Kirk Hammett is WRONG about guitar solos.
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- Опубліковано 25 тра 2024
- Are you above the threshold?
Let's talk about what Kirk Hammett said in this interview: www.guitarworld.com/news/kirk...
My songwriting course: howsongsaremade.com/p/complet...
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/ @treyxaviermusic
Are you above the threshold?
I am a tasty shred lovin' Modal Freak! But memorable Melody and Hooks Are what Counts!!
Nope.
😢
Yes, I believe I am above the threshold. My guitar skills are at a high enough level to facilitate writing the music I want to write (including guitar solos). Which is why my technique and speed haven't progressed all that much over the last 6-7 years. I've spent those years working on my songwriting skills, which are NOT above the threshold.
Oh yes I am, in terms of technique I became aware at least 20 years ago that guitarists like Kirk and Slash are nowhere near being the best even of their generation. But Identity is very important to me and that's the great thing about guitarists like Kirk, Slash, Brian May, etc, they may not be the fastest and cleanest but you hear one note and you know it's them.
I feel that songs sometimes have obligatory shred solos that adds nothing to the song and are very generic. But man, when you have a unique solo that adds to the emotion and story of the song, those solos I do remember!
Kirk's attitude to guitar solos explains his efforts on 72 seasons
Or lack of.
@@HeadbangoOexactly what I wanted to say
The solos fit the songs. Thdy dont need through composed shit
@@metalpuppet5798 in my opinion 72 has crappy boring cut and paste interchange solos for crappy boring cut and paste uninspired songs-again my personal opinion. I’m used to Metallica albums having some flaws but 72 is plagued with them. The solos are but one. Again my opinion. Some people love the album.
@@phadrus I have no clue how you could call these songs boring. Room of Mirrors, Too far gone, Inamorata etc are some of the catchiest stuff they have ever written. And a lot of the songs are fast paced which imo lends itself perfectly for a none through composed pentatonic solo. Very often nothing will fit better than that in such a song
How are your videos not more seen man? Such quality such drive with posting all the time. I’m really hoping for you brother.. you remind me so much of a person I used to be that should have never quit.
Your analogy of a guitar solo as a car chase scene in a movie, or in slower more melodic cases, a steamy love scene to raise the excitement level of the story is absolutely spot on!!
I used to describe Maiden solos as bonus prizes for listening to the song
5:15 "What is the opposite of a circle-jerk?, a shit talking rhombus?" 🤣
Guitar solos rule when they make sense in the story/emotion of the song.
A well-placed solo can be an emotional climax, a chance to reflect on a powerful lyric, a complete surprise, so many possibilities.
So it's not just about having a great song to put a solo in, it's also about adding a solo when it's actually necessary, saving it for the right moment, and making it count!
Hammett got converted to the Lars Ulrich school of 'doing the very bare minimum for the last 20 years'. People remember his solos in the first 5 albums because he put effort and thought in them and they're great.
Nowadays he just spams pentatonics and wah pedal and calls it a day. They all sound the same and that's why nobody remembers them.
Yea but Metallica in general used to be thrashier so he probably played what he felt the songs needed. Metallica is more of a hard rock band now
While I do agree with some of his point I still remember hearing songs like While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Eruption and Comfortably Numb when I was younger and was blown away by the level of melodicism put into them (and yes, I know that Eruption is more or less a shredfest but you can still feel the emotion coming from Eddie when he played it) and those are all reasons why my first three guitar heroes were (and still are) George Harrison (I know Eric Clapton did the solo on Weeps but I didn’t know that at the time since I was just 10), Eddie and David Gilmour. The other thing that’s great about those guys (Kirk included here) is that they play what the song needs, and if they want to go off and do something cool and flashy because they thing that it’d fit the song then that’s what they’ll do and I think that’s also a really good piece of advice for any guitarist because there’s a time and a place for technical shred but if you keep things melodic then that’s what people will keep coming back to
I agree with Kirk here. That melody will pull in the largest audience. Even my wife knows something is different at the end of November Rain when Slash is going off. That melody. The hook. Repetition. And The Surprise. Beautiful.
Slash rules, he knows what's up
Awesome acting and production, Trey! And you absolutely nailed the topic.
100% agree.
I hate the "speed cannot have feeling".
How the hell are you gonna evoke the feeling of a fast Mad Max car chase for example if you play a depressing blues jam?
This video is TOO GOOD for that thumbnail.
