Listening to Michael Schenker is like having someone drive you around i their hometown - they know 100 ways to get from point A to point B and no matter where you are on the journey they know what their options are for the next move.
I've never heard the man overplay, which a lot of modern guitarists do. It's almost always jizzingly good, melodic, bluesy and sometimes classically influenced, interesting solos from him. His use of the wah pedal is also remarkably good.
I may be a little late but you’re right about the position of his pick. I heard in an interview that he turns it just like you did. And what a great analysis of his playing. I wish some of the critics I saw on his videos come and see yours. And…you can play as they often never can themselves. Great video and great player yourself
Never too late! Awesome. Cheers for confirming that, much appreciated. Aye, most of how I've learned stuff has been from breaking down players like this (aka stealing!), so figured it would be useful or at least interesting? Great to hear you enjoyed it 🤘🎸🎶
Schenker was my first guitar hero, even got to see him live once. Always loved his style. Great insight into playing here, many thanks. My fave solos are rock bottom and on with the action... awesome
Thank mate, glad you got something from it! Rock Bottom is a total classic, can't think of On With the Action off the top of my head will go and check it out 🤘
Listening to UFO and MSG for years, albeit only Phenomenon and Force It. Only just started listening to No Heavy Petting, Lights Out and Obsession. And On With the Action has some of Schenker's best guitar playing, really caught me right off guard.
Obsession Tour 1977 was recorded in 16mm, B/W by Bill Graham Presents. I saw that footage aired at Winterland before Thin Lizzy took the stage on the Bad Reputation Tour. Amazing times never to be repeated. All the best out there. James
Been listening to him alot , lately. I can't believe it took me 25 yrs to find about what everyone was talking about - I had been engulfed in all the other greats for so long, but finally went and checked out his work - simply amazing player/songwriter/performer etc.... the finesse in his touch and playing, the tone choices, the improv. , the above all personality via his playing : he is definitely a living LEGEND. Great video - I subbed. Thanks
@@JbfMusicGuitar I guess a myriad of complimentary adjectives would suffice, but MS seems to be one of the musicians who taps into the soul resonating quality of music that really captures the listener - at least guitar geeks like me.
MS is all about sound, execution, nuances, & melody. He only plays the necessary notes, even during his shred phase his solos were always well crafted and never sound self indulgent. He has the ability to make simple lines sound awesome and is very hard to imitate. His technique is not your GIT shit, its more on the intuitive side which focuses more on the sound, honed from years of playing. That's why he will always sound distinctive.
Well said! Schenker rightly avoids the excesses of shred, which is really a musical dead-end - an arid artistry that splices semantics with mathematics into a kind of self-limiting system or predictable cage that suppresses existential depth and reduces feeling-state expression to ostentation. Schenker even reports that he deliberately slowed down his playing by about 1990 to avoid the pitfalls of shred!
Really enjoyed this, thank you. Michael Schenker and Gary Moore came into my field-of-vision at the same time (1979), and it was hard to believe how good they were.
@@JbfMusicGuitar: Lizzy and UFO at their peak just before the 1980s! You know Pau "Tonka" Chapman who replaced Schenker in UFO? He'd replaced Moore too, in the Irish band Skid Row. Brave man, and another great guitarist. :)
@JbfMusicGuitar I Got A Tune For You To Check Out !!! Try UFO Space Child At The Record Plant !! Mikey Is All Of 17 I'm Going To Guess You Probably Have Not Heard It Before. If You Haven't You Will Be Amazed. Hit Me Back After You Check Out !!
On the subject of the pick. I actually seen an interview he did from the early 80’s and the reason he uses the pick that way is because if it’s got some kind of rough edges on the face of the pick, like say the brand name that protrudes, it gives him a nice scratchy sound for his rhythm guitar playing as well
That harmony Schenker falls into at 4:15 is a classic Schenker interlude. If you hear it you know it was him. Don't know if he is using octoplex, a digital overlay or another player somewhere.I actually saw him play when he was an old man of 18. The Forum in L.A.
Spot on. A thing that you picked up on which is often is often overlooked is his funky/grooviness - not in the orthodox sense but buried deep within the phrasing. Impossible to teach. It's almost a gifted sense. Noted on songs such as Feels like a good thing. Well done mate.Thank you
I remember reading an interview with Lita Ford and they were asking her about some of other guitarist and one that she mentioned was Michael Schenker about how he had the best lead break.
