The greatness of the "Stairway" solo isn't simply in the solo itself, but in its context in the arrangement. It erupts at the climactic moment in the song and provides a real musical catharsis.

@anz2441

Жыл бұрын

Otherwise, it fucken Rocks !!

@Angel-fz8dr

Жыл бұрын

bro, every damn solo that there is has a build up and climatic moment....

@garyshepherd9226

Жыл бұрын

Exactly - it takes the song up another level - the best thing a solo can do. People voted for Tremonti's solo in Blackbird as the best ever solo - it goes nowhere and takes the poor song nowhere.

@OriginalKingRichTv

Жыл бұрын

So music orgasm

@OriginalKingRichTv

Жыл бұрын

@@Angel-fz8dr all about timing tho

Both the tone and performance magically fit the recording. His riffs come as sentences that build into a paragraph and when it climaxes, you know you have been told a whole story

@JohnnyArtPavlou

Жыл бұрын

I think it was in this solo that I realize that most solos are made up of a series of connected phrases. I think there can be a style of soloing out there where it’s one very very long connected line. But I think the phrase by phrase approach It’s much more as you say… Sentences that build into paragraphs etc. etc. On this channel I think this past week David said something about playing phrases with your breath. I think when you exhale. And I think there’s something to be said for that. Along with the old notion of being able to sing your solo.

@mccloysong

Жыл бұрын

@@JohnnyArtPavlou well said

@commentfreely5443

Жыл бұрын

he holds a pen like a monkey

I think everything about that solo is phenomenal . The phrasing , the tone, the note choice, the build up to it and the crescendo at the end into the final part of the song. It's a perfect and imo the best rock guitar solo of all time and has never been matched since.

@rickmarshall7101

Жыл бұрын

Multiple reasons for page and plant

@rickmarshall7101

Жыл бұрын

The took turns soloing

@JM-zq9em

Жыл бұрын

A lot of shredders mock Kirk Hammett. But I can't imagine any better solo than what he composed on many Metallica songs. Unforgiven is just one example. I feel like the same goes for Stairway and other Zeppelin tunes. Some players say Page was sloppy compared to players like Satriani, Vai, or Malmsteen. However can you imagine any of there so called " flawless playing" styles fitting the context of Zeppelin??

@itslikethesamebutdifferent8020

Жыл бұрын

Honestly Page has better solos and I personally think the Since I’ve Been Loving You solo is leagues above the Stairway solo. Jimmy also when asked said the SIBLY solo is his favorite.

@shaft9000

11 ай бұрын

Agree on most except that it's a "solo". This is all about a _LEAD._ Solo means unaccompanied, e.g. Bron-Yr-Aur

Just wondering, but would Jimmy Page get thrown out of a music store if he grabbed a guitar off of the wall and played the “forbidden riff”?

Nothing makes u feel like the solo to Stairway does.

The opening acoustic guitar notes of Stairway are complete perfection. You could not change ONE note. It's completely perfect.

David Gilmour solos like Comfortably Numb and Another Brick In The Wall Part 2 are the same way. Cool stand alone licks that were masterfully blended together to create an iconic solo that is a STATEMENT.

@shaft9000

11 ай бұрын

All the technique in the world is boring without effective phrasing, and better yet - a larger/deeper story that is told through more than just lyrics. Music has a far more to offer than "I'm the master of my chosen instrument and domain...behold and despair, ye poor piss-ant".

Not purely pentatonic. Those strategically placed b6's are really pivotal for the sound.

@AdrianFarrell

Жыл бұрын

Strictly speaking they're just the root note of the F chord he's playing over.

@normt6226

Жыл бұрын

@@AdrianFarrell Theoretically...yes but not conceptually...Page wasn't thinking F Lydian scale over F Major chord...He was thinking A Minor scale over Am-G-F chord progression

@AdrianFarrell

Жыл бұрын

@@normt6226 sure, but wasn't thinking b6 either, just adding the root note of the chord he was playing over to his Am pentatonic.

