Fusion soloing is easier than rock - Guitar mastery lesson 

Thank you for illustrating how much easier it is to play a rock solo that sounds good than a fusion solo that sounds good

Have you ever transcribed a fusion solo? Al di Meola? McLaughlin? This is misleading as heck.

This ain’t it, chief

I don’t really feel you demonstrated anything that backs up the argument of your title. Every time you played “fusion” you sounded like a rock player trying to approximate the genre. I would say that fusion is a bit more involved just because the tonality is going to change a lot more than the average blues/ rock tune.

Dude. Rock is elementary compared to fusion and this is insulting to the the fusion gods.

"Let's play something in lydian." (continues playing pentatonic)

This guy is like the Jordan Peterson of guitar lessons. "Define mistake"

So let me see if I understand. If you're trying to construct coherent musical phrases, you're playing rock. If you are endlessly playing tweedly-deedly-tweedly-deedly with no particular direction in mind, you're playing fusion. Got it. I'll be sure to pass that on to my students.

Sorry that's not the Fusion I expected to hear reading the title. And no Rock soloing is more difficult than the Fusion of Guthrie's, Frank Gambalee, Greg Howe, MacAlpine just to name few. It takes more theory knowledge, technique, Crazy rythme awareness, dynamics, creativity and versatility to play decent fusion.

I would not even dare to say that fusion is easier than rock. It's quite the other way round, to combine rock and proper jazzy soloing where you anticipate and play over complex chord changes and use the underlying harmony to craft an incredibly complex melody that still works is very difficult. In jazz you can't just mindlessly play modes and arpeggios, moreover, jazz requires a much better understanding of rhythm to play with syncopation. The true sign of a good fusion or jazz player is someone who does end his or her incredibly complex musical sentences and keeps rhythm very well, no matter if it is syncopated or more free flowing. What you classify as fusion just sounds to musical diarrhea to me and is nothing like truely great fusion, jazz or jazz-pop

This is the 4th video on RU-vid when I searched fusion guitar and I’m just generally confused. So this is a video of someone criticizing a style of music clearly beyond their musical ability... and not even constructively? Nothing to learn here

ahaha this was so cringey wtf

Um... Fusion is not about “playing long strains of notes without making a mistake.” You didn’t address anything about the depth of music theory knowledge required to competently improvise over complex changes. Fast pentatonic scales are not fusion. You’re a great guitar player, no question about it, but this sounds like a rock player who has no understanding of jazz trying to explain (and play) jazz-rock fusion. This video was like saying building a house is easier than building a cardboard fort and then proceeding to try to build the house out of cardboard. To someone with no concept of what a house should be it looks fine, but it’s not a damn house. That said you’re a damn good rock player, I might just be jealous. Didn’t mean to go off as much as I did here but I still think it’s a valid comment so I’m gonna post it anyway.

DUDE...I've prob watched over 100 fusion lesson videos ... and this 1 EEE and a AH 2 EEE has by far helped me the most!! It clicked. THANKS!!

I believe Jimi Hendrix stated that if you make a 'mistake' do it twice and then it isn't a mistake anymore. We can see that in his performances, we have become accustomed to it and therefore accept it, and come to love love it :)

Most funny guitar lesson ever. Watch his expression while playing some fusion 😂

When we combine Brad pit and Matt Damon we get you

As someone who’s been playing for fifty years now, and played a lot of prog and fusion in my late teens, I laughed my ass off at this video! Well done. And so true!!!

Claus, I love you, but what are you babbling about? It sounds like you are saying fusion players just rip endless 1/16 note runs, and that as long as you hit the 1 beat, nobody can tell what's right or not, because it's just one big jumbled mess.

5:46 "Notice how I never hit the clicks on the metronome." Could it be because your sense of rhythm and phrasing sucks? To hear great phrasing, or "complete sentences" as you call them, listen to fusion guitarists like Tom Quayle, Martin Miller, Greg Howe, and Guthrie Govan. A lot of rock guitarists, on the other hand, just mindlessly wank their way through solos and say very little, let alone complete sentences.

