Lifeson is the man when it comes to chords. Even with just G's, C's, and D's he can get right in your face, but when he starts adding those upper extensions it really gets magical. The chords on the verses of Anthem are some of my favorites. Xanadu too. Also, he can smoke a solo. Just an all around monster player. Another great one, Dave. Keep 'em coming!
I totally agree and thank you again! : ) Xanadu (especially the Exit Stage Left version) is probably my all-time favorite Rush song. It's just epic and beautiful and resonates with me. I've been a Rush fan forever and always will respect and love this band. Those guys are kings. Rock on buddy!
Thank you for the message at the beginning of the video, it definitely is a breath of fresh air to try to understand the music rather than just copying it.
Fell asleep many nights with my headphones on to Rush growing up. The first album I bought was 2112. The first time I saw them live was after Moving Pictures came out. Thanks for the lesson, great choice for chords and examples!
Amazing how young Alex was back then. You don't see that talent anymore. All of these players you showcase here, are guys we all grew up with, our heroes. Feels like a huge guitar family here, and I appreciate it Dave 😀👍
I must say I'm with you. That note for note gig is Bullshit. People that seek note for note are not sharing videos, do not yield the massive free collection of licks and tips. I would also say that note for note lacks feel and creative expression. As for me...... I'm truly greatful and I am learning and taking away so much from all of your videos. Thank you!!!
Another thing I love about your channel Dave ( apart from the content and relaxed approach) is the clarity with which you show and explain chords in context rather than from someone is who just "teaching" chords verbatim. This video of Alex Lifeson's chord progression highlights my point. I learned more in a couple of minutes here than I have from many other channels. Keep up the great work.
New subscriber. Love your vids. I'm a 61 year old knucklehead just learning to play guitar. It sat in the corner for a lot of years:) I don't want to learn all my favorite songs, just write my own melodies and chord progressions. Your channel is a great way to inspire to be creative.
Thanks again! I LOVE Rush and always have, since high school. It was weird that there were tons of people at my high school that loved Rush, so it hit me early on via my sister and some friends from school.
@@LateNightLessons A friend of mine turned me on to Rush with the 2112 album back in the late 70's. My first album I bought was All the World's a Stage. Been a huge fan since then and can't go a day without Rush! Thanks for the videos!
Found your site accidentally...so glad I did. Rush has been my favorite band since HS (75). Saw them live so many times over 4 decades and now that I'm in my early 60s I STILL crank up RUSH regularly, especially in the car. Thanks for doing the chordplay series in general and the Alex one in particular. Another great player with an amazing use of chords is Eric Johnson. Thanks
Watching you teach opened up minor sus 2, 4 chords for me. This is where the magic is. 4th fret C# minor sus 2, C#m7 sus 2, to low E drone to F#/E Thank you!
I’ve really only just recently been getting into Rush and of course Neil and Geddy are amazing but Alex man, that guy is something. His stuff is so inspiring to me
Thanks for putting this together, Dave. Great lesson! I agree, Exit Stage Left was such an amazing album, your acoustic cover was fantastic! Keep the lessons coming. Thoughtful and creative approach is appreciated :-)
Thank you so much and thanks for watching too! : ) I don't know what it is about that album, it just sounds amazing. And even learning later that most of it was re-recorded (or whatever) really doesn't matter to me - it still sounds great! Thanks again!
David what you say beyond the music shows what a true teacher you really are. I find most guitarist these days are sterile; too precise. Be creative and inspiring and worry less about nailing every note. Keep up the Rush spotlights! Lifeson = #1. He’s the epitome of creativity
I like your approach! Your videos which usually focus on a particular topic opens a door for me for tons of different ideas and possibilities. I think its really important to learn the art of making money so you can buy whichever CAR you like instead of giving the keys of a particular model (you know what i mean?). And Thank you for this video! :)
That's great and really what I'm trying to do with this channel - just mixing things up and helping players be a little more creative and "go with the flow" (of music). : ) Thanks for watching and stay tuned...ROCK ON!
Thanks man ...I feel like myself when I get to practice your lessons....I like the idea of playing other people's music and adding a personal flavor to it...then create original material...your albums are really enjoyable too...
All this is super laid back and appreciated There is always something new to learn and I have been playing Rush for hmmm a long long time, last century it all began, in the year 1980
I really love your attitude and appreciate so much for giving us a lot of motivation to explorer the music based on your knowledge! Also your instruction is very persuasive!!
