Guitar Solos Are Dying…But Here’s A Lesson On Teamwork!

Bold statement, I know. That’s not to say no one every wants to listen to guitar solos, simply, people only care for shorter, more meaningful solos. Rock music has fallen out of popularity ages ago, which also meant less songs with electric guitar and solos. In it’s place comes catchy, electronically made music like pop, hip hop, lo-fi and dance tracks.

Yet, despite this very obvious shift in preferences, many guitar players still aim of being a master shredder and soloist, like the greats of the past. I mean, I don’t blame them. Guitar Hero was what made me pick up guitar, especially that beautiful guitar solo by Eric Johnson in Cliffs of Dover. But after a break from the instrument, I’ve gained a new interest and respect for rhythm and I’ve been standing up for it since.

The Guitar Community Still Praises Lead More Than Rhythm

Like most players, I too thought rhythm was boring. The thought of playing 3 or 4 chords repetitively for 3-5 minutes just sounded dreadful. But Guitar Tricks certainly opened my mind to how interesting and fun strumming could be. Rhythm could be as simple or complex as I want it to be and, oh my, those 7th chords, woo!

I then thought about the songs I wanted to play, which was Japanese rock music. When I started paying more attention, while guitar is still very prevalent, most songs only consist of licks and riffs. Guitar solos were a now and then thing. If it was included, it didn’t last more than 4-8 bars.

While the licks are certainly catchy and fun, it was the chord progressions that made me feel the way I feel. They were doing something different, something more complex than western music. I wanted to figure it out but couldn’t find answers online. When I would ask guitarists for help, they just assumed I was biased thinking it was different, though most of them didn’t know any theory to understand what they were hearing or explain it to me anyways.

I was so thankful to find this video by Marty Friedman who explains and demonstrates the differences between Western and Japanese music. It gave me the push and confidence I needed to keep digging, even on the Japanese side of the internet for answers.

But earlier this week, I was talking to a guitar teacher who I was receiving trial online lessons by. He’s really cool and he has already given me some things to work on like triads, but he also wanted me to work more on lead again. I explained that rhythm is what I really want to be good at and it’s the most necessary thing anyways. There’s enough lead guitarists already.

Trust me. This site, Chromatic Dreamers, is not my first band attempt, so I’ve posted multiple ads looking for band members over the last 5 years. While I’ve received over 20 replies from different guitarists, not a single one loudly and proudly introduced themselves as a rhythm guitarist. Some only did lead. Some said they did both but prefer lead.

When I would read online, many expressed how they thought rhythm was boring or that the role goes to the weaker player. I honestly had to do a poll in a guitar group to see if there are more lead players, or if the lead guitarists are just more loud. But I digress.

Marty Friedman’s Statement On Guitar Solos

As for what made me write this article was an article I read yesterday. Mary Friedman, the same person I referenced above, started talking about ‘why streaming listeners are skipping guitar solos’.

A bit about Marty’s background, he is most well known for being the main guitarist in the American band named Megadeth, but he’s formed and/or played in other bands since he picked up guitar at the age of 14, some notable ones being Deuce, Hawaii, and Cacophony.

In 2003, he packed up and went to Japan as he was eager to be part of their music industry, and he has been releasing solo albums and collaborating with local artists since then. He’s appeared in many TV programs, newspapers, and magazines, even making an appearance in a drama, thus he is actually quite well known and popular.

So, in the article I read by GuitarWorld, Friedman made this statement:

“In heavy rock, the fans care a lot about nuances of guitar solos and love them, even more than the rest of the song, but in the mainstream pop world, that solo better have just as much care, magic, and reason for being there going for it as the vocal that preceded it does. Imagine any Queen song with some decent random guitar solo coming in directly after Freddie’s performance. Those solos would be skipped for sure.

So instead of having a guitar solo in the song just for the sake of familiarity, or because a guitar solo sounds cool (they usually do), it must be there for a deeper reason. The solo’s content, performance and unique magic that fits that one particular song should be committed to and given a lot of thought. As a fan I would wish that, and as a guitarist I always strive to do that.”

Marty Friedman

Can you imagine…a guitarist, a lead guitarist with a lot of history in bands and who is now making instrumental guitar music, is making this claim? I mean, you don’t have to listen to me, a rookie who loves rhythm, but coming from a famous guitarist and virtuoso, him saying that says quite a bit.