This is an amazing discussion with yourself trey! Great video! I only play guitar to play the songs I write and help write songs.
Thank you!🤘🏻
That's exactly what I needed to hear 🙏🏻
I recognize the long hours it took to edit this video 😃 killer video!
Yeah people forget how long it takes to edit a video like this, and film it all yourself. The man’s a beast - shame he can’t shred 😜🤣
*Very entertaining video. HAPPY NEW YEAR*
The second solo in The Last Chapter by Old Mans Child performed by mysterious guest Richard Wikstrand is one of my favorite ever. Also love Chuck hitting that high note in Left To Die after singing "on this fucking Earrrrrrrrttttthhhhhh"
Ask the "normal" Listener to listen to "Polyphia" "Playing god", and they will hum to you the melody of the "hook" but can't tell you about the skill to play it. Great Video! BTW ! Trey!
This is the best add I've ever seen... and I love it 🤣 Great video, dude!
Kirk has his place in metal and it's history, but goddamn it feels like every few years he just drops a shitty take on something out of nowhere.
Great video, a lot of good points. I do think though that a lot more people remember a great solo (who are not musicians)than Kirk gives credit to, or at least the opening melody. This may be more an age thing, or if the music is shared through a guitarist. I remember the first time I heard STH solo, I remember it made me want to learn guitar, but I also remember the look on my dads face when he was listening to it, he looked so happy and just in his own world.
100% agree on the diminishing returns of speed and technique, with regards to the majority of listeners, but still doesn’t stop me wishing I had spent a little longer getting a little faster. I hear solo ideas in my head and think (I really don’t or won’t spend the time to get good enough to play that) here’s a pentatonic widdle 😂.
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Also “shit talking rhombus” is an amazing prog band name 🤣🤣
People love guitar solos. They don't love metal guitar solos and that's because shredding sounds nothing like the human voice. That's what rock guitar had before the '80s - the sense that the player was reaching for the notes like a singer. When people say metal lacks "feel," this is what they mean. A solo will always be more melodic and memorable the more it sounds like a voice singing. The car chase analogy should apply to the solo, too. Sing-able lines + a bit of chaos/flash to maximize interest.
Well said Dr Xavier. The depth of emotion and the realisation of an imagined world are the realm of the skilled soloist, and the skilled songwriter. Leave it to the Bee Gees to make music for everyone.
Fortunately I am a bass player so everyone will remember what I play. Hahahaha. Just kidding. I am forever in awe of how my guitarist grows in his skills. While it’s true that not every riff and shred is remembered, his talent and dedication is recognized and praised. I have a lot of appreciation for the work that guitarists put in. Great video!
One of the most memorable guitar solos is within one of the best written songs by Tesla… Love Song!
hey how could i submit a song? im sure you have said how to a bunch of times
Great video man. Very entertaining. I recently saw Jason Richardson open for Dethklok. I was like wow man he kills that shit. After the second song though I was over it. But every solo Dethklok played I was glued to it. To be fair though Jason was playing to backing tracks and no band on stage which was not very exciting.
Absolutely master class video!!
and i'm a bassist i'm all about the feel of the song and the solo
This is the first video of yours I have ever seen. How did this happen?? Well... I can see why you have so many subs! Including mine, now. Outstanding video and WELL PUT. New fan, here!
Welcome bröther
David Gilmour solos would like to have a word with Kirk Hammet.
I don’t think the memorization of a piece has anything to do with whether or not it has replay value. I know every note of a lot of solos by heart, and love them equally to the first time I heard them. This includes some of Kirk’s solos.
I think he’s also forgotten what people liked about his solos.
So eloquently he states the plight of the guitar solo. Love this. FWIW I’m working on a cartoon rn for a major cartoon network and I was hired to do guitar solos in every episode. And the request came from the director! Everyone loves guitar solos. They may go in and out of style but they’ll always have a place.
Yes, guitar solos and comedy seem to go hand in hand. And well, that's a problem...
Great video Trey! I totally agree with you and all the points you made. I've given up on trying to write things that will impress other guitarists. No matter what I write and record, there will always be some kid on UA-cam or TikTok who will outdo me and be way more impressive on guitar. So, that's a fruitless endeavor. SONGS > RIFFS & SOLOS
I really enjoyed this video. I've always felt these things but never knew how to articulate it. RIP Van Halen and Holdsworth.
Some peaked in highschool, he peaked with the solo for "One".
