# Can't Remember How To Play My Own Solo



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Anyone had this happen? You record something and years later you can't remember or figure out how to play it?

Same hands, same guitar, same capo at 5th fret, same brain. ARRR!

The solo is at 2:30.


__
https://soundcloud.com/https%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fguncho%2Fsafe-and-sound-chris-gunter


----------



## Budda (May 29, 2007)

I just forget riffs entirely. I was actually trying to recall a riff from a metal project a few years ago just now, to see if I could warp it into a Sparrows riff.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Ok posting this helped and I think I figured it out! Man this was bugging me for days.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

One of the biggest things that ever helped me was realizing that whatever someone is playing, if you can find a few notes of it then the rest or at least that section of the solo is probably in the same geographic region on the fretboard and you just have to find the notes. My thought process is, "What is the most efficient way to play this". As in you could probably play an entire solo on one string but it's a lot more efficient to move your fingers to other strings rather than moving your hand.


----------



## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Guncho said:


> Anyone had this happen? You record something and years later you can't remember or figure out how to play it?


Join the club--and that's in a much shorter timespan...
Well for solos...


----------



## Guest (May 5, 2017)

Nice recovery.


----------



## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

I don't think I ever play the same thing exactly the same twice. It just continues to evolve and runs with the moment. I don't think I'd enjoy it as much otherwise.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Scotty said:


> I don't think I ever play the same thing exactly the same twice. It just continues to evolve and runs with the moment. I don't think I'd enjoy it as much otherwise.


I think you're in the minority there. Imagine if Jimmy Page never played the same solo twice, Slash, etc, etc.

I look at solos like another melody in the song. I wouldn't sing the song with a different melody every time I played it.

To each his own of course.


----------



## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

Guncho said:


> I think you're in the minority there. Imagine if Jimmy Page never played the same solo twice, Slash, etc, etc.


Have you ever watched live Zep stuff? Page rarely if ever played the solos note for note... key parts stay the same but there's lots of variation.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

But the key parts stayed the same.

I have nothing against improvising. I love improvising. I love the Dead but how many famous guitars players could you name who never play the same solo twice?


----------



## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Great song. Reminiscent of Ron Sexsmith.

Great guitar players who improvise solos: Jimi Hendrix ("thats why I make so many mistakes"), Frank Zappa, Phil Keaggy, Mark Knopfler, BB King, Robbie Robertson, Jeff Healey, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Al diMeola, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, etc, etc, etc, ...and kapn krunch ("thats why I make so many mistakes") 

But oh yeah, I know what you mean. "How'd I do that?!!" Many times. Really bugs me too!


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Every guitarist improvises solos at some point. If they didn't they never would have written a solo.

Which came first the chicken or the egg?



When it comes playing to solos live on songs they had already recorded though most guitarists do not make up a brand new solo on the spot every single time they play that song.

Especially Satriani and Vai.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

KapnKrunch said:


> Great song. Reminiscent of Ron Sexsmith.
> 
> Great guitar players who improvise solos: Jimi Hendrix ("thats why I make so many mistakes"), Frank Zappa, Phil Keaggy, Mark Knopfler, BB King, Robbie Robertson, Jeff Healey, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Al diMeola, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, etc, etc, etc, ...and kapn krunch ("thats why I make so many mistakes")
> 
> But oh yeah, I know what you mean. "How'd I do that?!!" Many times. Really bugs me too!


Yeah I love this song. It's a Hawksley Workman song who I went to high school with. I played this during my wedding ceremony.


----------



## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

I improvise most solos but I have to relearn all the lead lines every few months, no matter if they're my own of not. I think that's normal, If I spent 5 years without talking and thinking I would have to relearn how to live again.


----------



## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Guncho: "It's a Hawksley Workman song who I went to high school with." 

From Huntsville eh? We would know alot of the same people from Ryan's class, no doubt.
Quite a few very good musicians came out of the "Black Hole".
Doug Raisbeck was a neighbour and good friend of mine_.
_Small world....


----------



## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

Guncho said:


> I think you're in the minority there. Imagine if Jimmy Page never played the same solo twice, Slash, etc, etc.
> 
> I look at solos like another melody in the song. I wouldn't sing the song with a different melody every time I played it.
> 
> To each his own of course.


 I quite likely him unlike many people. I'm probably one of the most undeveloped players considering the time spent, however I really don't have a whole lot of interest in playing anybody else's material aside from the quintessential riffs of this or that. For the most part I'm happy just doing my own thing but then again I'm not actually creating songs to perform or record and not really working to perfect anything, so probably quite different than what you're doing. 
This is probably the reason I don't remember a lot of what I do from week to week, because it's not structured.


----------



## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

Guncho said:


> Every guitarist improvises solos at some point. If they didn't they never would have written a solo.
> 
> Which came first the chicken or the egg?
> 
> ...


 You make a very good point. You also picked two of the guys I can't stand the most LOL. So perfect they're like mechanically sterile. Robotic. ( I'm not here to argue, I do realize they're extremely talented players and liked by many... to each their own )


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

loudtubeamps said:


> Guncho: "It's a Hawksley Workman song who I went to high school with."
> 
> From Huntsville eh? We would know alot of the same people from Ryan's class, no doubt.
> Quite a few very good musicians came out of the "Black Hole".
> ...


I was in the first Black Hole classes with Mr Raisbeck. What's your name? I'm Chris Gunter.


----------



## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Scotty said:


> I quite likely him unlike many people. I'm probably one of the most undeveloped players considering the time spent, however I really don't have a whole lot of interest in playing anybody else's material aside from the quintessential riffs of this or that. For the most part I'm happy just doing my own thing but then again I'm not actually creating songs to perform or record and not really working to perfect anything, so probably quite different than what you're doing.
> This is probably the reason I don't remember a lot of what I do from week to week, because it's not structured.


It's all good. Playing guitar should be fun. If that's what you like to do I fully support it.


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Scotty said:


> I'm probably one of the most undeveloped players considering the time spent...


I resemble that remark.


----------



## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

greco said:


> I resemble that remark.


ME TOO!!!


----------



## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

This may seem tedious but I make notes of most of the ideas for riffs that I create! I also date them and record them in my phone!

I keep a file of what I consider to be some of my best achievements! I just jot them down in tab form!

I recorded a really cool solo 2 years ago and couldn't for the life of me figure out how I played it either! I remember putting in a lot of hours in the one and it was beyond frustrating so that's when I decided I needed to make some notes to go along with the recordings on my phone!

It's time consuming but my ideas are worth saving on paper and not just in my head! 

Memories fail me sometimes, a lot of times. 
I can't rely on it like I used to!


----------



## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

I'm the same thing. I improvise on my solos almost all the time now. Also with original material, I never really sit down to figure out what solo to play. I just play how I feel each time, After a while I notice I begin to play the same solo to the point that it has become part of the song.  It's been 2 years now since my band broke up and sometimes I can't even remember how the song goes. LOL It's a good thing we have recordings of most of it. I actually find it funny sometimes when I try to figure out how a song I wrote goes. Sometimes I can't even remember the progressions. hahaha


----------

