Guitar solo recommendations

Arkhangelsk

New member
Mar 1, 2009
7,702
0
0
In about 4 or 5 months, I'll be applying for a music secondary school in the city. It seems pretty nice, and I think I might fit in there. I've got decent grades in school, but most of the influence in the admission points comes from a music test they do when you apply. First, they test how good you play with others and how fast you can learn simple songs. Then you'll be asked to play a song of choice. Then they ask you how long you've played, what you're ambitions are, etc, just to get the idea of how well you will succeed in the business.

So here's the deal, I need a few recommendations on songs to play on the test. I have some songs that I'm thinking about playing. Most is some John 5, cause he's got the most impressive solos that I know of, and still can learn. I don't think the judges are like those old people who dismiss anything that's too noisy (I'm of course speaking of metal), so anything's good. Here are some songs I'm thinking about playing if I learn them correctly (I've got 4 months of practice to use), it's on about my skill level:




Sorry for all the John 5, but he is the artist that I learn music from the most, as my skill level is finally coming close to most of his songs.

EDIT: For guitar information, I play a Les Paul Standard, so I can't play anything that goes over the 22nd fret.

EDIT part 2: Oh, I forgot. There's one John 5 solo that I haven't mentioned. My personal favourite. I can play roughly the first minute, although the slide tapping section is probably way out of my league.

 

Lord George

New member
Aug 25, 2008
2,734
0
0
Just smash your guitar at the end and call them all bastards, at the very least they'll remember you. But no I don't know many guitar solo's beyond punk bands and I don't think they'd let you in then, maybe you could try some old rock guitar, Thin Lizzy had some awesome solos. Good luck my man anyway.

Warning: Taking my advice may lead to Nausea, Rejection, Loss of Kittens, Inner ear disbandment, loss of reason, Tadpole infections.
 

megapenguinx

New member
Jan 8, 2009
3,865
0
0
If you manage to play the first one exactly, you'd be a ringer to get in.
I'd say Carry On My Wayward Son (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pw6_VXPwm6U) or Journey-(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGbVoDVWZsc)
 

Arkhangelsk

New member
Mar 1, 2009
7,702
0
0
George144 said:
Just smash your guitar at the end and call them all bastards, at the very least they'll remember you. But no I don't know many guitar solo's beyond punk bands and I don't think they'd let you in then, maybe you could try some old rock guitar, Thin Lizzy had some awesome solos. Good luck my man anyway.

Warning: Taking my advice may lead to Nausea, Rejection, Loss of Kittens, Inner ear disbandment, loss of reason, Tadpole infections.
Hey, if they can accept metal, they can accept punk.
 

egwidalin

New member
May 8, 2009
140
0
0
are u looking for just all out soloing, or songs with impressive guitaring? heres a really fast one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpDblDia5TE and heres a song with nice guitaring i like (ignore the intro.. lol) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPGA3vjMLgE
 

Arkhangelsk

New member
Mar 1, 2009
7,702
0
0
egwidalin said:
are u looking for just all out soloing, or songs with impressive guitaring? heres a really fast one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpDblDia5TE and heres a song with nice guitaring i like (ignore the intro.. lol) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPGA3vjMLgE
What I'm supposed to show is my overall finger dexterity and skill.

Ah, yes, Yngwie is awesome.
 

megapenguinx

New member
Jan 8, 2009
3,865
0
0
Fanusc101 said:
FREEBIRD!


Seriously do Freebird's solo if you can.
My friends did that for their auditions here at school and they didn't make it in. Mainly because they wanted something more practical and classic.
 

Ophiuchus

8 miles high and falling fast
Mar 31, 2008
2,095
0
0
Don't play something that amounts to, as I once heard it described, "your favourite guitar secretary typing gibberish on a fretboard". Sorry but, in my book, that'd include John5 and any other notable shredder you'd care to name. Yeah, it's technically impressive if you consider speed to be the thing that matters, but it sounds like nothing more than someone playing fast just because they can. (Okay, maybe the first one you linked is a bit different but I've heard Black Widow Of LaPorte countless times thanks to Guitar Hero custom discs and... yeah, no.)

