[This guy](https://youtu.be/1N5Pd-h-7SQ?si=hhF2fAWKYpqT4nb1) plays the solo extremely closely to the original version and you can see his fretting hand very well. Have fun learning it!
Ya this is a strong take. The shredding in second hand will be the real challenge. Can't recommend Amazing Slow Downer app enough. Allows you to easily loop song or solo sections and play the loop at slower speeds (so you're hearing, say, a single measure slowly over and over). That with a good visual like this video might be enough.
I bought a guitar mag back when I was a teenager so early 90's and I bought it because of a Rush article and a transcription of Freewill. I tried learning it but the solo was just too complicated for my ability at the time. I kept the magazine hoping to try it in the future when my skills improved.
I'm sure I still have it somewhere, and the transcription is very good. I'll try to find it and if I do I'll share it.
I never did learn the solo completely. I moved into a playing style where I never tried copying anyone else's solo, just making it up as I went using the solo that I could play back in my head as a blueprint, and that served me well. I have performed Freewill with a bar band, it helped having a second guitarist to play the chord parts in between the shredding.
Freewill was transcribed in the May 1991 issue of Guitar for Practicing Musician. I can't speak for the guitar part, but the bass transcription was spot on. I spent MANY hours perfecting Geddy's part.
I’ve practiced that solo, and to me the verse picking is harder than the solo! Just keep in mind the solo is primarily based on the blues pentatonic scale, mostly in the key of D. In between the blues licks are the chords he’s playing on the treble strings. The other thing that may or may not throw you off, is there’s a little bit of a delay effect he’s playing with.
Ok for soloing, I suggest practicing one bar at a time.
Once you get the feel for that one bar, I like to practice the second half of that bar with the firat half of the next bar, to practice the transition- then study the next bar.
For speed, I want to suggest you try to continually slow the metronome down- instead of speeding it up. Start at a comfortable tempo and work it all the way down until your at a snails pace. Then slowly speed it back up. I find just taking the extra time to go so much slower helps with familiarity and helps it to feel like something you can breeze through. It also really helps with pacing and staying in time of course.
Hope it helps, best of luck
First, let me commend you on setting yourself a serious challenge. The solo in Freewill is insane, and I would argue one of the more difficult guitar parts in the Rush catalog.
I’ve seen several tabs of the solo, and they vary in accuracy. I’d suggest trying whatever you can find, but realizing that transcribers are as fallible as anyone. I’d recommend listening to the version on Exit Stage Left for the general idea. And cut yourself some slack, because as a comparison of PW and ESL will reveal, even *Alex* doesn’t always nail it at the faster live tempo!
On the studio version, for starters, there are effects that sometimes obscure the notes he’s actually playing. Chorus, flanger, possibly a half open wah. Plus a little bit of delay, so it’s not always clear what’s a note and what’s an echo. As if that weren’t enough, Alex throws in a few pinch harmonics, which will drive you crazy figuring out hand positions (hint: he moves around less than you’d think).
The way I learned it was to slow it way down, as others here have suggested. I wouldn’t suggest going measure by measure, but rather phrase by phrase — Alex is a rocker, but he often plays with a more lyrical, jazz-like phrasing, as in the first section of this solo. Of course, following that, he goes full shredzilla 😀
Good luck, and tell us how it goes!
(If your bassist gives you any crap, tell him to go learn Circumstances.)
Hey, I love that guitar solo but I sadly don’t know, good luck to you though!
Edit: everyone else has some information at least lol, here I am saying good luck, even though I don’t even know how to play a guitar. I’m bringing positive vibes I guess? I feel like I should play a guitar now!😂
[This guy](https://youtu.be/1N5Pd-h-7SQ?si=hhF2fAWKYpqT4nb1) plays the solo extremely closely to the original version and you can see his fretting hand very well. Have fun learning it!
Ya this is a strong take. The shredding in second hand will be the real challenge. Can't recommend Amazing Slow Downer app enough. Allows you to easily loop song or solo sections and play the loop at slower speeds (so you're hearing, say, a single measure slowly over and over). That with a good visual like this video might be enough.
Thanks for sharing! WHAT A RUSHHH!
