ALEX LIFESON's 26 Greatest Guitar Techniques! 2.0
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- čas přidán 23. 11. 2020
- Probably lost around 6,000 views but I had to pull the last one and re-edit/reupload this new 2.0 version. Fixed a few flubs and added a gear list and white text. I can sleep better now. :) Thanks for watching.
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Thanks!!! - Hudba
Sucks that you had to redo it, don’t Rush it next time.
I’ll see myself out
I literally copied and pasted my pinned explanation of my reupload and pasted it in my description just so I could pin your comment. :))
@@TheArtofGuitar I didn’t expect this to get pinned.
@@TheArtofGuitar triads are a big part of my passing game. Pass in threes! Attack in threes!
"Don't Rush it" 😆
Jokes like that can never get old. Time stands still for that one, you could say. 😁
Hold the door for me, I'll see myself out too.
Bout time Alex gets some time in the limelight though. He deserves it
Neil and Geddy were so precise in their timing that it ran the risk of sounding by the numbers and mechanical. Here comes Alex, coloring outside the lines, pushed the sound into something artistic and musical. I think a perfect analog to this is their Hall of Fame speech.
now that's a great observation.
@Zotman5 blah blah blah blah
So well done. So overdue. Lifeson is the most underrated guitarist of all time.
he isn't underrated, sometimes overlooked, but not underrated.
Thets often said but absolutely not true, he is revered by everyone and the master
@@kippsguitar6539 I kinda gotta disagree with you I didn’t actually even hear his name anywhere until I started listening to Rush but either way still an amazing guitarist
@@alexanderh6606 trust me you still dont know his name.he is use artistic name.
@@igorS740 Aleksandar Zivojinovic
Alex’ genius, IMHO, had nothing to do with flash or speed. He played exactly the right things to fit with the Rush sound, and defined it with his choices and ideas. It’s not a matter of “better” or “worse” as a guitarist. I just can’t imagine any other top guitarist playing with Rush and having it sound right. Ditto for Geddy and Neil. Plus, he’s a cool guy anyone would enjoy hanging with.
This is killer! Alex never gets enough love - he’s not just a terrific guitarist, I always felt like his humor kept the group from getting too serious. The levity he brought had to be a big part of the band’s overall longevity. Thank you for breaking all his techniques down so us mere mortals have some insight into his genius!
Well said. He was skilled enough to paint outside the lines, which are immovably established by Ged and Pratt.
So true. The funniest of the Rush members.
agreed 100%
Beyond his intelligent sound, Lifeson's playing is visually captivating.
You make a great point in the intro: only in a band as uniquely packed with talent as Rush could Alex Lifeson end up seen as the third banana...a monster guitarist.
Probably lost around 6,000 views but I had to pull the last one and re-edit/reupload this new 2.0 version. Fixed a few flubs and added a gear list and white text. I can sleep better now. :) Thanks for watching.
Even the earlier version was cool bro! Points were made!
Thanks for the dedication! Lifeson is my favorite guitarist of all time so I very much appreciate it.
This should be a university course titled: An Introduction to Alex Lifeson Techniques - 101. It is amazing, man. I'm going to be studying this for a while. Alex is such an amazing player and innovator and his unconventional approach made him such a unique artist. Thank you, so much, for this!
I loved this. Thanks for working so hard on it
Alex shoulders the main instrumental melodic theme of each song. It boggles my mind when people downplay his importance. Literally, no Alex, no song.
True. But some of it (really, a lot of it) is sheer numbers of known (and idolized) guitarists compared to bassists and drummers. Obviously, Ged and Neil are gods at their respective instruments, but the average rock listener can name you dozens of well-known guitarists while most can only name a couple handful of drummers and probably fewer bassists. Even with very well-known bands like Queen, Nirvana, Journey, or Aerosmith, along with many more, most people couldn't even name the bassist or drummer off the top of their head. But the lead guitar? No problem. It's a very crowded field.
I have never heard people downplay Alex's importance in Rush. It may appear as such because a lot of attention is given to Geddy and Neil who are absolute idols in their respective fields.
My favorite song from RUSH is Red Sector A. The intro has a combination of hope and despair in the chord changes. Very genius of him!!
I always thought it was a rendering of the genocidal lives lost.
“The best power trio of all time”. That statement will get my support all day long. I’m not a guitar player, I’m not even a musician, all I know is I love Rush and Alex‘s guitar playing has always stood out as unique to me.