@lavenderchants6014

Жыл бұрын

@@AdrianFarrell I agree with you, I doubt he ever thought about the flat 6 specifically. As a lead guitarist that does lots of improv, almost anytime I start off in Am pentatonic, I use passing notes to get a major-scale feel by throwing in either the B and F to get C major, or B and F# to get G major, depending on the chord progression. These modes would be A Aeolian and A Dorian respectively, however I played in bands for decades without knowing the names or formulas for the modes, yet I used them all the time by ear. I find that there are very few songs that require strict pentatonic to sound right, and you just have to listen and experiment a little to figure out which mode sounds right. You'll find that guys like Clapton and Gilmour use a lot of Dorian mode, while Carlos Santana uses the Aeolian mode a lot, and which is likely what Page was using on the Stairway solo, given the F.

@paradox7743

Жыл бұрын

Good point it's not just in 5's

People that think Page is sloppy and that’s all they listen for are missing a huge part of the picture he’s painting.

BIg part is the interplay between Page and Bonham. Those cannonshot snare hits are epic. Not often are the drums such a prominent part of the guitar solo.

Great points. I recently watched Rick Beato's video on the Stairway solo where he got several guitarists to record their own versions. Rick did his in the style of Peter Frampton. Someone else in the style of Eddie Van Halen. While all were excellent, none came close to the feeling, power and majesty of the original. Page's solo in Since I've Been Loving You is also masterful for the same reasons.

@martin-1965

Жыл бұрын

Since I've been Loving You - OMG 100% agree with you there and I Can't Quit You Babe off "Coda" blew me away as well. The dynamics of the feel are astounding !!!

@DaveMenzies

Жыл бұрын

@@martin-1965 Yes! Incredible playing

@valvenator

Жыл бұрын

My least favorite was the Eric Johnson solo played by the real Eric. It wasn't a bad solo at all but did not feel cohesive with the song in any way.

@shaft9000

11 ай бұрын

There's no point in trying to re-interpret or improve it. The timbre/"tone" is nothing special - but it had to be thin and piercing to cut through all the other sounds, so a telecaster was ideal. A bigger sounding lead would get partially lost and/or make the overall mix sound worse. The phrasing is both musically free + loose AND simultaneously precise in execution of timing and dynamics. It sounds like a couple of punch-ins were needed, but I suspect that as soon as Jimmy laid down the first half of the lead it made everyone look at each other and say "aw yeah, gotta print that one!!"

I think it is the best solo. Ever. It has a spiritual essence. Legendary song. ❤️❤️😎👍👌💯🎸🎸

Al Cooper said that when Lynyrd Skynyrd came to the studio to record there was no improv. He said they were a producers dream.

that solo does have amazing playing and tone. ive never heard anybody duplicate it quite right.

@bobbys4327

Жыл бұрын

they all try to play it on a les paul

@patriottothecore6215

9 ай бұрын

Correct, it was played on a Tele and was pieced together from several different takes

@Markycarandbikestuff

6 ай бұрын

Well Page never played it the same as the recording.

Anybody can make a song complicated, it takes a true genius to keep it simple. And, the best solos can be hummed.

Another great video David. The larger point you're making about segments and making them memorable is spot on I think! These videos are changing the way I think about guitar solos (for the better).

The solo from Ten Years Gone that is on Physical Graffiti, is my favorite JP solo. Unbelievably moving !

I was in high school when that album came out and I remember that in fairly short order, if you looked at the album (vinyl) Stairway to Heaven was a different, paler color than the rest of the album for nearly every copy of that album that you saw at parties, friends houses, etc... Everybody listened to that song over and over and over, and a lot of those people still do that to this day. They just do it on a different device.

