The Death of the Guitar Solo 

The guitar solo is alive and well and lives in my basement. 🤘🏽

The solos on Weezer's 'Say it ain't so' is what got me into music. Solos are a true art form that's lost its way in mainstream music

That performance of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is my favorite live musical performance ever. Petty and Lynne are amazing, but then Prince just emerges from the darkness and melts everyone's faces.

I think bands like Queens of the Stone Age (Kyuss), Muse, and Porcupine Tree also kept great guitar work driven music alive in the 2000s, if in a slightly more niche space than before. Thank you for a great series. Looking forward to you highlighting more of what’s brewing now.

4:12 Just a correction: The song is not Serve The Servants, it's Scentless Apprentice

It would be so amazing to have a final instalment of the series about guitar players today and how they are currently breaking new ground. I'd love to know about them

I didn't even know he was sick.

A note of correction: Rick Rubin and the Beastie Boys parted ways several years before Sabotage. Mario Caldato Jr was their producer for that one.

I just want to point out that if you look at the end of Prince performance of the solo, you will notice that he throws his guitar up to the sky AND IT NEVER COMES DOWN. Simply Magic!

I feel like Pearl Jam’s early music had some decent solos during that time

In 1977, at age 13 I remember hearing The Ramones debut album. I was stunned to notice there were no guitar solos at all, something I thought was crazy at the time.

The guitar solo, just like every genre of music is most certainly not dead. People like to proclaim the death of things once they just have to do a little work for themselves to find it.

A little surprised not to see Incubus's Michael Einziger not get a mention here. He has been very innovative from the late 90s through 00s, and many Incubus records include some creative guitar solos.

the guitar solo on 4:11 is actually from scentless apprentice, not from serve the servants

As someone who still listens to a ton of mainstream and underground guitar based music, I really don't notice when a song doesn't have a solo. I prefer creative lead lines instead, often found in instrumental genres like post rock and prog.

Matt Bellamy of Muse has amazing solos and riffs from late 90s, "Plug in Baby" for example

Small correction; Gilmour's solo on 1994 Pink Floyd's High Hopes, is not a (slide) guitar solo, but a lap steel solo. And yes it makes a difference.

Hi Polyphonic. The Nirvana song you have playing in the video is not from Serve the Servants. It’s from Scentless Apprentice.

A little correction: the title of Kurt Cobain's guitar solo should've been "Scentless Apprentice", not "Serve the Servants". The music that was played was from the 2nd track of "In Utero", not the 1st one.

I still like a well placed guitar-solo that serves the song.

i’m glad modern guitar music is getting its own episode and i’m even more glad you’re talking about mdou moctar. truly a visionary on the guitar and not nearly talked about enough

I didn’t read the other comments, but Beastie Boys had long left Rick Rubin by the time Sabotage came out. Rubin was only involved with Licensed to Ill. Mario Caldato Jr produced Sabotage

John mayer's live in la album has a lot of guitar solos. His latest album has some solos as well (Wild Blue imitating Mark Knopfler's guitar style)

The Strokes have so many badass guitar solos so does Mac Demarco they been carrying rock and roll for the last 10 years Stu and Joey from King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard in 2008 we got Psychosocial by Slipknot Oxford Comma by Vampire Weekend

I'm pretty sure that Kurt's solo is from Scentless Apprentice but great video btw!

the solo on Transdermal Celebration by Ween is gorgeous, one of the best in my opinion

I watch Prince's solo from "My guitar Gently weeps" about twice a year and its still just as magical.

Jam bands were pretty big in the 90s and that entire style is based on solos. Trey played countless solos worth studying for years and years in that decade.

Rick Rubin and Beastie Boys had long since stopped working with each other by the time Sabotage hit.

I’d really love to see you cover the red dirt southern rock scene out of Oklahoma and Texas. Throughout the 2000s bands like Cross Canadian Ragweed, The Great Divide, and Reckless Kelly kept heavy guitar sounds alive but with a little country twang on it

good point about the dial up modem, I've never noticed that before.

For the record, my favourite guitar solo is the second solo in Iron Maiden's 2 Minutes To Midnight, Adrien Smith at his best. Anyone else?