As for what I think you should play... well, I challenge anyone to name a better guitar solo piece than Cliffs Of Dover:


Apparently it's not particularly difficult to learn, but ALWAYS sounds impressive.
 

A Weary Exile

New member
Aug 24, 2009
3,784
0
0
Hmm...how about 'Most High' by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (They made a few albums after Zep) it has a great guitar riff in it that changes up quite a bit.
 

AquaAscension

New member
Sep 29, 2009
313
0
0
Check out an artist named Steve Morse. He's got some pretty awesome solos, but I also really dig the solo from the Dream Theater song "Repentance." It's not one of those super-awesomely-fast "PEOPLE DIE" kind of solos, but has some great musicianship to it. Solo starts at about 4:38 in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwKn8vqSYLI

Regardless of what you end up doing, much luck to you!
 

Manhattan2112

New member
Jul 5, 2009
592
0
0
It should be something people know, that is still complicated, and has a great melody. How long does it have to be? Because I have some things in mind.
 

Ibanez887

New member
Apr 16, 2009
500
0
0
Try some of the extended solos from Pearl Jam's songs like "Alive" or buy enough pedals to play Tom Morello's solos. Morello's solos are sure to impress them
 

Clashero

New member
Aug 15, 2008
2,143
0
0
Brian May's solos are impressive, but if they're testing your dexterity and skills, I think none of them would be as surprising to see played well as that first song's.

However, try some Santana, or something by Van Halen.
 

Arkhangelsk

New member
Mar 1, 2009
7,702
0
0
thecaptainof said:
Don't play something that amounts to, as I once heard it described, "your favourite guitar secretary typing gibberish on a fretboard". Sorry but, in my book, that'd include John5 and any other notable shredder you'd care to name. Yeah, it's technically impressive if you consider speed to be the thing that matters, but it sounds like nothing more than someone playing fast just because they can. (Okay, maybe the first one you linked is a bit different but I've heard Black Widow Of LaPorte countless times thanks to Guitar Hero custom discs and... yeah, no.)

As for what I think you should play... well, I challenge anyone to name a better guitar solo piece than Cliffs Of Dover:


Apparently it's not particularly difficult to learn, but ALWAYS sounds impressive.
That I agree on, although many of John 5's song aren't just fast random flailing.

And Cliffs of Dover is awesome, but it feels a bit overdone. If I play that, they'll probably go "Yeah, join the other 100 who played that and get out of the way." It's basically the song that every teacher will teach you at that point.
 

Arkhangelsk

New member
Mar 1, 2009
7,702
0
0
Manhattan2112 said:
It should be something people know, that is still complicated, and has a great melody. How long does it have to be? Because I have some things in mind.
As long as it isn't 10 minutes long, I think we're okay. As long as it keeps their attention, they will probably not ask me to stop.
 

Arkhangelsk

New member
Mar 1, 2009
7,702
0
0
Chuplayer said:
This will blow anybody's mind.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiKgm5cDvXY
Once again, Yngwie Malmsteen is never wrong. And that is one impressive song. Although it seems rather difficult.
 

JC175

New member
Feb 27, 2009
1,280
0
0
crazyhaircut94 said:
Then you'll be asked to play a song of choice.
Listen closely, my friend. I can tell that you're into metal, and that's great. But to make sure that you have the best chance of acceptance, you need to play a song that shows as high an understanding of music as possible. If I had to reccomend a song based upon your interests that shows a high degree of skill and musical knowledge, I'd reccomend Guthrie Govan's Wonderful Slippery Thing.


The song is funky, it has both strong metal and jazz influences, and most of all, its a fucking good track melodically. Trust me, the last thing an examiner wants to see is for you to get up there and shred without reason. Speed and control is one thing, melody and composition is another completely.