I think the tone is realy good in that recording

The jimi hendrix portrait thing was epic! 🤣

I managed to get through 5 seconds of this before cracking up laughing. “The tone is not amazing the playing is decent but not phenomenal.” Okay chief. 😂

@dathunderman4

9 ай бұрын

I hope he’s talking about that live version that came on the screen, which was when Jimmy wasn’t as good. But the original studio version is absolutely magical, it is better than phenomenal

@Anthony-qh1xv

19 күн бұрын

Yes, same, the actual album recorded solo is fantastically good. When he plays it live, it is a lot messier sounding, but again who cares? I still love it. he’s still great.

To my mind the solo to Stairway is actually a CONVERSATION. It starts off with a monologue, which is almost verbal in it's clarity. Bonzo's drums adding great gravitas to the meaning. Then comes the actual conversation - which almost seems like the protagonist having a mental conversation with himself. One half of his mind seems to be very crestfallen and broken, crying "A-ah, a-ah". To which the other half of his brain would answer, continuing the solo with a contradicting statement. Then the pattern would alternate, one half of the conversation with the "a-ah's", and the other seeming to contradict in the soloing. It almost seems to me like a conversation in an alien language, that we can't physically understand, but we can understand the emotions behind it. Finally the conversation is ended with the solo playing the arpeggio triplet five times, as if to insist the conversation is concluded back in the English lyrics of Plant. Most solos are monologues (bohemian Rhapsody included). And this is where Stairway's solo stands out, having that conversational feel. Just pure perfection.

@gerrileid8951

Жыл бұрын

A Improvised Composition?

@shaft9000

11 ай бұрын

Cool take, alex. _It almost seems to me like a conversation in an alien language, that we can't physically understand, but we can understand the emotions behind it._ I think it might also be expressing a very physical understanding, one that precedes written and spoken language. We don't have to think about it to feel it's power - It's not caning a particular emotion, pattern or melody about this or that but improvising in that 'apocalyptic' I-VII-VI chord mode (that everyone and their mother DID cane to death over the next 10+ years). Whatever emotion(s) is here, to me, is more base - like improvised _survival._ Survival amidst a life-long journey. Take the mood, or broader environment - it definitely "feels outdoors" as if the wind is howling, the basic concept of the piece is all about spiritual travel presented in this extremely "earthy", Luddite/Bohemian aesthetic. The climactic wailing lead-guitar section is a conversation but not at the verbal or symbolic level; it's very "howling animal" instinctual, uncivilized - cries in the wind? "The lady who's sure..." ties together the basic concept of a motivator that lives in anyone whenever tempted by riches - the temptation to somehow suddenly (foolishly attempt to) transform one's own fate about what earning a living or living a life means.

He did a solo that fit the song. Rather than a solo that was a stand out of how amazing or fast he can play. Writing great songs was lost a long time ago.

Nah, the tone and performance are absolute perfection

I think the tone on this version IS amazing. I love the nasal tone Jimmy's double neck gets when both the neck and bridge are engaged.

I have been hearing that solo my whole life, literally, it came out the year i was born. It was Zeppelin I for me, I am an original metal kid but the blues always brings me back to center.

My feeling has always been that solo's such as this evoke emotion of an epic tale (movie/book, think LOTR) that goes through hardship, tragedy, great conflict, and resolution all happening within the very short time frame of that solo. The notes of the solo convey this tale and the emotion without words in short succinctness. It's all about emotion and that's why no matter how fast you can play triplets, it's always the players that can evoke emotion like Page and Gilmour that will have the simplest but best solo's. On a side note about Satriani I think he does this on a few of his songs such as "Always with me, always with you", but Page and Gilmour are the two best at it.

LOL! Dude, I had been playing for approximately a year, a lil' less when I was asked to learn "Always With Me, Always With You" from Surfing With The Alien for a school talent show. I know what you mean by "I had no business learning that yet!" Hahaha. Great video brother, keep rocking.

@Wallimann

Жыл бұрын

Haha! Good times!