Score notes for this one (wow this series is almost done 😶): - Whenever I was doing the grunge-ish cues, I used my Shallow Water pedal by Fairfield Circuitry on the front end to have some light chorusing before the drive section of whatever I was playing. Not a pedal that existed for that era, but I felt like it was a fun way to approximate that chorus kinda vibe while keeping it a bit more modern - 6:31 wrote this after watching live performances of Panic Attach and Under a Glass Moon. No matter what your feeling on Dream Theater are you can't deny that they do over-the-top like no one else, lol - 7:02 the first of many cues written on my tele tuned un 5ths for this ep! - 12:24 modular and swell guitar on the harmony, slide and e-bow Guit on the melody, all through an effect that reduces the sample rate of the whole cue (Ableton Redux) - 13:46 I'm very happy that this transition worked, lol - 16:12 everything from here is tele in 5ths through the Fairfield Circuitry Unpleasant Surprise Fuzz Thanks for watching y'all, one more :)

Reminds me of this baby book I bought my daughter and read to her about the history of rock. Both end with the feeling that it ends in a downer, but there's hope.

"The Death of the Guitar Solo" only exist if you dwell in the mainstream

Thank you! Polyphonic for featuring mdou in the end. His performance on kexp was really breathtaking.

Tell this to Japanese bands like Band Maid. Their guitar solos fit into their songs seamlessly and are epic.😊

Doug Martsch of Built to Spill and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse are a couple of guitarists to check out. They've both been at it a while, but with limited commercial success.

When I see bands like King Gizzard, Cybertronic Spree, and Polyphia, and see the inroads they're making into mainstream consciousness, coupled with the state of....well, everything....I firmly believe we're on the cusp of a whole new era of popular rock.

It wasn't the guitar solo that was being rejected but the exclusionary idea that every band needed a shredder on guitar to be taken seriously. Players like Guy from Fugazi were playing amazing unpretentious leads that focused on supporting the song and carried the torch through the dark days of the early 90's. Kyuss, QOTSA, Primus, Foo Fighters, Them Crooked Vultures, The Mars Volta...there's a bridge through the 90's to the 2000's of players like Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, Trey Anastasio, and Larry LaLonde that kept the guitar solo alive despite the popular narrative.

It amazes me how many people overlook Mike McCready from Pearl Jam. How about the solos on "Alive", "Even Flow", ""Daughter" or on Temple of the Dog's "Reach Down"? There seems to be a tendency lately to diminish Pearl Jam's impact on the 90"s "Grunge" explosion and on music ever since.

I hope one day you cover Shoegaze

Thank you so much for your videos. I always look forward to them! \

I freaking LOVE your vids mister! The knowledge, the narration and the music. It's all awesome. I think the one the really got the hook in me was the John Bonham one (but I'm guessing that's not uncommon). I actually did have Nebula for a year but there where so many features missing compared to YT that I found myself watching content on YT instead if it was on both platforms. It was abut a year ago now though so I guess it might have gotten better now but still. In my opinion as a serious YT addict (it seriously interferes with my life) the platform really needs to work on that.

The music is louder than hell on this video

I really hope one of these takes the focus off of pop music and shows off some really great artists that have been giving us incredible guitar work under the radar of studio executives

This content is so cool!!! Please keep up the good work man!

Rick Ruben had nothing to do with Sabotage.

Don't forget about microtonal guitar. A guy in Turkey just wrote the book on it. He uses a guitar with moveable frets, and also a lego guitar, among others. For microtonal rock, I'd check out Brendan Byrnes' song Operator and King Gizzard's O.N.E, to start with. Of course, you gotta mention Henson and Tosin, and 7 and 8 string shredders, and fan frets... There have actually been quite a few practical innovations in guitar playing, many of which seem to be catering especially for lead guitar playing. Also, for the 2020s you gotta mention Nuno's solo - that moved me more than most, maybe even more than Prince's, depending on my mood.

Mdou moctar at the end gave me chills. You've got to do a video on the desert rock and tinariwen and the like ❤️❤️

I am yet to hear something as good and crazy as tornado of souls

This is my faverite on going Series on RU-vid right now, keep up the fucking good work!!!

Looking over John Mayer as a 2000s guitar god is a full war crime. Continuum is easily a more influential album than elephant

