Rolling stone top 250 guitarists came out and Neal Schon wasn't even on it...more than half that list aren't even worthy of carrying his musical jockstrap...what an absolute joke...the guy from that "bubble gum pop band" goes into the studio at Ronnie Dio's Stars recording with all the guitar greats at the time, and amongst all their weird stares and snickers as if to say "what's this guy doing here?", proceeds to melt all their faces with the solo he puts out in one take with a hangover...dude is a legend...he practically schooled everyone but arguably Malmstein that day(but even that is subjective)...he just gets hated on because of the band he's in and because of his ego at times...but technically, creatively, influentially, innovatively, and soulfully, he absolutely smokes a hundred people on that list...I love John frusciante...but they have him at 25...and Neal isn't even on the list...come on🤦🤦 and I'm not even gonna get started on Joan Jett...Neal wouldn't even trust her to tune his guitar
EXACTLY! I've had so many comments on here about how I could say he is underrated. And you just completely made my point! Of course to those of us who know him, we would never say he's underrated and know that he's appreciated. But when he doesn't even make the top 250 list on Rolling Stone....
@@MusicWithMarky - Awesome breakdown! Great to see an analysis of Neal's style as opposed to just another collection of selected licks. I don't know whether Prince made Rolling Stone's list (I don't read Rolling Stone), but he referred to Neal as "genius" after Escape and Frontiers and named him as one of his three favorite guitarists in an interview during his 2011 tour. I'd call that infinitely more significant than anything RS has to say.
One of the greatest guitarist of all time. He’s required textbook learning for any player of any style. Melody for days and signature solos that even housewives have seared into their brains.
Nice breakdown, man. I've loved Neal's playing since I was just a kid, and have always found his music to be inspiring. I agree, since he's primarily known for playing with Journey, he's a little under-appreciated. For me, he belongs on the list of all-time greatest guitar players.
I don’t understand why people say -- guitarist is underrated. For a non musician people might not know how great he is, but for anyone who knows about music, we know NS is a monster guitar player.
Over the years Neal Schon has rubbed elbows with quite a few famous guitar players. I started listening to Journey in the early 70s. I still like their early style better as a guitarist. Then when I got turned onto Schon and Hammer I got a genuine idea of just how flexible Neal Schon is. Great interpretation and nice playing.
I totally agree with you: Neal Schon's playing is so melodic and tastefully phrased with an ability to rip it when he wants to (but never over-done). I think he is up there with anybody in rock as far as lead playing goes. Thank you for this breakdown! Well-done and it pointed out some things that I've always heard but never took the time to analyze. Keep videos like this coming!
Really nice! Well made and helpful. Neal schons work almost fluctuates with the rhythm of his band. His Bad English stuff sounds different to journey because it’s different bands
Very fluent melodic, directly into take-offs, choice with notes, along with his stellar over looked screaming mid-flight pauses, some are multiple string screamers, some are down pulls/Floyd enhanced, some are single string pauses. But none are predictable, as to when, and-or where. Schon never will be within lack within variety catagory.
Loved your commentary on Schon- hes one of my very favorites for the very same reasons you mention- I’ve been listening to him since ‘72- great phrasing - technique - ps- whats the guitar youre playing on- beautiful!
All I want to know nowadays is how to play "Send Her My Love". That song is Schon perfection. I would die a very happy man if I could pull it off like Neil does. YES he is CRIMINALLY underrated.
I grew up listening to and loving Neal Schons playing. This was an awesome video, I’m a beginner/ intermediate guitar player and was wondering what scales would you recommend working on to play like him ?
Very nice lesson. Loved the tone and sound of the guitar. Could you explain what you used to get that tone, sounds like you used delay (would like to know what ms you used) and other effects you used in the signal chain. keep rockin \m/
These were all done with a Kemper Profiler. Exs 1,2, and 5 are a profile of an Orange Rockerverb and Exs 3 and 4 are a Vox 30 profile. SOme of them use a delay in the profile which I believe is set to 1/4 note taps and the other I used a Valhalla delay plugin in the studio with 1/8th note ping pongs.
Neal is the perfect blend of melody and shred. I highly recommend checking out his solo album, "Voice". It's all instrumentals where he covers famous songs and plays all the vocal melodies on guitar. It's phenomenal.