Page has said that the opening phrases were planned. (I’m also assuming the ending phrases too). The middle was improvised. It was the best of 3 completely different takes/solos. If you listen to his live takes they are all completely different. Usually a similar intro, and ending, but a completely singular development section. It would make sense that his studio takes were similarly conceived.

Page has stated that three solos were recorded for Stairway but he chose the one we all know and love. I saw an interview with a sound engineer who said that Page would often listen to two or three recorded solos simultaneously and choose the best parts of each one to build something he liked.

I like the way you break it down. Must be: simple, self contain and easily memorized. I used ti keep the CD in my car and repeat the song, only Stairway to Heaven for couple of months. To me the song seems like the story of "Spiritual Journey". Thanks for discussing this David. Cheers from Indonesia.

All True. What Stairway does it embodies every aspect of Zeppelin's Aura. The way the song builds from delicate To slowly building in tempo n atmosphere. By the time Bonzo comes in it's already elevated but then Jimmy kicks that thing into the cosmos n is almost vocally sounding and then the Rage of the End part of the solo Brings the Heavens Down as Zeppelin Explode into Infinity. Everything fits exactly where it belongs the solo in some ways is part of how the whole thing Evolves.As a guitarist we find Jimmy is even Greater then we Thought. ZoSo

Very interesting video! I recently starting thinking about breaking my solo's up into segments in order to keep track of which measure I was on to ensure I end it properly at the end of the 4th measure's chord changes. Not only that, in preparation for an upcoming recording I want to have a framed-out, fairly "written" solo so I don't stumble attempting to improv while the time-clock is poking at my nerves! So, "memorable solos" is key, as you said. Your video really makes sense of all this and couldn't come at a better time. I absolutely love your videos & lessons! Thank you, David!!!!

One of my fav guitar solo is Terry Kath s solo in "Twenty Five or Six to Four". I'd love it if you could break this down.

@solaris70

Жыл бұрын

that solo is rAd one of the definition of rAd is Terry Kath work

Thanks this was great

Pages solos were so melodic that they are easily memorable.

I had the same experience when I was 12 years old. Only had an eight track player. It was just something magical about that song and lead

What I extracted from the Stairway solo when I heard it was that Page had used Hendrix ‘Hey Joe’ solo as his inspiration and basic approach.

@edsnotgod

Жыл бұрын

yeah one can sing the Stairway lyrics right over Hey Joe too what a plagiarism

@BobK5

Жыл бұрын

@@edsnotgod I didn’t say it was direct lift ed, if you had any musical awareness it would be clear as day, listen to the segmenting, phrasing. To make it easy for you just listen to the first two bars to start with, you might get it then.

@edsnotgod

Жыл бұрын

@@BobK5 well it's clear now that *Stairway* was lifted from "Taurus" and "Hey Joe" I've long suspected lyricist Plant was somehow inspired by Tiny Tim's "Tiptoe Through the Tulips"

@BobK5

Жыл бұрын

@@edsnotgod Yes I agree with you that Robert Plant’s irritating and cringeworthy girlie vocals on everything except LZ 2 is remarkably similar to Tinies.

@edsnotgod

Жыл бұрын

@@BobK5 I'm really into Axl who has twice the vocal range of Freddie Mercury You could be my-EE-ine you're way out of ly-EE-ine sweet child of my-EE-ine how you knocking on heavens daw-OO-woor on your sha-na--na-na-na-na-na KNEES! KNEES!

This is and has been my favorite song of all genres of all time since about the time I was 10 years old. A decade before I ever even considered picking up a guitar, I knew this was the best song ever! No one will EVER write anything better. I literally want the song played at my funeral some day. It means that much to me.

@digital360

Жыл бұрын

Oh and for all those that have not seen it yet, go watch the Heart tribute of this song to Zeppelin at the Kennedy Honors concert. It will blow you away!

