Derek Williams Guitar Solo of Muse's "Invincible"

This is maybe one of my favorite guitar solos of all time. Matt Bellamy, you sir, are a Guinness. I'm using a Digitech Whammy IV, a Peavey Van Halen axe, and a Blackstar Series One 100 amp with a Marshall 412 cab. Not that you can hear that, due to my iPhone 5s. But, I hope you enjoy it and my pucker guitar face! Rock!

How I'm Playing It:
It's deceptively difficult to play CORRECTLY. The key the sound of the solo is the use of a Whammy pedal. You sweep the pedal up an octave on the melody notes. But, it's not as easy as that to play it well:

The trick with this solo is to emphasize the melody with your phrasing. The musical texture is homophonic- there is a melody and an accompaniment. (The melody is in the right hand, and the acc. in the left). So, to distinguish the melody from the harmony, I've treated it with rubato: I'm holding the melody notes slightly longer, and then rushing the accompaniment notes. Additionally, I'm using the Whammy pedal to scoop into and out of the melody more slowly, so as to create a climactic contour to the note- or as they say in country music, "I'm scooping into the notes". Rock!

Want to do guitar lessons or career counseling? Check out my website, www.derekwilliamsguitar.com

Cheers,
Derek Williams
Session and Live Guitarist/Songwriter/Producer/Career Mentor