Solo of the Month (SotM) #87 - Challenge

stratman3142

This is the 87th solo of the Month (SotM) Challenge.

The challenge is now open and ends at midnight 24th October 2022.

Discussion:

This backing track was kindly provided by @fastonebaz

You can download backing track from Soundcloud below:

https://soundcloud.com/thefretboard/sotm87-fastonebaz-for-whom-the-blues-tolls?si=89addd65a89448cd81615c8b90491dc4&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Record your solo over the top of it and then submit it (ideally in mp3 format) to solos@theFB.co.uk

Also, feel free to comment on how you approached the solo, which will add a bit more interest and maybe we can learn something from each other.

Title: For Who The Blues Tolls

Tempo: 100 bpm

Structure:

|A7#9 / / / | A7#9 / / / | A7#9 / / / | A7#9 / / / |

|D7 / / / |D7 / / / | A7#9 / / / |A7#9 / / / |

|A7#9 / / / | A7#9 / / / | A7#9 / / / | A7#9 / / / |

|D7 / / / |D7 / / / | A7#9 / / / |A7#9 / / / |

|E7 / / Eb7 |D7 - - - | 

|E7 / / Eb7 |D7 - - - |

|E7 / / Eb7 |D7 - - C |

|A pub ending|

There should be headroom to record your solo. Try to set a level without excessive master limiting, because we want to avoid loudness wars.

Voting will start soon after the submission deadline, with each voter selecting their 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice.

First choice gets 5 points - Second choice gets 3 points - Third choice gets 1 point

The order and scores of the top three entries will be announced soon after the voting ends.

No prizes. It's just for fun.

As people submit their entries, I'll post them below to hopefully promote some discussion on approaches used for the solo:

https://soundcloud.com/thefretboard/sets/sotm87-2022-10?si=7913ec2de220424592d68c1e29ea9ae8&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Bellycaster

Sent one in with the required Pub Ending 

flying_pie

Another one with a pub ending sent in.

I hope you can visualise the windmill attempt theatrics at the end which is where I'm usually trying to get out drummer to stop staring at the bloody floor and look at the rest of us

stratman3142

flying_pie said:

Another one with a pub ending sent in...

It's in the playlist.

stratman3142

One from me in the playlist as well. That makes 3 entries so far.

Bennyboy-UK

Hello all,

I've had a crack at this one with a bit of a older rougher tone to match my rough old playing

Cheers,
Ben.

stratman3142

Bennyboy-UK said:

...I've had a crack at this one...

It's in the playlist.

Bennyboy-UK

Might be a bit of a too long and boring/inaccurate/unwanted description below!!!

Regarding approach, I went for a harsher tone than my usual default - bridge pickup and Boosted JTM 45 with a bit of reverb.

I wanted to write a solo rather than meander around so went for a simple motif, and then repeated it an octave down in a kind of call and response thing. 

I tried to make sure I had some decent phrases in there to break it up.

I was feeling Sgt Peppers for that bit.

I repeated the same again and then stepped it up to a higher register then went up higher with a big bend in the A pentatonic pos 1 up above the 12 fret.

Then a call response lick - pretty ordinary blues thing which I liked.

Next was using a really enjoyable lick I nicked from the live version of George Porgy by Toto 1990 and modified it at the end a bit to add blews…and then slide up to hit it again. 

And then a short blues lick with a couple of short bends then a nice blues lick back to the root and then a slide up a position to give a major feeling, then down a favourite arpeggio shape and run down including a half step bends to make it smooth and a bit more interesting and contrast a bit with the rough and harsh flavour.

Straight after the pretty bit was a bluesy trill and run down a bit - a kind of Eric Clapton (Bluesbreakers) thing to get ready for the next basic blues licks with a big interval and bend to try to make it catch the ear a bit.

Then playing with the double stops mirroring the rhythms sound and focussing on the slide down and hold that for a bit of rock effect when the backing drops out for half a second.

Next is a position 1 standard blues lick with a bend up added right hand tap and then shift of left hand and another tap higher up with vibrato.

Then slide down and hit the earlier motif again this time with a little bit of lazy “rock you like a hurricane” feel ascending across the three octaves.

Next at position 1 above the 12th fret Am pentatonic is a lick based on some Blues Saraceno playing which I LOVE - using Mixolodian Pentatonic and then sliding down 12 frets and adding a hammer on to make the A 7th, and slide up to make the A Double stop/power chord on 2 strings.

After that it’s just sliding down to hit the scale notes off the Am pentacronic (!) and pull off the last note to open A and tap the harmonic at the 12th fret then whammy bar a bit then dump it to noise.

I don’t understand the theory properly (it’s obvious to anyone I dont !!!) but that as good a description of how that thing went anyway!!!

Cheers all,
Ben.

flying_pie

My approach was much much more technical in terms of music theory.

I took some... ahem... inspiration from the track name and took Kirk Hammet's triplet lead part into the blues scale, and kept it going a bit with an open string blues take on the main FWTBT riff.

I then used the Billy Gibbons box for a couple of licks before spending most of the time in the Need Your Love So Bad position.

That made sense because Kirk has Peter Green's guitar and it's the best position when you want to reduce the amount of generic blues dad noodling which inevitably happens when you stay in the Gibbons box. I used my Tremonti because that's my most Les Paul-ish guitar even though I think NYLSB was played on a Strat but let's not worry about that. Obviously any off pitch bends are an intentional nod to the much maligned Mr Hammett's history of ropey bends when playing live.

Sorry for going all Beato there

Bennyboy-UK

 I feel like I've gone and been all over the top gushing about the thing I wrote above now

I did that while lying on the floor on the landing outside my 7 year old daughters room to 'keep her safe' while she dropped off to sleep - writing that lot kept me from falling asleep myself and risking waking up in the early hours with a seized back.

It served a purpose!

Bennyboy-UK

flying_pie said:

Sorry for going all Beato there

stratman3142

Mine was just a case of mixing up lines and phrases that are a part of my blues vocabulary by ear.

To classify the palette of notes, it was a blend of the major and minor pentatonic blues scales. Plus chucking in the 3rd of the V chord, and a bit of chromatics.

fastonebaz

I haven't had a go at this one yet. I've got another backing track in the works too if any use.  I found I had some EDM loops in my drum plugin so am working on using those  EDM meets rock shred  

stratman3142

fastonebaz said:

I haven't had a go at this one yet. I've got another backing track in the works too if any use.  I found I had some EDM loops in my drum plugin so am working on using those  EDM meets rock shred  

I've already got another one in the pipeline from you, but grateful for any others. It's good to vary the style. EDM meets rock shred could be fun.

stratman3142

Entry closes at midnight 24th October.

fastonebaz

I'll not be entering this one,  owing to being mostly underwater.  

Vibetronic

doubt I'll get time this month, and it's blues, which is not my strong point! Will have a crack Monday morning just in case something vaguely ok pops out. 

digitalkettle

fastonebaz said:

I'll not be entering this one,  owing to being mostly underwater.  

I fear you're not talking about a scuba holiday ;-/

fastonebaz

digitalkettle said:

fastonebaz said:

I'll not be entering this one,  owing to being mostly underwater.  

I fear you're not talking about a scuba holiday ;-/

The Red Sea is very hot this time of year  

Barney

just sent my solo in ...tried a few different ideas some bluesy and some a bit more out

stratman3142

Barney said:

just sent my solo in ...

It's in the playlist.

Entry closes tonight at midnight.