Originally Posted by: maggiorI'll assume you are throwing this question out to everybody...

Actually, I did :)

I assume by "key parts of a solo" you mean something like the last two or three licks in the "Smoke On The Water" solo? I've heard maybe 20 different live-versions of that song, and the only thing that either Ritchie or Steve plays identical every single time is the last three licks. The rest is improvised every single time! Even on the 1995-remaster of Machine Head, Steve Morse changed the solo, but kept those last three licks from Ritchie's solo there, because people expect to hear these licks at the end of the solo! And honestly, it's also the only part of the solo that I've bothered with learning yet...

I agree that people may be more interested in hearing something slightly new, even when hearing a cover. I've yet to learn even a single solo (not quite true, if you count the first interlude in GNR's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door"-cover as a solo, but other than that, I've yet to learn any solos...), but since I mainly play Classic Arena Rock, learning the solos isn't strictly necessary, as even the bands that wrote the songs always improvise the solos anyway :) Learning to play the right solos is only needed if I want to impress people or if I find that the original solo just fits perfectly (like "Comfortably Numb". That solo is one of the best I've ever heard).

For simpler stuff like "Rock And Roll All Night" by Kiss, "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones, "Tush" by ZZ Top or "Peace Of Mind" by Boston (yes, I called Boston "simpler"), I can get away with just learning the Riffs and the most important, easily recognizable parts for solos, to quickly expand my repertoire. That much I can understand. Shouldn't take long to get some easy Classic Rock-songs down if I can just learn the important riffs and the key-parts of the solos :)

I think I'll try and see how two songs at a time goes. If it goes well, I'll throw in one more, and keep the ones I already know at the level they're already at, and if anything, get them tighter and improve my timing on them :) I'll start with some of the simpler songs I want to learn, and hopefully, when the next Open Mic night comes around, I'll actually have enough Classic Rock songs to feel confident enough to go up on the stage :)