“The Shortest Straw” and “The Day That Never Comes” are better solos; don’t know what you are talking about.
I actually hum the solo from "One" to myself. The others are good but I find myself humming them to myself 35 years later.@@alexanderyoung8961
To be fair; I do hum "Blackened" a lot too.@@alexanderyoung8961
Great conversation! Amazing how one little comment from Kirk has stirred up so much discussion
It’s funny how people can watch a piano player noodle forever on a virtuoso run in any genre, but if a guitar player does a fraction of that, they’re showing off.
I think the point Hammet was making and I agree is most people are not going to remember the solo isolated from the intro or rhythm of the song. If you ask 100 non musicians to sing the solo for say something like "Enter Sandman" all of them are probably going to sing the intro and the rhythm. So it is as important to have a song with a memorable rhythm, intro , drop, etc etc. than it is for a epic memorable solo.
I think you could take the majority of songs and the most memorable solos are going to be from songs where the rhythm laid down the majority of the "memorable" licks. So its kind of like saying its important to write good solos in songs with good every thing else... which I am not sure I agree I think there are plenty of songs where people do not even know there is a solo but the song itself is so well done that they think they do.
Its kind of like saying all good solos come from good songs... but if you take that solo out... I bet you very few non musicians would even even recognize it unless it was a well crafted transition into that solo that makes that song a memorable part.
Let's not forget what many a guitar player has said, from shredders to...not shredders, "a good guitar solo is one you can hum." Because if you can hum it, you can remember it. Why does Phil Collin's drum fill in "In The Air Tonight" get called out as one of the greatest drum fills ever? Why is the dual lead in KISS' "Detroit Rock CIty" often considered one their best solos? And the biggest question of all: Why did I use a drum example on a guitar-centric video?
When I send my song to a friend who is a musician or have Trey review it. I get so much criticism from fellow musicians that at time just make me shake my head. Musicians are very critical when reviewing songs but I agree a lot of this is more based on skill compared to how they feel. When I send to a friend who is not a musician. They have about 1/18th of the comments. In fact, most non musicians friends end up loving the song more than my musical friends lol.
But Trey really agree with a lot of what you said in the video and always great video.
FYI my favorite guitar solo is AIC Man in a Box. I just love the way the solo is structured around the song. Not the most skilled or exotic solos, but still my favorite.
Yes.
I like how Bruce Dickinson and Dave mustaine have put it. You have to be good to sound good, regardless of how high a ceiling you're aiming to play at, you still have to be good to make good music. Even Britney spears' backing guitarist is very good that not just anybody could do that job. Even if he's not an amazing shredder with skills on the level of Steve Vai, it takes a lot of skill to be impeccable at the basics.
Thanks, i have now added “shit talking rhombus” to my vocabulary
Hmm an interesting discussion ideed. Makes me wonder if I even need to practice. Ill just program all the parts and call it a day.
Amazing video❤
He’s very wrong. A good solo can be one of the most memorable parts of a song.
i've been playing guitar for 5 years. and i'll keep going till i die. keep rocking pals.
Trey, would you ever consider doing a tutorial (paid or otherwise) for metal/death metal scream vocals?
Edited to add: I know there are other tutorials out there, but I trust and respect your opinion and tutelage.
Kirk Hammett: Wah.
This is an entertaining vid. I do think many people are taking his comments too seriously though. Most of the viewers of this vid are probably musicians/guitar players, so of course we remember solos. However, if you asked a sample of the general public to sing you their favorite guitars solos, his words may ring more true.
Kirks solos from ride the lightning still to this day stick in my head along with solos from Megadeths tornado of souls and others. His poor attitude and effort into producing memorable guitar solos on his resent albums will forever sure have nobody remembering them.
awesome video !
Hey Trey, I'd love a video about composing memorable guitar solos that fit within a song while still allowing us to shred. You can call it "How to Kirk Hammett Your Songs"
This should be required viewing for all the Instagram guitarists constantly posting 40 second shred-fests and non-stop riff salads. In the end, the song is the only thing that matters.
Nu Metal was right to call for a total and complete shutdown of guitar solos until they could figure out what was going on.
This was genuinely fun to watch.
Sure...that's why I hum solos like the Fight Fire w Fire solo for years, or barely know the lyrics to Through the Fire & Flames but try to sing the guitar parts.
The storytelling format made this really memorable and engaging…… kind of like a good song?? 🤯
I remember the guitar solos from my favorite songs pretty much note-for-note...and I'm a drummer, so...
