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Thread: Backwards Guitar Solo?

  1. #1
    bon vivant jaycat's Avatar
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    Default Backwards Guitar Solo?

    Quick question -- If I want to put down a backwards guitar solo on a song in say, the key of A, should the solo also be in A? or some other particular key? Is there a formula for such things?

    Thanks guys!
    "The paths of experimentation twist and turn through mountains of miscalculations, and often lose themselves in error and darkness!"
    --Leslie Daniel, "The Brain That Wouldn't Die."

    Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa1...SV2qtug/videos

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    Registered User John Kelly's Avatar
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    Default Re: Backwards Guitar Solo?

    What is a backwards guitar solo? Sounds fascinating - do you play the entire solo starting with the last note and playing back through till you reach the opening notes?
    I'm playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order. - Eric Morecambe

    http://www.youtube.com/user/TheOldBores

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    Registered User BoxCarJoe's Avatar
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    Default Re: Backwards Guitar Solo?

    I seem to remember a few YouTube videos about George Harrison's backward solos.
    They were pretty detailed.
    Sorry can't give a link.

  4. #4
    working musician Jim Bevan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Backwards Guitar Solo?

    Yes, still in A.
    mando scales
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    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Backwards Guitar Solo?

    Quote Originally Posted by jaycat View Post
    Quick question -- If I want to put down a backwards guitar solo on a song in say, the key of A, should the solo also be in A? or some other particular key? Is there a formula for such things?

    Thanks guys!
    The tonality won't change - but the order of the chordal harmony will be reversed; if the chords are , say, Am / G / F / E7, you'll solo over E7 /F /G / Am.

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  8. #6
    bon vivant jaycat's Avatar
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    Default Re: Backwards Guitar Solo?

    Quote Originally Posted by John Kelly View Post
    What is a backwards guitar solo? Sounds fascinating - do you play the entire solo starting with the last note and playing back through till you reach the opening notes?
    Playing it forwards, then (in the old days) running the tape backwards. Nowadays, you just tell Audacity to reverse it. As heard on some Beatles tunes, I think 'I'm Only Sleeping,' and 'Rain' has some backwards vocals.

    Thanks to all for the advice. I think I've nailed it. What I did was, to play in D Dorian over a progression of D-C-G.
    "The paths of experimentation twist and turn through mountains of miscalculations, and often lose themselves in error and darkness!"
    --Leslie Daniel, "The Brain That Wouldn't Die."

    Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa1...SV2qtug/videos

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    Registered User Ranald's Avatar
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    Default Re: Backwards Guitar Solo?

    .daed si luaP.

    Hope I don't revive that rumour.
    Robert Johnson's mother, describing blues musicians:
    "I never did have no trouble with him until he got big enough to be round with bigger boys and off from home. Then he used to follow all these harp blowers, mandoleen (sic) and guitar players."
    Lomax, Alan, The Land where The Blues Began, NY: Pantheon, 1993, p.14.

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  12. #8

    Default Re: Backwards Guitar Solo?

    Quote Originally Posted by Ranald View Post
    .daed si luaP.

    Hope I don't revive that rumour.
    Or worse...

    http://www.vh1.com/news/52612/15-son...ards-messages/

    Gotta be careful playing stuff backwards. Extra points if you're also upside-down, though.

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  14. #9

    Default Re: Backwards Guitar Solo?

    About 30 years ago, between the "Beatles and Audacity" a friend showed me a technique for making backwards solos with a 4-track cassette recorder, the kind that was popular at the time. Basically, you record the song normally, then flip the cassette over, leaving a blank track, of course, then once everything is lined-up, record your solo. Basically, track 1 becomes 4, when flipped, 2 becomes 3 and so on. It worked well and at the time was a "home studio" way to accomplish a backwards solo!

    As I remember, the key stayed the same.

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    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Backwards Guitar Solo?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Mando View Post
    About 30 years ago, between the "Beatles and Audacity" a friend showed me a technique for making backwards solos with a 4-track cassette recorder, the kind that was popular at the time. Basically, you record the song normally, then flip the cassette over, leaving a blank track, of course, then once everything is lined-up, record your solo. Basically, track 1 becomes 4, when flipped, 2 becomes 3 and so on. It worked well and at the time was a "home studio" way to accomplish a backwards solo!

    As I remember, the key stayed the same.
    That's the basic way the Beatles did it, but they had a couple of fine 4 track machines.

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