Rock guitarists outlining changes

**legsilver** · 10-12-2022, 07:18 PM

Good evening all! I hope this finds everyone well.

What (or who) are some good examples of rock/pop guitarists who outline the changes in their solos rather than just playing licks, etc?

I'll start (and I think a friend helped me with this one), "Comfortably Numb" by David Gilmour.

How about you?

**alltunes** · 10-12-2022, 08:22 PM

Jerry Garcia - just about everything he did

**Boss Man Zwiebelsohn** · 10-12-2022, 10:06 PM

Not on everything he did but he can do it: Jimmy Page in the studio

Another British studio player: Chris Spedding

**mr. beaumont** · 10-12-2022, 10:07 PM

Originally Posted by alltunes

Jerry Garcia - just about everything he did

Indeed! My first exposure to really playing changes was copping a Jerry solo on "Deal."

**eh6794-2.0** · 10-12-2022, 11:05 PM

Originally Posted by alltunes

Jerry Garcia - just about everything he did

I was here to say that myself.

A few weeks ago on Youtube there was a video that was going to teach us how to play EXACTLY like Jerry. They started the video by telling us what scales Jerry used. I had to reply

**princeplanet** · 10-13-2022, 12:41 AM

Rock has changes?

**sgcim** · 10-13-2022, 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by Bop Head

Not on everything he did but he can do it: Jimmy Page in the studio

Another British studio player: Chris Spedding

He should've called on Alistair Crowley for help on that one.

**Boss Man Zwiebelsohn** · 10-13-2022, 03:52 AM

Originally Posted by sgcim

He should've called on Alistair Crowley for help on that one.

Apart from the fact that his name was Aleister, why?

EDIT: To clarify, I am not a fan of Aleister Crowley at all and I like the fact that Georges Gurdijeff kicked him out off La Prieuré when he wanted to stay there.

**Boss Man Zwiebelsohn** · 10-13-2022, 04:04 AM

Steve Miller did a smooth jazz album in 1988:

**Boss Man Zwiebelsohn** · 10-13-2022, 04:11 AM

Originally Posted by princeplanet

Rock has changes?

As I am now considered “woke” by some here: This sounds like jazz supremacist thinking LOL

.

**Christian Miller** · 10-13-2022, 04:21 AM

This one for sure

Many things by Gilmour

**Christian Miller** · 10-13-2022, 04:22 AM

Obviously Larry Carlton

**Christian Miller** · 10-13-2022, 04:25 AM

George Harrison’s solos on Something and the End, no doubt loads of others I’ve forgotten

**Christian Miller** · 10-13-2022, 04:27 AM

Brian May on ‘crazy little thing called love’ also springs to mind. Probably loads of Queen stuff esp the Freddie tunes which were very piano
harmony/changes-y

The solos on Hotel California. Hell even Sweet Home Alabama had a lot of playing ‘out of the chords’ which I think is a fixture of country playing transplanted into rock

**Boss Man Zwiebelsohn** · 10-13-2022, 04:39 AM

**James W** · 10-13-2022, 04:55 AM

**CliffR** · 10-13-2022, 06:52 AM

Eddie's solo on Running With The Devil is practically bebop: leading not followed by ascending arpeggio and descending scalar line. Then repeated a step up over the next chord.

**Tal_175** · 10-13-2022, 07:11 AM

A distinction also has to be made between composed solos and improvised sections during concerts. Improvisation brings out practiced ideas, concepts and patterns. Most rock guitarist probably focus more on their ability to play off of the energy of the room with the intensity of their solos rather than their ability to incorporate harmonic ideas in the woodshed.

**Jimmy blue note** · 10-13-2022, 07:13 AM

Pure pop and pure great voice leading over some really tasty changes.
Hall and Oats

**ruger9** · 10-13-2022, 08:43 AM

It's funny, us rock guys just call that "good phrasing" lol. Jazzers call it "playing the changes". Frankly, even the shredder guys aren't good unless they are doing that... even tho EVH had the biggest lick book on the planet, he still played the changes alot.

I think it's a misnomer to think non-jazz players (especially rock and blues) just play "scales and licks". The guys who play the changes are the pros. The Steve Lukathers, Neal Schons, Richie Samboras.... now, you want to hear played who play the changes, listen to older country! (anything before the mid-80s)

**mr. beaumont** · 10-13-2022, 08:51 AM

Hot country pickin' is just jazz on the back pickup.

**Tal_175** · 10-13-2022, 08:52 AM

I posted this in another thread recently. The way a rock or blues guitarist plays "over the changes" is different than how jazz guitarists play the changes which is a more voice leading concept. Josh Smith said he spent 10 years learning to play the changes in the jazz style after taking lessons from Bruce Foreman. I don't know if the average rocker would go to this length:

**Christian Miller** · 10-13-2022, 08:54 AM

Meh. Music’s music. Play notes that sound good to you with the right feel and good sound.

**ruger9** · 10-13-2022, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by Christian Miller

Meh. Music’s music. Play notes that sound good to you with the right feel and good sound.

In the end, that's really all it is. Throw genre out the window, and "learn how to play what you want to hear" (BB King's advice).

**AllanAllen** · 10-13-2022, 09:18 AM

As simple as the licks are, they change when the chords do, and because of these two solos specifically, I thought you played along to the chords not the key of the song.