ELP though
Not only is an innovative guitarist, but he genuinely seems like such an amazingly kind, awesome person. I'd love to be able to meet him someday.
At the risk of showing my age (actually more than risk; I'm actually showing me age lol); Alex has been my favorite guitarist for nearly 40 years now. And counting! You've done him some justice here, many thanks.
I like the way he often plays in a classical guitar style yet it blends perfectly into a rock sound. And the way he and Geddy sync their parts together is amazing, even when playing in different time signatures.
Great coverage of Alex's lead techniques, but I never really see any one talk about how incredible his rhythm playing is. That is why he will always be the best guitarist in my book. I can't think of anyone else as well rounded as he is.
the problem is to really understand how great alex is you need to be a great guitarist yourself too, that is why lot of people don't get it ;)
Preach 🎸
Great point
Alex's innovative guitar playing and composition was the most important factor in what gave Rush their sound.
This must be a guitar player answer. Here is a drummer answer: Take anyone of the 3 out and there is no Rush.
All three were professors, as far as musicians go. Seeing them live so many times it didn't seem like work, but kids playing on a playground. Alex is one of the greats and does not get the recognition. Thank you!
Alex is easily one of the most versatile guitarists ever!!! So many different sounds and techniques!!
That is the way I see it. One of the most versatile. EVH is another. So much sound from a single instrument. You know the artist when you hear them play.
Alex is a master at using unique chord voicings to create HUGE sounds. Look at Signals and Grace Under Pressure - two albums considered to be synth heavy. But his guitar work on these albums is hugely under appreciated IMO. I've never heard voicings like GoP before or since - totally unique.
I totally agree! GUP is a true masterpiece, which would have been even better with a different production. It sounds "small" compared to Power Windows
Ive never taken Alex's textures, colors, and arpeggios for granted. I've always recognized that in a 3 piece before the synth era, he provided the symphonic sound.
Well . . .
Alex Lifeson is my fave Guitarist, and he plays like 2 guitarists at the same time, and pulls it off LIVE. "Freewill", "Everyday Glory", "Emotion Detector", "Bravado", "Open Secrets", "Between the Wheels" (and more) are some of my faves and emotional solos. It's terrible that we'll never have more Rush albums, it hurts too much to think about it. I PRAY that Lerxst has another Solo album waiting to be made.
GIVE HIM MORE REVERB!!! :P
I reckon that's the thing about him: emotion. I really feel the good energy / love though his playing.
Good show. Lifeson is every bit the equal of his band mates in terms of contribution.
Lifeson is a musical genius, just absolutely mind boggling
I've been obsessed by Rush the past few months. They're just so awesome!
Also Lifeson is the nicest guy ever. So talented and so humble.
I've seen so many comments like this, mine included. I always get the impression from Alex that anyone could go up to him to say hi and he'd smile and willingly chat with everyone of them. How he has stayed that humble, I'll never understand.
@@williamsanders2348 It's the Canadian in him!
I was on a Rush binge for 6 years straight, great times. Still my favorite band ever no contest
Awesome video! Part of Alex’s genius is his creativity...each song really has it’s own sound, and even more astounding is this is also true of his solos...each one is different! I heard someone say how memorable his solos are, and it’s so true.
If it weren’t for Alex Lifeson, I would have never picked up the guitar. Simple as that!
Same here
Me too!
Same here but substitute Neil for Alex and drums for guitar
Me, too.
Yup. Me too.
Met Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee backstage Glasgow 2004.A memory that will last forever.
Oh man, you’ve done a greeeat job! This is probably the best work about one of the most emotional musician on earth. You said it right, without Alex Lifeson and Rush our adolescence and youth would not have been the same. Thank you so much for what you’ve done with so much love. Rock’n’Roll, T
Will always be my favorite guitarist, he used phaser with overdrive before Eddie did. Don’t forget it! Caress of steel had some great effects use
Rush is a band you will appreciate more as you listen to them more. This was great. Cheers from Ottawa, Canada 🇨🇦
Great job! XLT work about one of the most underrated but creative and capable musicians. Alex Lifeson is 33% of Rush in every way.
Alex Lifeson and Alex Skolnick both underrated.
