I was wondering about what were some of the toughest solos you guys have ever learned, or tried to learn. But then it turned into general guitar challenges, not necessarily solos. It could be a song, a rhythm part, getting to grips with a new guitar, adopting a different method of doing something....
I can easily say that the 30 Shredders projects that Kris has lain at my door are the toughest physical challenges I've had in my guitar playing life. Thanks, Kris
Before it got to the playing part, the first hurdle was to try and get composing. I thought I could stick with one tempo for a while and take care of the first wave of guitarists. The order of players came quite randomly. In truth, it was mostly dictated by who I felt most comfortable tackling at that point, who I was closest to being able to emulate without more weeks of practise. Yngwie, EVH, Rhoads etc came quite easily enough. They're very distinctive players so I knew I could draw on certain licks without having to study new techniques or phrasing.
Then things got tougher, as I had to do more research and get a feel for the idiosyncrasies of players that I hadn't listened to as much. In these situations, all you can do is take a listen to their most famous solos and try to pick out any recurring themes that identify that person. Some players have more recognisable traits than others.
When it comes to players with really recognisable traits you can be more creative with coming up with new melodies using their typical runs and licks. With less recognisable players, you have to take more from their source material in order to create a spark of recognition with the listener.
Eventually, I got my 30 players lined up and ready to rehearse. I just had to get my hands around it. In terms of technical difficulty, I'll go through a few of the most challenging and why they were challenging to me;
Dimebag: In terms of technique, this was quite straight forward. Minor pentatonic with added blues tones played with a combo of picking, hammers and pulls.
The difficulty came with that squeal. You know what I'm talking about, right? Even though I had a Jackson with a double locking trem, I opted for the yellow guitar with vintage trem because the pickups were hotter, which was essential if I was to get a squeal happening.
It's not something I ever played before then and haven't played since. It's not part of my style, which is why it was so damn tricky. There was a lot of unused footage when it came to the slow, spoken word parts!
Chris Poland: This one was tough because of the Labyrinthine finger patterns being played with the fretting hand. Combine that with the typical thrash tempo of early Megadeth and this gave me bit of a headache until I eventually became comfortable with it. You can have speed and technique but when you try to tackle phrasing patterns of another player it can make you feel like a beginner again.
Greg Howe: It didn't take me that long until I got this one but, to start with, it was bit of an issue because it involves tapping. I don't use that much tapping and I used even less when I made this video so it was common for me to get to this section and have notes just crap out on me, literally just die as soon as my finger hit the fretboard. Technically speaking, this part isn't that hard and it's not that fast either but it just goes to show that there is no substitute for practise. Get familiar with a piece and give yourself time to get it right.
When it comes to these projects, we've got to be quite swift in getting it out there so I never spend as much time on a technique as I would if I were learning it for my own repertoire. I learn it as well as it needs to sound so I can record it and then, in most cases, never play it again. It might disappoint many viewers to discover that I don't go back and play all my old lessons note for note. In this game, you're constantly moving forward and thinking of the next thing. Could I play any of the 30 Shredders videos if I was asked? Not without some practise and reminding myself what I wrote! That's the way it goes.
I haven't even touched upon 30 Misplaced Shredders, which was even tougher.... but these projects were definitely the most challenging projects I'd faced.
Now it's your turn. What is the hardest challenge you've faced on the guitar?
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This post has been edited by Ben Higgins: Apr 30 2015, 07:08 PM
check out my latest REC submission for proof 
I'm just kidding, 30 shredders in one solo is mind-blowing : what a challenge indeed.