@@MusicWithMarky No problem. It was massively influential for me. It got me into learning all of the vocal melodies of songs I learned. Once you do it long enough, it will have you thinking like a singer when you go to compose your own solos or improvise.
It's such a powerful thing to realize that! I did a video like this on Joe Satriani too and he's a guy that made me realize I had to structure my instrumental music with as much care as vocal songs instead of just making backgrounds to solo over. Checked out "Voice" and love it!
Now this is good. This is the way to think about things. When you follow through his career chronologically, you see how his style developed. It starts with Carlos Santana and what you would call “classic rock”, but then after EVH came along, Neal’s style starts to shift in that direction, and by the time of the Frontiers album, there is a lot of metal in their sound (listen to the song “Edge Of The Blade” if you doubt). Melodicism from Carlos, shred from Eddie. That’s the short summary I would say. You start hearing a lot of pinch harmonics, Floyd Rose and high gain from Neal in the 80s, but that soaring Santana feel never left. And he’s just a good writer, bottom line.
hey, mark what is the best way to build up to the speed of neal's fast licks. Is he mostly just using alternate picking or is there some sort of exercise to be able to get to that point, he is my favorite player and i am trying to get to where i can play along to some of his fast solo's in songs like Still They Ride by Journey. Thank you buddy, love this video.
I thought I had missed his name in the list of best guitarists , anyway Steve Perry never gets into top vocalists now so lets just move on... He has developed his own style and it fits into JRNY superbly as he can go from bluesy to meoldic and his speed is unbelievable. Only negative is he does not actually need to do a "hollywood solo " all the time sometimes less is more , but what the heck , rock on see u in the UK later in the year...
For me Neil, is right at the top with David Gilmour. I like his solo work better than the Journey stuff...Beyond the Thunder was excellent as was Caruso from Voice.....
@@MusicWithMarky Don’t forget Electric World…..incredible tunes like Gypsy Dance. “It will Happen” from IonU is just an incredible song as well. The ending of the second solo adds this strangled compression vibe that is just about the sweetest clean tone I have EVER heard on a guitar. Great episode sir!!
You forgot "don't tune down.........EVER." You're expected to sing these tunes in your 60's as well as you did in your 20's because the human voice ages exactly like a guitar.
You lost me when you labeled Journey a "pop band". Yes, they have some pop-rock songs, but they've also had jazz fusion, blues-rock, prog-rock, hard rock, synth rock, even a tad psychedelic, Latin and dare I say heavy metal. They cover it all. If he's one of your top 5 guitarists, you must know this.
I believe I said that people see them as a pop band, but perhaps I didn't phrase it that way. I have to go back and watch my own video again! In any case, my intended meaning is about what they are known mostly for. Most people don't even realize there was a different singer before Perry!
Back in the 80s all the guys around me were into neo classical and only the shred heads got respect. I felt like the only Schon fan in a sea of 32nd notes!
Categorization is all about context and viewpoint. "Pop" in the context of Journey is relative to a viewpoint of coming up at a time when I most listened to bands with less POPular success who were considered more "metal" at the time. That term can illicit several musical circles depending on who you ask. Certainly "pop" to many is more like electronic/dance related music and - to those fans - Journey would be way more rock or even wander into metal. Their pre Steve Perry stuff (which I love) might even be considered early prog. Anyway, it's just a label. His playing is amazing, whatever you want to call it.
@@MusicWithMarky Their first three albums were certainly prog. They usually had at one prog song with Perry. My favourite album of the Perry era is Frontiers, which does contain metalesque numbers, such as Rubicon, Edge Of The Blade and Chain Reaction. I think Journey were a band who bridged the gap between Metal and AOR. Next their final album before Perry joined, contained the roots and genesis of prog metal in my opinion.
@@MusicWithMarky Yes, I've most of his solo albums and have seen him with Soul Sirkus when they played London and actually got a meet and greet ticket too. Love HSAS Through The Fire.