Wayne Krantz, 😍🎸
Not underated at all, serious musicians rate him as a genius
Alex and Rush are one of the main reasons why I'm happy to be Canadian/from Toronto, he's such a great guitarist but super underrated and the stuff he plays alongside Geddy and Neil is just so damn inventive. Great job as usual Mike, I'd love to see another one of these for dudes like Josh Homme, Billy Gibbons or Daron Malakian at some point
Alex's solo in The Analog Kid is one of the most explosive and ripping rock guitar solos ever.
I started listening to Rush in the late seventies. The guitar style and tone was a revelation and Lifeson was the main reason I started playing. Not just the electric, it's worth noting, because his work on acoustic is also terrific. Now in 2020 finding a video exploring these great techniques I wondered about all those years ago is just fantastic. Well done!
Fantastic summary of my favourite and most influental guitarist. This is totally a "How I hear guitar in my head in 17m15s"
Read an article a while back in some online guitar magazine about LIfeson and there was one thing in that article that really stuck in my mind. "You look at Steve Vai and say, 'I wish I could do that' and you look at Alex Lifeson and say, 'I wish I had thought of that'".
Funny you should mention that. I recall vai saying something similar about hendrix. That he had no problem playing hendrix, but was amazed at someone coming up with it in the first place
well i'm a drummer and a massive RUSH fan and loved this video, I think he is one of the most underrated Guitarists in the world. Great Vid!
He's not underrated at all, he is massively rated by most serious musicians
Alex was not sloppy, he was creative. His playing has been overlooked by all the so-called rock critics, But I for one call it masterful. Alex has always been one of my favorite guitar players. And always will be. When I want to be happy I put on Alex Lifeson and RUSH!
This is incredible. I'm having so many flashbacks to me as a kid trying to learn Rush tablature and just being completely stopped in my tracks by how original Alex's playing was - and how difficult and mysterious it was with his seemingly unobtainable sounds. Your song selections for demonstrations are so thoroughly appropriate. I'm extremely impressed by this...
very well articulated 17 minutes... Like you, in my teens, starting my guitar journey, Alex was my biggest influence. Atypical, chord and note choices that painted a completely unique sonic picture, not to mention the rock solid riffs. Favorite Lifeson era was Permanent Waves through Counterparts.
Im not a musician. Rush have been my band since 1978. As a young rock fan guitar was always the sound i heard. Alex was unique even then and thats what attracted and captivated me more than anything. It was only later that i appreciated the "other 2" were also awesome. Lifeson always seemed to be playing stuff that straight up guitarists didnt play. When i sawcthem live at Newcastle City Hall (uk) on the Hemispheres tour it only confirmed id got it right. Ive never looked back and still cant play a note 😁 everything hes done has been to the benefit of the song and the band. No flash or unecessary frills. Top gadgie!!!
And I thought I couldn't be any more familiar with Rush. I definitely picked up a few new ideas from this video. Thanks.
Finally! Appreciation for the greatest rock guitarist ever!
Say That ... Make It Plain ... Preach!!!
I love Alex so much. My favorite musician of all the time. He's the reason I play guitar and I've obsessed learning all the most iconic Rush songs. As great as Neil and Geddy are, for me, it's all the iconic Alex guitar parts that are in the foreground that I hum and sing along to. You can sing all his solos. No overshredding. The perfect balance of notes.
time for Neil Peart greatest drum techniques!!!
La villa strangiato was hard for me to learn it took weeks. But I’m 13 that’s probably why.
There’s not enough days left in 2020
He is the most overlooked guitarist and is actually one of the best ever
Alex is without a doubt the most criminally under-rated rock guitarist ever.
Great video, thanks for giving Alex his due! He is fantastic!
Great video. I'm a huge Lifeson fan, man. A great example of his kick assness is "Of the Battle" in Bytor and the Snowdog on All the Worlds a Stage. The sounds he makes are mind blowing.
And although I was a sad little guy after Terry Browns departure and really didn't like Grace Under Pressure when it came out, you can really hear Lifesons God-like abilities coursing through that album. I can't imagine what it must have been like trying to create a guitar part that actually works with the synths, but at the same time, launches itself forward and stays up front without choking down on anything else. Alex took his guitar and painted the album red. And how he wrote Red Sector A... Nobody else could have written that.
But yeah. You said something about the open B... Where Alex is from, the B is open 24 hours a day.
Have you heard Victor? If you're a Lifeson fan, you owe it to yourself to hunt down that album. Alexs solo project from like 1990 or something. It'll let you know who the crazy one in the band is.