Beginning on and ending on an off beat is good advise. I think a lot of people in the comments miss understood what you were trying to say

I feel like you are being a bit disingenuous here, you demonstrated the "fusion" playing over a static chord, which is in my opinion a very bad example, as it allows you to play basically anything you want, with or without meaningful phrasing, and so makes your point seem more valid. However, the beauty of improvising comes from being able to follow the chord changes and responding to them, to say that rhythmic phrasing is unimportant in that aspect is very misleading, if not even harmful to any new players.

Claus, you need to upload some videos of you just playing; improvising or something composed. I think that you are so good as a teacher and speaker that sometime we forget how awesome you are as a musician. Please, just record yourself having some fun with the guitar and share with us :)

Buenisimo loco, es el mejor consejo para tocar fusion que vi, gracias!

This is an awesome lesson. Thankyou very much!

Wow. That's extremely missleading - if not offensive towards every Fusion musician and all of Jazz! I'm gonna look, it there's a follow up video. I can't imagine that he let it stand alone like this for 3 years? Respect to his Rock-guitar playing! He's definitely good. But he shouldn't say something about another genre when he obviously has no idea of it. The weirdest thing is, that he completely mixes everything up. Fusion means combination from Jazz elements with Rock! Modern fusion guitar players know all those Rock licks and can play with a steady beat and accentuation! But to spice their solo up they combine it with more musical diversity learned from a jazz approach to music. Actually he's bashing Jazz but confuses it with Fusion... So, everything is wrong here. But sadly there are many viewers who are buying this and then, when they hear a Fusion musician they immediately go back to that thought, that because he doesn't understand everything or has to acknowledge, that he can't play that stuff, he can simply diminish it and say to himself that this is anyway easier and doesn't sound good, not finished sentences and bla bla bla... Instead of challenging himself, keep an open mind and ear, be humble, show respect to other musicians skills and interests... sad...

Thoughts received... Thank you.

Absolutely brilliant! 👍🏻 Great advice.

Great open my eyes write up. Yes I never new that. Soon as I put down a funk rythem in b I just played anything and all sounds good what ever I played. Wow that simple

I was expecting a chill vid and then he hit me with the fuckin most intense "BY MY PICKING COURSE RIGHT FUCKING NOW" and it scared me. loved the vid thou lol

Just another video of guitarist talking about a genre he knows nothing about. This reminds me of a kid doing a book report on a book he didn't read.

I think It could be harder with good rock phrasing because the rhythmical limitations. The fusion playing on the other hand when syncopated demands the player to play consistent in the pocket anyway it will sound awful. So the soloing styles are both difficult in their own ways...

Another helpful video here. This is going to be a great idea for me to work starts and stops on offbeats into my playing. Thanks for the awesome free lesson!

This was so hard to watch. Very cringy. The info is so misleading and just down right incorrect a lot of the time. I hope that nobody who watches this actually thinks they learned something about jazz or jazz-fusion.

Wouldn't what he's talking about apply more to composing and or improvising rather than trying to learn the guitar part of a fusion song?

That make a lot of mistakes my friend but what you’re saying, just showed how Fusion players aren’t all that! Thank you

Thank you.Bassist 3o years,started playing guitar little over a year ago.Love your videos.Your passion for guitar comes through.Please keep them coming.God bless

Good info as always but I would change the title..these fusion players won't like it lol

He should sell shamwow

Shure.. Rock solos are difficult more than holdsworthian and hendersonian solos!

I never knew that you can play bbop is there any thing you don't play ? And do you have any program for bluegrass type of style ?

We are lucky ones to have you as a teacher. Thank you.

Bro, you’re not playing fusion, you’re playing badly. There’s no beat in your “fusion” examples. Yes, most fusion does have more syncopation than most rock, but that doesn’t mean you can play anything you want in any way you want. Listen to Jaco or Herbie or John McLaughlin or Allan Holdsworth or any established fusion cat acapella, you can hear where the beat is in what they’re playing. No drums or metronome required. But your playing, likely deliberately, has none of that. Your syncopations did not line up with the beat in any meaningful way, and, contrary to what you might think, in fusion, it needs to. Also, what’s with the b9 and #9 over a major 7? Those aren’t in the lydian scale my dude...

