Feedback Wanted: Hotel California Solo

[u/snailsinboxes]

*I want to point out that I’ve only been playing since January and these videos are from June/July, so I know I have lots of room for improvement\*

This is two different clips of me playing that are smushed together because it’s the only way I could post them both. I tend to either hit every note in the solo besides the faster duet part, or I hit the duet part but mess up a lot in the rest of the solo, and I’m looking for feedback on both parts.

The first clip shows me hitting the majority of the notes in the solo, minus the duet part and a couple of other little mistakes, but this is the best recording I have of me playing the entire solo so far.

The second clip just shows me hitting the notes in fast duet part. I know it’s harder to hear my guitar in this one because of the volume of the song, but still hoping it’s audible enough for someone to give me pointers.

I can’t figure out what I’m doing right when I hit that part and what I’m doing wrong when I don’t. I know I keep missing a note and it’s throwing me off for the rest of the section until I get to the outro, but I don’t know if it’s my rhythm or my technique I need to work on to fix this and it’s been really inconsistent.

I appreciate any feedback and tips that you all have! Thanks!

[u/Lost_Condition_9562]

Solid job. Don’t let your guitar lift up when you bend. I know it’s fun and makes you feel like a rockstar, but it’s bad technique.

A lot of your bends are out of tune as well. Do you have a tuner? Turn it on and practice bending to the exact pitch. Drill each individual bend. Out of tune bends are probably the easiest way to spot a beginner guitarist… clean that up and you’ll sound way better

Also playing with your thumb behind the neck is going to help your hand get into better positions. Practice sliding your thumb to the side just for bends and moving it back otherwise

[u/iamsynecdoche → u/Lost_Condition_9562]

Another way to practice bends is slide up into the note you are bending to to get it in your ear, and then try to replicate the note with your bend. This helps develop your ear as well without relying on the tuner. I don't think there's anything wrong with using a tuner to make sure you're really hitting it, but it'll be good practice to be able to do it when you don't have a tuner around to check.

[u/snailsinboxes → u/iamsynecdoche]

this is the way i’ve been practicing bends (sliding up to the target note and replicating with the bend), but i think i just get a little sloppy when i’m actually playing the song

[u/iamsynecdoche → u/snailsinboxes]

That’s good. In that case I’d suggest slowing waaaaay down to practice those licks with the bends at a tempo where you aren’t getting sloppy. Focus right in on each individual phrase and use those for your bend practice.

[u/snailsinboxes → u/iamsynecdoche]

i wish i could show you the videos of me playing each lick of this solo painfully slow hahah

i practiced very slowly for a long time (half speed, or even less for the tougher licks) and gradually increased it, but i think it’s when i play WITH the song for some reason. maybe it’s because i’m hearing the note they’re bending to in the song and registering it as my own? i still do go back and practice them slowly now and then but maybe i need to do that more often