Amen 🙏🏾
You seem to be very young to be a Rush fan. Hope you got to see them live. One thing that made Alex and Rush so great was their ability to play as a team. When you listened to Alex's solos, you would hear Geddy's bass and Neil's drumming. Best band of all time. Was sad when I heard that Neill passed away.
I got to see them twice live. I'll always be grateful. :)
Each of the 3 guys knew how to fill space. They did it with blatant talent, but also musical tricks to fill any voids. This is why they always sounded like a 5-member band.
Comprehensive tutorial on the nuances of Alex's playing. Well done!
Thanks for the explanations, hope to hear more soon! I hope Alex gets to see this!
Mr Alex Lifeson is a highly respected guitarist to me since 1973. And so is Rush. Great impressive music. Thanks for your upload.Liked it.
Awesome breakdown of Alex's techniques! Thanks so much for sharing your insight!!
“Alex gets a bronze medal” said no one ever.
There are many idiosyncrasies of Lifeson's technique and phrasing that I could never quite figure out. You did a superb job of figuring this out and explaining it. You really nailed his style. It has also added to my admiration of the way he plays and writes. Thanks for sharing.
Alex = gold medal. Geddy = gold metal. Neal = gold metal. They sweep the music Olympics.
Really nice job. I grew up listening to Rush, and never really understood how three guys managed to make such a huge sound.
My friend, Alex is great, we never know what he is gonna come up with, but we know that it is very good and harmonic. I never saw him in third place, but as one of the three parts of the best band because one can play Rush drum and bass vithout being so virtuouse as Neal and Gedy but without Alex's touch and techniques it would not sound like Rush. Alex is underestimated.
Your explantion on his techniques were great.
Awesome breakdown of a legend's technique! Nice work!
Mike, thank you brother!! Alex has been an inspiration of mine for years now when it comes to lead and rhythm playing.
I love that you used loads if freewill in loads of your examples! That solo is amazing!
Thank you for this! I always feel like he's such an underappreciated guitarist, seeing something like this makes me happy and if it only turns one person on to Rush then it's worth it.
Not true, he is universally appreciated
I am so obssessed with your channel, keep doing like this!
I love how 6 of these techniques are from just one song! Insanely good guitarist!
Although the wah filter isn't the effect to the verse in Far Cry, he's doing an insane amount of pinch harmonics and moving the position of those harmonics on every note.
My favorite new channel.
My favorite band.
First saw them in 1978.
You come on with my favorite guitar.
Very good analysis!!! Love Alex Lifeson playing!!!
Great stuff! Thanks, Mike.
You know what blows my mind? The live version of Bytor and the Snowdog on All the Worlds a Stage.
Alex at his finest. What he does with that guitar is the greatest piece of guitar work he has ever done.
Lerxt ! One of the greatest innovators, well done man!!!
Alex is a favorite of mine! He is soooo good!!!!
A great demonstration of all the techniques Alex incorporates into his playing. I have a lot of practice to do but I will have fun along the way .
Great video. I was a new Rush fan when I started playing, and it's mind blowing how many of these techniques are part of my technique subconsciously
He DOES get overlooked so much. I won't live long enough to dig deep enough into his performances but I'll keep doing it. He's the sauce that binds the big, sharp flavours together.
And thank you for the Big Money riffs. mid/late 80s Lifeson and Rush have some amazing stuff in those glassy sounding, strange "pop" albums.
Right on, & yes they are the best trio ever. Any light you can shine on La Villa at the solo
WOW! Phenomenal job on this video, dude... it was kinda mesmerizing to watch you break down so many of Alex's techniques. I've been a RUSH fan since the 70s and never even considered trying to learn the guitar & play any of it until a decade ago. I am in awe of your understanding and mastery of his unique style of playing and really appreciate you taking the time & effort to create such an in-depth analysis. Your attention to detail is greatly appreciated and I look forward to watching this video a few hundred more times to see how much of this I can pick up!
Subscribed & eager to see what other valuable lessons you've shared. THANK YOU for your hard work!!
Thank you so much for such a beautiful tribute and deep dive into his secret sauce! Obviously, a herculean task given the enormous catalog, each with unique compositions, techniques, and effects. On CZcams, Alex talked about the limited technology when they started and how they relentlessly vetted all emerging technology to keep expanding their sound over the years. My all time favorite band that inspired me to play guitar since 1980, thank you again!
