Patterns in Mike and Peter's solos

[ReverieUnfold]

Has anyone else noticed different trends in the nature of Mike and Peter's guitar solos and the roles they tend to play in Opeth's music? I've found that Mike's tend to be more emotional, transitional, and varied in the number of notes played per measure (a notion I had before Mike corroborated that he considers himself more of an "emotional" 'soloist'), whereas Peter's seem more technically oriented, tend to end where they start, and more often follow the song's meter with scale-like patterns; Åkerfeldt's being usually to more cathartic effect and Lindgren's to one often more sinister.

The only major exception to these inferences I immediately recall is the first solo in "When"-- one of Peter's, yet very transitional (though it does end with a lick similar to that with which it begins). But here are some examples to my notion's credit:

"Wreath"

1st solo (Mike; 5:06): somewhat technical, very transitional

2nd solo (Peter; 7:57): very technical, somewhat transitional

"Deliverance"

1st solo (Peter; 4:01): very technical, not transitional, plays a role similar to the sort of quick 'fill'-solos found on Morbid Angel Altars of Madness.

2nd solo (Mike; 8:15): pretty technical, hugely transitional, filled with sustained bends and other meter variance

"Beneath the Mire"

1st solo (Mike; 3:08): very technical, hugely transitional, filled with quickly inserted bends and

3rd solo (Peter: 6:19): pretty technical, fairly transitional, very scale-based

Recent examples, I know, but I think it took well into Opeth's discography to hear the patterns I've inferred fully emerge. While in "White Cluster" and "The Funeral Portrait" Mike's soloing is generally abbreviated-- from its well-dramatized and usually transitional purposes-- to quick alternation with Peter's, I think Lindgren's solos-- though having been also increasingly fewer and further between-- make the stylistic contrast between him and Mikael evident, especially through emphasis of the Åkerfeldt's climactic transitions.

I recall past posts about the more technical arpeggio- and sweep-incorporating style of Peter's soloing, so I know I'm not alone in some of my thoughts. Has anyone else noticed such patterns in Opeth's guitar solos?

 

[BefriendedUnit]

For Mike's soloing, he was more technical in earlier work. But there's a general sense of him trying to shred, and then not being able to do it that fast, so he makes up for it by being extremely tasteful in the notes he picks and very emotional in the composition. Peter, on the other hand, had more of a technical sense and I think could be even better if he stayed in the business. Aren't they both self taught?

 

[ressurection31328]

Excuse me but how can someone know which solos are played by Mike and which by Peter( and which by Fredrik I should add)?

 

[Dante's Inferno]

Videos. Check out the Making Ofs or live videos. Other times it's just pure guessing. Still, some of the solos for Blackwater Park (the album) gives away the soloist in the lyrics.

The 5:06 solo in Wreath is by Peter and the 7:57 is by Mikael, btw.

As for my input: Peter seems to be using lots of arpeggios (White Cluster, Deliverance, The Leper Affinity), while Mikael will occasionally use some more offbeat notes (intro solo in Hessian Peel, clean solo in A Fair Judgement). I don't really know how to play many of their solos, so that's all from me for now.

 

[batmura]

Has anyone else noticed different trends in the nature of Mike and Peter's guitar solos and the roles they tend to play in Opeth's music? I've found that Mike's tend to be more emotional, transitional, and varied in the number of notes played per measure (a notion I had before Mike corroborated that he considers himself more of an "emotional" 'soloist'), whereas Peter's seem more technically oriented, tend to end where they start, and more often follow the song's meter with scale-like patterns; Åkerfeldt's being usually to more cathartic effect and Lindgren's to one often more sinister.

The only major exception to these inferences I immediately recall is the first solo in "When"-- one of Peter's, yet very transitional (though it does end with a lick similar to that with which it begins). But here are some examples to my notion's credit:

"Wreath"

1st solo (Mike; 5:06): somewhat technical, very transitional

2nd solo (Peter; 7:57): very technical, somewhat transitional

"Deliverance"

1st solo (Peter; 4:01): very technical, not transitional, plays a role similar to the sort of quick 'fill'-solos found on Morbid Angel Altars of Madness.

2nd solo (Mike; 8:15): pretty technical, hugely transitional, filled with sustained bends and other meter variance

"Beneath the Mire"

1st solo (Mike; 3:08): very technical, hugely transitional, filled with quickly inserted bends and

3rd solo (Peter: 6:19): pretty technical, fairly transitional, very scale-based

Recent examples, I know, but I think it took well into Opeth's discography to hear the patterns I've inferred fully emerge. While in "White Cluster" and "The Funeral Portrait" Mike's soloing is generally abbreviated-- from its well-dramatized and usually transitional purposes-- to quick alternation with Peter's, I think Lindgren's solos-- though having been also increasingly fewer and further between-- make the stylistic contrast between him and Mikael evident, especially through emphasis of the Åkerfeldt's climactic transitions.

