Hardest A7X solos

[Lucca Massa]

In your opinion, what are the top 5 hardest a7x solos? and which ones have you learned?

 

[idssdi]

If the intro of the stage counts as a solo that’s one of them. If not I think
Paradigm, The Wicked End, Sunny Disposition, Higher and Save Me. I can play Paradigm and Sunny Disposition but not sure whether I can actually play them well.

 

[Jak Angelescu]

I agree with Ids! The intro to The Stage was actually deemed the most complicated piece of guitar work to play in modern day heavy metal. It was mentioned by numerous articles and different casts of voting. But in my opinion, Scream is definitely difficult because of the sixlets that are all alternate picked at 130 BPM. Even Syn himself said that it was a challenge. But then also, he said that the solo for MIA was his most difficult solo to play. And then you have the ever infamous battle for the “Afterlife” challenge that every guitarist does. The solo for afterlife is probably Syn’s most recognized challenge solo for every guitarist to try to obtain I don’t know many of his solos except for two but I would definitely bet the intro to the stage as the hardest thing he’s ever written in my opinion

 

[Christopher Lonski]

I have learned MOST of his solos pretty proficiently and I can say, the two most difficult FOR ME were definitely MIA and higher. With MIA your economy picking has to be really controlled. With the licks in that one, there isnt much room for slop. With Higher, your legato has to be really even while also doing some pretty wide stretches.
But no matter what, I would say not to think of ANYTHING as difficult or easy. The best way to improve is to mentally KNOW that you can play ANYTHING, its just a matter of how much time you are willing to dedicate to any given endeavor. It’s kind of like the matrix- dont think that you can make the jump, KNOW that you can. The brain really is an amazing thing and if you go about life ASSUMING that EVERYTHING is possible, your brain has a way of just making these things happen. It’s all about willpower, preseverance, and dedication.

 

[idssdi]

You make a great point here. I tend to think the same thing. If someone else can do it why wouldn’t I be able to do it it just may take me more time to do it.

 

[Ed Seith]

I hear you, Chris, but lately I find myself struggling with that mentally, and even regressing on things like building my downpicking strength and speed. I’m usually self-correcting, but I’m struggling with this. I know it’s a mental thing, but I’m at a loss for how to overcome it, and I find it affecting many aspects of my playing.
Any tips? Anyone?

 

[Noah Berends]

I think Syn somewhere made a comment that MIA was one of the hardest solos he’s written (Feel free to correct me from the man himself if I’m wrong, haha!).
For me personally, I’d say The Stage for sure, Exist, Scream, and Afterlife.

 

[idssdi]

@Ed try to take it one at a time. Don’t try to make really big leaps in one go. For example a couple years back I tried learning oartitia in DM by Paul gilbert(or Bach depending which one you want) and it was way before my skill level at that time. stuff that is slightly above your skill level and in that way you may be able to gradually improve over time.

 

[Ed Seith]

Thanks, Ids. That’s stuff I do know – I have been playing a lot of years. The problem I think I’m having is one I don’t think you can advise on. I think it’s the anxiety of aging and “I don’t know if I’m too old to improve like I used to” and that degenerates into “Am I so old I’m just going to start slowing down and losing what I already have” and the anxiety takes over from there. I’ve not generally been anxiety-prone in my life, so this is a new thing for me as I close in on 50, less than 2 years away.
There are a lot of styles, techniques and speed related abilities I wish I’d taken the time to learn properly when I was young, and I fear that my time has passed to break new ground. What I need help with is navigating my brain around those ideas. And I am royally fucking stubborn, and I know it.
Thanks, man.

 

[Filip Tomiša]

@Ed You are only old if you choose to be old. One of my idols is Tony Hawk and one of the reasons why he is my idol is because he is 50 years old and he still skates. He still does all kinds of flips and shit on the ramp just like he used to do back in the day and he will continue doing that because he knows you are only old in your head. I know skateboarding has nothing to do with guitar playing but I just wanted to show an example of that cliche saying: “you are never too old” because it’s true. When you are going to be 60 and look back 10 years you are going to say: I wasn’t that old, so don’t worry about age and keep on shredding \m/!

 

[idssdi]

@Ed you can always become a badass tasty blues player. I would honestly love to listen to that! B.B. King was still able to solo like crazy when he was like 90 years old or so(not sure how old he was so I’m kinda guessing here)
Not saying you’re 90 years old btw

 

[Ed Seith]

Great words, @filip, and I agree. I guess where I get lost in my mind is that Tony Hawk had his skills when he was young. Hetfield picked like a demon when he was young. As you age, is there a difference between keeping what you have and being able to improve technically? That’s where my brain is struggling.

 

[Filip Tomiša]

I think it’s in our nature that we start overthinking our skills and that we always compare ourselves to others who are more skilled than us and have probably been doing this since they were a kid and we think to ourselves: “I don’t know if i can do this, i’ve been playing for a long time and i still don’t know that, maybe if i was younger i would be able to learn this…” but the truth is we are always capable to improve no matter how old we are. We might think that it’s easier to learn something when we are younger which might be true but that doesn’t mean that you can’t learn that thing when you are older. You are always going to improve if you just pick up your guitar and start playing. If there is a techinque that you want to learn, focus on that technique and practice. You might say “well the time is an issue” but I’m pretty sure that everyone has 15 min of free time in their day and in those 15 min just practice that technique that you want to learn. You are not going to forget everything else that you’ve learned before if you just focus on the new technique, you will just have to remind yourself a bit and you’ll be good to go. In those 15 min you will improve a tiny tiny bit but if you keep doing that regulary you will eventually become really good at it. Imagine a drop of water is the improvement you got in those 15 min, it might seem like nothing, but if you keep doing it that drop will become a river. It’s really a mental thing. Don’t doubt yourself, we don’t realise what we are actually capable of. Next time you start doubting yourself, imagine that that doubt is a person telling you: “you can’t do that” and you tell that person: Well fuck you, who are you to say that I can’t do it” and prove that person wrong.
I hope you understood what I was trying to say, it takes me forever to make sentences in my head and then translate them to english .

 

[Calvin Phillips]

Ed.. i think thats fighting muscle memory for the most part. Always wanting to alternate pick. Im having similar issues in the small changes ive made to my playing as well. Keep at it it gets easier. I think the hardest part is turning the brain off to be more instinct.