In 1977 when I was 11 years old I found "Force It" in my sister's vinyl lp collection - I was drawn by the steel piping that the Hypnosis group did on the album cover. But when I heard Mother Mary and all of the songs after that I was just floored. Then I discovered Lonesome Crow, and in '79 I saw the Scorpions opening for Theodore Nugent on the Lovedrive tour and I was not expecting to see wideface Matthias Jabs up there ... alas, there he was; no Michael. But hearing Rudolph, Francis, Herman and Klaus was just fucking amazing. In 1981 I saw MSG with Cozy Powell, Paul Raymond, Gary Barden and Chris Glen - opening for Cheap Trick. And he's still doing it!
@@JbfMusicGuitar Brother, it's a fine line with guitarists; if you don't dig Rick Neilson I don't believe ... He was on all those late seventies huge bills with Frank Martino & Mahogany Rush, Aerosmith, Rick Derringer, Nugent [Ugh...] Foreigner [Fckn truly super rock musicians & song craftsman], Heart, UFO, Blue Oyster Cult, Scorpions [Lovedrive & prior], etc... Who couldn't love Bun E. Carlos!
Thanks, much appreciated! Good point, there probably is some compression in his signal chain, but I think he's also just got some magic in his fingers!
Schenker is always awesome and he learned to play really young and played his first gig with scorpions when he was 11years old that says alit about him
Schenker learned guitar so he could teach Rudolph songs he couldn't practice while he was at work in the factory. Rudolph would give him a list and say, "show me this when I get home." He recorded in the Lonesome Crow record when he was 14. Joined UFO at 15 or something like that.
Thank you very much for this! We used to open with "Lights Out" back in my gigging days. Saw them with Judas Priest at the Chicago Amphitheater back around '78. Pete Way is correct.
@@JbfMusicGuitar my axes have been in the closet for a few years now, but your post has inspired me to break them out and get some "chops" back. I'm a bassist/vocalist, but I like to plunk around on my six-strings a bit also. Rock on!
Thanks Jack, technique is hard for the earnest amateur that I am! I think if there was one solo that has all the Schenker bit's in it, for me, it would be from MSG's second album, and the outro solo for 'When sleeping dogs lie' (and listen to the band in the background, Cozy Powell ripping it up almost as good as Rainbow Rising!). I am pretty sure the world does not yet realize that 'pound for pound' UFO's Strangers in the night is probably the greatest live album ever, what a band. My first electric was bought for 50 quid, it was a Kay Flying V, from a store on Bridge St in Edinburgh. I painted it black and white. Haha. What a player, still.
No problem Gregor! I can't think of that one off the top of my head, will have to check it out! Truth, UFO are painfully underrated. Brilliant. My 2nd guitar was a knock off flying V, conveniently already black and white, although not in that cool way that Schenker's is painted lmao!
Thanks for the vid, Schenker is a guitar God,we're in the Olympus of electric guitar with him along with very few other people , I think that it would really take weeks to analyse every aspect of his mastery since his debut on a record with Scorpions at 16 years old ! I love his unique iconic pose, the way he puts his V between his legs to sustain his vibrato and then he goes "in the zone" and delivers jaw droppingly beautiful melodic solos that sound like a song into the song, everytime you have a new creation 'cause he never ever plays a solo twice the same in a row! 🤘🤘
16?!?!? Wow, didn't realise he was that young! totally, it would take years to pick away at all of his ideas and tricks! For sure, his improv is really fluid and controlled, but somehow keeps that spontaneous edged 🤘
@@JbfMusicGuitar That's why he was called in Germany "Der Wunderkind", the wonder boy. Michael and Klaus Meine joined the Scorpions in 1970 from their band called Copernicus. Michael started writing music at 15, then went on tour for a couple of years and entered the studio in October 1971. The recording only lasted a week, and despite being credited for lead I bet he also played most of the rhythm parts too, because then Rudolf wasn't that good. Anyway, on that record he still played a Les Paul custom and his style is a work in progress, he sounds like Iommi and Blackmore's love child! But glimpses of his legendary tone and touch were definitely there. His steady progress has been amazing from year to year. When he joined UFO at barely 18 he was an all rounded professional!
