Marty wants solos to go away

I got to chip in, with my less than 2 cents, and ask:

"When was the last time you heard a guitar solo that made you sit up and think, 'Wow, that was awesome'?"

In my case, it hasn't been for a while. In fact, I think - based off Youtube and Instagram videos I see - the soloing became the sole point of a song.

There's very little meat in it for anyone else.

And, like I said, just look at those Youtube solo videos. After a while, they become a blur to me and I can't even think of which song had which solo, because they start to sound alike.

As someone (I forget who) said, and I'm paraphrasing, "They sold the music to a bunch of soulless corporates and musicians, who are more about technique than feel, who all learnt to shred better than their predecessors"

Except their predecessors had heart, feel. I feel that there's less exciting about guitar-driven music nowadays than traditionally. And I love Marty Friedman on the Megadeth records.

It's just when you see some guy shredding better than Friedman on a Youtube channel that I wonder, "Where's it all going to end."

And it probably ends where Friedman (and Tim Henson btw) said. "A slow and painful death".

Whatever happened to good songwriting? I want another Master of Puppets, another Reign in Blood.

Instead, I'm resigned to TAYLOR SWIFT (what a strange autocorrect to all caps, I have just left it as it is) being one of the true champions of guitar playing left.

And she doesn't solo.
 
nightlight said:
I got to chip in, with my less than 2 cents, and ask:

"When was the last time you heard a guitar solo that made you sit up and think, 'Wow, that was awesome'?"

In my case, it hasn't been for a while. In fact, I think - based off Youtube and Instagram videos I see - the soloing became the sole point of a song.

There's very little meat in it for anyone else.

And, like I said, just look at those Youtube solo videos. After a while, they become a blur to me and I can't even think of which song had which solo, because they start to sound alike.

As someone (I forget who) said, and I'm paraphrasing, "They sold the music to a bunch of soulless corporates and musicians, who are more about technique than feel, who all learnt to shred better than their predecessors"

Except their predecessors had heart, feel. I feel that there's less exciting about guitar-driven music nowadays than traditionally. And I love Marty Friedman on the Megadeth records.

It's just when you see some guy shredding better than Friedman on a Youtube channel that I wonder, "Where's it all going to end."

And it probably ends where Friedman (and Tim Henson btw) said. "A slow and painful death".

Whatever happened to good songwriting? I want another Master of Puppets, another Reign in Blood.

Instead, I'm resigned to TAYLOR SWIFT (what a strange autocorrect to all caps, I have just left it as it is) being one of the true champions of guitar playing left.

And she doesn't solo.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I was thinking.
When was the last time a new "Rising Force" was released? Or a "Passion and warfare"? Or a "Surfing with the Alien"? "Speed Metal Symphony", "Street Lethal", "Minds Eye"? Not to mention the less instrumental albums, like anything Van Halen, Blue Murder, Whitesnake 87, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and many more albums with a guitar work that was, not only unique, but pleasant and incredibly well written, produced and executed.
I still listen to those records on a daily basis, because they are phenomenal, and they sound like a band gave everything they've had while making them.
Nowadays, most new records sounds like a mountain of edited to the grid rhythm, smeared with noise gate clamping on an ocean of copied and pasted little bits. Not to mention the overly edited and melodyned artificial vocals.
That's why I don't like most of the new bands.
But by the way things are nowadays, most likely I'm the wrong one. Still, I ain't forcing my self to like something I think is pathetic.
 
Everyone has their own take on music.

However..........

These old guys that once played great, memorable, leads in songs are now commenting from a perspective of a much older musician who has been through it all. A young person hears the music they made and is inspired by it and wants to do that because it was great. Old guys are tired of it and also probably not in the mindset of making great original music anymore (as they have lost the inspiration and drive to do it). Not comparing myself to them, but my drive to write a song or improve has been greatly reduced as I get older. I still enjoy learning stuff for my band, but I don't have the motivation to improv a whole lot anymore. So you get guys like Freidman and Hammett making their comments about solos etc.

Meanwhile, the young people of Earth have watched all the YT vids on how to do what those guys did and have mastered it by 12. Their chops are through the roof and they are coming up with different things and presenting it in different form than these guys from 40 years ago.

It is just the evolution of art and the passing of time etc.

Now - the technical wizard guitar player makes his living on YT.

It is kind of why I have stopped paying attention to those guys and really dig the studio guys like Bukovac who actually use their skills in the creation or production of songs. More interesting to me than a kid doing a Pantera song online or a guy demoing a new pedal. I do watch gear demos of course a we all do but only if I am interested in buying something.

The information age has its ups and downs.....
 
yea I'm with Marty on this one. There is 50+ years worth of "standard" guitar solos to listen to for anyone that wants to. Personally, I'm excited to see what's next for guitar music.
I mean there will always be a time and a place for them, but personally I'm kinda over them
 
He's a different sort. I talked to him for a while after a Megadeth show. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn he was on something. He was fully engaged in the conversation, but his eyes were bugged out and he was staring off into space the whole time.
 
many guitar solos are "look at what I can do" acrobatics that don't enhance the song or even seem part of the song. IMO.

I give a pass to older guitar-centric music because that's how things were, but I'd rather listen to a song with a solo that fits and enhances the song these days.
 
He said traditional 8 bar solo needs gone. Do more melodic singing and stuff with the guitar. Which makes sense for a guy that puts out instrumental cds that are one big guitar solo to say. Nothing big or new here.
 
I don't know what the crap Marty was actually trying to say, but he comes off a a big douche in that article.

I'll just throw in my own quick thoughts on the matter.
Cramming in a "traditional" 2000bpm solo where it doesn't fit just for the sake of having one = boring and uninspiring.
Making a full length album that's one long solo = gets old and boring quick.
Adding lead accent fills here & there and inserting a solo at the appropriate break that fits the vibe of the song = you have my attention
 
If you throw the word ‘obligatory’ in that statement I agree. I think many songs would be better served by either no solo or just adding another completely different section (maybe with multiple parts) instead of always shoehorning a guitar solo in there just because.

I love instrumental music and there are so many things a band can do within a song other than weedly-weedly for this many bars.

EDIT: Dream Theater is a good example. My favorite Dream Theater material has no vocals and almost always is not a solo.
 
Someone posted a link to that in the Marty Friedman FB group and here's Marty's response as he posts in that group from time to time:


"Marty Friedman

Do not believe anything written in this article. Many misquotes, false info and negativity clickbait. The vast majority of it was completely made up, by someone who knows so little about guitars in general that he or she doesn`t know the difference between a Jackson in the photo and an Ibanez."
 
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