My Music And Song's

Quite a few bands, including Queen and Thin Lizzy, have featured twin-guitar breaks that are carefully harmonized. (Nowadays, intelligent pitch-shifters will allow you to create harmonized lines from a single guitar part.) The standard intervals for such harmonizing are thirds, sixths or octaves, though a few fourths add interest providing that they are in keeping with the harmony.

Examples include the guitar lines on ‘Whisky In The Jar’, ‘Don’t Believe A Word’, ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’ and ‘The Dean And I’. Non-harmonized combinations of lead guitars are harder for the ear to keep track of because the focus of attention keeps moving back and forth. As a result, there is built-in unpredictability, and each listen often reveals something never heard before.

The effect of two guitars independently soloing can be heard on Wishbone Ash’s ‘Throw Down The Sword’, Janis Joplin’s cover of ‘Summertime’ (part of which is free form and part of which is arranged), Love’s ‘A House Is Not A Motel’ and in many places on Layla And Other Assorted Love Songs. To try this, set up the track for your solo and record a take. Do another pass without listening to the first take in your cans. Play both back and pan left and right. If you retained any ideas from take 1 for take 2, it is possible they may coincide, which will give moments of reinforcement. Some phrases could be deliberately played a couple of times if you want three or four guitars at once.