@@lifeisnice23 Wow, I can't imagine touring at 15, that would have been a trainwreck for me, lol! Cheers for all of that! I'd heard of his Wunderkind nickname, all the rest is totally new to me, thanks for that 🤘
@@JbfMusicGuitar you're welcome man, Michael's life is a true rock and roll journey, it would be the perfect script for an incredible movie! Keep on rockin '🤘🤘😉
Great insight on his style, but I want to ask you, when people talk about guitar amp settings, there are terms that musicians and producers use, like what are lo cuts, high cuts, the middles, scoops, low end, high end, stuff like that, when dealing with EQs? Like the other day I was talking to one of the sales managers at guitar and we talking about AC/DC and he told me that they use pretty much all about the middle settings. To get a better bass sound, a brighter sound. Can you please explain what all that means? Sorry for the many questions, I know I said a mouthful...
Cheers! Sure, so a 'cut' is taking some of it out 'scoop' means the same thing really. Low end is bass, high end is treble and mids are all the good sounds in between! Our hearing goes from about 20Hz to 20,000Hz (20kHz). There is overlap and it's a bit subjective here, but roughly: 20 - 250: Lows 250 - 500: Low Mids 500 - 1500: Mids 1500 - 5000: High Mids 5000 - 20,000: Highs So, let's say your using an amp (you can do this stuff with some pedals and EQs as well etc.) as rule of thumb have the EQs set to 5 and adjust from there. For an AC/DC type sound roll off the bass a bit, maybe to about 3 or 4, boost the mids maybe to 7 or 8, the highs will maybe be at 5 or 6. Obviously it depends on your guitar and stuff. This will take that low end thud out, add some mid range clarity and give you a bit more definite from having more treble. Let me know if any of that makes sense, lol!
@@JbfMusicGuitar Hi, thank you for getting back to me, the tone I am trying to get is on the following video, at the 11:43 time stamp. I would appreciate your help: ua-cam.com/video/jmT1zutwAew/v-deo.html I don't know how to get that sound.
@@AngelMartinez-qs3cf Sure, you could try giving Phillip a message for a better insight. But I reckon, with a humbucking guitar: Bridge pickup Low: 6 Mids: 8 Highs: 5 Presence: 7 Gain: 3/4 Hit the string with a bit of force to drive the amp. If you let me know your rig I can have a think and hopefully come up with something a bit more specific!
@@JbfMusicGuitar Van Halen was named by Schenker as the player he thought was best, interestingly, though Leslie West is a clear influence he acknowledges as well. Tony Iommi impresses me more every time I listen to him, so he would be my 'number 3', and I have heard Jeff Beck is impossible to copy exactly. I enjoyed seeing Jeff live. What puts Schenker at the top for me is the sheer volume of his high-quality output. He must have done several dozen albums. His 'best of' is over 24 hours in length, surpassing the output of Iommi and Hendrix. Great video, thanks!
This is what ive been looking for. Amazing stuff man! I LOVE SCHENKER TO THE DEATH. Venus from the Walk on Water album is my favourite song. Would like to see your analysis on that whole album :) What a f*ing band!!!
WHAT SETS HIM APART IS MORE WHAT HE HAS SAID ABOUT HIMSELF DOES NOT LISTEN TO OTHERS MUSIC SINCE HE WAS 17 AND PRACTICES WHAT HE CALLS JUST A SINGLE STRING FOR HOURS THEN THEN NEXT ECT. HE ALWAYS KNOWS WHERE HE IS HEADED AND WHAT IT IS GOING TO SOUND LIKE A TOTAL MASTER OF SELF EXPRESSION
I dont care much about my other Guitar Heroes..I love my Guitar Heroes, but Michael Schenker is No 1 since I knew him in 1984..actually I heard him in 1982 but really appreciates his playing when I was listening to UFO Compilation by Michael in 1984..
Jeff Beck.. Michael Schenker and of course Jimmy Hendrix and Uli jon Roth. . My favourites. In every aspect. Then Evh walks in and paul Gilbert. And maany others.
I think he largely played by ear, but I'm not 100% sure. Music theory is just putting a name to a sound, so he'll know what I'm talking about, but maybe call it something different- if that makes sense?
Its like a sort of INCSTINT. . Listen to his "adventures of imagination" it really sounds very close to.. Satriani perhaps? in some parts. AMAZING instrumental album. Dreams and expressions is also great.