Merci David, super vidéo👍🏼🍒

Imagine you are in a world where you have heard nothing after Dec 1970, like Jimmy Page when he recorded Stairway To Heaven. It can’t be compared to Satriani’s work or metal. Look at the technically imperfect playing of the great bluesmen or the Stones’ Keith and Ronnie. Or the fluffed notes of Miles Davies which still to many represented the greatest beauty of expression. Most listeners will remember the emotion long after the perfection of the notes.

This was very insightful

Okay, I'm 56 and been playing guitar since I was 9 (classical for 6 years - rock and roll since for 41 more) and I just bought David's backing tracks and they are great - highly recommend. I've got the time now to fill in the gaps in my knowledge a bit and I just enjoy playing at home with some quality backing tracks and lessons to guide me). Never too young or too old 😎

Dimebag Darrell from pantera said it best. “Simple can be lethal “ I took this exact approach to my solo in my bands song called “new day” it’s very simple, easy to play and extremely memorable. I can’t imagine anything else being in that part. I had a bunch of different ideas and came up with it the night before I was headed into the studio to record it. I put a few hours of work in it and when I got it I sat back listened to it over and over got chills and said to myself “This is it!!”

Thank you David.

Yo David, thanks for this thoughtful presentation. You SHOULD make a vid specifically on "how to internalize this solo" as the materials out there are simply "do what I do" also, your commentors are VERY serious, making GREAT points (both for and against) and assume you have a great following. Congrats.

That first string bend with vibrato pulls me in every time.

Jimmy is a musical genius...as is JPJ!

The live version is awesome and untouchable!

Pretty nice solo but it probably works better on horns with a ska beat underneath. Like Frank Zappa on his '88 tour.

I love these "Story Time" type guitar tutorials, totally awesome man, thanks for sharing!

@Wallimann

Жыл бұрын

Thanks so much for saying that!

Ever since learning to play the solo for myself I realized something which nobody seems to touch on. As I've listened to music for many years I've developed a more advanced ear for listening to and feeling music, specifically - feeling the groove of the melodies and the movement of sounds within the context of the arrangements. I feel like the solo for Stairway to Heaven has an impeccable sense of groove and swing around the rhythm section that is unmatched except by other elite solos. Even just the simple pentatonic playing at the beginning is pretty difficult to replicate for an intermediate player, because of how locked into the groove the melodies are. I think your point of intentionality sort of speaks to same point - that the intention and phrasing of the solo are what make it stand out. That's totally true. Speaking strictly in terms of phrasing, the note choice and timing of every phrase in that solo is nothing less than perfect, and it's a testament to a sense of musical vision that most musicians just don't have.

the '73 live version is the culmination of years of playing together.........the VH bros. show this live also

Jimmy is a very good ax man but it's not his Gibson fingerings that makes it sound like Zeppelin. Jimmy is a song writer. His leads are memorable just like lyrics. Less is more frequently. The statement he makes has depth power and meaning that resonates with your heart because it came from this young man's heart with authority. Only Page can be the best Page. By 72 everybody knew. Zep reigned.

@Cpt_Adama

Жыл бұрын

Not only his Gibson fingerings but his Fender fingerings as well, as STH solo was written and played with his Dragon Telecaster, not the Les Paul.

@mikecarroll5853

Жыл бұрын

@@Cpt_Adama excellent elaboration Capt. Yes, correct.

The lead in to the solo is great too! Makes me want to shut everyone's mouth so I can hear the solo in complete silence. 😂

the great thing to me is the lead break A minor Pentatonic to D minor Pentatonic . what I mean is the A and G are treated as key of G major A Dorian then the F is the key of A minor

It is well crafted.

were those Aria Pro II guitars any good. Always saw them in the magazines back in the day

@solaris70

Жыл бұрын

YES .

I wish I could go back in time and listen to it for the first time

Great video. Thanx. I often wondered if Jimmy Page must have found the inspiration from Hendrix All along the watchtower??