I recall past posts about the more technical arpeggio- and sweep-incorporating style of Peter's soloing, so I know I'm not alone in some of my thoughts. Has anyone else noticed such patterns in Opeth's guitar solos?

Good post. Great read. Thanks.

 

[Annihilat0r]

1- Wreath's first solo is played by Peter, and the second by Mike; not the other way around.
2- I wouldn't label any of the above solos (maybe except a little part in Wreath's second solo) technical. They are all easy to play, IMHO.
3- A very interesting fact is that in the first Deliverance solo, which seems to be filled with sweeps (I play it with sweeps); Peter never uses any kind of sweeping motion and picks all the notes separately. When I saw this it really shocked me.

And I'm more than sure Peter's guitar shredding / technical skills are no match for Mike's. Not that Mike plays super fast technical solos (%95 of Opeh's songs, solos, riffs etc. are easy to play); but he plays with a general feel of ease I've never seen before in a guitar player, it's like his fingers are finding the frets by themselves. Peter doesn't have that the slightest, in a video when he's playing a solo I always get the feeling that he'll screw it up any moment.

 

[dwoakee]

[Mike] plays with a general feel of ease I've never seen before in a guitar player, it's like his fingers are finding the frets by themselves. Peter doesn't have that the slightest, in a video when he's playing a solo I always get the feeling that he'll screw it up any moment.

I know what you mean. Although I would be grateful to be at least as good as Peter it always looks like he has to concentrate fully on his playing in order not to miss a note, whereas Mike looks like he can do it in his sleep.

 

[Annihilat0r]

Yeah.

Speaking of "patterns in Opeth solos", I think it will be fair to note that some interesting chunk of Opeth's solos include a "minor chord sweep". I mean this:

S S S S S S
E||--------------||
B||------------6-|| <---- or 5 or 4
G||----------7---||
D||--------7-----||
A||--5-7-8-------||
E||--------------||

The starting note obviously could be anything.

The songs this exists:

Beneath the Mire 3rd Solo
Godhead's Lament
Nectar
Serenity Painted Death
The Funeral Portrait
The Drapery Falls' live edition solo
The Leper Affinity
When
Wreath
Wreath 2nd solo
A Fair Judgment
Blackwater Park

And those are only among the Opeth solos I know how to play. There are a lot of solos I don't know. I'd say I don't know half of their solos. For example I think I don't know how to play any Damnation solo.

I know this lick is a really common one, but I think it's been overused by Opeth in their earlier albums.

 

[ReverieUnfold]

The 5:06 solo in Wreath is by Peter and the 7:57 is by Mikael, btw.

Haha, I did well to detract from my thread's premise; but I still contest that even with "Wreath" being another exception, the inferred pattern still exists.

2- I wouldn't label any of the above solos (maybe except a little part in Wreath's second solo) technical. They are all easy to play, IMHO.

I consider the technical difficulty of Mike and Peter's solos in relation to the other's, not the varying degrees of guitar-playing skill professed by others or myself. Mike's may actually be often more difficult in terms of technique (despite the aforementioned ease with which he seems to play), but Peter's tend to be faster, as well as more rhythmic and scale-based. I guess I should have though to include the former observation about Mike's seeming ease of performance in my original thread post. Ah well.

 

[Walls1441]

Peter's solos are more technical and have more of a stereotypical shred feel (sweeping, alternate picking). Mike's have alot of weird rthymic patterns and somewhat stereotypical rock/blues licks.


the point is Funeral Portrait has the best opeth solos.
^^ that pattern is mike every time.

 

[Annihilat0r]

^^ that pattern is mike every time.

Which one?

 

[ReverieUnfold]

Peter's solos are more technical and have more of a stereotypical shred feel (sweeping, alternate picking). Mike's have alot of weird rthymic patterns and somewhat stereotypical rock/blues licks.


the point is Funeral Portrait has the best opeth solos.
^^ that pattern is mike every time.

Indeed.

Haha, I agree also that TFP's cluster of solos from 4:28 to 5:30 is among Opeth's most majestic lead guitar work.

 

[Walls1441]

Which one?

uhhhh the only one you posted? unless i am missing something.

 

[Nasty-Fire]

Indeed.

Haha, I agree also that TFP's cluster of solos from 4:28 to 5:30 is among Opeth's most majestic lead guitar work.

White Cluster's are nice too.. but The Funeral Portrait is definively the soloing song

 

[Annihilat0r]

uhhhh the only one you posted? unless i am missing something.

Aha, yeah. And I think you're right, nearly all of the solos of that type are Mike's.

 

[shanky]

I'm pretty sure Mike does every clean/lightly distorted solo as well. Almost all of them have a rake at the beginning of a lick, somewhere in the solo.