And who cares if he doesn't use his pinky, he gets the job done better than a lot of people who do. As far as fingering, his large hands find it more comfortable to play 123 (numbers being fingers) especially in the higher register, where small and medium size hands would play 124 or 134.
If MS was in a bigger band he would be counted in the same league as Hendrix, Clapton and Page. If Clapton and Hendrix created the model for late 60s/ 70s rock guitar playing, MS did it for the late 70s and 80s. Even Van Halen owes quite a bit to MS. Without the Lights Out and Obsession albums, Van Halen's playing would be a little lesser.
He's an underrated influence for sure; you could make the argument that without UFO Iron Maiden wouldn't be the band they are. I'd wager you're on to something, I suspect him being from mainland Europe probably had an impact, since most of the guitar icons tended to be from the USA or UK. I wonder if it was a marketing thing, transport related, something entirely different... or if I'm just totally off the mark!
Nice call Tom! He has some key licks he'll often hit, but you're right the vast majority of his soloing is improvised. Just makes it all the more impressive 🎸🔥
Structure, melody, tone, touch, vibrato, speed, precision ... Michael Schenker 😎
The full package!
Absolutely correct!!
Michael Schenker ( My Number 1# Favorite Guitarist , thanx for sharing the Video & Cool Logo )
No problem, glad you liked it! Cheers dude
Listening to Michael Schenker is like having someone drive you around i their hometown - they know 100 ways to get from point A to point B and no matter where you are on the journey they know what their options are for the next move.
Very well put!
I've never heard the man overplay, which a lot of modern guitarists do. It's almost always jizzingly good, melodic, bluesy and sometimes classically influenced, interesting solos from him. His use of the wah pedal is also remarkably good.
Good point! He really knowd when to build tension/excitement and when to ease off as well
I have heard him overplay but it’s rare the man isn’t a man
I may be a little late but you’re right about the position of his pick. I heard in an interview that he turns it just like you did. And what a great analysis of his playing. I wish some of the critics I saw on his videos come and see yours. And…you can play as they often never can themselves. Great video and great player yourself
Never too late! Awesome. Cheers for confirming that, much appreciated.
Aye, most of how I've learned stuff has been from breaking down players like this (aka stealing!), so figured it would be useful or at least interesting? Great to hear you enjoyed it 🤘🎸🎶
Schenker was my first guitar hero, even got to see him live once. Always loved his style. Great insight into playing here, many thanks. My fave solos are rock bottom and on with the action... awesome
Thank mate, glad you got something from it! Rock Bottom is a total classic, can't think of On With the Action off the top of my head will go and check it out 🤘
Listening to UFO and MSG for years, albeit only Phenomenon and Force It.
Only just started listening to No Heavy Petting, Lights Out and Obsession. And On With the Action has some of Schenker's best guitar playing, really caught me right off guard.
@@Hentarded one if my favourite ufo tracks
Obsession Tour 1977 was recorded in 16mm, B/W by Bill Graham Presents. I saw that footage aired at Winterland before Thin Lizzy took the stage on the Bad Reputation Tour. Amazing times never to be repeated. All the best out there. James
Been listening to him alot , lately. I can't believe it took me 25 yrs to find about what everyone was talking about - I had been engulfed in all the other greats for so long, but finally went and checked out his work - simply amazing player/songwriter/performer etc.... the finesse in his touch and playing, the tone choices, the improv. , the above all personality via his playing : he is definitely a living LEGEND. Great video - I subbed. Thanks
"finesse in his touch and playing" hit the nail on the head! He just has *something* special about how he plays every note 🎸🎶✨
@@JbfMusicGuitar I guess a myriad of complimentary adjectives would suffice, but MS seems to be one of the musicians who taps into the soul resonating quality of music that really captures the listener - at least guitar geeks like me.
I was at both. 78 Tour was at Maples Pavilion, Stanford University/Palo Alto, Ca.
Oh wow, must have a been a pretty amazing experience!
Sublimed playing indeed..
He's on fire in these clips, killer tone, great note choice!
MS is all about sound, execution, nuances, & melody. He only plays the necessary notes, even during his shred phase his solos were always well crafted and never sound self indulgent. He has the ability to make simple lines sound awesome and is very hard to imitate. His technique is not your GIT shit, its more on the intuitive side which focuses more on the sound, honed from years of playing. That's why he will always sound distinctive.
