Alex Lifeson in the Limelight

Who could forget Alex Lifeson’s soul-stirring acceptance speech at the band’s 2013 induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: Yes, Rush are a “progressive rock band,” with all the weighty importance that it brings, but at their core is a sense of humor that allows them to not take themselves too seriously. The result is that, while their music may be complex at times, overall, it lacks the pretense and self-importance that can permeate bands of the genre.
Along with with late drummer Neil Peart’s masterful drumming and Geddy Lee’s vocals and powerfully melodic bass lines, it is Lifeson’s striking versatility that has made Rush one of rock’s most unique and compelling musical triangles for over 40 years:
Combining vast arrays of chiming chords …earworm-y riffs …thrilling solo flights …technical brilliance …and more, Lifeson’s inspiring creativity and musical savvy quickly become apparent to listeners. Let’s journey through some of the Canadian trio’s most classic songs to see if we can figure out just what makes him tick.Open Strings Are Our FriendsIn the debut episode of Premier Guitar’s Shred With Shifty, affable host and Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Shiflett, together with Lifeson himself, break down the latter’s solo from “Limelight,” off of 1981’s Moving Pictures. It kicks off with a clever use of a simple open B string, as shown in Ex. 1.Ex. 1As Lifeson explains, he doesn’t pick the harmonic. Instead, he lightly taps the ringing open string with a fret-hand finger at the indicated fret. (Lifeson uses his index; Shiflett, his middle.) Interestingly, the open B string wends its way through much of the song, including its trance-inducing chorus. Ex. 2 is inspired by this stirring section; note how the open B string acts as a hypnotic drone through all of the chords, a signature Lifeson move.Ex. 2You can take many open-position chord forms and experiment with moving them up the neck, while letting any open strings ring. Sure, you’ll inevitably hit some clunkers, but a good rule of thumb is, if the open string is in the key, you’ve got a good chance of finding some magic. Lifeson does just that in the intro to “La Villa Strangiato” from 1978’s epic, Hemispheres, as he positions a standard open G chord up at the 8th fret, creating a unique Cadd2 voicing.Ex. 3 is along the same lines; note how there are two open strings, D and G, that, when added to this very basic chord form, revitalize it to swirling effect.Ex. 3As in the “Limelight” solo, Lifeson cleverly weaves the open B string into his “YYZ” solo, Moving Pictures’ bombastic instrumental. Here, though, he employs it as a pedal point, a re-articulated or sustained note generally played below (or sometimes above) an accompanying melodic figure. Ex. 4 closes out his sinewy solo in grand fashion.Ex. 4Only the very first note is picked; the rest are sounded by a series of hammer-ons and pull-offs, which require some fret-hand strength to execute. A great exercise is to take the same figure and move it to other open strings, which is also a fun way to learn your scales horizontally across the neck. Throughout his solo, Lifeson employs B Phrygian dominant mode (B–C–D#–E–F#–G–A), which is simply the 5th mode of E harmonic minor (E–F#–G–A–B–C–D#). Fear not, all this means is that it’s the very same E harmonic minor scale, but here, B acts as the root or tonal center instead of E. Examples 5 and 6 apply this scale to the 1st and 3rd strings, respectively.Ex. 5Ex. 6Familiar Chords in Unfamiliar PlacesJust as how Lifeson uses open-position chord shapes up the neck with open strings, he also is adept at taking closed triad shapes (no open strings) and cleverly moving them in similar fashion. His solo in “Subdivisions,” from 1982’s Signals, rises to a climactic end this way, as shown in Ex. 7.Ex. 7This familiar “D” shape is one of three triad shapes found on each of the guitar’s sets of three strings. In other words, the same three notes (we’re excluding the open 4th string from the previous example) can be rearranged to find two other inversions along the neck. Let’s use them to play the same “Subdivisions” chord progression, but in different registers of the neck, as in Examples 8 and 9. Note in bar 2 of each how the new shapes lend themselves to different melodic choices and thus, new chord colors. Ex. 8Ex. 9Navigating Odd SpacesThe previous examples contain some interesting rhythms, something for which Rush is well-known, which includes the use of odd time signatures. Ex. 10 is reminiscent of a chordal interlude in “Jacob’s Ladder” from 1980’s Permanent Waves. Rush is a band that is exceptional at using odd time signatures in a most musical way, and here, they shrewdly shift from 5/4 to 6/4.Ex. 10To become more comfortable navigating these tricky time signatures, count either out loud or in your head while listening to the section. Doing so familiarizes you with how these time signatures feel, which eliminates the need for counting.Lifeson always sounds effortless when soloing in odd time signatures. A key way to accomplish this is to always be aware of where beat 1 is, so, for the moment, a bit more counting. But this time, do it while actually playing, as this will have you feeling at ease sooner than you might think. Lifeson’s solo in Moving Pictures’ “Red Barchetta” is in 7/4; note that an easy way to count your way through 7/4 is to break it down into 4/4 plus 3/4. Ex. 11 illustrates how he deftly negotiates one of the solo’s two-bar phrases in a memorably melodic way.Ex. 11The above is just a taste of the palette of colors from which Lifeson draws, as he weaves his guitars throughout Rush’s timeless catalog of songs. He, along with Lee and Peart, created unique and genuinely emotional music, none of which could ever be described as “blah.”