A 3 minute solo, analysed for 20 minutes?! That's Steve Hackett! 

It's his masterpiece. Never showy, just played melodically with such precision. It's beautiful. One lead I'll never tire of.

This is the best song ever written, the best solo in history and few people have ever heard the bass pedal that the second pass through the melody uses to crescendo. The bass notes are so deep no standard speaker can reproduce them. We used the18" folded horn bass bin from our PA to get the notes. You don't really hear the pitch but you feel the whole building around you shake like an earthquake. it truly is an unreal effect. I have never heard of any one else comment on this neglected part of the passage. I know of only one person who constructed a speaker capible of generating the sub sonic elements of that pedal point... my keyboardist designed an 8" sub woofer that was ported with a 1" bass refles vent on the baffel. He did the math himself to find the optimum bass reflex. We went to many stereo shops comparing systems to see if any could play that note... no commercial system could perform and many speakers were blown out trying. I LOVE THIS SONG!

Not many guitar solos bring me as close to tears as this. Steve is a genius. He has all the technical skill in the world but always put the music first. Amazing musician.

He's so f*cking GOOD! Steve Hackett is so underrated. And his composing capabilities are as good as his guitar playing!

All of Steve’s solos in Genesis were to complement the song and weren’t about him. This is genius in its use of melody to carry the song’s themes.

He's in my Top 10 Favourite Guitarists of All Time!! He makes one note sound better than 50. He's a hidden Violinist.

I saw Steve Hackett earlier this year doing old Genesis stuff. If anything he has gotten better with age. It was one of the best concerts I have ever seen, and I have seen hundreds. Thanks for doing this, Fil. It was beautiful.

Not sure if this was already clarified but Steve uses a Fernandes Custom LP equipped with a Fernandes Sustainer neck pickup and active circuitry. This not only allows him infinite sustain when he wants it, but also can generate the harmonic feedback. It is controlled by the lower mini toggles and gain knob. The same setup is used on the new Fender Ed O'Brien Strat, and in Adrian Belew's two Custom Shop Strats, only with a blade neck pickup vs the humbucker. All of that being said, he did not have this setup back in the day when first performing Further of Fifth. Yet, still he had incredible sustain. That's what a vintage Gibson LP and exquisite technique can do.

This is easily one of the most gorgeous guitar solos ever. Thank you for analyzing it.

That's what I love in Steve Hackett: not fancy semifuses, but the feeling put in a single long note where it absolutely needed to be.

Love that piece Firth Of Fifth, he's guitar is crying to heart🎸💔❤️

Steve has a Fernandes Sustainer guitar built for him as a Gibson Gold Top design, I bought myself a Fernandes Sustainer Ravelle deluxe and Steve signed my manual when I met him, lovely guy and my guitar idol. Thanks for doing this, its just a fantastic solo from the master.

I don't know how I ever missed this analysis! I saw Genesis in 1973 when they were touring "Selling England by the Pound." They came to Seattle. This solo was just flat out incredible then and it remains so!! Steve Hackett is by far one of the best guitarists that we have. I am fortunate to have seen Steve live at least a dozen times. Thank you Fil!!

Back in 73 74 when I was in my mid 20’s I listened to this record Selling England By The Pound almost daily and this song , this solo in particular would bring tears to my eyes…and to this day, it still does…Fascinating Fil…you got good taste!

If I had to pick my all time favorite guitar solo, this would be it

For the younger generation that might not know…you can hear an extended live version of this on Seconds Out (Genesis 1977). It’s just an awesome album. Thanks for the breakdown Fil.

Very happy to see you covering Steve Hackett. He’s not a flashy or ostentatious musician and as such he’s rarely mentioned with some of the “sexier “ names of commercial music but he’s truly a great guitarist both as a writer and interpreter of others compositions. If you appreciate the early 70’s then you remember guys like Fripp, Howe & Hackett. Not household names today but took rock guitar into previously unthought of realms of both subtlety and complexity. Great video!!!

I saw Steve last year in St.Louis. He played the entire Seconds Out album in addition to his solo material. It was outstanding!!

One of the best solos I ever heard, Steve keeps everything mellow and not over the top, and lets all band members shine. Thanks Fil for de- mystifying what he's doing. Great job 👍👌👍

Two guitarists from the seventies I always liked were Hackett and Martin Barre from Jethro Tull. The reason I liked them is that their playing was so out of the ordinary. You've discussed Hackett; like him, Barre's phrasing was not like anyone else, at least back then.

Steve is an underappreciated giant. Brilliantly capable but a subtle and evocative player.

My eyes lit up when I saw you were doing this. It is one of my favourite solos of all time. Sheer class!

Who doesn't count the time until this solo when listening to this song? And the crescendo which builds toward the second half of the solo (you all know what I'm talking about) gives me chills every single time.