Great observation! He's an intuitive player for sure 🔥🎸🎶
Well said! Schenker rightly avoids the excesses of shred, which is really a musical dead-end - an arid artistry that splices semantics with mathematics into a kind of self-limiting system or predictable cage that suppresses existential depth and reduces feeling-state expression to ostentation. Schenker even reports that he deliberately slowed down his playing by about 1990 to avoid the pitfalls of shred!
Really enjoyed this, thank you. Michael Schenker and Gary Moore came into my field-of-vision at the same time (1979), and it was hard to believe how good they were.
Cheers Alex! Oh man, that's a double header that's hard to beat, blue influenced hard rockers than can really rip it up! 🤘
@@JbfMusicGuitar: Lizzy and UFO at their peak just before the 1980s! You know Pau "Tonka" Chapman who replaced Schenker in UFO? He'd replaced Moore too, in the Irish band Skid Row. Brave man, and another great guitarist. :)
Mikey The Best To Ever Pick Up A Guitar !!!
He's just got 'it'
@JbfMusicGuitar I Got A Tune For You To Check Out !!! Try UFO Space Child At The Record Plant !!
Mikey Is All Of 17 I'm Going To Guess You Probably Have Not Heard It Before. If You Haven't You Will Be Amazed. Hit Me Back After You Check Out !!
I knew michael schenker in my late 20's im 36 today and still listening his stuff and love it like it the first time
He's a got a magic to his playing, it just pulls you in
On the subject of the pick. I actually seen an interview he did from the early 80’s and the reason he uses the pick that way is because if it’s got some kind of rough edges on the face of the pick, like say the brand name that protrudes, it gives him a nice scratchy sound for his rhythm guitar playing as well
Very cool, thanks for sharing that!
That harmony Schenker falls into at 4:15 is a classic Schenker interlude. If you hear it you know it was him. Don't know if he is using octoplex, a digital overlay or another player somewhere.I actually saw him play when he was an old man of 18. The Forum in L.A.
It is instant Schenker isn't it! Lucky enough to catch him live once, the guy was amazing.
Spot on. A thing that you picked up on which is often is often overlooked is his funky/grooviness - not in the orthodox sense but buried deep within the phrasing. Impossible to teach. It's almost a gifted sense. Noted on songs such as Feels like a good thing. Well done mate.Thank you
Completely agree Dom, he's got groove for days!
Michael is King
Something about his touch, just has that magic something, eh?
he said in an interview (which i cant locate) that he got his vibrato by fixing the wing of the v to his inside thigh, anchoring it there
Ahh, that makes sense he does seem to lock the guitar in place like that! Many thanks for the insight 🤘
Impossible to name a rock guitarist who is more able than Michael Schenker.
The guy definitely has that something special about his playing!
I remember reading an interview with Lita Ford and they were asking her about some of other guitarist and one that she mentioned was Michael Schenker about how he had the best lead break.
I'd agree with that Steven! When we goes for a lead, you know it's Schenker 🤘
This tutor is a actually a metal head being a intellect of music
I'd call myself more of a rocker, but you're not wrong Bruce! Music theory ftw 🤘
21:40
Have you tabs from this?
No tabs for these licks, but there might be some in this one- ua-cam.com/video/FZWnLxNPIsE/v-deo.html that are similar!
In 1977 when I was 11 years old I found "Force It" in my sister's vinyl lp collection - I was drawn by the steel piping that the Hypnosis group did on the album cover. But when I heard Mother Mary and all of the songs after that I was just floored. Then I discovered Lonesome Crow, and in '79 I saw the Scorpions opening for Theodore Nugent on the Lovedrive tour and I was not expecting to see wideface Matthias Jabs up there ... alas, there he was; no Michael. But hearing Rudolph, Francis, Herman and Klaus was just fucking amazing. In 1981 I saw MSG with Cozy Powell, Paul Raymond, Gary Barden and Chris Glen - opening for Cheap Trick. And he's still doing it!