Many guitarists will deny this (the same way they do the value of music theory) just because their egos get in the way. They believe guitar is so cool and that everyone wants to hear them play for hours, but that’s a very self-centered way of thinking. Yeah, your friends may not mind listening now and then, and people will be intrigued at a talent show, but listening to it everyday? Especially if it’s just mindless noodling? Meh.

The Beauty Of Playing Only What’s Necessary

Now, that’s not to say everyone hates guitars and solos now. There are still many rock, metal, indie, alternative and emo fans like myself around. But what makes a guitar solo worthy of listening to every single time is that it works with the song and elevates the song. It should provide so much value that it will feel empty or incomplete without it.

When I was in my soloing phase, I really enjoyed listening to the blues, more specifically, the slow, dark ‘whiskey’ blues. With the minimal amount of notes, usually played at slower tempos, it leaves such an impact. You can hear and feel the emotion behind each note and bend. The instrumental portions of the song would just feel so plain without it.

Sometimes, all they do is play a single note with some vibrato or bends and it’s like “DAMN, this song needed THAT!” Not to mention, it is the Blues, so the majority of songs follow the same progressions. Without the licks and solos, it would actually sound identical to another song. Thus, it all serves a purpose.

What I see a lot in Japanese music is that the guitar may get to play some licks at the introduction and maybe a short interlude, they made add a bit of flare while the singer is playing, but it doesn’t overshadow them at all. If they get a solo, it may be for 4-8 bars before or after the bridge. Enough to give the song something original and recognizable, but short enough that it doesn’t overstay it’s welcome.

This goes for other instruments too. The bassist is doing their own thing, often adding some pretty funky basslines that are sometimes more interesting than the guitar parts, or even work as the rhythm while the guitar does more melodic riffs. The drums also work to elevate the song, not just sticking to simple beats, but adding fills, dynamics, and really setting the mood for the song. Everyone gets to shine and contribute to the greatness of the song.

What I Love About Japan’s Music Industry

So, why am I bringing Japan into this? Because Japanese music is my blog’s niche and Marty Friedman above also decided to take his music over there. It only makes sense. If it’s new to you, let me introduce you 🙂

Japan has the 2nd biggest music industry in the world. Yes, this very small island, with 125 Million people, a country who’s music is rarely heard outside their own country, makes the 2nd highest number of sales when it comes to records and tickets (Wikipedia). I talk more about Japan’s music industry and why it isn’t so popular worldwide in this article.

Japan takes their music education quite seriously, and that includes reading sheets, learning instruments, singing, and playing with others. Music is a big part of their culture, as we see with their traditional instruments that is still being played, like the Shamisen, Koto, Taiko. They are surrounded by music and they grow up with a love and appreciation for it.

On top of their love for music, Japanese culture focuses on community and harmony. Having manners, being respectful of your seniors and helping out your juniors, getting along with your colleagues and keeping an eye out for your neighbours is at their core. And this is what makes Japan super duper safe, literally the safest country in the world.

While this all sounds quite lovely, a big part of that mentality is due to them living on an isolated island that is prone to natural disasters like earthquakes and typhoons. If one person chooses to be selfish and not follow the rules, it could lead to the death of many. Thus, people are trained to think about the group first and avoid troubling others with their personal issues.

As their saying goes ‘the nail that sticks out gets hammered down’. And yes, the phrase is kinda toxic despite the reasons listed above. This video by Let’s Ask Shogo goes into detail about why one must fit in and how it feels to be an outcast in Japan. I also write more about the cause of more dark negative and depressing music in my Vocaloid article, but we’re sticking to the positive sides of the group mentality here.

Ultimately, due to these things, we end up with a country full of individuals who do truly love and appreciate music, and these people are also great at working togethering and being part of a team. There is a pride in being part of something bigger than yourself and everyone succeeding together. They will help and teach each other, and create fond memories together.

Naturally, that is perfect for bands and orchestras as you’ll see below. If you like anime, definitely watch Sound Euphonium where some real school bands are featured. It’s sooooo good!

Japan is a very creativity society when given the opportunity. They have created various cars, video games, animes and dramas, and much more. They’ve also created or elevated many new and unique music genres like Visual Kei, City Pop, Eurobeat and Math Rock.

Even if a group creates something totally weird and new, like BABYMETAL, they can build a fanbase who will go out and support them. Thus, as long as a band is serious about a career in music, they can find places to perform, and create a following that will buy their tickets and albums. Whether they are signed or not, anyone can do pretty well in Japan due to their music scene.