I wouldn’t worry about it. It’s just Hammett. It’s not like this is Dave Mustaine talking. 😊
Kirk: "Nobody remembers guitar solos"
Me: listening to the outro solo to a live version of "Victim of Illusion" by Michael Schenker Group in 1980 on repeat to the point I can sing every note of it.
What Kirk isn't accounting for is that 99.999% of us who listen to Metallica enough to buy anything from them LOVE guitar solos. There's something in our DNA that hears the timbre of an electric guitar and it just CONNECTS. A guitar solo is just like hearing lyrics. People like us are an entirely different sub-set of people, away from those who only get attached to whatever music is fed to them via radio or whatever is played while they are being driven home by a co-worker....which is likely to be Pop, Trap, EDM or Reggaeton
Trey hits it on spot on about speed. There is ABSOLUTELY a threshold where being amazing at guitar stops having value to a listener emotionally, and at the end of the day, that's where the pocket is. You want to hit people with emotions.
These things should never be overthought though and you should always just do what you do. Just take into consideration: "Am I doing this to impress someone or am I doing this because I'm communicating something relevant?" Think of it like nudity in film--is there nudity because you just wanna have some smut in there or is the nudity actually pertinent to the story? That's the difference between ART and not-art.
Love this video
I like to think of the different songwriting/soloing skills and techniques as different colors in a painting.
If you only paint with one color it's gonna be boring as hell.
The level of analyzing music that Trey has really blows my mind. Slayer solos are though very memorable but really for all the wrong reasons..
The irony it's that i remember vividly how much I enjoyed and got goosebumps as a 10 years old listening to "ride the lightning" solos, knowing nothing about playing guitar
Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets, and Justice were PEAK Kirk Hammett!
I remembered a video once someone made solos for the songs of Metallica's St. Anger album and they just made the songs like 10x better.
Great one 👏
i think most non-musicians remember the guitar solo from Bohemian Rhapsody. ONLY exception in existence.
- Musician: **plays difficult shred solo**
- Audience: **taps foot lightly**
- Musician: **repeats easy three-note thing during 8 measures**
- Audience: "whoooooohoooooo" **massive applause**
ROI
The bad shred solos are scale runs. People can remember the solo to November Rain and the theme to Top Gun because people can hum along. Ace of Spaces seems like a fast song but it's around 140 BPM. Another 140 BPM song is Miss You Most (At Christmas Time) by Mariah Carey. Just use the illusion of speed instead of real speed.
Nice cuts and editing
If you were the person responsible for the solos on 72 seasons, you might not wanna share your opinions on guitar solos.
I totally agree with you.
A solo I always remember is from Left For Dead by Tribe Of Judah, Just sounds good.
I think most people shredding underestimate how self gratifying it is, vs how enjoyable it is to other people, guitarist (and non). It's satisfying to play something fast and difficult, but the roi vs melody guitar is incomparable. Maybe I'm biased; every singe melodic solo (including mediocre) I've heard has beat the individual best shred. Shred just doesn't fully make sense to me. Playing 'lead' guitar beats solo guitar as well IMO. Stuff like In Flames melodies, but much more mild too. Just any arrangement with melodic guitar parts, whether in a riff, paired with a riff/vocal, or taking a place normally used for soloing. Developing excellent songwriting instead of woodshedding is liberating, on top of all of this.
In all fairness, I forgot the wah pedal was a thing.
My non-musician friend sings along with all of Sabbath's and Dio's guitar solos. Even those of Kirk's that make a bit of sense.
Thats why bands like Green day and Nirvana are so huge. They write simple and catchy songs cause they suck at guitar and arent tempted to overcomplicate things.
I wish I sucked at guitar
@@treyxaviermusic same bro😅😅
My message to Kirk Hammett: Uhm.....Bohemian Rhapsody? Hotel California? Stairway to heaven? comfortably numb? another brick in the wall? How about your solos from master of puppets? fade to black? Enter sandman? Need I say more?
Some hectic truths in here. Hard for people to hear, but focus on good songs. Wish I could go back 10 years and tell younger me to focus on writing good songs. The shred is like a spicy candy.
Nice plug at the end.😂
It's a good thing as far as shredding is concerned I'm a hobbyist and don't have to worry about solos that don't sell records. I know Friedman solos, Eddie Solos, Dime solos, I don't know any Kurt solos.....