It's great because it took so damn long to get to the solo. By the time the listener gets there they're thinking thank God

I have been telling guitarist this is the key to a great song and or SOLO... Make it memorable. MICK MARS did this perfect with Smoking in the boys room and Home sweet home guitar solos. Try listening to them once and go back again and you will catch your self humming along with Mick's solos!!!! Mick knew this system as well as anyone and thus part of why Motley is as big as they are. Unique voice, motor engine tone, memorable solos smashing drums! All done with attention and and INTENTION!

When l first started watching l thought duh. But then you really hit on something here. You just won another subscriber.

I think I saw you play with Eddie in Louisville ky years ago. Journey headlined that show am I right.

Wasn't the solo a mix of different solos that Page spliced together to make one complete solo,?

How do you like Jimi Hendrix's solo on "All Along the Watchtower?" Pretty much the same chords, recorded years before Stairway.

Hey david thanks for making good and appropriate content because some people just are jerks and your really just an amazing guy.

Hey David, do you still have the trans black RG? I always felt that was the guitar that i identified with you the most.

@Wallimann

Жыл бұрын

I do but it needs a good set up and I haven't had time to do anything with it… It's a great guitar!

loved the drawing

Technique doesn't matter what gets ya gets ya

The reason the solo is so outstanding is there's NEVER been any solo that made us feel so emotional and otherwise... everyone's copied the format from Floyd to the Eagles.... they don't compare, although Comfortably numb (a stairway ripoff) comes close.

The solo actually was improvised, which is very impressive

@Markycarandbikestuff

6 ай бұрын

No it wasn't, it's mentioned in the video it was composed, the original recording was put together from lots of takes, the live performances were improvised, Eric Clapton improvised the second solo in Crossroads when it was recorded (live) then never ever played it the same again.

it's always good for a player to know how to implement these things in the studio. however these days things happen very fast and sometimes the player has gone on to another part of the world after the session and the producer want to layer parts. melodyne and revoice4 doing incredible and undetectable job. this is from the engineering /producer perspective. those days prior to digital technology we were using 2-in tape. the tracks weren't unlimited but they were plenty for what we needed at the time. I wasn't there so I don't know how many times Jimmy tracked that solo and how many times they punched in and out. if this was the case, I've never heard Jimmy Page articulate it on video and I wouldn't believe anything I read on the internet one way or the other. this technique was quite prolific back then and constructing solos and parts etc. it was very expensive and only the higher end acts could afford to do it like the Beatles Stones led Zeppelin etc is rent studio time and go in the studio with a concept and write the song in the studio. today we can do it in our bathroom bedroom or closet with a laptop or a phone. PS you have a wonderful channel David. I enjoy your musical and philosophical perspectives, and you're constant vigilance to want to know what's on the other side of excellence. sharing your voice dude.

I never really learned guitar technique and phrasing until I dropped playing Van Halen, Vai...ect and focused on players like Gilmore.

Mr Ben !!!

First album I ever bought back in 82 spun that record so many times wore holes in it

For its time it was great. There wasn’t a lot of rock bands and they had the attention. However it was pretty much taken phrase for phase from the band spirit after going on tour together.

The No Quarter solo is my fav

Great video, but as techically non-phenomenol the solo might be, I have NEVER ONCE heard ANYONE play it note for note, at least not on an audio or video recording. Every single time, there'll be at least several added notes, wrong notes, different pick strokes, or something that stands out as not quite hitting the mark. I absolutely agree with your concept of planned and structured solos getting to the deepest emotional heart of things, and Page himself has said he chose the best bits of a number of solos to construct this one, but still propose that BECAUSE of his work and structuring, it is a very difficult solo to copy/play.

The tone is amazing , the playing is suave ,angry and the subtle rubato and bends are incredible. Who are you to say otherwise ?

