Neil Young's lead guitar playing...

I’ve seen/heard several shredder types play NY songs and I gotta say the solos are almost always awkwardly out of place, uncomfortably so. His playing style is so intrinsic to his songs. On the other hand, many of his tunes are fun to jam on, but approaching with a less is more style usually works best. You don’t have to play like Neil to excel playing on a Neil song, but cutting the number of notes and riffs (and speed) in half certainly helps.

His long jams? Well, when he captures lightning in a bottle, it’s hard to beat. The last minute of Hurricane (the record) is pretty amazing in its climax and wind-down, but it’s totally unplanned. When it’s great, watch out. When it’s not, it’s tedious. He’s got a few standby go-to techniques to ramp up a song. Sometimes they work; sometimes they don’t.

One thing I loved about Television was on a “jam” like Marquee Moon... there is lot of room for free form spontaneity, but it does have a fully formed climax. So even if they head down any type of rabbit hole, good or bad, they can dig out and emerge kind of victorious, so cool is the climax piece of that song.

Neil doesn’t have that. So you are at the mercy of the magic simply happening. And, after 15 minutes, if it ain’t happened, it probably ain’t gonna ever happen. I think David Briggs used to be quite pointed in his remarks to Neil about his playing and where he was going with it. It probably helped a lot.

 

NY and Crazy Horse at their best are unbridled and they really do exhibit some kind of grace. It’s a thing of rock and roll beauty. The Powderfinger on Rust Never Sleeps is astonishing. It might be my favorite piece of rock and roll, ever. It’s moving. Neil’s solos are exquisite, but so too are Ralph’s drum and cymbal work. And the band just coalesces.

But, you know, they can play like untrained monkeys the next minute. Compare Reactor to Rust. Same band. Different results. But I take the good with the bad, because the good is so good.

I like technically proficient bands that play with passion, too, don’t get me wrong. But I always thought Neil and Crazy Horse was just always cool. A T-shirt that I would always wear with honor.

 

I cant stop laughing at this. It’s so demented.

 

Neil is a unique, distinctive, talented guitarist. I remember taking lessons and my instructor (who is very accomplished and has played and collaborated with some major, established artists) said Neil's playing was very intricate and somewhat complex when I asked about learning On The Way Home. That was actually a bit eye-opening and put things in perspective.

 

Nope.

 

In a list of the best 100 guitarists in Rolling Stone magazine in 2015, Young was ranked no. 17 by a panel of top guitarists. So among his peers (not named George Harrison), he seems to be held in very high regard.

100 Greatest Guitarists

 

Love his lead playing and would love to sound like him. All the squeaks, feedback and strange noises he makes with a guitar are wonderful.
Get sick of people criticizing his playing though, theres always the inevitable 'one note' comment on this subject.

 

Even Neil would take the top 20....

 

Yeah, this thread also made me think about Television. two guitarists that seriously studied their instruments (and practiced!), and Lloyd having a depth of knowledge about music theory (Verlaine might too but he'd never let on...) In the unlikely event Television would cover some of the Neil safaris mentioned here, I think it would change some folks perceptions. Their solos are inspired and even reckless, but there's always a logical musical foundation. If you like Neil, you'd probably really like this:

 

Young Eric Clapton?

Yeah, I suspect having a panel of the world’s best guitarists put you at #17 takes away some of the sting of Hoffman Forum members calling you an amateur.

 

You lost me with hella.

 

Regarding Duane’s comments on Neil, it helps to remember that Neil didn’t peak until 20 years after Duane passed.

 

he does what the song needs and it's always perfect...I absolutely love his acoustic work ...his little dingles between chords always hit the mark...

 

Funny you should say that. And you know, it took me years of childhood to figure out John from Paul so I may just be dumb in this regard. Distinct as Neil seems to be on his own records, I still have trouble sorting out what's what between him and Stills on their collaborative efforts. Recently thinking about that as I played the 1974 CSNY tour CD's.

 

I see a long SHTV thread in these three sentences from Duane Allman on Neil.

 

Neil Young's lead guitar playing.....is a million times more interesting & listenable than anything Eddie Van Halen & his shredder followers have ever done.

 

One of my Faves is his playing on Pushed it over the End by csny the Italian single recording,

 

Yes being just a casual fan I was amazed at his tone and playing style live at the desert trip festival 2016 at Coachella. I was tripping a little harder than I thought I would and he had these tepees on stage and his band looked like wild west characters or something. Was a fantastic concert and his leads were like grunge and classic rock together. Made me a fan.

 

Right but" Comes a Time", " Harvest moon", "Old Man" etc comprise 70% + or minus most are on the softer side. His songs as a balladeer have been his bread and butter thus the "small sample size where he plays a lead. I know however he would rather be remembered as a ROCKER

 

Neil has an immediately recognizable tone and style and he has managed to create astounding guitar solos without being what is usually considered a virtuoso. He plays passionately and can get a lot from a single note.

 

100% AGREED

 

70%? Where’d you pull that gloriously inaccurate stat out from?

Balladeer? His bread and butter? What the...?

What did you do...listen to two Neil Young albums for the first time last week and post this nonsense?

Ok, I’m done...and I feel better.

 

Clueless in Alberta ...Plus or minus is ball park figure ... oh, and stay away from all that yellow snow.

 

I agree with George...and did even before I learned he felt that way too. I believe Clapton does as well.

 

love ballads from the 2000's to help jog your memory .....notice no electric guitar with seven minute guitar solos.
You should already know all this ,,,Neil's Canadian you know

Neil Young - Introspection -1970s Love Ballads (played live in the 2000s)
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