Trey, your therapist seems like a total hack, but I thought this presentation style was fun and very effective. Can't wait for more!
Damn. A lot of time was put into the video. Sad, that it won't reach a lot of people.
no, the biggest misconception most "non musicians" make is super fast gained out solos require more skill than spanky clean rhythm patterns and that most people hide poor playing behind tons of gain---turn the gain down and they look at the amp stupid like...all quizzikal n' shit.
Galneryus solos are fucking awesome.The guitarist has an insane level of speed, but he uses it to do melodies with it so the hole solo becames a memorable thing! And Hideto Matsumoto from X japan does this too.I think we should learn from them!
I love Galneryus
@@treyxaviermusic Really man?! I really wish that you analyze their songwriting one day.I really like your content man, it helped me to understand some stuff In the world of songwriting.You're a beast!
Kirk's feeling on this kinda explains why his solos went from really standout/memorable moments in Metallica songs to being the most throwaway part of their songs....
I think it's a simple as "serve the song". If the song needs a shreddy solo, do it. If it needs a melodic solo, do it. If it needs nothing, leave it alone. Having the wisdom to know which is right is, I guess, one step towards becoming a zen guitarist.
Kirk remembers Michael Schenkers solos and so does the non guitarist.
I love this Food Network, Alton Brown vibes template 😍❤️
Man kirk was why i picked up the guitar in the first place. Granted i quit for about 10ish years but still the reason i picked it back up.
Thank you Kirk Hammett for showing exactly what not to do while being a guitar player.
Verses your career in music?
@@archiewiles5512 Which is completely irrelevant.
5:37 Shit Talking Rhombus would be a great band name tho lmao
Bass player so maybe this will be an unpopular opinion lol. I agree with Kirk 1000%. Often the parts of songs that have guitar solos can ruin the song for me. There are certain solos that are exceptions, like Led Zeppelin's Since I've been loving you (best solo of all time, to me, and it's not because it's the fastest or most technical), and Alter Bridge - Blackbird where the guitar solo is meaningful, and works very well with the song. But shredding with those power ranger guitar solos is really not something that improves the listening experience. Nobody really cares besides other guitarists who understand the difficulty and can appreciate tone and all of those things.
If you zoom out and take emotions out of it, they often do more harm to the song than it did good. To be fair, I feel the same exact way about bass solos. Victor Wooten's music never was appealing to me, or many of the other bass players that are regarded as "the best." Even the guys on UA-cam who play bass, are way too technical and it doesn't sound good. You could even put drummers in this category. Not everybody will understand how great Danny Carey or Mario Duplainter is. Not everybody will understand Thomas Haake from Meshuggah and how difficult it is to play Bleed for 7 fking minutes. Or Austin Archey from Lorna shore. These are bands usually musicians will like, because simple consumers just don't get it.
For all the talk of great melodies trumping all…I’m not catching myself humming any of Kirk’s solos from 72 Seasons. Sad but true…
bro this video is genius. 10/10
Trey - you're fucking awesome. The vid game keeps getting stronger!
Imo solos are just random notes
But you have a great point in what you talk about. The most people will go on what feelings the song/solo gives them. Haven't James said that he writes music for him self and if people likes it then it's a huge bonus.
I think that that's a "problem" in today's world everyone just look at al the people that play their asses off on social media with all the practice and god knows how many re takes. And who is gonna comment on it or talk about it well other guitar players.
"Imo solos are just random notes", nope, not even close.....
@@MickH60 Well everyone feels/thinks different about it. I only play rythm guitar so imo it's just random notes specialy when they are played shred style.
It's the same with the guitar it self it's just a price of wood with some electronics and strings on it. Of course it is a tool for some in there work but it's still a price of wood with some electronics and strings on it regardles.
But still he have a great point in this video that for the moast part the only one to care is other guitar players. When you talk about the nity grity details.
Truth Trey!!🤘🏻🤘🏻
I thought I made a longer reply but again maybe it didn't go through. I wanted to say thanks for all your content. You helped me on my recent shuriken variax purchase. I appreciate all of your content!
I cracked up when you said Shit Talking Rhombus . My Prog Jam Band of 25 years is Rhombus Music Chicago! Check out UA-cam here
Trey is always awesome
I hit the subscribe button right after the failed nose pick. Lmao. But yeah, nice video and point well made.
I think when a solo really compliments the song and/or are melodic/ makes you feel something are the best. I'd take a David Gilmore solo over a Dragonforce any day of the week.