Hi Claus - what do you think about this video against TV Practice? 2Ogxx33-mf0 (replace the code in the URL address to watch it)

Very very nice and important lesson, thank you.

maybe if you were able to play more than one chord and actually learned fusion playing you could make good video

Elon Musk doing everything these days

Like Same as i did ..great dude

Sure fusion soloing can go for long without resolution but rock soloing also can. That doesn’t make fusion soloing any easier. Fusion uses different modes, scale changes, complex patterns, hybrid picking, complex 2 hand tapping. This guy didn’t even sound like he was playing fusion at all

Very helpful

brilliant insights bud :) I already knew this but I can't seem to articulate what the difference is as well as you did :) good job man!

"BUT IN FUSION....."

Great vid mate!👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

John McLaughlin and Al di Meola know their harmony and all the scales and have worked hard to play like they have and do. I am sorry but you may be able as a guitarist but you are not the person to teach fusion.

i guess its like when you talk u chng subjects fast like youre rambling..??

This guy is trying to explain fusion, then proceeds to play something that has absolutely nothing of fusion on only 1 chord progression. He seems confused but then he is a “teacher”. Kinda feel bad for his students.

thx for this tips and this new point of view ;)

Very good lesson. Very Good !

Why is elon musk teaching guitar?

Continue to play like Yngwie, Steve Vai or Satriani, you have great alternate picking techniques.. but fusion, just leave it you're not qualified.

Nice

Awesome lesson!

*jass player triggered*

I get what you are saying and conveying my fellow efficient Germanic person and for people to not be intimidated and try doing some fusion,....I was taught metal by jazz fusion dudes as a kid we did some classical too, and I love fusion too, other styles def enhances metal....I ended up becoming a full scholarship musician and switched to piano, cause was kinda bored of guitar. I notice a few things being top of my class and taught by some famous monster musicians. 1) I love classical also, but it drives me nuts most classical pianists won't be comfortable to compose their own stuff, they can play any repotoire, use theory for reading advantages only, but I have asked, they won't. 2) 2 lifetimes isn't enough time to master jazz really, cause you could spend 1 year on autumn leaves fucking around w different ways to play it, are you gonna comp it, are you gonna do chord melody, are gonna do chord with walking bass lines and piss the bass players off.....it is like the weird cage system vs 3 note argument....when the He'll was it one or the other? You really need both, very weird to me the arrogance

God!!! I like this guy!!! He knows how to explain things. Thanks a lot.

a really interesting concept, will try it!

great point

Wtf? Ok guys Just play any type of lydian ( normal, #5 , b9, etc) started from the minor third of a minor and on a b7 of a dominant chord. mix em up with Your other sales, rythmic dynamics and let me know what happens ;)

very confusing lesson. Next.

Fusion rocks.! I mean rules! Hhm whatever.

This is great...so whenever someone plays a rock lead in front of someone but with terrible timing, they can just say they are playing fusion...LOL. Nice video pointing out the rhythmic differences Claus !

Hm, strange logic. And the body language at the beginning is like chopping wood.

Great insight into playing music in the style of Phish!

Claus - I am a long time viewer. I have finally decided my favorite thing about your vids. You do not cut. Impressive work!

So this is what happens when jean claud vandam becomes a guitar virtuoso...im waiting for you're foot knock the camera down from out of knowwhere while your playing.

Worst guitar video in the history of RU-vid 😂

Brilliant method

I guess he is a Rock guitarist. And mumbles in “Fusion.”

I played in HS Jazz band. i had lots and lots of funky strumming patterns. As much I like playing lead....I enjoy playing rhythm just as much. Playing the drums help.. It's also one of the reasons...I hate Jazz becuase Im used to playing lots of rcck/blues. I had to work on question and answers phrasing, It needs to resolve or rest. Fusgsion/Jazz just goes on and on and on. It also why I dont like of Satriani's solo.. some of it just goes on and on and on.lol

Wow, that was one wholesome cringey first couple of minutes.

If fusion players practised more, they wouldn't have to to hide all their mistakes by constantly changing keys and time signatures.

In summary do not play jazz.