what makes a great lead guitar player?

[Ventura]

SUCH a great solo!!

 

[mentoneman]

SUCH a great solo!!

40 seconds into that one, and 4:40 into gary more cold hearted have always had a strange similarity in terms of the pentatonic pattern their playing, vibrato, and the attitude of the lick, yet randy comes from more precise classical ideas and gary is a wild screaming blues guy.

randy and ej both have a vibrato that seems kinda premeditated or like their hands are maybe weaker and the string gauge is lighter, versus gary, yngwie, sykes, schenker, eddie, meniketti, schon....vibrato kings that sing with it! phil sayce is very much like a modern gary moore with tons of SRV influence too. adding shred to the blues.

lynch, demartini, lee, those guys are more second tier players to me...more like artifacts of the original van halen/rhoads school.

another player i love and didn't mention, but is more 90's is dan huff..he was the complete package of tone, technique, and fire.
and recently eric gales is killing me with his ability to connect with the traditional rock blues/pentatonic core, but his chord vocabulary is very jazzy and sophisticated, which he swings in and out of with amazing phrasing and lines.

 

[Wayniac3]

I agree with all that has been said in this thread..
But have to say - as I get older and mature as a player - I like the guys that can hold back and can play just what the song needs but not less than it deserves (to steal a line from someone in another thread)

I also like melodic technique - Andy Timmons, pick any lead the 2nd Fifth Angel CD..

 

[JohnSykes]

For me they have to be melodic, have good vibrato, have a great grasp on rhythm, play a solo that fits the song and have good tone. Randy (not the greatest tone), Eddie, Yngwie, Gary Moore etc fit the bill here.

I agree, a good vibrato is really important.

 

[PaulyPanacea]

Tone, Rhythm, and know when to play & when not to play!!! things are def more memorable when the guitarist hides in the bushes for the tune and then comes out of nowhere. Timing is everything!!

 

[metalmaniac93]

SUCH a great solo!!

This one of my fav Randy solos!!

A great lead guitarist for me is someone who is original, has some technical ability (more does not always=better), has fire/attitude, soulful, melodic when needed, composes a solo that is a song within a song like Randy, tone that blows you away, but not always important, playing within the context of a song and not wanking off and having superior rhythm skills is a plus. Now I wish I had a fraction of these qualities!!!!!!!!!

 

[ZMAN]

How Bout Steve Vai ? I love what he does . He is def an aquired taste to like his songs . He really talks in depth of what he practices or has practiced to lead him to Virtuosity or to help lead anyone to that path . He really knows and does what he preaches in his music , as weird as it can be at times . One song I will always love by Vai is Whispering a prayer . It just hits home . In all of his songs , He has all the elements present . Whispering a prayer feels spiritual and uplifting . He paints a picture with that song I can see and feel . Right there when anyone can see and feel the picture (song) that right there is what deems the term "Artist" .

Z

 

[Lord Toneking]

My favorite these days is Andy Timmons. I just love the way he writes and plays ...and his tone is

 

[metalmaniac93]

My favorite these days is Andy Timmons. I just love the way he writes and plays ...and his tone is

I agree!!!! He just needs to put out some more new stuff.

 

[mentoneman]

i saw andy timmons for the first time on the namm show floor in 87 playing demos for kramer i think?
back then i believe he was cleaner and so full of energy, and he separated himself from the normal shrapnel cookie cutter with killer vibrato and phrasing.

great player!

 

[VH4_BigRig]

Feel.

/thread

But seriously, for me, lead playing is about getting emotions across...Feel and melody come first- it doesn't matter whether it's fast or slow, if you don't get moved by a lead and can't remember it in its own right, it's kind of pointless to have in a song, IMO...technique/chops, tone and originality are important too, but come afterwards. If Dave Gilmour played on shit gear, he'd still kick my ass, because his feel and sense of melody are unbelievable. Just my two cents!

