Jerry Cantrell explains why solos are “as important” as vocals
Solos are just as important as vocals, in the eyes of Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, but it matters less how virtuosic they are.
Instead, Cantrell emphasises in a new interview with Rick Beato that the “vibe” of a guitar solo is more important than the technicality.
READ MORE: The Gear Used by Jerry Cantrell on Alice in Chains’ ‘Dirt’
“A solo is a part of the song. It’s as important as a vocal part, [but] it’s got to have that sort of singing impact,” he tells Rick Beato [as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar]. “I’m a huge fan of Eddie Van Halen, but I knew very early on I was never going to be able to do that. Same with [Yngwie Malmsteen], I thought Rising Force was amazing too. I loved Yngwie, Steve Vai, and all of that stuff. Steve Morse, these guys are absolute shredders.
“I kind of leaned a little bit towards [Tony] Iommi and [Jimmy] Page, the Young brothers [Angus and Malcolm, AC/DC] – a little more meat and potatoes. But solos are important. Solos are really important. And it’s got to be lyrical; it’s got to be musical. It’s got to take you somewhere else [where] the song hasn’t been.”
“If you’re writing a song, you’ve already ramped up a couple of levels, come back down, and ramp it up again, where do you go from there? You’ve got to take it to another level, so that you can drop it back down into a third verse, a bridge, or the final chorus, whatever your formation is, but it’s got to be an elevated piece.”
He continues: “It’s got to be something musical. It’s got to be something memorable, you know, and it’s got to have vibe — that’s more important than the technique, I think.”
Cantrell is currently gearing up to release his next album, I Want Blood, on 18 October.
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Source: www.guitar-bass.net
