How would you address that in the studio?
Murray: Well, with Pro Tools you can move
stuff back into time, if need be [laughs].
Obviously, the timing is an important factor,
but what’s more important is how it feels.
Are your solos worked out or off the cuff?
Murray: On this album, they were basically all
spontaneous, although there may have been a
few melodies I had worked out in advance for
some songs.
Gers: Same here. It’s spontaneous, but if I
have a melody I like, I’ll use it. Even live, there
are certain things you keep the melodies for. I
find it impossible to play the same thing twice.
And if you’re playing how you feel, how can
you play the same thing twice?
What makes a good solo?
Smith: A little bit of melody, a little bit of
flash. And it should be something memorable.
There’s a song on the new album called “Isle
Adrian Smith rocks his Floyd Rose-equipped Jackson on the World Slavery tour, June 12, 1985, at Pine Knob Music Theatre in
Clarkston, Michigan. Photo by Ken Settle
118 PREMIER GUITAR NOVEMBER 2010
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