I fondly recall listening to this album in the 70's inside my friends photography dark room in the basement of his parents home after smoking either tie stick or Panama red. It was a very small room enough for 2 people. I swear that I was tripping. I never felt the emotions that I felt at that time ever again. It was sonic perfection.

Jimi Hendrix All along the watch tower my favorite guitar solo

You mention the small digestible hunks...To me it has always been apparent how important that pause between segments is. It gives the music (ie. solo) time to breathe. I think most of us agree that music is a language. Silence is the most dominant punctuation of that language...without it, it becomes very difficult to find/feel the emotion of the creator/composer. P.S. - Is "Evolving Seeds..." Available on CD???

That solo fitted perfectly into the song as part of the actual music, rather than out of place ultra technical shredding. I find them impressive but musically boring. Those sections in the solo were all memorable and and gave it so many peaks.

It's an epic lead solo for sure but the only solo that I think beats J.P.'s stairway solo is his Good times, bad times solo.

the genius is he plays an f at the end of the first part which is part of the natural minor scale and hits as the band plays F!

The truth is...Stairway is the greatest song ever written along with the greatest solo recorded !

I don’t get why there’s so many hot take contrarians in the comments section. This video makes perfect sense under the context that David is giving it - as a teenage guitar player who is getting into rock guitar music for the first time, Zeppelin was/is an essential band and this is one of the most influential songs for any burgeoning guitar player who was born in the 70s and 80s, whether or not you personally agree with it. Within the context of modern rock guitar TODAY, with guitar heroes who have taken guitar to the next level (Vai, Satch, Petrucci, Govan, Abasi, Henson, etc) the solo may not be seen as so impressive. Standards for virtuosity have risen, especially in the age of KZread. But it’s undeniable that many people’s guitar journey started because of Stairway.

@Wallimann

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for the nice comment, it means a lot!

I think guitar soloing is a language, and you have to learn how to speak this language from years and years of playing with a band on stage, some people find this time consuming and exhausting, but people like Page love music and don't care what it takes to learn the language of music, that's what separates people like him and mere part time music lovers, these guys go all the way full time full throttle, that's what makes them great musicians their passion for music exceeds that of part timers or dreamers, they'll do almost anything to learn the language of music, his stairway to heaven solo sounds like a language and he speaks it perfectly 👍

It comes from pure blues phrasing and feel which most post VH players don’t exihibit (Satch/Vai) and it was a composition over a progression which really only had been done by Hendrix in All Along the Watchtower. IMO

It’s all in the Dragon Telecaster. 🐉 🎸

Im referring to the Earl's Court version.

THE FINAL AIM and final end of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul. -Johann Sebastian Bach

I always thought he was trying emulate the Jimi Hendrix solo on All along the Watchtower : that A minor G- F or i - flat 7--6 of thing ,It seems inserted into Stairway just as a showcase and has nothing thematically connected to the song as far as I can tell .

Love the Parker Fly

It was probably my favorite solo, well, maybe next to Flying High Again. But, it is almost a call response form. Jimmy himself showed it could get screwed up pretty quickly. I don't know why, but if the drums are slightly too fast I end up screwing it up. Of course, Jimmy was probably about looped when he messed up with the live aid show, or whatever the event was we all remember as something of an improv flop. The solo is cut into our memory so strongly, that no improv really sounds good over it. There is just something magical about that song period.

It's not how hard it is to play but how easy it is to remember. Of course sometimes it's remembered for how hard it is to play... : )

Incorrect- Jimmy did not plan this or any other solo on an album or live. He usually did 3 improvised takes and took his fav. I believe that was the case for stairway as well

The more I hear about Stairway to Heaven the more I appreciate Led Zeppelin's other music. Is Stairway a great tune- yup. But there are SO MANY other great Zeppelin tunes. I'm partial to the more bluesy ones but that's just my personal preference.

played with a 1959 telecaster