Sounds like a truly magical moment Thomas! That's a great MSG line up and Cheap Trick as well- nice gig line up 🤘🎶
@@JbfMusicGuitar Brother, it's a fine line with guitarists; if you don't dig Rick Neilson I don't believe ... He was on all those late seventies huge bills with Frank Martino & Mahogany Rush, Aerosmith, Rick Derringer, Nugent [Ugh...] Foreigner [Fckn truly super rock musicians & song craftsman], Heart, UFO, Blue Oyster Cult, Scorpions [Lovedrive & prior], etc... Who couldn't love Bun E. Carlos!
he always sounds compressed, but Im pretty sure after all these years its in his wee paws. Great critique as always
Thanks, much appreciated! Good point, there probably is some compression in his signal chain, but I think he's also just got some magic in his fingers!
Schenker is always awesome and he learned to play really young and played his first gig with scorpions when he was 11years old that says alit about him
@@josephmorgan916 11??!?! You've got to be pulling my leg here surely?? On the other hand he plays with such natural ease, it would make sense 🤘
Unless michael is not telling the truth because i heard it out of his very own mouth i
Schenker learned guitar so he could teach Rudolph songs he couldn't practice while he was at work in the factory. Rudolph would give him a list and say, "show me this when I get home." He recorded in the Lonesome Crow record when he was 14. Joined UFO at 15 or something like that.
MS is totally awesome. And is playing better now than ever!!
That's a really good point!
Thank you very much for this!
We used to open with "Lights Out" back in my gigging days.
Saw them with Judas Priest at the Chicago Amphitheater back around '78.
Pete Way is correct.
Thanks for sharing that dude, Preist & Schenker... what a bill! That sounds like a kickass song to open a gig with, awesome.
@@JbfMusicGuitar my axes have been in the closet for a few years now, but your post has inspired me to break them out and get some "chops" back.
I'm a bassist/vocalist, but I like to plunk around on my six-strings a bit also.
Rock on!
Bands that I was in from 79 through 82 played Lights Out. Great times!
Thanks Jack, technique is hard for the earnest amateur that I am! I think if there was one solo that has all the Schenker bit's in it, for me, it would be from MSG's second album, and the outro solo for 'When sleeping dogs lie' (and listen to the band in the background, Cozy Powell ripping it up almost as good as Rainbow Rising!). I am pretty sure the world does not yet realize that 'pound for pound' UFO's Strangers in the night is probably the greatest live album ever, what a band. My first electric was bought for 50 quid, it was a Kay Flying V, from a store on Bridge St in Edinburgh. I painted it black and white. Haha. What a player, still.
No problem Gregor! I can't think of that one off the top of my head, will have to check it out!
Truth, UFO are painfully underrated. Brilliant. My 2nd guitar was a knock off flying V, conveniently already black and white, although not in that cool way that Schenker's is painted lmao!
What a tone!!!
It's immense isn't it??!?
U F O/Obsession Tour/1977/Winterland Ballroom/San Francisco, Ca./U F O/Strangers In The Night Tour/1978
Mr. JbF, what are your pick-ups on your HSH black guitar?
Neck: Bare knuckle VH2
M: Stock (I think this is a Ibanez PSNDS (S))
Bridge: Holy Diver
Schenker was hugely influenced by Leslie West. What you're hearing when it comes to blues/funk is coming from West's particular brand of blues.
Ah, that's really interesting! Can't think of any Leslie West off the top of my head, I'll go and have a listen, cheers for the insight!
@@JbfMusicGuitar Listen to Missississipi Queen by mountain and then listen to the closing solo on Victim of Illusion. It's an homage to West.
Leslie and Page taken to the ultimate level.
Wow I didn’t now that,I can hear the Leslie influence,thanks
What song is that he is soloing in?
It's a compilation, but a lot of the solos are from UFO's song 'lights out'
Ufo - Let it roll
And lights out
Too Hot To Handle solo at 18:58
@@paulfitzpatrick6566 Cheers, didn't catch that one!
Nice video.
Many many thanks dude, loads of great ideas and technique here...
Thanks for the vid, Schenker is a guitar God,we're in the Olympus of electric guitar with him along with very few other people , I think that it would really take weeks to analyse every aspect of his mastery since his debut on a record with Scorpions at 16 years old ! I love his unique iconic pose, the way he puts his V between his legs to sustain his vibrato and then he goes "in the zone" and delivers jaw droppingly beautiful melodic solos that sound like a song into the song, everytime you have a new creation 'cause he never ever plays a solo twice the same in a row! 🤘🤘
16?!?!? Wow, didn't realise he was that young! totally, it would take years to pick away at all of his ideas and tricks!
