ALEX LIFESON's 26 Greatest Guitar Techniques! 2.0
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ย. 2024
- 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!!!
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
Alex shoulders the main instrumental melodic theme of each song. It boggles my mind when people downplay his importance. Literally, no Alex, no song.
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.
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.
@@Gregoris006 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.
He can shred but he knows that he doesn't always have to!
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%
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.
Beyond his intelligent sound, Lifeson's playing is visually captivating.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
Good show. Lifeson is every bit the equal of his band mates in terms of contribution.
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.
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
Rush is a band you will appreciate more as you listen to them more. This was great. Cheers from Ottawa, Canada 🇨🇦
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!
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.
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
Great job! XLT work about one of the most underrated but creative and capable musicians. Alex Lifeson is 33% of Rush in every way.
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
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
Met Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee backstage Glasgow 2004.A memory that will last forever.
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
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 Lifeson and Alex Skolnick both underrated.
Wayne Krantz, 😍🎸
Not underated at all, serious musicians rate him as a genius
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
Alex is without a doubt the most criminally under-rated rock guitarist ever.
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!!!
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 🙏🏾
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.
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"
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. :)
And I thought I couldn't be any more familiar with Rush. I definitely picked up a few new ideas from this video. Thanks.
He is the most overlooked guitarist and is actually one of the best ever
Finally! Appreciation for the greatest rock guitarist ever!
Say That ... Make It Plain ... Preach!!!
Alex's solo in The Analog Kid is one of the most explosive and ripping rock guitar solos ever.
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.
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...
One of the most underrated guitar players of all time.
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.
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
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....
Great video, thanks for giving Alex his due! He is fantastic!
Really nice job. I grew up listening to Rush, and never really understood how three guys managed to make such a huge sound.
Interesting how people say he is underrated. I have never really seen this amoung my peers . We all knew how big of a talent this guy is and appreciated it. Seems to me this what people that dont really know much about music and only know what's on the radio, to sound like they know what they are talking about, they dont , and that statement to me is proof.
I was lucky to see Rush in 1980 and 1981, yes, that old. In 1980 Alex was the big attraction for most of us but Moving Pictues, mainly "YYZ" definitely changed that.
Still hero to me for the way he adapted to the synth years. Sound on Sound interviewed the guy who mixed the R40 album. He said that there were simply no mistakes on any night. The only faults were where a mic went down!
When every there’s TH-cam 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.
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.
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.
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.
Right on, & yes they are the best trio ever. Any light you can shine on La Villa at the solo
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.
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
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.
Mike, thank you brother!! Alex has been an inspiration of mine for years now when it comes to lead and rhythm playing.
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.
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!
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.
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.
Alex is a favorite of mine! He is soooo good!!!!
Excellent analysis and playing!
Alex Lifeson guitar playing is phenomenal/ beautiful..he's certainly my greatest influence on guitar.
Just bought my second Alex lifeson access. This is excellent education. Thank you.
Greatest guitarist ever.... Hands down...... More love for Lerxst, please....... Big love from England 🏴
Lerxt ! One of the greatest innovators, well done man!!!
Right off the bat - you acknowledged big Al through the years and not just when he copied Page. Thank you! Alex is the best.
Yeah the Page years were a good launching point. :)
Oh my gosh, this brings back so many memories. I remember as a kid, spending countless hours learning Rush songs on guitar and had to figure all these techniques out by ear. Thank you! On that note ...
“Sweet memories
Flashing very quickly by
Reminding me
Giving me a reason why
I know that
My goal is more than a thought
I’ll be there
When I teach what I’ve been taught.”
Comprehensive tutorial on the nuances of Alex's playing. Well done!
Great analysis of his playing! The only thing you did not mention is his alternate chord voicings, like his famous F#7sus4 chord (opening chord of cygnus 2, or final chord of far cry) Though you touched on some of the chords in limelight, spirit, and barchetta. Great video! Clearly there is enough material for a part 2!
Yes! Bring us Lerxst part 2!
Excellent. Really enjoyed that. But never bronze for me. Always Gold!
Right!!!
Al is a genius and one of the nicest guys you could ever know. He and Ged wrote the music. How could Alex not be as appreciated as his bandmates?
The opening to Freewill blew me away when I first learned it on keyboard, before I ever played guitar.
I wouldn't have guessed that it was just a straight run of notes in a scale. (Except the note it lands on.)
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..!
So, nice to see the Charvel in there in light of recent events! I always wanted A Michael Schenker “Burney” Black and White. I wonder how close to a 1970s Flying V they would feel ( and sound ).
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.
There's also the technique of whatever the heck he's doing in the solo of Double Agent, I can't make sense of it
LOL ... you are so right ... I don't know where to even start with the crazy picking at the start or that hammer-on (is it?!?!?!) part at the end. It's genius because it fits so perfectly with the song, but how could he turn that weird something that he heard in his head into an actual solo? Thanks for pointing me back to this song that I hadn't heard in a while but have now heard 20 times in a row.
Loved the limelight part
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 TH-cam, 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!
I love that you used loads if freewill in loads of your examples! That solo is amazing!
Thanks for the explanations, hope to hear more soon! I hope Alex gets to see this!
Great overview on his underrated techniques. Lots of tips there!
Not underrated at all
The chorus pedal was a big part of his sound and contributed to that 'big' chord sound like on spirit of radio. Zach Wilde said it was the secret sauce in getting that huge sound
I Agree whole heartedly, and beyond his great licks I believe he’s replaced Pete Townsend as the king of power chords ! Many of which zoom through the atmosphere from outer space. Nice piece here Sir !
Awesome breakdown of Alex's techniques! Thanks so much for sharing your insight!!
I love Alex ❤ I just got online just to hear Alex play that solo at the end of Mission (off Hold Your Fire live)...
Alex is an underrated guitar master... 🎸 just listen to 2112 and see how amazing.. and he was just a kid.
Rush was was made of a talent we may never see again, all three masters of their instruments.
Talent, passion and perseverance. 😊
This was a great video.... Alex Lifeson is the best.... He is the greatest man that ever lived.....
Good stuff thank you! In an interview Alex was asked about using a wah pedal on the intro of far cry and he said no wah just a picking technique he knows that involves holding the pick at an certain angle.
Very good analysis!!! Love Alex Lifeson playing!!!