Thank you and that's totally true. With a band like Rush, I could create ten lessons/videos like this, and there's really only so much I can show in 15 minutes (or so). : ) Thanks again and stay tuned for more lessons and material!
@@LateNightLessons Hahaha, I was abou to post this same chord suggestion. Cygnus X1, Book 2 has long been my favorite song, mostly because of the chord progressions and key modulations. Nice work on the video.
Your friendly reminder is perfect and in my opinion can be summed up by the dimension of playing “from the heart” or “from the gut” which is all there really is in the end Loving your chordplays of so many of my favorite and sometimes inscrutable influences like Mahavishnu and so many others Greetings from old man beginner world
junior high i heard some one mention a band called rush. so next time i went back to the record album store i picked hemisphers. looked to find out what instruments played noticed only bass drum an guitar so bought it. favorite of mine since then have all the bands others.
Glad I found this video. Ghost of a Chance is really a masterpiece but I never really figured it out. Your vid has inspired me to revisit it. Yes, Broons Bane. I learned that almost 40 years ago when the tabs showed up in one of the guitar player magazines. ❤
Exit Stage Left is indeed great. With few exceptions and some missing tunes the material is their best and the energy is great. I think I'll listen to it today! BTW, you can pretty clearly add Chris DeGarmo and Michael Wilton of Queensryche to the list of Lerxt fans.
Thanks for the content and the amount of content you've been putting out. I've become very complacent in my playing over the last 5 years or so. This stuff has me digging back into and exploring new things again. It's all much appreciated. Thanks, Dave!
For me the best example of Alex's musicianship is the song "Red Sector A". He's still being himself, he doesn't do anything more than what's needed for the song and it's awesome. We all know he wasn't too thrilled with the keyboards but he still played exactly what was needed. The man's a genius with great ears.
Ohhh yay, so you DID do an Alex Lifeson one after all! Just had this in my list of recommendations! :-)) Should be another great watch, thank you, mate! :-))
"Alex is similar to Andy Summers", yes, yes, yes, absolutely! First Rush album I'd ever heard was 'Grace Under Pressure', and that was one of my first impressions! Fell in love with the band right there and then! And it was great to have a 'replacement' favourite band for The Police who'd obviously stopped putting out any new material. Lifeson plays nicer solos too, in my opinion, LOL! :-))
Sorry, I have to comment again, LOL! :-)) I love your approach my friend, and I am a lot like that myself: I'd hear a song, a sound, a chord, a melody, and suddenly I'd 'see' a picture inside my mind, or a memory pops up...and I do know that at least in the case of Andy Summers, that's actually the reason WHY he chooses certain chords and sounds. And classic that you've just started talking about 'Distant Early Warning' in your video, the very first Rush song I'd ever heard! And that "picking through the chords" in the 2nd verse is my favourite bit. Awesome stuff! :-))
LOL again! 'Exit...Stage Left' is my favourite, too! :-)) Especially from 'Jacob's Bladder' through to 'Free Willy'; Rush's very bestestest recorded moments, in my opinion. Especially this version of 'Xanadu' :-) I wonder if you'll talk about 'Red Barchetta' also, which I believe I've been playing wrong (just around a standard A-maj chord) .... * continues watching *
With the way you talk about concepts and ideas and musical textures in this video, I think it's great and fitting to see Dive by Tycho on your desktop...and I copped a lot from Alex! hahaha
Wow, what an outstanding video! Thanks a LOT for putting this together, you've shown me a bunch of new chords to learn and some really tasty bits from some RUSH favorites! Love the stuff from "Entre Nous" and "Ghost of a Chance" (damn, I love that song!) ...and yah, Exit... Stage Left is my favorite RUSH album as well, as it was my first... it was their newest release at the time I decided to buy something other than their 45s. :) WOW, what a way to discover such an amazing band... Live RUSH was just the best and that album freakin' blew me away! There was no turning back... by the end of 1981 I was forever a RUSH fan! :-) Too bad I didn't start learning how to play the guitar until -much- later in life, but with the generosity of people like yourself and extremely helpful lessons like this one, learning the guitar has never been easier. Thanks man, keep up the great work!
Thanks Dave! I love getting comments like this - thanks you, seriously. I LOVE Rush and I also love hearing stories from real fans and those that have a connection with the music. Rush always spoke to me and while I can't really explain it, I think they were really great and it made me sad but proud when they retired. : ) Thanks for watching and take care! Rock on!
