Desperateheart
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Gates of Babylon - Guitar Solo
I’ve been playing for around 30 years but this is one solo I’ve never got near to understanding let alone playing. Fiddling around on YT however, I picked up on a couple of phrases though don’t quite know how the chord sequence is or how these relate.
After the motif introducing the solo part, it appears to start on C Minor then go to a diminished F #. The descending part, also in F# (I think?) is relatively simple but then there’s further complexities. Anyone analysed GOB in any detail that can help with a better understanding ?
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18/2/2016, 13:28
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Big J
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Re: Gates of Babylon - Guitar Solo
quote:
Desperateheart wrote:
I’ve been playing for around 30 years but this is one solo I’ve never got near to understanding let alone playing. Fiddling around on YT however, I picked up on a couple of phrases though don’t quite know how the chord sequence is or how these relate.
After the motif introducing the solo part, it appears to start on C Minor then go to a diminished F #. The descending part, also in F# (I think?) is relatively simple but then there’s further complexities. Anyone analysed GOB in any detail that can help with a better understanding ?
It is an absolute masterpiece of a guitar solo. I have fiddled about playing over the chord progression sometimes but never seriously tried to play it note for note.
--- Video clips from various gigs -> http://youtube.com/weissheim |
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18/2/2016, 15:50
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RatBatBlu
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Re: Gates of Babylon - Guitar Solo
Like Big J said, I've played over the chord progression (its a blast!) but never, ever tried to copy the solo. You can't beat perfection! 
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18/2/2016, 15:58
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Desperateheart
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Re: Gates of Babylon - Guitar Solo
thanks guys, can you clarify what the chord progression actually is?
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19/2/2016, 12:38
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RatBatBlu
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Re: Gates of Babylon - Guitar Solo
Its been years, but the chords before it goes to half tempo are E, F and G#. I know there's a diminished chord in there, but I always just based it off the root note.
I'm going to have to get the album out again and see now lol
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19/2/2016, 15:44
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Desperateheart
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Re: Gates of Babylon - Guitar Solo
ha, cheers! a diminished chord say within a chord sequence in the key of A, I'd still stay in A, Ditto C Minor as per GOB, however, the chord changes are quite significant. I recall RB saying in Guitar Player that he played that solo by issuing a phrase over each actual chord rather than the sequence itself. gulp, no wonder he never played this live!
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23/2/2016, 10:45
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Dioesque
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Re: Gates of Babylon - Guitar Solo
New member here, just joined. The closest I've ever been able to get (maybe not 100% accurate, but pretty close) to figuring out the exotic chord progression under the "Gates of Babylon" guitar solo is as follows:
C - D - Gm - E
Am - Cdim - G - C#
F#m - D - Bm - G
C - Am - B
slight variant (not sure which is more correct):
Cm - D - Bb - E
Am - Eb dim - G - C#m
F#m - D - Bm - G
C - Am - Esus2
Enjoy!
Last edited by Dioesque, 22/8/2016, 15:08
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22/8/2016, 15:05
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Big J
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Re: Gates of Babylon - Guitar Solo
quote:
Dioesque wrote:
New member here, just joined. The closest I've ever been able to get (maybe not 100% accurate, but pretty close) to figuring out the exotic chord progression under the "Gates of Babylon" guitar solo is as follows:
C - D - Gm - E
Am - Cdim - G - C#
F#m - D - Bm - G
C - Am - B
slight variant (not sure which is more correct):
Cm - D - Bb - E
Am - Eb dim - G - C#m
F#m - D - Bm - G
C - Am - Esus2
Enjoy!
Thank you and welcome to the forum. The first set of chords sounds pretty close to it.
Last edited by Big J, 23/8/2016, 8:08
--- Video clips from various gigs -> http://youtube.com/weissheim |
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23/8/2016, 8:07
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Desperateheart
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Re: Gates of Babylon - Guitar Solo
Cheers also, will have to revisit. First set also sounds better, there’s definitely 2 sections that end on B7. Also the C chords are minor I believe.
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25/8/2016, 9:42
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bernie
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Re: Gates of Babylon - Guitar Solo
Yes, the solo is indeed a true masterpiece. But the master was Martin Birch. He took short sequences from many takes of the solo and put them together. The dark and mystic chord progression was composed by David Stone who got paid by Ritchie, so that David did not get writing credits for that song.
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15/11/2016, 13:47
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