This is a demonstration of how to play the long, highly melodic and expressive, guitar solo that ends the Eagle's Hotel California in its original recording. The solo, composed and played by Don Felder and Joe Walsh, was voted the best guitar solo of all time by the readers of Guitar Magazine in 1998. This performance is first and foremost about precise and well-timed use of string bending, sliding and tapping to add a lot of color and flavor to the melody, greatly increasing its emotional impact. This, in my mind, is what playing an electric guitar is all about. I shot the video using a GoPro HD camera in its "upside down" mode to simulate the player's point of view (POV). This camera has a low quality mono mic, hence the crappy sound. I'm playing a Strat through a Fender Mustang 1 modeling amp in its "red super-sonic" preset. In learning the solo, I was helped by videos posted by others, to whom I am thankful. The one by "Dr Clean Strings" has tabs, so if you find it too h! ard to follow my fingers in some section, check it out (although I deviate from its tabs in a few places). Feel very welcome to comment or suggest another "slow-mo solo" project.
