Sweet Child O Mine Solo

[Tonart]

I was playing this solo the Malmsteen style for the longest time. Picking every note. Needless to say, it sounded like crap! Well I was in good company cos virtually nobody plays it right, except that man Slash of course.

Over the last couple of years though, something strange has been happening. Maturity perhaps. Becoming wise on how to play guitar. Efficiency. Precision. Musicality.

I started to realise from pure insight, that this famous iconic solo is probably meant to be played in a rhythmic manner with pull ons and pull offs, with only occasional picks following the rhythm, especially the complex ascending part. I started experimenting just out of curiosity, out of pure musical interest.

Its still not easy to precisely hit the notes due to the sheer speed, though it’s not something that cannot be overcome with practice, but I am glad to say I can finally play it properly!! And I have to say, Slash is quite a genius in creating this out of nothing!

Me though, I’m not so much happy that I can play it, but the fact that this point could be reached through sheet mental insight!

 

[László]

I was playing this solo the Malmsteen style for the longest time. Picking every note. Needless to say, it sounded like crap! Well I was in good company cos virtually nobody plays it right, except that man Slash of course.

Over the last couple of years though, something strange has been happening. Maturity perhaps. Becoming wise on how to play guitar. Efficiency. Precision. Musicality.

I started to realise from pure insight, that this famous iconic solo is probably meant to be played in a rhythmic manner with pull ons and pull offs, with only occasional picks following the rhythm, especially the complex ascending part. I started experimenting just out of curiosity, out of pure musical interest.

Its still not easy to precisely hit the notes due to the sheer speed, though it’s not something that cannot be overcome with practice, but I am glad to say I can finally play it properly!! And I have to say, Slash is quite a genius in creating this out of nothing!

Me though, I’m not so much happy that I can play it, but the fact that this point could be reached through sheet mental insight!

I take my hat off to you, sir! That’s a difficult solo to do well.

 

[jvin248]

.

There's a fun story about Slash recording that song, no main riff satisfied anyone all day, so at the end of the day, dog tired and wanting to go home and sleep, he was just like here use this and we'll replace it later. Apparently the opening riff was 'too simple for him' and he hates playing that song in concerts to this day. Of course that is the song that made everything else possible for that band.

.

 

[WA Paul]

Nice!

I like to butcher some of his solo parts in Estranged to warm up the fingers. I say butchered because I know I’ve never played them properly

 

[bodia]

I thought there was gonna be a link to your play through

 

[BrianC]

yes, above !

 

[Tonart]

.

There's a fun story about Slash recording that song, no main riff satisfied anyone all day, so at the end of the day, dog tired and wanting to go home and sleep, he was just like here use this and we'll replace it later. Apparently the opening riff was 'too simple for him' and he hates playing that song in concerts to this day. Of course that is the song that made everything else possible for that band.

.

I read somewhere that the opening riff was a alternate string picking exercise for Slash. That riff was key to the song, and that song was key to the band. Heh just shows sometimes it’s just written in the stars!

 

[Tonart]

I thought there was gonna be a link to your play through

LOL no where near polished enough to do that...

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I was playing this solo the Malmsteen style for the longest time. Picking every note. Needless to say, it sounded like crap! Well I was in good company cos virtually nobody plays it right, except that man Slash of course.

Over the last couple of years though, something strange has been happening. Maturity perhaps. Becoming wise on how to play guitar. Efficiency. Precision. Musicality.

I started to realise from pure insight, that this famous iconic solo is probably meant to be played in a rhythmic manner with pull ons and pull offs, with only occasional picks following the rhythm, especially the complex ascending part. I started experimenting just out of curiosity, out of pure musical interest.

Its still not easy to precisely hit the notes due to the sheer speed, though it’s not something that cannot be overcome with practice, but I am glad to say I can finally play it properly!! And I have to say, Slash is quite a genius in creating this out of nothing!

Me though, I’m not so much happy that I can play it, but the fact that this point could be reached through sheet mental insight!

Re: the 1st sentence, Yngwie is famous for rarely picking every note. When I first heard him, I thought he was not human. But I quickly found out one reason he could go so fast was that he did not pick every note. He once said in an interview that he usually picked one note out of every three. I have witnessed this up close on more than one occasion.

Re: the 3rd paragraph. Which part of the solo are you talking about? (Maybe give me a time range in the song...). There is definitely a section that has a lot of hammer-on and pull-off notes, and you couldn’t get that feel right by picking every note (If it’s the section I think you’re talking about).

 

[bodia]

LOL no where near polished enough to do that...

That makes two of us, brother!

 

[Tonart]

Re: the 3rd paragraph. Which part of the solo are you talking about? (Maybe give me a time range in the song...).

It’s mainly 3:03 to 3:07 from this YT video. Brilliant composition skills I must say!

 

[Tone-y]

It’s mainly 3:03 to 3:07 from this YT video. Brilliant composition skills I must say!

That's the segment that when I was first learning guitar threw me. I could pretty much do the rest of the track, or at least I could see that it was doable, but that segment blew my mind. I didn't think I'd ever be able to play that. Now I could have a good go at it

 

[Tonart]

That's the segment that when I was first learning guitar threw me. I could pretty much do the rest of the track, or at least I could see that it was doable, but that segment blew my mind. I didn't think I'd ever be able to play that. Now I could have a good go at it

LOL yup same here. The reason why it throws people off is Slash perceives and organises note clusters very unconventionally, almost on a off time basis yet still makes great musical sense. The Wah effect also gives it the illusion of sounding more exotic. Have a go at it, it’s fun!

 

[gush]

LOL no where near polished enough to do that...

What do the Polish have to do with it?

 

[Parralax view]

I seem to remember that the opening riff that is butchered in Guitar Centers all over the nation was actually a scale riff that a teacher taught him so as to exercise..

 

[Tonart]

What do the Polish have to do with it?

Ah yes in the guitar world we should say “nowhere near buffed* enough”.

*Eternashine Guitar Scratch Remover recommended

 

[Alnus Rubra]

That makes two of us, brother!

+3

He also gets rather tasty around 3:31