Editing Grunge (section)

=== Guitar solos ===
[[File:Soundgarden @ McCallum Park (522012).jpg|thumb|right|alt=A male electric guitarist, Kim Thayil, onstage with an electric guitar. He has a beard.|[[Soundgarden]] guitarist [[Kim Thayil]]'s punk attitudes encouraged him to downplay soloing in the 1980s; however, when other leading grunge bands such as Nirvana started to de-emphasize the role of the solo during the early 1990s, he began to do solos again.]]
Grunge guitarists "flatly rejected" the virtuoso [[shred guitar|"shredding"]] [[guitar solo]]s that had become the centerpiece of [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] songs, instead opting for melodic, [[blues]]-inspired solos – focusing "on the song, not the guitar solo".<ref>Cataldo, Tomas. ''Rock Licks Encyclopedia''. Alfred Music Publishing, 2001. p. 75.</ref> [[Jerry Cantrell]] of Alice in Chains stated that solos should be to serve the song, rather than to show off a guitarist's technical skill.<ref>{{cite web|quotation="I'm not saying I do bad shit, but I do what fits the part. I'm more interested in what the whole picture is instead of a big vehicle for Cantrell to wank off all over on everybody"|title=Grunge : Jerry Cantrell|url=https://www.guitar.com/articles/jerry-cantrell-unshackling-chains-depression|website=Guitar.com|access-date=April 1, 2016|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160203204023/https://www.guitar.com/articles/jerry-cantrell-unshackling-chains-depression|archive-date=February 3, 2016}}</ref> In place of the strutting guitar heroes of metal, grunge had "guitar [[anti-hero]]es" like Cobain, who showed little interest in mastering the instrument.<ref name="Prown 1997. p. 242-243" />

In Will Byers' article "Grunge committed a crime against music—it killed the guitar solo" in ''The Guardian'', he states that while the guitar solo managed to survive through the punk rock era, it was weakened by grunge.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://theguardian.com/music|title= Grunge committed a crime against music—it killed the guitar solo|last=Byers |first=Will |date=July 30, 2008 |newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=February 16, 2017}}</ref> He also states that when Kurt Cobain played guitar solos that were a restatement of the main vocal melody, fans realized that they did not need to be a [[Jimi Hendrix]]-level virtuoso to play the instrument; he then says this approach helped to make music feel accessible by fans in a way not seen since the 1960s folk music movement.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://andphilosophy.com/2014/12/01/grunge-and-philosophy/ |title=Grunge and Philosophy Grunge and Philosophy: What Nirvana Can Teach Us about the Philosophy of History |last=Tillman|first=Micah |date=December 2014 |publisher=Blackwell Philosophy and Pop Culture Series |access-date=February 17, 2017}}</ref> The producer of Nirvana's ''Nevermind'', [[Butch Vig]], stated that this album and Nirvana "killed the guitar solo".<ref name="Gonzalez">{{cite web |url=http://newnoisemagazine.com/genre-benders-the-shabby-dirty-grunge/# |title= Genre Benders: The Shabby, Dirty Grunge|last=Gonzalez |first=Sean |date=November 20, 2015 |work=New Noise Magazine |access-date=February 17, 2017}}</ref> [[Soundgarden]] guitarist [[Kim Thayil]] stated he feels in part to be responsible for the "death of the guitar solo"; he said that his [[punk rock]]er aspects made him feel that he did not want to solo, so in the 1980s, he preferred to make noise and do [[Audio feedback|feedback]] during the guitar solo.<ref name="Leslie">{{cite web |url=http://www.guitarplayer.com/miscellaneous/1139/kim-thayil/13759 |title=Kim Thayil |last=Leslie |first=Jimmy |date=July 7, 2011 |work=Guitar Player |access-date=February 25, 2017 |archive-date=June 5, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170605211625/http://www.guitarplayer.com/miscellaneous/1139/kim-thayil/13759 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Baeble Music calls the grunge guitar solos of the 1990s "raw", "sloppy", and "basic".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baeblemusic.com/musicblog/10-7-2015/the-top-5-guitar-solos-of-2015-so-far.html |title=The Top 5 Guitar Solos of 2015 So Far |last=Stalker-Wilde  |first=Max |date=October 7, 2015 |website=baeblemusic.com |publisher=Baeble Music |access-date=February 25, 2017}}</ref>

Not all sources support the "grunge killed the guitar solo" argument. Sean Gonzalez states that [[Pearl Jam]] has plentiful examples of guitar solos.<ref name="Gonzalez" /> [[Michael Azerrad]] praises the guitar playing of Mudhoney's [[Steve Turner (guitarist)|Steve Turner]], calling him the "[[Eric Clapton]] of grunge", a reference to the British blues guitarist<ref name="Azerrad">{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/grunge-city-the-seattle-scene-19920416 |title=Grunge City: The Seattle Scene |last=Azerrad |first=Michael |date=April 16, 1992 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=February 25, 2017}}</ref> who ''Time'' magazine has named as number five in their list of "The 10 Best Electric Guitar Players".<ref name="Tyrangiel-Time2009-08-14">{{cite magazine |last=Tyrangiel |first=Josh |title=The 10 Greatest Electric Guitar Players |date=August 14, 2009 |magazine=Time |url=https://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1916544_1921860,00.html |access-date=April 26, 2011}}</ref> [[Pearl Jam]] guitarist [[Mike McCready]] has been praised for his blues-influenced, rapid licks.<ref name="Harris">{{cite web |url=http://www.toptenz.net/top-10-grunge-guitarists.php |title=Top 10 Grunge Guitarists |last=Harris |first=Shell |date=July 20, 2009 |website=toptenz.net |publisher=Toptenz |access-date=February 25, 2017}}</ref> [[The Smashing Pumpkins]]' guitarist [[Billy Corgan]] has been called the "arena rock genius of the '90s" for pioneering guitar playing techniques and showing through his playing skill that grunge guitarists do not have to be sloppy players to rebel against mainstream music.<ref name="Harris" /> Thayil stated that when other major grunge bands, such as Nirvana, were reducing their guitar solos, Soundgarden responded by bringing back the solos.<ref name="Leslie" />