Rolling stone top 250 guitarists came out and Neal Schon wasn't even on it...more than half that list aren't even worthy of carrying his musical jockstrap...what an absolute joke...the guy from that "bubble gum pop band" goes into the studio at Ronnie Dio's Stars recording with all the guitar greats at the time, and amongst all their weird stares and snickers as if to say "what's this guy doing here?", proceeds to melt all their faces with the solo he puts out in one take with a hangover...dude is a legend...he practically schooled everyone but arguably Malmstein that day(but even that is subjective)...he just gets hated on because of the band he's in and because of his ego at times...but technically, creatively, influentially, innovatively, and soulfully, he absolutely smokes a hundred people on that list...I love John frusciante...but they have him at 25...and Neal isn't even on the list...come on🤦🤦 and I'm not even gonna get started on Joan Jett...Neal wouldn't even trust her to tune his guitar
EXACTLY! I've had so many comments on here about how I could say he is underrated. And you just completely made my point! Of course to those of us who know him, we would never say he's underrated and know that he's appreciated. But when he doesn't even make the top 250 list on Rolling Stone....
👍🙂
You are so right!!!!!
I agree! Neal has been my favorite guitarist since the early '80s.
@@MusicWithMarky - Awesome breakdown! Great to see an analysis of Neal's style as opposed to just another collection of selected licks.
I don't know whether Prince made Rolling Stone's list (I don't read Rolling Stone), but he referred to Neal as "genius" after Escape and Frontiers and named him as one of his three favorite guitarists in an interview during his 2011 tour. I'd call that infinitely more significant than anything RS has to say.
One of the greatest guitarist of all time. He’s required textbook learning for any player of any style. Melody for days and signature solos that even housewives have seared into their brains.
Well said!
He’s got this unique ability to pump you up and take you down with his solo’s and not all have that ability.
Yup, you nailed it! One of my favorite songs to play in my band days was Separate Ways and that solo pretty much follows this recipe.
Thanks Richard!
Nice breakdown, man. I've loved Neal's playing since I was just a kid, and have always found his music to be inspiring. I agree, since he's primarily known for playing with Journey, he's a little under-appreciated. For me, he belongs on the list of all-time greatest guitar players.
For sure!
Neal Schon is a top guitarist! Amazing technique and feel!
Great video. One of my favorite guitar players out there
Thank you!
I don’t understand why people say -- guitarist is underrated. For a non musician people might not know how great he is, but for anyone who knows about music, we know NS is a monster guitar player.
Over the years Neal Schon has rubbed elbows with quite a few famous guitar players. I started listening to Journey in the early 70s. I still like their early style better as a guitarist.
Then when I got turned onto Schon and Hammer I got a genuine idea of just how flexible Neal Schon is.
Great interpretation and nice playing.
The stuff with Hammer is amazing!
Nice video. Schon rocks!
He sure does! Thanks.
First off: Your guitar is beautiful. My favorite two Schon solos are "Be good to yourself" and "Lights".
Thanks!
Yessssss be good to yourself was a revelation when i first heard it - honest to god my favourite song and that solo is beaut.
I haven't listened to that track in awhile. Now I have to go back and do that!
I totally agree with you: Neal Schon's playing is so melodic and tastefully phrased with an ability to rip it when he wants to (but never over-done). I think he is up there with anybody in rock as far as lead playing goes. Thank you for this breakdown! Well-done and it pointed out some things that I've always heard but never took the time to analyze. Keep videos like this coming!
Thanks for checking it out and taking the time to comment!
Really nice! Well made and helpful. Neal schons work almost fluctuates with the rhythm of his band. His Bad English stuff sounds different to journey because it’s different bands
I forgot all about that band! I have to go listen to them again.
@@MusicWithMarky absolutely should! Love their stuff
Very fluent melodic, directly into take-offs, choice with notes, along with his stellar over looked screaming mid-flight pauses, some are multiple string screamers, some are down pulls/Floyd enhanced, some are single string pauses. But none are predictable, as to when, and-or where. Schon never will be within lack within variety catagory.
Kinda underrated? Most definitely underrated! Versatile and melodic.
This Was Awesome !!
HUBBY Be Happy ..
Loves Him ...
And Eric Clapton ❤
Thanks!
Neal,Santana & Prince is all I need on guitar!
You can't talk about Neal Schon without mentioning: Hardline - "Hot Cherie"
Great skils...but that is one sweet PRS guitar!
Cool thanks! I did a whole video on it that you can see at ua-cam.com/video/YuWgdc06JSw/v-deo.html
I slowed down the staccato thing half speed and it was like have a teacher on Valium!
