Where can I get a longer hit of this layered guitar sound?

June 13, 2023 3:02 PM

I was jamming to some Enka today at work, and during Amagigoe by Sayuri Ishikawa there is this short section with layered guitars or harmonizing guitars or something, at 1:55. I know I heard that kind of thing before but wondered if anybody could recommend some fun old (or new??) tracks with that same kind of guitar vibe. Thanks!
posted by circular to Media & Arts (16 answers total)

Best answer: The first thing that made me think of was Steve Vai. I don't know what his recent stuff is like (does he even have recent stuff?) but I had some of his tapes from the 1980s and, if I remember it correctly, it had that same kind of guitar sound.
posted by bondcliff at 3:08 PM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Look up “guitarmonies”—eg Thin Lizzy’s iconic riff around 01:10 in this video.
posted by music for skeletons at 3:08 PM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: That would be a harmonizer pedal of some sort (there are many). Nice demo here. Always reminds me of Steve Hillage.
posted by srednivashtar at 3:26 PM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The sound is two guitars playing the same riff, harmonized in 3rds or 5ths. Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden. Also this: https://youtu.be/hLFelI93VkM?t=235

This article has some other examples: https://www.thetoptens.com/music/bands-with-twin-dual-lead-guitars/
posted by skwm at 3:28 PM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: I love the whole song, but there’s an example in Wilco’s Impossible Germany, Unlikely Japan
posted by glaucon at 3:40 PM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Harmonized guitar leads are all over a bunch of heavy metal tunes - Iron Maiden and The Scorpions are two acts that sprang immediately to mind. Here's some dude playing the "11 greatest Iron Maiden guitar harmonies", and here's the Scorpions' big hit "No One Like You." Judas Priest is another possibility, although I can't think of specific tunes off the top of my head.

Generally, any band known for having "two lead guitar players" and there were quite a few in 80's metal.

Thin Lizzy and the Allman Brothers are another two, although they might be a little more "classic rock" than what you're looking for? (the phrasing of the bit you linked seems really rooted in metal guitar even if the song isn't metal.)

Maybe seconding Steve Vai or other modern "guitar heroes"? Like Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, guys known for instrumental material. I'm not familiar enough with their work to recommend anything, but like bondcliff I think they often harmonize with themselves on studio albums. (Maybe not so much live.)

And just to spread the net pretty wide - The History of Dual Guitar Harmonies in 14 songs.
posted by soundguy99 at 4:02 PM on June 13, 2023 [5 favorites]

Best answer: Smashing Pumpkins, Zero.
posted by kevinbelt at 4:11 PM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Seconding all of the Iron Maiden examples above. It also shows up around 3:50 in Metallica's "Master of Puppets."
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:15 PM on June 13, 2023

Best answer: Re: Steve Vai, he used an Eventide harmonizer all over The Audience Is Listening, like here.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 4:23 PM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Buckethead.

Bands like WASP, Poison, Def Leppard, Bon Jovi, even Guns'n'Roses though their sound is harder.
posted by snuffleupagus at 4:48 PM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: People are pointing to the 80s as the source of this type of harmony, but it was used back in the 70s as well. The solo reminds me of the solo in a song called 'Old Wild Men' by 10cc. Same type of harmonies.
posted by MrKellyBlah at 4:59 PM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Polyphia is all over the place, but definitely some of their stuff has this (incidentally this song features Steve Vai).
posted by so fucking future at 5:07 PM on June 13, 2023 [1 favorite]

Best answer: I think your closest bet would be Rhoma Irama, the king of Indonesian dangdut music.
posted by umbú at 5:39 PM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Depending on what about the linked track is catching OP's ear, Tinariwen might also be interesting.

Assouf.

Or Harumi.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:47 PM on June 13, 2023 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Wishbone Ash were the poster children for this style of twin guitars (and were a big influence on some of the bands mentioned above).
This short compilation of bits from their classic albums will give a taste.
posted by thatwhichfalls at 2:07 PM on June 14, 2023 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks for those amazing responses & leads everybody. I learned a lot by reading through this and exploring the links.
posted by circular at 1:29 PM on June 16, 2023