Guitar Solo #5 "Keep On Rocking in the Free World" by Neil Young

Today's guitar solo comes from the gnarliest Canadian I can think of (admittedly that's not saying much), Neil Young. I think it's important that we study a live clip of this song, firstly because it's a much better version, and secondly because Neil's approach seems better suited to the live setting.

On this blog I want to divide my analysis of these solos into three basic categories:

1) tone - the technology related to the way the guitar sounds. This could be achieved through effects like reverb or wah-wah pedals, or the tone could be the result of the gear, say a Les Paul plugged straight into a Marshall stack. Or it could be the result of technique: playing with the edge of the pick, or a drill, or whatever.

2) note selection - the theoretical aspects of the music. What notes are being played, how are they being played (sweep picking, tremolo picking... etc etc), the relation of the notes or rhythmic elements in the solo to the rest of the composition.

3) passion - the indefinable and innately human emotion (or lack thereof) displayed by the player during the solo. They may be passionately happy, or passionately sad, or passionately angry, but whatever they're feeling, they are feeling it intensely and communicating some sense of that feeling sonically to the listener.

Guess which element this solo is swimming in? If you guessed passion, you win some sort of prize. Congrats, you're master of the obvious. The first solo which runs in the video above from 2:51-3:20 is like a stinging bee, filling your ears with delicious, angry venom. Listen to that. Usually Neil's solo sound, as distinct as the bedraggled and chaotic way he summons the fury from his array of old amps, is built around a fiery delivery. In a weird way, it's kinda like Neil, in his solos, is celebrating every guitar solo; it's the act itself, the rebellion of it, the exuberance of the moment, the connection to the music. It doesn't matter what notes he's playing - what matters is that he's playing 'em, and that he's feeling 'em, like way down deep inside his soul or something.

For the second solo (which begins in the video above at 4:28) Neil punishes his guitar tech and tuner by applying insane vibrato by way of his Bigsby whammy bar (check out the madness at 4:55!). I'd be willing to bet somebody's gonna need to re-tune that guitar before the next song. In the second solo you can hear Neil referencing the simple melody of the verses, while kicking its ass.

Listen to how simple the song is. A player could learn this song in 15 minutes, but it'd take lifetimes to get Neil's tone and passion. In fact, unless you're a total badass, don't try. You'll never be as much of a badass as Neil. This song works because of its simplicity, the brilliance of the arrangement (pay attention to how much they accomplish with the chord change they play right before each solo 2:43 and 4:20), and because the chaos and freedom in Neil's playing resonates perfectly with the song's message about the liberating power of rock and roll madness.