Loved your commentary on Schon- hes one of my very favorites for the very same reasons you mention- I’ve been listening to him since ‘72- great phrasing - technique - ps- whats the guitar youre playing on- beautiful!
Thanks! The guitar in this video is a PRS 513. It's their 25th anniversary special edition. At some point I am going to do a video review of it. =]
Only The Young by Journey👍
This is a really good video. Thx for posting.
Thanks!
Neal's playing is amazing real good tone and fantastic technique, Neal and Ronnie Le Tekrø is the two guitar players i really admire great players 👌
I haven't heard Ronnie mentioned in forever. Nice!
@@MusicWithMarky you know Tony Harnell is back in TNT with Sid Ringsby and they are making a new album 👌
All I want to know nowadays is how to play "Send Her My Love". That song is Schon perfection. I would die a very happy man if I could pull it off like Neil does. YES he is CRIMINALLY underrated.
Cool vid on Neal's style!!!
Thanks!
I grew up listening to and loving Neal Schons playing. This was an awesome video, I’m a beginner/ intermediate guitar player and was wondering what scales would you recommend working on to play like him ?
The Pentatonic as usual and then I would recommend the mixolydian mode next. I've got a good series on the modes, I'll link you in a moment.
ua-cam.com/video/nQoaoJiCV5k/v-deo.html
That's a gorgeous PRS, can you tell me what model that is?? and colour?
I did a whole video on it that you might enjoy.
ua-cam.com/video/YuWgdc06JSw/v-deo.html
:)
What's overlooked is schon was extraordinary age-14. While nearly all that are extraordinary, were 40-years practice. Schon is a naturlist.
Very true!
Good Video!
Thanks!!
2:43
"When You Close Your Eyes" 😊
Good video…thanks!
Btw…”Only The Good Die Young” is Billy Joel.
“Only The Young” is Journey.
😮😊
Lol whoops! I knew that!
@@MusicWithMarky I knew you did.😎👍🏼
Can you do a guitar lesson on Journey -walks like a lady
Rythum track and lead track .
Sure. I'll have a look.
Very nice lesson. Loved the tone and sound of the guitar. Could you explain what you used to get that tone, sounds like you used delay (would like to know what ms you used) and other effects you used in the signal chain. keep rockin \m/
These were all done with a Kemper Profiler. Exs 1,2, and 5 are a profile of an Orange Rockerverb and Exs 3 and 4 are a Vox 30 profile. SOme of them use a delay in the profile which I believe is set to 1/4 note taps and the other I used a Valhalla delay plugin in the studio with 1/8th note ping pongs.
Neal is the perfect blend of melody and shred. I highly recommend checking out his solo album, "Voice". It's all instrumentals where he covers famous songs and plays all the vocal melodies on guitar. It's phenomenal.
I have to check that out. Thanks!
@@MusicWithMarky No problem. It was massively influential for me. It got me into learning all of the vocal melodies of songs I learned. Once you do it long enough, it will have you thinking like a singer when you go to compose your own solos or improvise.
It's such a powerful thing to realize that! I did a video like this on Joe Satriani too and he's a guy that made me realize I had to structure my instrumental music with as much care as vocal songs instead of just making backgrounds to solo over.
Checked out "Voice" and love it!
@@MusicWithMarky Satch is a wise man indeed. Glad you liked the "Voice" album. It's a true gem.
Neal Schon is a monster guitarist.
Indeed!
Now this is good. This is the way to think about things. When you follow through his career chronologically, you see how his style developed. It starts with Carlos Santana and what you would call “classic rock”, but then after EVH came along, Neal’s style starts to shift in that direction, and by the time of the Frontiers album, there is a lot of metal in their sound (listen to the song “Edge Of The Blade” if you doubt). Melodicism from Carlos, shred from Eddie. That’s the short summary I would say. You start hearing a lot of pinch harmonics, Floyd Rose and high gain from Neal in the 80s, but that soaring Santana feel never left. And he’s just a good writer, bottom line.
hey, mark what is the best way to build up to the speed of neal's fast licks. Is he mostly just using alternate picking or is there some sort of exercise to be able to get to that point, he is my favorite player and i am trying to get to where i can play along to some of his fast solo's in songs like Still They Ride by Journey. Thank you buddy, love this video.
Hey Blake! ua-cam.com/video/aFFzpLZgJYE/v-deo.html
That should help a bunch! Best of luck to you.