Steve Hackett's guitar prowess is surreal.

What a tone Steve has. He still is wonderful and so is his band.

Ah' Fil at his best demonstrating guitar technique and breaking down what make this artist excellent at his craft. 😊👍🤘

Hackett is so underrated, one of my favorite guitarists ever. Thanks for shining a spotlight on him. Concerning feedback, he used to use a "sweet spot" with the amp back in the 70's, but at this point he is using a Fernandes guitar with a sustainer pickup, allowing him to get infinite sustain and the feedback effect.

Steve Hackett has the most amazing finger vibrato! It’s instantly recognisable. That really fast, but totally under control, finger vibrato is pure heaven, and is Steve’s signature sound….well, apart from the eternal sustain, the sweep picking, and the tapping that, let’s face it, he was practically the first to regularly use on the electric guitar in a rock band…way before Eddie Van Halen popularised it.

The guitar sustains and vibrato is key to this piece. Sustain is achieved as he has a Hernandez guitar which has electronic sustain circuitry which will actually sustain forever (until you choose to end the note!) This makes vibrato techniques more pronounced and ghosting (picks with the Volume pedal down and fades in the note directly after picking, to give the notes a slow attack) key to Hackett's sound. Masterful and unique. BTW this guy was hammering on and pulling off in 1973! 5 years before Van Halen did their first album. However, I also love EVH's techniques as well. This is why all these guys are great!!!

So happy that Steve is starting to get the credit and recognition he's always deserved as a master guitarist and artist. Also, I believe that Steve is a finger picker and does not use a pick. I've seen Steve a number of times live and it's been incredible every time. Great video! 👍

That "feedback" is actually his guitar. He had a unique guitar made that can hold sustain nearly indefinitely. He's talked about it in some interviews. In fact, there's a note that goes on for, I think, about two minutes in one of his songs from the past several years. I cannot for the life of me place the song though. It's toward the end of the song. Found it! It's Twice Around the Sun from Dark Town. The note is over a minute long and it's not a studio effect, but a guitar effect. I'm sure you can read about it given the information as to the song and such.

You have to absolutely love what you do to play like this. I felt that the entire time. He's a rare talent.

I'm a fan of Genesis. Steve Hackett is a brilliant guitarist. Thanks for sharing this analysis video. Cheers, Fil! ✌️

Fil, you are beautifully descriptive. Love the joy on your face as you watch and listen. Life long fan of Genesis. Saw Steve Hackett perform “Seconds Out” this year. Phenomenal! Thank you.

I adore early Genesis. This is from selling England by the pound flipping brilliant I heard it age 11 in 73. Pity a lot of people don’t have patience, to hear the whole song. Best of the very best. Real incredible talent. Great video as ever Fil.

I've been listening to Steve Hackett a lot over the past year especially the studio and live releases between Dark Town and Surrender of Silence. In fact, I listened to Beyond the Shrouded Horizon between yesterday and today. There isn't a single bad album in that time frame. In fact, Steve's playing has only gotten better with time. Fantastic stuff! And I am definitely one who is quite happy that Steve is keeping classic Genesis from the 70s alive. I love how he makes many of the songs his own by tastefully adding his own flare while not taking away from the original composition. Steve is a very versatile guitarist. I'd say every bit as versatile as Steve Howe. They just have different styles. Roger King is phenomenal when it comes to orchestration and arrangements. He might not be Tony Banks, but Roger is outstanding in his own right.

Listening in awe, while his guitar gently weeps.

Saw Steve live in Oct '22 - best concert I have ever been to in my life

Thanks for the reminder of what Steve Hackett brought to early Genesis.

I loved Steve Hackett in Genesis, and basically lost interest in Genesis after the loss of both Peter Gabriel and then Steve. But my mind was blown wide open when a friend introduced me to Steve’s first solo album, “Voyage of the Acolyte.” Unbelievable!!

Usually not a guitar solo fan (mindless shredding 😁) but this was beautiful w/all the notes & very soulful. Thanks Fil😉⭐✨🎸🎼

And no ebow in sight! The man is a legend.

One of my favorite guitar solos of all time and the only one that provokes goosebumps consistently on the cescendos. Sublime. Genious.

I thought he sounded really good and very smooth. Thank you for another great reaction

The most beautiful music ever written.

