The secret behind the perfect Steely Dan guitar solo
The guitar solo is a staple of rock music. Regardless of the branch of rock a band operates in, nothing satisfies musicians or fans more than seeing an artist take to the six-string and shred to their heart’s content. Steely Dan is no different. That being said, Steely Dan is a band that has never shied away from going against the grain, and their approach to making the perfect guitar solo was no different.
The Dan left behind performing live to engage with their creativity more when writing music. If they didn’t need to worry about performing a track live in front of an audience, they didn’t need to spend time pondering the logistics of songs. They could use whatever recording techniques, sound effects, and layering tactics they wanted and make music that was completely separate from anything else available.
With such an open-minded approach towards writing music, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Steely Dan was also keen on taking a slightly different approach when it came to writing guitar solos. When listening to some of the fantastic solos that make up songs such as ‘Reelin’ In The Years’, ‘Kid Charlemagne’ and ‘Peg’, it’s clear you are listening to a band who take the art of soloing incredibly seriously.
Steely Dan were made up of members Walter Becker and Donald Fagan, but they weren’t the only two contributing to the band. They had a number of different sessions musicians come into the studio to help record different sections, including guitar solos. However, Becker and Fagan were notoriously hard to please, which meant anyone delivering a guitar solo knew they had to bring their A-game.
Dean Parks, who played with Becker and Fagan on many occasions, once commented, “If it wasn’t working on a track, the next day you wouldn’t just be replaced; there’d be a whole new band in the studio.”
So, what is the secret behind the perfect Steely Dan solo? The truth is, there isn’t one. When you listen to some of their best work, there is no consistent tone or sound. When you think of other guitarists such as Slash, Jimi Hendrix, and Jimmy Page, while there is plenty of versatility in their solos, the tone and amp settings remain relatively consistent, and the same can’t be said for Steely Dan.
What does remain consistent, however, is the magic embedded into a Steely Dan guitar solo. There is technical brilliance on display, of course, but there is also a feel of spontaneity in the sound. Though the guitar solos had a specific formula, they sounded like they were created in the moment, almost as if they were improvised. The guitarists who contributed towards some of the Steely Dan solos were the best in the business; they didn’t just dance around pentatonic scales as a lot of rock musicians did; they played up and down the threat, incorporating elements from jazz, blues, rock and other genres to get the perfect combination.
The process was gruelling but worth it. Consider a track like ‘Peg,’ for instance. The band tried seven different guitar players before Jay Gradon stepped in and gave them what they were looking for. This remains one of Steely Dan’s greatest solos, as it embodies the band’s spontaneity while also embodying the technical style of some of the best guitarists.
What’s the secret to some of the best guitar solos in the world? Unfortunately, there is none. It combines technicality and feeling, something that cannot be defined but is understood when heard. It’s in this obscure grey area that Steely Dan operates best.
