analyzing ROMEO's leads...

[Bet23]

i think we should all post an analysis of each of romeo's solos, maybe everyone post a few every week r something... i think there would be many advantages to see how a guy of his level approaches his leads, and even things like RIFFS and such...

we can correct each others mistakes and see how michael develops themes and solos that span many modes and scales over riffs that tend to be very static...

ok, something like this... EYES OF MEDUSA...

theres an ACCENDING WHOLE TONE LINE in the solo, before ROMEO decends with a LOCRIAN line that almost outlines a m7b5 11 arp... this kind of idea...

well, its late hope i didnt make any mistakes... we can do a few every once in a while... and i think it would be helpful...

thanks for listening...

 

[Yngvai X]

I just tabbed 4 of the songs he recorded for the Kotipelto album (I sent em in to Lisa, you should see them up on the syx site when she remodels it). Its funny, I actually think some of his best playing ever is on that CD. He uses a lot of pentatonics on that album.

 

[Bet23]

man, im all about things sounding diff, r odd, i love to hear symmetrical scales, more exotic modes, and things of that nature, dont care so much for speed, mostly for content... though i tend to hear things "fast" in my head...

say something like EGYPT, when he goes into his solo, with that really cool (phrygian dom line is it?) Im just going from memory... (well the line before the fast 16 triplets that accend)... that melody into that picking line (which sounds liquid IMO)... is just flawless solo composition...

 

[Yngvai X]

Yeah, nothing on the Kotipelto CD is really "outside" that much. Its great playing nontheless. I think it really compliments the songs, all the solos are really tasteful.

 

[Bet23]

hey man, have you met michael? ad if so, how was it, you could also email me if youd like... toscky88@hotmail.com

 

[Serge...]

I personally like Michael's 'outside' playing way more. Check out the intro solo to DWOT to see what i mean. I love the sound of exotic scales (whole tone, diminished, eastern stuff).

I think that solo's a little too complex theorywise for me to know what the hell is going on, so no analyzing here, except it kicks ass and the runs are really dissonant and cool.

 

[Bet23]

yeah, i saw michael explain the DWOT solo before, you have a phrygian dominant idea for alot of the bars, but the really cool scale is the HUNGARIAN MAJOR (im pretty sure it was this)... which he uses for one bar only I believe...

i dont think of his playing as being outside, i think of it more being an idea of using various chord scales over the same static change... (RIFF)... well, maybe its outside after all, never though of it like that

 

[Luis]

Yeah, nothing on the Kotipelto CD is really "outside" that much. Its great playing nontheless. I think it really compliments the songs, all the solos are really tasteful.

On the other hand, the solos that he plays on "The Last Viking" are insane.

 

[Yngvai X]

On the other hand, the solos that he plays on "The Last Viking" are insane.

Yeah but musically I enjoy Waiting for the Dawn more. Better songs on it IMO.

 

[Yngvai X]

hey man, have you met michael? ad if so, how was it, you could also email me if youd like... toscky88@hotmail.com

I've met Mike 3 times. The 2nd time was just a really quick "hi" after the NJ Blind Guardian show, but the first and 3rd times I got to talk for at least 10-15 minutes. He's really friendly and very laidback. Its just like talkin to "just another guitarist"...theres no vibes that he's "above" everyone else, although he is a fucking genius virtuoso.

 

[Divine Wings Of Tragedy]

U know what would be cool guys?if someone right now posts a tab of a solo say Bet posts the eyes of medusa one and reference each section of the solo and what is used in it.
im gona think of one i could do

 

[IntoThePiT]

I've met Mike 3 times. The 2nd time was just a really quick "hi" after the NJ Blind Guardian show, but the first and 3rd times I got to talk for at least 10-15 minutes. He's really friendly and very laidback. Its just like talkin to "just another guitarist"...theres no vibes that he's "above" everyone else, although he is a fucking genius virtuoso.

always good to hear \m/

 

[Divine Wings Of Tragedy]

ehm let me start at something simple (of sins first solo)

​

​

first we have what may seem as triplets( but im not sure,someone help with this) of Bb minor 7 arpeggio, or you could think of it as Bb minor pentatonic without the 4th cause it has this pentatonic sound to it​

--------------------------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
-----------15h17h20h17h15-------------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
--15h18h22t---------------22h18h15----------15h18h|
-----------------------------------16h15h16-------|​

--------------15h18h20h18h15----------------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
-----15h17h20t---------------20h17h15-------------|
--------------------------------------------------|
--22t---------------------------------22h18h15----|
-----------------------------------------------16h|​

--------------------------15h18h20h18h15----------|
--------------------------------------------------|
-----------------15h17h20t---------------20h17h15-|
--------------------------------------------------|
--------15h18h22t---------------------------------|
--15h16-------------------------------------------|​

--18h22h18h15----------18h23h18h17h15-22r---|------22--18-22-20------15/20-|
--------------------------------------------|------------------------------|
--------------20h17h15----------------------|------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|------------------------------|
--------------------------------------------|------------------------------|​

from here on i think he just decends through the Bb minor scale with some alterations ​

, like a raised 4th on this bar, and a raised 7th on the other one
--15----15b-15-14-15-14----------14-15-14-------|
------------------------16-13-16----------16-13-|
------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------|​

------------------------------------------------------------|
--16-13-11-13-----------------------------------------------|
--------------12-11----------11-12-11-----------------------|
--------------------13-10-13----------13-10-13-9-10-12-10-9-|
------------------------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------------------------|​

-----------------------------------------|------|------------------|
-----------------------------------------|------|------------------|
-----------------------------------------|------|------------------|
-------9-12-10-9-------------------------|------|------------------|
--8-10-----------11-10-8-----------------|------|------------------|
-------------------------11-10-8-7--8----|------|------------------|
​

 

[Bet23]

i tried posting the tabs here, but i couldnt get it the way i wanted it to, well, i think everyone has the file that romeo put up himself, its his transcription...

the part I was talking about was the before last accending run (WHOLE TONE SCALE), 16ths at the tempo of the song (120), into the last decending run of the solo, which contain the notes 1 b3 11 b5 b7 which essentially could be looked as a locrian scale with out the b9 and b13, r as i look at it, a almost locrian arp with an 11th, the rhythmic feel is groups of 7... so its a fairly fast run with a legato feel...

also, we hear E locrian, as the last legato run, and an accending D whole tone scale, with a riff based around the note E as well, LOL, but if you look at the transcription, you will see F# as the root, obviously this is because of romeo's tuning...

hopefully i didnt make any mistakes, its 2 in the morning here in brazil...