Steve Hackett is the Musical Perfection

👏👌 pour la vidéo de qualité...Fan de Genesis depuis 1970...Steve Hackett est un " prodige " un véritable artiste qui joue avec "ses tripes" Magique ! SOUVENIRS 😉🥲🤩👋✌❣🇧🇪

steve rothery is another who is so brilliant. thanks for this WoP. youngsters need to hear more like this from late 60`s to late 70`s

Excellent video, Fil. There is an area where I do tend to hear David Gilmour in Steve's playing and vice versa, that melodic feel, maybe. Melody trumps speed for me, always. I have to say that the Firth of Fifth guitar solo, imho, is the greatest I have ever heard and nothing by anyone has ever beaten it for me since I first bought Selling England By The Pound in '73. That's how good it is and I'm not really a Genesis fan, I was mainly playing For Your Pleasure and Stranded by Roxy Music that particular year but a friend had this new Genesis album and it's a strange one, even now, but a thing of aural beauty, nonetheless, so very English. One of my top 5 albums of all time. Also...how on earth does Steve Hackett not age??? He almost looks younger than when he first recorded that solo 33 years earlier....

One of my favourite guitar solos of all time. Appreciate the analysis. Very helpful .

I think this is only the 2nd time I ever posted a comment on RU-vid. I used to watch many of Fil's analysis videos, and they stopped popping up and I stopped searching for them and I don't "subscribe" to anyone. However, I just was curious as to what new was being posted, and found this! I am really glad it came up on Fil's radar. I have heard a number of versions of this solo. I tried to learn to play it, and maybe with the sustainer pickups and more practice (more important than the equipment) I will be able to come up with a reasonable cover. This has always been one of my favorite songs and guitar solos. The solo gets attention in this video, but the entire song is incredible, and Tony Banks I think should get most of the credit for the composition. Of all of the versions oI have heard, I actually like the Second's Out version best (perfect IMO if it had an acoustic piano intro). I say this not because I think the playing of the solo is better. In some ways, I like the recent versions better with the nice fast little fills to blend with the sustained notes. However, I like that Steve Hackett's solo has the backing of Collins and Chester Thompson on the drums. I am not a drummer, but if I were asked to pick my favorite drum song, it would not be Tom Sawyer. It would be Firth of Fifth, Seconds Out. Another thing is that I think Firth of Fifth should be considered a composition more than a song where the solo is a "movement" and when you listen to the composition as a whole, you get to appreciate not only the solo itself, but how the solo so nicely fits into the composition as a whole

Firth of Fifth is one of the best friends I've ever had.

Fascinating, even though I'm not a guitarist. I love Steve Hackett - saw him again a couple of weeks ago, in fact - and it's good to learn a little of how he gets that signature sound. Thanks Fil!

Great review and demo Fil. Many thanks

This was a great performance, and I really enjoyed listening to it! As always, your breakdown of Steve's guitar solo was awesome, and so was your guitar demonstration!

Absolutely one of your most interesting videos.

wow beautiful, thank you Fil for the analysis.

Fine breakdown Fil, awesome dynamic bass-drum-keys support team too ! Rock

Hackett said many years ago about the sustainers :" my dream come true " , So him is the Father of sustainers.

I'm not familiar with Steve's playing, and I think this is the first time I've heard him. For the first 30 secs or so I thought I was not going to like this solo, but Steve's beautiful phrasing and tone drew me right in, and I could really dig what he was doing here. I believe some of his guitars are equipped with Fernandes sustainer units, and I think that is where the long, steady notes are coming from. Great clip, and a solid analysis, Fil. Thank you so much for introducing me to a singularly emotion-filled performance. I will definitely seek out more of Steve Hackett's music in the future!

Great explaination of Steve's sound. Thank you!!

Nicely done Fil

He gets the feedback via the Fernandes sustainer pick up on the neck. Noticed the small toggle switches on the body of the guitar. One of them gives endless sustain of a note, and the other one is for the harmonic. I believe the third switch gives a blend. I have the same guitar and it’s awesome. Thanks for the analysis

Brilliant analysis and thanks

Well. That was one of the most pleasing and yet haunting guitar solos I have heard. Awesome to hear you explain some of the techniques used. Not a guitar player myself but still fascinating!!!

Nice performance and sound.

Cool video ! Legendary man. The feeling , the timing , the delivery. Talk about being in the moment. As a man with horribly limited knowledge about the technical aspects of music , I still realise that this kind of performance must be a great inspiration.

BLESS YOU for doing the master!

A absolute masterpiece from a true virtuoso.

For one solo going deep in the hearts of millions of humans around four corners of the world you must be a genious in the eyes of all musicians this planet generated.

The intricacy of Hackett's technique is simply astounding to me. Although I have been listening to the (mostly piano) segments of 'FIrth of Fifth' over the last few days, your analysis gives honest voice to the feeling experienced by the listener in the superb guitar work. Bravo, Fil!

You have this subtle but magic ability of making all of us believe that we can play like this! Well played, good Sir!!!

I think one correction is in order on the 'tapping' segment where Phil talks about the embellishment using the pick. Steve doesn't use a pick. He uses his long thumbnail to get that sound. He keeps his nail long to accommodate his classical guitar playing btw. But great video as always Phil!

Wow,this was exquisite !

