The better-than-average-est guitar solos

Sultans of Swing. The solo and the fills are all based off the chords.

 

Just about anything from Steely Dan, esp Aja.
Peace - Deeve

 

I mean, he’s one of the greats but Gilmore’s first solo on Comfortably Numb has always been one of my favorites. Nothing crazy really going on except perfect tone and his soul pouring through the guitar.
Not shredder virtuoso stuff, just brings the song from good to great. The one that closes out the song is also amazing but that first one really is what always gets me.

 

Started reading your post and thought what about the dude from the Heartbreakers? Wait nvm he mentioned him. Ok, well Knopfler does some not very.... damn. How about Gilm.... oh you must be kidding me.

My first three thoughts mentioned in the first two posts. I’ll have to think about it.

Surprised you made it out of NM. They don’t call it the Land of Entrapment for nothing

 

I feel the SAME way about Pink Floyd.
Too funny!I miss The Land Of Enchantment so much!I have been up in this Colorado mess for twenty years now next month.

 

Joe Walsh is one of the absolute masters of short but sweet solos.
Here's but one example. The Gretsch goodness during the verses is exemplary too.

 

the most better-than-average band of all


this one is extremely effective

 

Solo in Black Crowes Hard to Handle. Or China Grove by Doobie Brothers.

 

Live performance of Clapton playing Stormy Monday. It was one of the first times I heard a blues solo tell a story.

 

"Marquee Moon" - Television
"Free Four" - Pink Floyd

 

I’d go back to some of the 50s stuff as a starting place. Quick but not technical, melodic, not show offy. Scotty Moore on Hound Dog. Any classic Chuck Berry tune. Personal fave is Jeanie Jeanie Jeanie by Eddie Cochran.

 

Breaking In My Heart---Tom Verlaine
Sway---Mick Taylor's solo
Ball and Chain---Bee Houston's solo
Robin Trower---Daydream
Bad Brains---Destroy Babylon

 

It never hurts to mimic the melody line of the vocals once in awhile, either.

 

My #1 recommandation here is everything Beatles from Revolver on (and if you like rockabilly licks, even earlier stuff). Both George Harrison and Paul McCartney are terrific – neither is a technical monster, but loads of taste, story-telling and good harmonic sense in everything they do. And, you may find some challenging, tricky stuff for progressing technically.

"Something" is one of my favorite guitar solos of all times.

My other two recommendations are Eric Clapton (end of the 60s, early 70s – Badge being his best solo ever in my view) and David Gilmour. Both masters, in their prime, at etching out a meaningful solo. Gilmour, in particular, is amazing at using motifs in his solos (check out "Money").

To get the most out of learning these solos, don't turn to YouTube lessons or transcriptions. Do it by ear. It's not difficult, and it will teach you LOTS of stuff about what notes go where.

PS: John Mayer is badass too, exactly in the same way – his solos on "Something like Olivia" or "Queen of California" are great examples of how you can say a lot with a few well-placed notes.

 

A guy could do a lot worse than learning the basic structure of Rick Vito’s slide solo in Bob Seger’s “Like a Rock.” Even if you didn’t do it with a slide. Just trying to get a sense of how he got around on the neck into different registers, and how he phrased it. A zillion pickup truck commercials later, that is still some great soloing. 2:11-3:10...



This one came up the other day on another thread; more great phrasing, 1:48-2:05...



And 1:54-2:12...



Intro, 2:03-3:25, 4:05-end...this thing is full of tasty moves.

 

A Pink Floyd song I love almost as much as Comfortable Numb is The Turning Away!