GEL020 - Alex Lifeson Guitar Lessons

Code : GEL020

Isi : 1 DVD

Walk softly and carry a big F-sharp suspended. If legendary Rush guitarist Alex Lifeson had a mantra, that might be it. That chord (technically an F#7sus4) is known to his legion of fans as "The Alex Chord," or "The Hemispheres Chord," as it is the opening chord to Rush's 1978 prog-rock opus Hemispheres. It can also be heard ringing out on "Far Cry," the opening cut on Rush's nineteenth studio album, 2007's Snakes and Arrows.

That a single chord can be associated so strongly with one guitar player is testament to Lifeson's influence on the medium. He is a guitar player's guitar player. Where Steve Vai may make us say "I wish I could do that," Alex Lifeson makes us say, "I wish I'd thought of that." 

Snakes and Arrows was Rush's 27th album to appear in the Billboard Top 200, and it turned into a long, good ride for the band. The album was followed by a marathon tour spanning two years and two continents, a double live album, and the November 2008 release of the three-disc DVD/Blu-Ray, Snakes and Arrows Live, in which Rush puts on a clinic on how to play a rock concert.

As a musician, Alex Lifeson has occasionally been overlooked, in part because he is a guitar player dedicated to serving the song instead of stepping on it. As most guitarists know, that kind of restraint is no easy feat. Of course, serving a Rush song can be like serving a 12-course meal. As the sole guitarist and one third of the world's most complicated rock band, Alex has served well. About to release their twelfth compilation CD, Retrospective 3, I spoke with Alex Lifeson, and we talked about (what else?) guitars and his notable return to an all-Gibson lineup.