It's only the matter of time untill you make videos of Mr. HACKETT, the mightiest of our heroes 💕💕💕💕

Having been a lifelong Genesis : Peter Gabriel/Steve Hackett fan, snippets like this are very welcome. Steve has such a deft touch it is a pleasure to listen to. The start of his playing reminded me of Wishbone Ash and the Turner brothers. Thanks for posting.

This was awesome.

Yes, Fernandes sustainer pickup for both the sustain and migrating to the harmonic.

After appreciating your analysis on some very special musicians that I have known of and some new to me, I trust your judgement and am here to learn and see what you have to say going forward haha.

Keep in mind that with Genesis, Mike Rutherford played bass and rhythm guitar on stage

Thank you for this breakdown... so much in the solo composition, very faithful to the entire song, and absolutely exposed throughout. I wish this kind of guitar singing was more prevalent... I love a good shred but this technique really requires great songwriting as well. Thanks again!

Thank you, Thank You, Thank You for this video! Really appreciated your insights into one of my favorites - and I think you pointed out why I really like Steve's work - it's just the right balance between melody, technique, speed, and emotion/feel. And now I understand why it seems to be difficult to get this right, as his vibrato is just so unique I really can't emulate it (I actually try to do it along the fretboard, as opposed to across, more like a violin player). On that last Em hammer-on where he got the harmonic - Steve uses the Fernandes "Sustainers" pickup system, which I think has a mode that can add harmonics in some fashion. Anyhow, thanks again, really appreciated the insights and observations!

I am not familiar with Steve Hackett but enjoyed this analysis including the way you break down the notes so effortlessly.

True confessions. I loved Yes, but never got into Genesis. I've listened to some of their albums since I did buy some CDs later on, but I can't tell your their catalogue. Loved this solo, and your description of the techniques. merci.

Wow! Amazing!

beautiful solo

Fernandas Sustainer is his secret weapon

Steve used the Fernandes sustainer for feedback. He and Robert Fripp use same gold top Fernandes Les Paul models equipt with FR and Sustainer. Both masters of the guitar.

Saw Hackett twice this year with Genesis tribute band Genetics. Both concerts were amazing. Hackett’s Melody is so smooth but powerful at the same time. Is not just during “Firth of Fifth”, you can feel it during his guitar parts on Supper’s Ready.

Great video Fil. Thank you for looking at one of my favorite guitarists ever (right next to Andrew Latimer and Criss Oliva). Just wanted to point out that Steve doesn't use a pick (like Knopfler, Atkins, and others). I think he switched to that style in 90s, but not sure of the timing. If you look closely at his picking hand, you'll see his long thumbnail.

I saw the Foxtrot at 50 show a couple of weeks ago and this was the first encore. This video was recorded a few years ago and if anything Steve is playing even better. The original basic melody was composed by Tony Banks but Steve takes it to some wonderful places. A perfect example of less is more. Love your discussion of his tasteful vibrato. The two hand tapping dates from his first appearance with the band back in 1971.

Solo spoke to my soul

Steve's Firth of Fifth guitar solo has captured me completely since I first heard it in 1974. It is unique, so melodic and flowing, but this version is nowhere near as good as the original. It loses a lot when played out of context. Great analysis of what is for me, the greatest electric guitar solo ever.

Back in the mid 70', my boyfriend had a friend that we would go smoke pot with. He played guitar at his house. He was I fireman in memphis ( later I too became a fireman there) and when he played, it would send everyone into the Netherworld! He had 2 or 3 Marshall's in his small living room and amps and other guitars. It wasn't as clear and there was no mixing but this is the kind of stuff he played. Then we ate something from the grill out back.

Nice video, thank you. I was wondering why it took 5 months for RU-vid to recommend this video, then I saw the problem and subscribed. FYI, Steve doesn’t and isn’t using a pick. He tapped with the thumb of his right hand. He in fact invented two-handed tapping in a Rock context. In the early days he was dependent on catching feedback from his amp to get the proper feedback and sustain to perform the solo. Nowadays he uses a sustainer pickup custom installed in his guitar. One setting of the sustainer pickup will allow a sustained note to convert into an octave up. That’s what I presume we are hearing on that one note that seemed to be catching a harmonic.

I'm months late seeing this, but Steve uses a Fernandes Sustainer on his Les Paul. It's a basically like having an E-Bow in the pickup. When he fades it in, it can infinitely sustain. Back in the Genesis days it was all feedback, but the Sustainer is a great tool.

Great analysis of a guitar player that usually flies under the radar.

It was plugged into my spine

Great solo! Although shorter, I prefer the Lamia solo over all others. Magical to me.

Any guitarists out there should learn this solo. It's so much fun to play when you use the delay and sustain pedals. Another one that is SUPER fun to learn is Spectral Mornings, the title track from his 1979 album. Give them a shot. Definitely learnable and addictive!