@@MusicWithMarky thank you so much
Sure thing!
I thought I had missed his name in the list of best guitarists , anyway Steve Perry never gets into top vocalists now so lets just move on... He has developed his own style and it fits into JRNY superbly as he can go from bluesy to meoldic and his speed is unbelievable. Only negative is he does not actually need to do a "hollywood solo " all the time sometimes less is more , but what the heck , rock on see u in the UK later in the year...
another tip would be to do a fast run and end on a high note and hold it out. He does it all the time.
Yeah for sure. There are so many good things with him it's hard to pick just five.
I'm not surprised, Neal is one of the best guitarists ever
Why would I be surprised??? Neal is one of the best ever...
Great video and guitarist, what key is your solo based in
I had to look back, I did this so long ago. Pretty sure I was in d major/b minor there. Was watching from my phone again.
Thanks for checking it out!
@MusicWithMarky Thank I thought it was in F#m at first you said in the video but it sounded off
Outside of Edward,Neil has to be my favorite musician of all time!
Neal plays in the 4th pentatonic or 5th minor positions a lot.
For me Neil, is right at the top with David Gilmour. I like his solo work better than the Journey stuff...Beyond the Thunder was excellent as was Caruso from Voice.....
I have to check that out!
@@MusicWithMarky Don’t forget Electric World…..incredible tunes like Gypsy Dance. “It will Happen” from IonU is just an incredible song as well. The ending of the second solo adds this strangled compression vibe that is just about the sweetest clean tone I have EVER heard on a guitar. Great episode sir!!
Thanks Kev. Gave me more to listen to tonight!
You forgot "don't tune down.........EVER." You're expected to sing these tunes in your 60's as well as you did in your 20's because the human voice ages exactly like a guitar.
Bad me, forgetting! :)
👍👍👍
You lost me when you labeled Journey a "pop band". Yes, they have some pop-rock songs, but they've also had jazz fusion, blues-rock, prog-rock, hard rock, synth rock, even a tad psychedelic, Latin and dare I say heavy metal. They cover it all. If he's one of your top 5 guitarists, you must know this.
I believe I said that people see them as a pop band, but perhaps I didn't phrase it that way. I have to go back and watch my own video again! In any case, my intended meaning is about what they are known mostly for. Most people don't even realize there was a different singer before Perry!
👌😊😊
When you close your eyes, do you think about... Neal?
Lol, nice night ranger is always a good reference.
Only Neal can play like Neal.
As it should be!
Neal was my favorite guitarist until I discovered Steve Lukathar has a pug. Now Luke is my fav.
It's all about the pug!!
I wouldn’t say they were a pop band.
Neal Schon underrated ? Are you crazy!! Ask any real guitarist who their favorite guitarist is and I bet at some point each of them will say Neal.
Back in the 80s all the guys around me were into neo classical and only the shred heads got respect. I felt like the only Schon fan in a sea of 32nd notes!
....with lots of delays \m/
Oh no... you said, "boomer bends"!
Just wait till next week!!!
Slash is overrated
Nah
Very over rated...i agree...🤘🎸✌
Pop band? You know next to nothing about their catalogue.
Categorization is all about context and viewpoint. "Pop" in the context of Journey is relative to a viewpoint of coming up at a time when I most listened to bands with less POPular success who were considered more "metal" at the time. That term can illicit several musical circles depending on who you ask. Certainly "pop" to many is more like electronic/dance related music and - to those fans - Journey would be way more rock or even wander into metal. Their pre Steve Perry stuff (which I love) might even be considered early prog.
Anyway, it's just a label. His playing is amazing, whatever you want to call it.
@@MusicWithMarky Their first three albums were certainly prog. They usually had at one prog song with Perry. My favourite album of the Perry era is Frontiers, which does contain metalesque numbers, such as Rubicon, Edge Of The Blade and Chain Reaction. I think Journey were a band who bridged the gap between Metal and AOR. Next their final album before Perry joined, contained the roots and genesis of prog metal in my opinion.
Have you listened to any of Neal's other projects?
@@MusicWithMarky Yes, I've most of his solo albums and have seen him with Soul Sirkus when they played London and actually got a meet and greet ticket too. Love HSAS Through The Fire.
I have to check out the HSAS stuff. I love the work with Jan Hammer.