short solo which gets everyone's attention than a longer one. That's why I highlighted the above artists. George Harrison for instance is IMO an awesome guitarist who added exactly the right touch to every song he did, yet he is not as revered as his contemporaries.

[germdoc]

And I agree with Pappy about Chet. Made it look easy! The record he did with Les Paul called Chester and Lester is wonderful--2 great artists sitting down, having a good time and making some awesome music.

[Tom in SoCal]

Elliot Randall in Reeling in the years.

[gerti]

Mark Knopfler at the end of "Brothers in Arms" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5JkHBC5lDs from about 4:43. I always hated that that solo was faded out.

Jan Petersen, Sylvan, Pane Of Truth, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr8g4TAd49A
5:24 mark (ok, 2 30 second solos back to back, so may not quite apply).

A few others that deserve mention (though I do not have goo examples handy) are Jose Piresde Almeida Neto (Jose Neto) from Brazil (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPTEMygZQNY), Roine Stolt from Sweden and Elisa Krijgsman from the Netherlands.

[drillman88]

I really like Jerry Reed. I think he is one of the most under rated players of all time. I enjoy Lonnie Mack who can play any type of music well. Billy Gibbons has a tone that few can touch and an incredible feel for the type of music he plays. Duanne Allman really had a unique style that I enjoy listning to. He and Dickey Betts made some great music. I enjoy SRV's brother Jimmy's playing very much. I am not a player but his style appears to be hard to emulate