Hey you youngsters, let me add a bit of perspective to this matter. I am a 74 year old guitarist who has been playing guitar solos since the early 60s. Over the years I have soloed in all genres of music including rock and roll, jazz, classical guitar, Indian and Arabic modal poly-rhythmic styles Country Chicken Pickin'. In my book, the era of the guitar solo's decline began with Eddie Van Halen's Eruption guitar solo. That solo showcased the finger tapping technique, and it was fast, but other than that went no further. The pity is that young guitarists from that point on focused on speed to the detriment of the other aspects of music. I saw it with my own eyes and I heard it with my own ears. The biggest loser was rhythm and timing. Focusing on fast picking led to solos that were monotonous in their frenzy to attain ultra fast speed. Riffs and phrases began and ended on the downbeat with little or no experimentation with freeing the solo from the heavy downbeat, thus making it for the most part rhythmically boring. Lost was the lyrical soaring singing voice that the best 60s guitar exemplied and the clever little riffs that stayed with us and we couldn't get out of our heads. All the subtleties of music fell to the wayside in a bombastic race attain ultra fast speed. Also, chord changes became random showing little knowledge of the basics of western music or even the attempts by 20th century composers to break with western music traditions. This creates a disjointed feeling that usually sounds misguided rather than intentional. I must confess a fondness for singing melodies that spring from the guitar like heavenly lighter-than-air golden drops of dew (how poetic😅), but that's just me. Seriously though, a zillion notes played at breakneck speed in a stumbling disjointed rhythmic pattern doesn't stay with me as much as one of George Harrison's short simple leads or Jeff Beck's quirky little phrases or Eric Clapton's soulful apotheosis of Blues solos. And where are Jimmy Page's innovative acoustic inventions amongst the guitar creations that followed it? I could go on and on but then I would be writing a book, wouldn't I? Anywho, that is my humble opinion. Long live the guitar solo! 👍🎸🎶🎶🎶

Amazing as always!

This (as so much of your stuff) has been a great series. Congrats and thanks. I think the thing about guitar is you’re just happenstance away from finding someone new and amazing. Mdou Moctar is my current. Music is a never ending journey and that’s the best part.

Bruh... Rick Rubin had nothing to do with Sabotage.

I'm a little surprised you didn't mention Extreme's Rise as a recent guitar solo to break out. Nuno Bettencourt's solo on that song is amazing and quickly received many props even if it didn't make "popular" radio.

Respects for talking about portishead Tyler, Kendrick etc have talked about how much influence they’ve had for their production

The way the narration is worded makes it seem like Rick Rubin produced "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys.

4:15 - That's Scentless Apprentice, not Serve the Servants.

Thank you Polyphonic for uploading such awesome educational rockin content 🤘

I hope for the 7th & 8th title of the sequals after this would be: • 7th: The pop punk reign of guitar solo's in 2000's. • 8th: The "Indie-fication" of guitar solos within 2010's

I think its safe to argue that today’s newest pioneers in the electric guitar sound are King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard; with a collection of fusion genres ranging from Nu Metal, Prog Rock, Jazz Rock, etc.

king gizzard has some of my favourite solos from the 2010s

There's tons of good rock with solos out there, it just isn't mainstream. The current era of rock is probably the best ever if you're willing to dig a bit. Edit: posted this before seeing the end of the video lol

Black Summer by the Chilis is the first guitar solo I've heard on the radio for about a decade. And it's an unreal solo too

Yessss!!! Killer ending with Mdou Moctar. That guitarist is onto something special

I just don’t think every guitar driven song needs a solo

I think the art of not doing a guitar solo and focusing on the rhythm sections is just as difficult

Great documentary and mostly correct conclusion even though it is depressing. There was one glaring omission though: Allan Holdsworth. That guy was in many ways the godfather of shred guitar. When Eddie Van Halen was not tapping in the early days, he was playing holdsworth licks. The fast legato, the crazy hand stretching licks, the common scales that EVH uses, all holdsworth stuff.

Music has fragmented so much and there is so much to absorb that it's almost impossible to know what's truly out there even with platforms like RU-vid, Tiktok and Instagram.

Sorry to be the smartass, but that's Scentless Apprentice and not Serve The Servants around 4:15.

While it's not exactly related to the topic of guitar solo. I feel like The Prodigy should have been mentioned in the video. They were innovative in bringing the rock genre and dance genre together. Though that's probably just me being really biased to spread more awareness and love about them.

Love this series, i was wondering if there were extended versions of the track snippets you used in the intro for each episode? They sound gorgeous and I'd love to hear more

the solo on cherub rock is probably one of my favorite solos ever. i remember hearing that album the first time and just instantly falling in love. then i heard that just insane bend going into one of the best solos ever

I love the video ! great work ! I will, however, say that MCR deserves a mention -- I see Ray Toro as a guitar hero among the best of them, as well as an important contemporary to Jack White -- and one that brought forward the legacy of acts like Queen and Iron Maiden and Megadeth

Loving this series, and my next statements follow as general constructive criticism for the episodes to come. You guys are doing a fantastic job in this docuseries. - Failing to mention Nirvana's unplugged graces over the bands dimension, as the guitar solo was the premise of this video - Though Radiohead, The Chili Peppers, and Rage are pioneers of the 90's guitar scene, Pearl Jam, Third Eye Blind, Sublime, and various others had a great deal of influence against the reputation of the guitar solo in the 90's - Eric Clapton's Unplugged should have been briefly glanced at in this episode. Solely on it's dynamic for the acoustic guitar influence to come. Unplugged is filled with swinging solos against acoustic blues rhythm. - The delivery of John Mayer at the break of the 2000's greatly affects the influx of inspirational blues playing in the early to mid 2000's; Via continuum/JM Trio - Though The White Stripes dominate the rock scene of the 2000's, there are a plethora of (at the time) underground musicians breaking into the scene to make a name for the electric guitar: The Strokes, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, etc.