 

[mentoneman]

I prefer guys that keep it simple & do not over play. Most song do not need any solo from any instrument & really never need more than 20 seconds. Can you imagine a drum or bass solo, etc in songs.... why should the rules be any different for any instrument ~ guitar included. It's all about emotion for me, technique is only boring for 99% of the listeners ....

i agree with you-
i routinely defer a lead to someone else like sax, piano, etc when it's not a song that's working for electric guitar soloing.
i think sometimes solos get pitched my way like i'm a magic circus freak that should be able to make any lead break something special but truth is i rarely play a lead that is my idea of "tasty"

 

[stephen sawall]

I remember seeing a interview with Paul McCartney talking about David Gilmour being in the Beatles.... could have been interesting...

Vibrato ..... it's a personal thing that really can show intent. The players that really stand out for me have recognizable vibrato.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

Playing what is appropriate is the most important element.

This is all you need to know.

 

[carlygtr]

Probably feel, what they're trying to convey. Stuff like technique, vibrato aren't in the equation for me. I lean towards guys who don't repeat themselves. Scaler, fast picking, etc, again not in the equation for what gets me off.

 

[mentoneman]

Probably feel, what they're trying to convey. Stuff like technique, vibrato aren't in the equation for me. I lean towards guys who don't repeat themselves. Scaler, fast picking, etc, again not in the equation for what gets me off.

that surprises me about the vibrato thing coming from you. you have great vibrato and use it effectively.
i get the idea that just because you "can" throw vibrato into a lead won't always ensure greatness, but one thing that helps me recognize a certain player is their vibrato.

but bad vibrato can ruin things too. mine is pretty weak so i tend to shy away from it, and that is probably my biggest frustration with my own playing in not being more fluid, i hear where i should have used vibrato to end a phrase and i quit on it early which sounds choppy or "out of breath".

 

[mentoneman]

Playing what is appropriate is the most important element.

This is all you need to know.

speaking of vibrato, and i know this may border being sacrilegious to people, but i remember seeing that gilmour performance on tv and thinking "this guy has pretty bad technique". he's sloppy and if it weren't for the trem bar he would be hurting for vibrato.

 

[Robotechnology]

Basically agree with everything you said Mentoneman. I've always considered what separated the best from the rest to be:

Excellent vibrato
Playing in time
Bending in tune

The rest is kind of subjective like feel/phasing/different technique usage but, the three things above I think every listener can agree if a guitarist has it or not.

 

[amiller]

Control over the elements!

I'm stunned when I see and hear a great player that has total "mastery" of the fretboard, tone, song and delivery AND CAN DO IT LIVE. I struggle with most, if not all, of the elements. Balancing them all live is just incredible to me.

Elements such as:

- Tone
- Song
- Command of the fretboard
- Vibrato
- Melody
- "Tricks" ... hammer ones, pull offs, tapping, wammy bar ... etc.

 

[Gainfreak]

Basically agree with everything you said Mentoneman. I've always considered what separated the best from the rest to be:

Excellent vibrato
Playing in time
Bending in tune

The rest is kind of subjective like feel/phasing/different technique usage but, the three thing above
I think every listener can agree if a guitarist has it or not.

I kept out of this thread to really think about what I was going to say and I pretty much agree with what Pat and you said, so I guess I'm not adding anything here

Control over the elements!

I'm stunned when I see and hear a great player that has total "mastery" of the fretboard, tone, song and delivery AND CAN DO IT LIVE. I struggle with most, if not all, of the elements. Balancing them all live is just incredible to me.

Elements such as:

- Tone
- Song
- Command of the fretboard
- Vibrato
- Melody
- "Tricks" ... hammer ones, pull offs, tapping, wammy bar ... etc.

You really hit home with this because I'm actually struggling with all of this since starting to play out live.

There is more youtube videos of me blowing chunks then there is of me actually playing well and I'm struggling to get my live chops down again. I have seen some video of me where it doesn't even sound like me LMFAO. It has made me rethink about going back to my sounds and to stop trying to please others.

Great post


~R~