@@LateNightLessons No need to "explain"... fellow RUSH fans understand. :-) I was fortunate enough to see them at least 16 times over the decades, starting in '82 and ending at MSG in 2015. Such an amazing run and they finished so strong, I find it hard to believe Clockwork Angels is their final album. Maybe it's just wishful thinking but the Cinema Strangiato project gives me hope that we'll hear something new from the "Holy Triumvate" some day... until then, seeing that has re-ignited my passion for listening to and playing RUSH. So many interesting lessons on your channel! I'm still chewing on this one, but looking forward to digging deeper into this treasure trove you've created for us. Thanks dude, you ROCK! ;-)
Alex Lifeson in my top 3 guitar players. Limelight his best solo IMO. When i was 15 (1978) my friend played drums in a band and introduced me to the music. My first Rush album was 2112. I saw them on their Permanent Waves tour in Portland. Sad thing was it was assigned seating and i was about 65% back from the stage.
I've been a fan of Rush since first seeing them on the HYF tour back in '87 (I think). Your teaching approach allows me to understand Alex's chord choices and to experiment on my own with them. Thanks for the videos!
I can't say enough about Lifeson, he was the G.O.A.T,. but I do want to add that Andy Summers was underrated in The Police and wrote a lot of the stuff that that twonk Sting took credit for.
Dave - love your approach and love your channel - I can't say enough good things about it! With that said - Alex was my first guitar hero (not Jimmy Page!) and his hooky riffs, chord voicings, and his rhythm playing really influenced my own song writing when I was a teen in the 70s... far more than his soloing because he really was doing stuff no other guitarist was doing. He's still one of my favorite players to listen to - Those classic RUSH albums are AMAZING. I think lot of players these days are so focused on being the best sweeper and the fastest player that they FAIL to ever write a CRAZY TRAIN riff - or an UNCHAINED riff... or from the FIRST RUSH album - Working Man / What You're Doin' - HOOKY RIFFS!!! ANyway - carry on, PLEEEEEASE. ;)
Hey dude, really appreciate you man 2112 got me hooked, Xanadu was one of the first songs I learned and still warm up with it, thanks for another great late night ✌️
I've listened to that album so many times it's ridiculous, and I could totally put it on right now and wouldn't complain, and I'd rock out to it like I'd never heard it before - it's THAT good. : ) \m/ RUSH \m/
Great videos. There are plenty of videos where I can learn the solo from Sweet Child o’ Mine, but this is better because it gets below the surface to see what’s going on with the chords.
Dude... You Run an Awesome Channel Here. I Watched a Few Guitar Videos & Now My Recommend Is 90% Guitar Channels.. I Do Play Although I Traded My Rock Star Ambitions for Stone Masonry. You Could Call Me Edward..Quarryhsndz Now. Anyway Several Times Now I've Stopped Your Videos, Gone & Listened to the Original I'd Forgotten About.. This Video is One of them . Thanks for Reminding Me of Farewell to Kings. You Helped Transport Me Back in Time. It's Appreciated! Rock On !
Thank you so much and you're welcome! I find it interesting that the same 2-3 songs seem to be remembered for almost every "classic rock artist." With a band like Rush (or any of the greats) there are countless songs that are better than what they typically play on the radio and I always like diggin' around for the deep cuts. : )
I'd like to hear your deep personal feelings on Alex? Focusing on his ability and raw level as a guitar player. I'd like to thank you for what you do and share. It's Grand!!!!
All I have to say is - I LOVE Rush! I've been into them since high school and there's just something spectacular and inspiring about them. They're beyond-talented, really funny, and seem like nerdy-interesting human beings that I've always respected. : ) \m/ RUSH \m/
@@LateNightLessons proof that you don't need to play a million miles an hour and still deliver fantastic music. Their creative output is genius. To be a 3 piece band is still absolutely mind blowing.
@@LateNightLessons Would you tell us how long you have been playing guitar and when you really started taking it serious in term of practice time and how many hours a day? Thanks again for your time.
Ok, I subscribed. You know,. I agree that at some point, most likely after we reach the 10k hours needed to achieve really proficiency, at that point or soon after, we can than try to relax and "play" to find our own voice, or style. I know, because as a professional chef, we spend years learning other cuisines and styles, until we can cook and create, seemingly without effort. But for now, as a beginner on the six string, I plan to use some of Alex's chord voicings as "recipes" to teach myself how to achieve that sound that I love. Thanks for your help, I plane to come back and dive deeper into the chords and learn more. Anything from G/P would be great, as I thought he really had some big chords on that album