Quite a few bands I heard about when I first got into Jmusic are already 15 years old, like Spyair, Radwimps, Burnout Syndromes, 9mm Parabellum Bullet, Abingdon Boys School, The Gazette, and Scandal. Some are even hitting 25 to 35 years, like Asian Kung Fu Generation, GLAY, L’arc-en-Ciel, Bump of Chicken, Luna Sea, B’z, Southern All Stars, and Shonen Knife.

Not to mention, there’s also a whole lot of All-Female Rock Bands in Japan. In the west, if there was a female member in a band, she was just the singer. So it was certainly an inspiration to me to see bands like Stereopony, Band-Maid, Silent Siren, The Peggies, Tricot…here’s a list with 50 of them! There’s also co-ed bands like Aqua Timez, High & Mighty Color, Goose House, Ikimonogakari, Hello Sleepwalkers that have been quite successful.

In most cases, if there ever was a member change, it was really early on before the group was established and gained fame. Otherwise, the group tends to stay together for quite some time. Some go on hiatus for a while be reunite. Occasionally, members may want to explore other avenues, but there’s rarely ever bad blood between ex-members.

But you might (or might not) be thinking, how can such shy, well mannered people create such crazy and creative rock music? Well, okaaaaay, I’ll talk about Japan’s issues a bit.

In a place where you are forced to submit, to follow the rules, to wear uniforms all the time, and go through this very stressful school system, followed by working yourself to death, it’s natural that some will want to rebel and everyone else needs some kind out of outlet. An opportunity to be free and let go.

Music is a means for bands and artists to finally express how they truly feel, and it’s something others can connect to and sing their hearts out to…probably at Karaoke, which was invented in Japan as well.

Whether it’s about how they hate school and their society, or discovering their true selves, or the power of friendship, or pursuing their true dreams, breaking the status quo, abusive experiences, feeling alone, their topics are endless.

Even if it’s dark and suicidal, they’ll make songs about it…they’ll make it sound happy and cute, and it’ll become popular, like YOASOBI’s Racing into the Night which was trending on social media. Even if it was made for an anime with the characters and storyline in mind, the lyrics are vague and symbolic enough that anyone can relate to them.

One OK Rock has been my favourite band for a decade now, and they are one, if not the biggest, Japanese rock band internationally since they’ve incorporated more English into their songs. In the video below, the singer Taka explains why Band culture will never die in Japan. Main reason being, fans see a band exploding on stage and they feel they can do it too. There is unity in connecting with a band and with other fans!

All this to say, I’m not surprised at all that rock is still alive and well in Japan and that so many bands can work together to continually create great music that people want to listen to and can connect to.

For them, a band is a means to create great music, not for one person to show off and ‘attract babes’. Everyone has an equal role and plays an equal part. Guitar is still very prominent and I hear it a lot, but I never really feel like it’s overpowering the song, or going on so long that I want to skip it. I definitely think bands in the west can learn a thing or two from them.

Conclusion

Did this article really have a goal or purpose? Who knows. This has just been on my mind for years now and that article gave me something to get my thoughts out. I think the ultimate lesson is, 1. Work to be part of the band and elevate the song, and 2. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

If you’re making an effort to add loud riffs and solos in every song, it loses it’s effect and magic. For one to even make a completely original and unique solo for every song also takes a lot of work. Depending on one’s knowledge and skill, it’s very possible one’s solos are sounding more and more like each other, and I’ve seen complaints from band members on Reddit enough times.

If you just want to play for yourself, then do what you want. But if you really want people to listen to your music or possibly have a career in music, you need to consider people’s tastes. If people are skipping long and unnecessary guitar solos, you can either keep making them and have them ignored, or make em shorter and more meaningful.

That advice goes for anything and everything. If you plan to make a successful business, you consider the wants or needs of the public, not just what you want to make and sell. If you want to make a successful blog, you should provide value to your readers and answer questions, not just share your stories and poetry. If you want your CDs and tickets to sell, you gotta make music people want to listen to.

I can’t find this one video, but I do remember the advice and have taken it to heart. Essentially, it said, if you can’t think of what to play for a solo during a song, just copy the singer’s melody line and change it up a little bit. There’s countless examples of groups that did just that, but here’s a video with some examples!

It’s a new day and age. What was cool and unique back then is now a thing of the past. If your song is 60% solos and it’s not getting much full listens, maybe that’s something to look into. Rock out, keep creating amazing solos, just don’t go overboard if it’s not an instrumental. Make people beg for your occasional epic solos instead of giving mediocre ones as much as possible.