For sure, his improv is really fluid and controlled, but somehow keeps that spontaneous edged 🤘
@@JbfMusicGuitar That's why he was called in Germany "Der Wunderkind", the wonder boy. Michael and Klaus Meine joined the Scorpions in 1970 from their band called Copernicus. Michael started writing music at 15, then went on tour for a couple of years and entered the studio in October 1971. The recording only lasted a week, and despite being credited for lead I bet he also played most of the rhythm parts too, because then Rudolf wasn't that good. Anyway, on that record he still played a Les Paul custom and his style is a work in progress, he sounds like Iommi and Blackmore's love child! But glimpses of his legendary tone and touch were definitely there. His steady progress has been amazing from year to year. When he joined UFO at barely 18 he was an all rounded professional!
@@lifeisnice23 Wow, I can't imagine touring at 15, that would have been a trainwreck for me, lol!
Cheers for all of that! I'd heard of his Wunderkind nickname, all the rest is totally new to me, thanks for that 🤘
@@JbfMusicGuitar you're welcome man, Michael's life is a true rock and roll journey, it would be the perfect script for an incredible movie! Keep on rockin '🤘🤘😉
Schenker said he.played his first gig in 1966
Michael schenker one says that he puts the flying v between his legs for better vibrato too not just stability
Interesting! It makes sense though, the guitar won't move about at all. I'd never have thought of it though, thanks a bunch for the insight
Great insight on his style, but I want to ask you, when people talk about guitar amp settings, there are terms that musicians and producers use, like what are lo cuts, high cuts, the middles, scoops, low end, high end, stuff like that, when dealing with EQs? Like the other day I was talking to one of the sales managers at guitar and we talking about AC/DC and he told me that they use pretty much all about the middle settings. To get a better bass sound, a brighter sound. Can you please explain what all that means? Sorry for the many questions, I know I said a mouthful...
Cheers! Sure, so a 'cut' is taking some of it out 'scoop' means the same thing really. Low end is bass, high end is treble and mids are all the good sounds in between! Our hearing goes from about 20Hz to 20,000Hz (20kHz). There is overlap and it's a bit subjective here, but roughly:
20 - 250: Lows
250 - 500: Low Mids
500 - 1500: Mids
1500 - 5000: High Mids
5000 - 20,000: Highs
So, let's say your using an amp (you can do this stuff with some pedals and EQs as well etc.) as rule of thumb have the EQs set to 5 and adjust from there. For an AC/DC type sound roll off the bass a bit, maybe to about 3 or 4, boost the mids maybe to 7 or 8, the highs will maybe be at 5 or 6. Obviously it depends on your guitar and stuff. This will take that low end thud out, add some mid range clarity and give you a bit more definite from having more treble.
Let me know if any of that makes sense, lol!
@@JbfMusicGuitar Thank you so so much! You are the best! I have to experiment and see what works! Cheers from New York City.
@@AngelMartinez-qs3cf No problem Angel! Let me know how you get on with dialling in those tones!
@@JbfMusicGuitar Hi, thank you for getting back to me, the tone I am trying to get is on the following video, at the 11:43 time stamp. I would appreciate your help:
ua-cam.com/video/jmT1zutwAew/v-deo.html
I don't know how to get that sound.
@@AngelMartinez-qs3cf Sure, you could try giving Phillip a message for a better insight. But I reckon, with a humbucking guitar:
Bridge pickup
Low: 6
Mids: 8
Highs: 5
Presence: 7
Gain: 3/4
Hit the string with a bit of force to drive the amp. If you let me know your rig I can have a think and hopefully come up with something a bit more specific!
I always had Schenker and Hendrix in a league of their own, but am happy to be educated if there are others who should be exalted!
I'd put Van Halen in there for sure, probably Jeff Beck; mainly for his whammy bar based stuff post 'Guitar Shop'
@@JbfMusicGuitar Van Halen was named by Schenker as the player he thought was best, interestingly, though Leslie West is a clear influence he acknowledges as well. Tony Iommi impresses me more every time I listen to him, so he would be my 'number 3', and I have heard Jeff Beck is impossible to copy exactly. I enjoyed seeing Jeff live. What puts Schenker at the top for me is the sheer volume of his high-quality output. He must have done several dozen albums. His 'best of' is over 24 hours in length, surpassing the output of Iommi and Hendrix. Great video, thanks!
