This riff’s video is on YouTube, so it plays at 1x or 0.75x and the tab doesn’t follow along.
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e|------------------11--|12~-------12--15--14-15-14-12--| B|----------10--12------|-----16b-----------------------| G|---8--11--------------|-------------------------------| D|9---------------------|-------------------------------| A|----------------------|-------------------------------| E|----------------------|-------------------------------| B|----------------------|-------------------------------| F#|----------------------|-------------------------------| e|19~------19-20-19-17-------|--------19--------17------| B|---------------------20-19-|17--16------17-16-----17--| G|---------------------------|--------------------------| D|---------------------------|--------------------------| A|---------------------------|--------------------------| E|---------------------------|--------------------------| B|---------------------------|--------------------------| F#|---------------------------|--------------------------| e|----15--19-15-19--17-19-17-14-|17b------19----20--|17---------------| B|13----------------------------|-------------------|--------19b------| G|------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------| D|------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------| A|------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------| E|------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------| B|------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------| F#|------------------------------|-------------------|-----------------| e|------------0-----|------------------------------------| B|16------13--------|---------------------------16-17-19-| G|------------------|------------------14-16-17----------| D|--------10--------|---------13-14-16-------------------| A|------------------|12-14-15----------------------------| E|------------------|------------------------------------| B|------------------|------------------------------------| F#|------------------|------------------------------------| e|------------------------|7-8-11-12-14-8-11-12-14-15-11-12-14-17-19-| B|17------16-17----16-----|------------------------------------------| G|------------------------|------------------------------------------| D|------------------------|------------------------------------------| A|------------------------|------------------------------------------| E|------------------------|------------------------------------------| B|------------------------|------------------------------------------| F#|------------------------|------------------------------------------| e|-------/20----19--|23~------19b------| B|------------------|------------------| G|------------------|------------------| D|------------------|------------------| A|------------------|------------------| E|------------------|------------------| B|------------------|------------------| F#|------------------|------------------| e|19-17-15----17-15-------------------------| B|---------19-------19-17----------16-17-19-| G|------------------------14-16-17----------| D|------------------------------------------| A|------------------------------------------| E|------------------------------------------| B|------------------------------------------| F#|------------------------------------------| e|17----------------------------------------| B|---20-19-17-20-19-17----------------------| G|---------------------20----------16-17-20-| D|------------------------16-17-19----------| A|------------------------------------------| E|------------------------------------------| B|------------------------------------------| F#|------------------------------------------| e|15----------------------------------| B|---19-17-16-19-17-16----------------| G|---------------------17-16----------| D|---------------------------19-17-16-| A|------------------------------------| E|------------------------------------| B|------------------------------------| F#|------------------------------------| e|---------------14-19-14-15-17-15-14-|11------------|-------------| B|------------16----------------------|--------------|-------------| G|---------14-------------------------|--------------|-------------| D|------16----------------------------|--------------|-------------| A|14-18-------------------------------|--------------|-------------| E|------------------------------------|--------------|-------------| B|------------------------------------|--------------|-------------| F#|------------------------------------|--------------|-------------|
Why it works
Probably the guitar solo I'm most proud of. The "lift-off" lead in gives me chills each time I play it, which is admittedly very self-indulgent. There's something oddly satisfying about unabashedly loving a riff or solo you've written.
I think of solos in chunks. Usually, there are melodic lines that I just hear, transition sections that bridge them and then obligatory shred runs to remind people I can play. Some guitar players are so good they don't feel the need to signal their technical ability but I'm not one of them.
I also like adding ideas that are deliberately unusual--usual being licks or motifs like sweeps, ascending/descending runs, etc. In this case, it's the sequence of hammer-ons and sliding a tapped note upward, and pulling off into more hammer-ons with my left hand. Finally, the tension unwinding with a descending run with several rapid-fire ascending runs built in and capped with an arpeggio, leading back to the songs main melody.
Song: Halt - Life, Undefeated, Existed
— Michael, who wrote and played it
