Voting for Solo of the Month (SotM) #102

stratman3142

Welcome to the voting thread for Solo of the Month (SotM) #102. Feel free to vote and comment in this thread.

Thanks to @susbemol ;for this 'challenging' backing track

Vote for your top 3 entries. If you're an entrant you can't vote for yourself.

1st choice gets 5 points

2nd choice gets 3 points

3rd choice gets 1 point

Voting will end at midnight 31st January 2024.

The top three will be announced after the voting closes. No prizes. It's just for fun.

You can find all the entries the playlist below:

https://soundcloud.com/thefretboard/sets/sotm102-2024-01?si=e92a33406a984c078904212d3ed77a6c&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing

Lewy

Turns out this one is as tricky to vote on as it was to play on! I keep switching Susbemol and Digitalkettle around between 1 & 2. In the end the only criteria I can find to choose is that it is technically solo of the month and Digitalkettle's submission felt more like a solo, whereas Susbemol's felt more like a full composition condensed into a short time - like a tasting menu that left me wishing I'd heard each element have a go all the way round the progression. Lame way to differentiate but I had to pick something!

1. Digitalkettle - 5 points
2. Susbemol - 3 points
3. Stratman3142 - 1 point 

susbemol

Lewy said:

Turns out this one is as tricky to vote on as it was to play on! I keep switching Susbemol and Digitalkettle around between 1 & 2. In the end the only criteria I can find to choose is that it is technically solo of the month and Digitalkettle's submission felt more like a solo, whereas Susbemol's felt more like a full composition condensed into a short time - like a tasting menu that left me wishing I'd heard each element have a go all the way round the progression. Lame way to differentiate but I had to pick something!

1. Digitalkettle - 5 points
2. Susbemol - 3 points
3. Stratman3142 - 1 point 

Funny you should say that!

Because I recorded this track a while back, I kept thinking of different types of sounds I would like to experiment with for the lead part. When the time came to actually record it last week I thought, why not use a few of them for a bit more contrast between the sections?!

I'm always looking for an excuse to record some guitar synth!

susbemol

I'm sorry for making this one more tricky than I expected, everyone! I promise the other ones coming up later this year are a lot more accessible in every sense.

Now, to the votes:

5 points: @Lewy - Shouldn't give him any points really cause he clearly don't love me no more! Joking aside, I loved the high energy level and spongy tone!

3 points: @maharg101 - Nice Steely Dan vibes and extra brownie points for using a wah, of course!

1 point: @stratman3142 - I really liked your choices through the chord changes and the spaces to let us take in what you just played.

digitalkettle

Wow...can sense the cogs whirring this month

5 points: @Lewy - good tonez...love the melody around 1:04
3 points: @stratman3142 - great effort...lots of careful note choices
1 point: @susbemol - I can listen to Allan Holdsworth albums so a bit of guitar synth won't put me off Nice ring mod!

fastonebaz

5pts @susbemol congratulations to the entire orchestra that performed on this track, I thought I heard a trumpet player, an electric oboe, I think a sax dude dropped in at one point, and how you managed to get Jon Lord on his hammond I'll never know.  Great playing, very interesting, I didn't know what was coming next up in each passage.  A full novel in 1min.  Well played!

3pts @Lewy tremendous tonez, sizzling playing, felt like this would have been the official album version of this track, excellent job

1pts @Bellycaster i loved this, it reminded me of a 1970s car chase drama, with the panned pop melodies, funky wah, meandering melodies ducking and weaving all over the fretboard, very nice phrasing great!

So many different approaches to this tricky backing track.  The tasty feedback, lovely melodic sections and sexy Satch phrasing of @digitalkettle were super impressive and @stratman3142's tasty precision and technique was super nice to listen to.  

Overall though I was most moved by the above 3 champs.  

stratman3142

Good to have so many entries for a particularly challenging backing track. Lots of imagination on display.

5 points : @Lewy : A natural fit to the backing. Expressive and melodic. Reminded me of Carlos Rios more than Larry. Very nice.

3 points : @susbemol : Great lines. Very jazzy. Some fantastic sounds.

1 point : @digitalkettle : Melodic and nicely phrased. Developed well and stayed interesting. Articulate legato and picking.

stratman3142

Voting closes tomorrow (31st Jan) at midnight.

Bellycaster

5 Points @susbemol - Very creative with some great sounds ranging from soothing to nasty, but all fit in. Love the note choices and phrasing. Some nice echoes of David Sancious tone around 33 secs. Very impressive solo.

3 Points @Lewy - Great solo that grabs attention and flows nicely between emotional and intense.

1 Point @digitalkettle - Nice juicy tone and great legato runs, some parts nicely understa@ ;

A tough one this was and everyone made a great effort towards it.

maharg101

Superb entries all round

5 points @Lewy

3 points @stratman3142 ;

1 point @Bellycaster ;

stratman3142

Voting closes tonight at midnight.

stratman3142

Voting closed.