More kudos to you for your thorough coverage of Freewill, one of their many masterpieces (and my favorite, FWIW). And not just due to Alex’s stellar playing, Geddy and Neil shine too, especially the way Geddy kicks off the main “solo” section then keeps on wailing away behind Alex... perfection.
Thanks for honouring Alex!!
Yes he is sometimes underrated..and he is truly the best guitar player for them!
So innovative and different from any other..and a great human being too..!
Such interesting stuff. Great work ! Alex is an amazing player who stands out with his truly unique style.
That was outstanding. Well done!
Greatest guitarist ever.... Hands down...... More love for Lerxst, please....... Big love from England 🏴
Excellent analysis and playing!
Alex Lifeson guitar playing is phenomenal/ beautiful..he's certainly my greatest influence on guitar.
Alex Lifeson is an absolute genius when it comes to his mastery of guitar playing and everything else that goes into being a musician. The most underrated guitar player ever IMO. Absolutely LOVE his playing!
About the only other master that has as many "how to play" videos by other guitar players is EVH. And I could be wrong as I haven't looked up Jimmy Hendrix, Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani and a bunch of others....
Loved the limelight part
Great video, thank you! I will be practicing some of these techniques.
Just bought my second Alex lifeson access. This is excellent education. Thank you.
Great job! Alex was also a big influence on me as well. His rhythm playing alone is an education that gives and gives.
When every there’s CZcams video on Alex, stacks of people comment on how underrated he is. Well clearly not, by the number of comments saying this. He’s one of the greatest.
Your age. I was in Pittsburgh in 74 for the first tour. That started my obsession with Alex and may had changed my life. I became obsessed with perfecting all his parts. I had started playing in 67. RUSH gave me purpose. I was so obsessed I didn’t even notice the beginning of the 80s metal bands. Discovered them latter. Where I grew up every guitar player bowed to Alex. Yes Dime was a great guitarist and a monster on the riff. Alex was a renaissance man. His abilities to creat a full sound dominated their career. The three together were a musical tsunami. Both are very nice people to boot if you ever get the chance to meet them. I would have probably been a half ass guitar player but I spent thousands of hours learning their music with no tabs back then.
I'm back. Thank you for doing this video ❤
Brilliant tutorial. Thank you
I never really thought of him as under-rated growing up in the 80's. A lot of that I think has come in recent years as bass has become more trendy so everyone thinks about Geddy Lee. And Neal Peart's huge drum kit! I prefer Rush's 70's stuff - 2112 & Hemispheres, where the guitar is a huge part of the sound, it's prominent. Perhaps its his mid to late 80's stuff and later when their style kind of changed and he was doing the ambient chords and all of that. Moving Pictures was their last album I really got into. I played a lot when I was young, came back to guitar many years later, started remembering and re-learning. Found myself hitting big, reverberating open and barre chords with lot's of reverb and distortion....thought to myself, where is that coming from? Realised it was Alex's influence on me....I probably do pinch harmonics around the 12th fret because of him as well. Great playing and video though....I can see he was giving you more of a challenge than the average Metallica song! Perhaps Alex didn't quite get that guitar god status as he wasn't in that whole 80's rock/metal, shred god thing with all of the tapping that EVH started? He was never a part of that.
This video brings back so many memories, I was in a band that did mostly RUSH back in the 1980s, Another great example of Melodic Harmonics is HEMISPHERES.
Awesome job! You gave me a ton to work on.
GOD!.. I KNEW you were GOOD... I've seen you do lessons on Prince's funk, Zeppelin's Page and others, but today I've seen you copping ALEX'S LICKS, better than ANYONE I've ever SEEN!... And some of his TOUGHEST ones, like Freewill.. For such a Young GUY, YOU are the MAN!...
And NOW I know why I like you, and your style SO much!... You said you grew up listening to Rush, and they were your favorite trio!... I was 18, when Hemispheres came out, but you don't look old enough, to have been rocking when Working Man came out!... Did you know that Neil Peart's favorite song was Red Barchetta?.. Mine too!... I heard it the first time, on my friend Willie's stereo, on these GIANT tower speakers he bought with his New stereo, with a Scott tube Hi- fidelity amp!... I thought I was in space!. Haha!
ROCK ON, Brother!
Extremely good video - job well done. Subscribed!!! I too grew up loving Rush. Growing up outside of Rochester, NY, they were huge in our area.