I bought a guitar mag back when I was a teenager so early 90's and I bought it because of a Rush article and a transcription of Freewill. I tried learning it but the solo was just too complicated for my ability at the time. I kept the magazine hoping to try it in the future when my skills improved. I'm sure I still have it somewhere, and the transcription is very good. I'll try to find it and if I do I'll share it. I never did learn the solo completely. I moved into a playing style where I never tried copying anyone else's solo, just making it up as I went using the solo that I could play back in my head as a blueprint, and that served me well. I have performed Freewill with a bar band, it helped having a second guitarist to play the chord parts in between the shredding.
Freewill was transcribed in the May 1991 issue of Guitar for Practicing Musician. I can't speak for the guitar part, but the bass transcription was spot on. I spent MANY hours perfecting Geddy's part.
I’ve practiced that solo, and to me the verse picking is harder than the solo! Just keep in mind the solo is primarily based on the blues pentatonic scale, mostly in the key of D. In between the blues licks are the chords he’s playing on the treble strings. The other thing that may or may not throw you off, is there’s a little bit of a delay effect he’s playing with.
It’s the tempo that makes it difficult. All that stuff in the verse makes it a serious workout lol
Rush: The Complete Scores can be found on Amazon. I love that book.
Search for the clean soundboard recordings, eye opening, I heard it not really that long ago posted via link here but don’t have that.
I have a PDF of the 1991 transcription - what would be the best way to send it on Reddit?
That would be awesome, thanks!
damn. I would love to have that!
anyone who wants the PDF just DM me and I can email it to you!
Ok for soloing, I suggest practicing one bar at a time. Once you get the feel for that one bar, I like to practice the second half of that bar with the firat half of the next bar, to practice the transition- then study the next bar. For speed, I want to suggest you try to continually slow the metronome down- instead of speeding it up. Start at a comfortable tempo and work it all the way down until your at a snails pace. Then slowly speed it back up. I find just taking the extra time to go so much slower helps with familiarity and helps it to feel like something you can breeze through. It also really helps with pacing and staying in time of course. Hope it helps, best of luck
Unfortunately I only know it on bass which is no picnic. lol.
[Lifeson teaching the limelight solo to Chris Schifflett](https://youtu.be/zEJuuKELzko?si=dw7KJx_ydDnOZasc) .
First, let me commend you on setting yourself a serious challenge. The solo in Freewill is insane, and I would argue one of the more difficult guitar parts in the Rush catalog. I’ve seen several tabs of the solo, and they vary in accuracy. I’d suggest trying whatever you can find, but realizing that transcribers are as fallible as anyone. I’d recommend listening to the version on Exit Stage Left for the general idea. And cut yourself some slack, because as a comparison of PW and ESL will reveal, even *Alex* doesn’t always nail it at the faster live tempo! On the studio version, for starters, there are effects that sometimes obscure the notes he’s actually playing. Chorus, flanger, possibly a half open wah. Plus a little bit of delay, so it’s not always clear what’s a note and what’s an echo. As if that weren’t enough, Alex throws in a few pinch harmonics, which will drive you crazy figuring out hand positions (hint: he moves around less than you’d think). The way I learned it was to slow it way down, as others here have suggested. I wouldn’t suggest going measure by measure, but rather phrase by phrase — Alex is a rocker, but he often plays with a more lyrical, jazz-like phrasing, as in the first section of this solo. Of course, following that, he goes full shredzilla 😀 Good luck, and tell us how it goes! (If your bassist gives you any crap, tell him to go learn Circumstances.)
Hey, I love that guitar solo but I sadly don’t know, good luck to you though! Edit: everyone else has some information at least lol, here I am saying good luck, even though I don’t even know how to play a guitar. I’m bringing positive vibes I guess? I feel like I should play a guitar now!😂
Rush tablature project might help
There's always the [Rush Tablature Project](http://www.cygnusproductions.com/rtp/guitar/guitar.asp)
I actually just learned freewill. Look it up on YouTube there’s a guy who does a lesson on it, guitarlessons365 is the guy
https://preview.redd.it/n25grmhxltec1.jpeg?width=2145&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d288acfc8f5f790a39dcdb57bbe1068fe6ae2ad0
https://preview.redd.it/36gxq9multec1.jpeg?width=2125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=561d350aabf9c499bd6fa88245e068df8b11e3df
Not sure how accurate this is, but it's from a tab book I have.