What Song is the first solo?
I'm really not sure off the top of my head- I think someone else in the comments had listed them out?
The song is called Let It Roll
This is what ive been looking for. Amazing stuff man! I LOVE SCHENKER TO THE DEATH. Venus from the Walk on Water album is my favourite song. Would like to see your analysis on that whole album :) What a f*ing band!!!
Cheers dude! He's one amazing player for sure 🤘
@@JbfMusicGuitar updated the comment, please listen to it NOW!!! :D
super
Many thanks mate!
WHAT SETS HIM APART IS MORE WHAT HE HAS SAID ABOUT HIMSELF DOES NOT LISTEN TO OTHERS MUSIC SINCE HE WAS 17 AND PRACTICES WHAT HE CALLS JUST A SINGLE STRING FOR HOURS THEN THEN NEXT ECT. HE ALWAYS KNOWS WHERE HE IS HEADED AND WHAT IT IS GOING TO SOUND LIKE A TOTAL MASTER OF SELF EXPRESSION
Great point, he does seem like he's a few steps ahead in his mind, always knows where he's going!
I dont care much about my other Guitar Heroes..I love my Guitar Heroes, but Michael Schenker is No 1 since I knew him in 1984..actually I heard him in 1982 but really appreciates his playing when I was listening to UFO Compilation by Michael in 1984..
The guy really has something special in his fingers!
Jeff Beck.. Michael Schenker and of course Jimmy Hendrix and Uli jon Roth. . My favourites. In every aspect. Then Evh walks in and paul Gilbert. And maany others.
Totally, all top tier player, Jeff Beck from 'Guitar Shop' onwards really raised his game even further, pretty much a guitarist's guitarists!
Does Michael know what you’re talking about? Or does he hear it so well that he just gets it?
I think he largely played by ear, but I'm not 100% sure. Music theory is just putting a name to a sound, so he'll know what I'm talking about, but maybe call it something different- if that makes sense?
Also lingering on the major 3rd to suggest a dom#9 vibe.
Yes! Nice catch 🎸🎶
Its like a sort of INCSTINT. . Listen to his "adventures of imagination" it really sounds very close to.. Satriani perhaps? in some parts. AMAZING instrumental album. Dreams and expressions is also great.
Instinct is a really great way of putting it, he just 'knows', amazing, eh? Cheers dude, will give that a listen
I’ve always thought, Schenker must have listened to the Allman Brothers at some point and was influenced by it.
Wouldn't surprise he Ted, he definitely got some of that flavour in his playing!
And who cares if he doesn't use his pinky, he gets the job done better than a lot of people who do. As far as fingering, his large hands find it more comfortable to play 123 (numbers being fingers) especially in the higher register, where small and medium size hands would play 124 or 134.
Truth!
Майкл- всегда самый лучший! Он номер 1! Нет- он Бог!
Listening to you makes me feel stupid 🤔 Listening to Michael makes me feel like WTF am I doing.🤷♂️🥰
Oh no! If there's anything I can clear up let me know and in all fairness I think we all feel like that when listening to Schenker!!
If MS was in a bigger band he would be counted in the same league as Hendrix, Clapton and Page. If Clapton and Hendrix created the model for late 60s/ 70s rock guitar playing, MS did it for the late 70s and 80s. Even Van Halen owes quite a bit to MS.
Without the Lights Out and Obsession albums, Van Halen's playing would be a little lesser.
He's an underrated influence for sure; you could make the argument that without UFO Iron Maiden wouldn't be the band they are. I'd wager you're on to something, I suspect him being from mainland Europe probably had an impact, since most of the guitar icons tended to be from the USA or UK. I wonder if it was a marketing thing, transport related, something entirely different... or if I'm just totally off the mark!
He almost never uses his pinky.
Good point James! Next time I get grief for not using mine, I'll chuck Schenker in my rebuttal alongside Guthrie Govan and Andy James
U realize all of his live solos are made up on the spot, I think that should be considered in your critique.
Nice call Tom! He has some key licks he'll often hit, but you're right the vast majority of his soloing is improvised. Just makes it all the more impressive 🎸🔥
More like 800hz.
Good shout, I tend to boost there anyway, so maybe that's why I was adding it lower mids