Outkast not only had a Hendrix-like guitar solo in "Bombs Over Baghdad", Andre3000 played Jimi Hendrix in "All Is By My Side".

Excellent. one of the best sites on the internet regarding western music from the rock Age. Really well done. Thank you.

What a great, yet depressing, finale to a brilliant series. I truly hope the guitar solo will make a comeback someday...

Honestly the solos I find myself appreciating these days are are the ones more further affield in terms of instrumentation. Blame it on my earliest musical memories being of my dad's Jethro Tull records, with Ian Anderson defining once and for all what it means to be a rock flautist. Many prog and prog-adjacent bands do this exceptionally: Thank You Scientist's tracks have included blistering tenor sax, violin, and, accordion solos, "Victorian Brickwork" by Big Big Train has a cornet solo that always moves me to tears, and unsung Canadian prog duo FM featured numerous mandolin solos. Moving away from strictly rock-based stuff "Reverse," the latest single from electroswing legends Caravan Palace, features a prominent contrabass clarinet solo. The most electrifying soloing I've seen in recent years was Leo P blowing the roof off of Royal Albert Hall with his baritone sax and Joe Dart getting a sold out crowd at Madison Square Garden to sing along with a bass solo. Guitar soloing still has its place: it just has to sgare the stage.

Buckethead is guitar solo personified.

I love this series and really appreciate the wide gamut you covered. I don’t know if you classify funk guitar solos as part of the mix, but i think they are also worth exploring - check out maggot brain for example

Have to agree lower the volume during your talking segments. I thought it was just me till I saw the comments.

The music in the video is too loud, it drowns out the narrator too much.

Great video!

The darkness we're no chopped liver either. Justin and Dan are rippers and riff Masters.

The guitar solo is dead? I didn't know that.. John Mayer, Joe Bonamassa, Avenged Sevenfold, Tame Impala, Animals as Leaders, all of mathrock/progmetal, Tinariwen, Gary Clark Jr., Tom Misch' Liftoff and Kyiv with Yussef Dayes, Alter Bridge and these are just the biggest and I'd say even influential names I can come up with now, there's so much more goodness if you look just below the surface.

little bit disappointing there's no mention of John Mayer, Tom Misch Mac Demarco or Dangelo who all have amazing guitar solos in at least 5 of their tracks. John Mayer being known by the general public for having amazing guitar solos in his songs. I do also understand that this video is from a guitar hero/ rock perspective though. this is more of a video on the downfall of rock/metal rather than 'the guitar solo'

One of Polyphonic's best videos yet (IMO).

Love the shot of Mdou Moctar at the end!

Myles Kennedy and Mark Tremonti of AlterBridge create many fantastic guitar solos, often each having one in the same song (eg Blackbird, Cry of Achilles, The Last Hero, among many many other great music!) Awesome band of the last 20 yrs and I’d miss it if no more guitar solos were included in most bands I like going forward. The guitar solo, when done well, says things emotionally musically that sung words just cannot convey.

I found it funny how he brought up Marty Friedman's superhuman solos and played his easiest solo in that song

sorry to be that guy, but rick rubin didnt produce sabotage, the beasties actually had a very public falling out with rick after their first album

Loved the series! Wished you could have spoke about Slowdive and their spacy effect heavy solo in the song "Alison"

Great episode, but pretty sad for me, as a witness. But what about Rival Sons? It's absolute rock reborn. And for many years before them, what about Zakk Wylde?! Anyway I now there's so much music over these years. Too much to say about it all. I do appriciate Your work, so keep on rockin'; Polyphonic rules!

If you need a time of death, it would probably be 2003 with Metallica St. Anger. 75 minutes, 11 songs, 0 solos 😮

@14:12 I'm being a bit pedantic here, but the High Hopes solo is played on a lap slide. IDK if that disqualifies it in your eyes, but I just felt like pointing it out. That solo is actually what drove me to learn about them and still want one to this day.

There’s also the fact that during the same period of time the Music scene in Nashville became the place to be for musicians to go if they wanted to “make it” there are a few players in that genre who should probably be in this conversation