Lead players who can't riff/Rythym players who can't solo

[Rick]

Dino Cazares is probably pretty bad at soloing.

 

[Tim C]

Jeff Loomis, I would say is a very complete player. is right hand control for rhythms is fantastic. His solos are some of the best that metal has to offer from a speed, color, dynamics perspective. George Lynch is an INCREDIBLE rhythm player. Some of the most complex rhythms for his genre I think.

I think Rusty Cooley is so very one dimensional. Very basic rhythms, and robotic leads. Fast, sure... But not very articulate leads. They tend to blur, and have no note definition. His four note per string licks are very incoherent, and I think his tone is very mushy, and over saturated.

 

[Ryan]

If a lead player can't lay down some rhthym chops, chances are he can't really solo either..

 

[Naren]

If a lead player can't lay down some rhthym chops, chances are he can't really solo either..

My thoughts exactly. I thought the idea behind this thread was pretty silly.

 

[omentremor]

I think the ultimate guy at both is Alex Auburn.

But someone who sucks at soloing by comparison (though i do enjoy his solos cause they fit the songs and parts) is Rob Flynn. Total beast at rythm. Cant shred at all.

 

[distressed_romeo]

If a lead player can't lay down some rhthym chops, chances are he can't really solo either..

BB King being the sole exception...

 

[AngelVivaldi]

Slayer solos are mostly nothing but nonsense. Incredible rhythm though- on both parts.

 

[kung_fu]

Kerry King can come up with some amazing riffs but I don't think I've heard one solo that I've liked by him.

agreed, although i do enjoy some of his leads on 'seasons in the abyss'

BB King is a famous example of someone who only solos and never plays rhythm...

Apparently, he can't sing and play rhythm at the same time. hey, he's still the king

 

[distressed_romeo]

Apparently, he can't sing and play rhythm at the same time. hey, he's still the king

To paraphrase what Pat Metheny said about George Benson, if I could sing like him I probably wouldn't play guitar at all!

 

[FortePenance]

Brian Eschbach from Black Dahlia Murder. fucking great riffs, terrible solos.

Alternately, Yngwie Malmsteen. Gotta give props, dude's a wanker to hell, but watching him play purple haze, voodoo child? Disgusting.

 

[Drew]

To paraphrase what Pat Metheny said about George Benson, if I could sing like him I probably wouldn't play guitar at all!

I feel the same about Tom Waits.

 

[darren]

I can't solo worth a hill of beans, so i just don't. Or at least i avoid it whenever possible.

I CHOOSE NOT TO SOLO!

Some guy came up to me after our last show and said, "Dude... you're amazing... but you've gotta throw in more guitar solos!"

To me, if they don't add anything to the song to move it forward, then it's kinda pointless. As a band, we prefer to have a really interesting breakdown section in the middle of a song than a meedley-mee guitar solo. And i totally share that sentiment.

 

[Cancer]

II own every Marty Friedman album except for Music For Speeding and the latest one, and I enjoy them a lot. His rythym playing just seems lacklustre in comparison to his lead playing. He uses standard cowboy chords in most of his mellow progressions, which to me are a tad dull, and I swear on Scenes he screws up the simple background arpeggios quite a bit.

I actually agree with the Friedman thing, simply because his physical technique probably impedes alot of his could do rhythmically, or at least makes it seriously difficult.

George Lynch is an INCREDIBLE rhythm player. Some of the most complex rhythms for his genre I think.

George, like Marty, is a UNIQUE rhythm player, but incredible? I dunno, and this coming from a guy who literally grew up on Dokken records. Everything about his style was unique to him, but outside of his leads, and tones, not very demanding on the player.

To be fair, hair metal was never about rhythmis devastation, but even Mr.Scary, cool sounding as it is, is not very difficult to play. More clever.

Perhaps we have differing defninitions on the word "incredible", I see that word and think "physically demanding", or "technically intricate". Based on those 2 crtieria my vote goes to Dino. His rhythms are demanding, and by his own admission, he can't play leads for shit (although some Asesino fans may beg to differ).

 

[Metal Ken]

I can't solo worth a hill of beans, so i just don't.

Well, Thats one way to get better at it
I dunno, no one could solo when they started playing guitar, really. You gotta start somewhere you know? If you cant, you can always practice it.

 

[Cancer]

If a lead player can't lay down some rhthym chops, chances are he can't really solo either..

Shrapnel Records was filled with guys who had incredible soloing chops, but not rhythm chiops, same with LA Hair Metal scene in the 80's, I'm willing to blame genre demands for that, but there it is. If you think about it the LA scene birthed many of the Shrapnel shredders anyway so it makes sense.

Now the Bay Area thrash scene, probably had the opposite. Think Eric Peterson, nasty rhythms, not so much leads, 'course he didn't play leads so....

 

[XEN]

See I grew up during those times and got the best of both worlds: I can't do either rhythm or lead well at all! Mediocrity FTW!

 

[distressed_romeo]

Shrapnel Records was filled with guys who had incredible soloing chops, but not rhythm chiops, same with LA Hair Metal scene in the 80's, I'm willing to blame genre demands for that, but there it is. If you think about it the LA scene birthed many of the Shrapnel shredders anyway so it makes sense.

Now the Bay Area thrash scene, probably had the opposite. Think Eric Peterson, nasty rhythms, not so much leads, 'course he didn't play leads so....

I think that trend with the Shrapnel guys was more one of songwriting than ability.

 

[Metal Ken]

Think Eric Peterson, nasty rhythms, not so much leads, 'course he didn't play leads so....

Actually, he played quite a few.

He played the first part of the main solo in Practice What You Preach, he did one of the solos in COTLOD, He plays a couple in Dragonlord, and i know he did a guest solo on another black metal band's CD recently.

 

[distressed_romeo]

To be fair, hair metal was never about rhythmis devastation, but even Mr.Scary, cool sounding as it is, is not very difficult to play. More clever.

Not totally true. Reb Beach, Vito Bratta and Warren DeMartini were just as impressive at rhythm as they were at lead to my ears...

 

[kung_fu]

Like Hetfield, I think Peterson's lead abilities are quite good for someone who is the bands rhythm guitarist.

Peterson actually did a badass solo on testaments debut, "Burnt offerings" or "The Haunting". I can't remember which one at the moment. I actually used to think it was skol.