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Posted by: FretDancer69 Jan 27 2008, 01:55 AM

Hey guys, have you ever asked this question to yourself? "Whats a solo"? how would you explain it in your own words? could a "solo" be made of only chords and still count as one?

What do you think?

Posted by: Xranthoius Jan 27 2008, 02:14 AM

Hmm... I never thought of that one. Umm.... I would concider a solo to be some point on a song where a guitar (or any instrument) has a chance to show off and play whatever. It is usually more advanced and complex than what is normally played. It could be super fast sweeps, alternate picking, slow bending, or yes, even chords. Many solo's consist of chords. Most solos are written inside scales. If they weren't it would give a bad effect over the other instruments playing.

Posted by: Nobody Jan 27 2008, 02:15 AM

Well for me that's the moment you express your feelings and true self with your instrument. I'm far from being able to do this but that's the main goal. Not to prove that you have great technique, or something else.. It's all about the feeling.

And of course chords can be a solo. Check out Ben's beautiful lessons with only chords in different voicings. Those are some of the best and full of feeling solos I've ever heard.

Hristian

Posted by: JVM Jan 27 2008, 02:23 AM

I would say the solo is by definition the point in a song, or a song itself which focuses on a certain instrument to do the "talking". There can be drum solos, there can be bass solos, guitar solos, vocal solos, etc.

Instrumental songs get interesting because you have to figure out exactly what the drums, bass, vocals (meaning nonsense vocals if there are any) and other instruments are doing, and decide whether their main purpose is as a backing or if they are the one "soloing" or taking the spotlight. And even if an instrument, say a guitar, is the obvious focus of a song for the majority of it, since it's instrumental you'd have to consider what would be doing that guitars part in a non instrumental song, often a vocalist.

If thats the case then the guitar isn't "soloing" but is just replacing a vocalist as a melody thing. So to find a solo in an instrumental song you need to figure out what each instrument is doing, what its function in the song is, what it is related to in the same song if it were to be performed with vocals, and then figure out the part where the focus shifts to be a "solo".

At least thats what I just rambled off..

Posted by: FretDancer69 Jan 27 2008, 02:23 AM

interesting points here which i agree!

Posted by: Milenkovic Ivan Jan 27 2008, 02:27 AM

A solo is what is says - a solo performance on the instrument.

Posted by: JVM Jan 27 2008, 02:38 AM

Yeah thats what I'm trying to say, just that most of the time "solos" go on with other instruments playing so it's not 100% solo, and also that instrumental songs can throw you off

Posted by: shellshock1911 Jan 27 2008, 03:24 AM

Most instrumental music has themes and "lead sections" that are easily distinguisable from the actual guitar solo.

Posted by: Muris Jan 27 2008, 03:37 AM

Let's say you play a tune on a acoustic guitar,only you.
Then you have a solo performance,you play a solo.
That's moment when focus is on something/someone.
It can be guitar solo in a song,
vocal in a song but it's rarely named as a solo(which IS a solo),
drums solo (with or without other instruments) etc.

What are you listen to the most at some moment,that'd usually be a solo.

Posted by: JVM Jan 27 2008, 03:39 AM

That's what I'm trying to explain.

Posted by: skennington Jan 27 2008, 04:21 AM

As the old sayig goes " Flying Solo" Applies to most everything!

Posted by: skennington Jan 27 2008, 04:21 AM

and the best is musical instruments!

Posted by: RIP Dime Jan 28 2008, 12:36 AM

I agree with this, a solo is one instrument playing alone. Parts where the guitarist is going off over the rest of the band playing I call lead breaks. But they are commenly referred to as guitar solos so it doesn't bother me, but technically I think it is a misuse of the word, I mean, solo means alone right?

Posted by: Owen Jan 28 2008, 12:42 AM

Vanity

Posted by: JVM Jan 28 2008, 12:55 AM

Well, so you think in order for a guitar solo to happen the rest of the band entirely needs to stop? Maybe thats true though and solo as we use it commonly is just a misuse as you say.

Posted by: RIP Dime Jan 28 2008, 01:34 AM

That's just me when I want to be picky about the definition, I often use solo and lead break as two interchangeable terms. Like for you Priest fans, I would say The Hellion is pretty much a guitar solo, and Electric Eye has a lead break in it.
It's just being picky though, I think it doesn't really matter either way, because for me great guitar solos/lead breaks don't make the song for me most of the time, it rather adds to what's already there; the riffs, beats, basslines, vocal melodies, dynamics, structure, basically sogwriting in general makes the song enjoyable for me. Basically I mean you can have a great song without a solo if the songwriting is there, but if the songwriting isn't there a great solo will not save the song.