Melodic guitarists - Uli Jon Roth

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For general information about Uli, you can start by browsing the links below. For an overview of his guitar style, I particularly recommend the article at Dinosaur Rock Guitar.

It's difficult to say who has inspired me more - Uli Jon Roth or Michael Schenker. A confounding factor is that they have undoubtedly influenced each other as well, though it's hard to say who has had more effect on whom. Uli is an extremely melodic player — his solos are like free-standing compositions within the song. (Being a guitarist I often feel that the solos are the highlight of the song!) His phrasing and vibrato are inspiring, and his tone on Beyond the Astral Skies is the closest to the perfect guitar tone nirvana as I've ever heard. Additionally, Uli has been called "the Master of the Sky Guitar," but I've always thought he should be called the Master of the Wah Pedal. Just about everything I do with the wah I've borrowed from Uli.

This page contains a collection of some of my favorite Uli Jon Roth guitar moments, from his early days with the Scorpions to his more recent solo efforts. Many younger guitar players seem to believe that Yngwie Malmsteen was the first to use harmonic minor and diminished runs in a rock/metal context. But as far as I know, Yngwie's main influence in this area must have been Uli, whose solos often had a strong harmonic minor flavor back in the 70s. Listen to Catch Your Train or Sails of Charon for examples of early harmonic minor and diminished solo work. It's refreshing to see that in recent years Yngwie has been crediting Uli Jon Roth as an influence — something he didn't do (for whatever reason) in early interviews.

Selected guitar solos (mp3)

Wherever possible, I've provided high-quality files (128kbps sampling rate) for listeners on fast connections, and low-quality (64kbps sampling rate) for you poor souls who are still on dial-up connections.

The Electric Sun Years

Song title: Icebreaker HQ (438k) LQ (224k)
Album: Beyond the Astral Skies
Year: 1984
Comments: I've put this one first because it captures the best of Uli's playing in one short solo, and is one of my absolute favorites: it's Short and sweet, has beautiful tone, and demonstrates a musical (i.e. not robotic or "wanky" or "exercise-sounding") use of arpeggios and scales.

Song title: Firewind HQ (854k) LQ(438k)
Album: Firewind
Year: 1981
Comments: This one knocked me out the first time I heard it, and still amazes me today. Very melodic, it's most likely been composed note-for-note with careful attention to detail, but not to the point that it sounds over-rehearsed.

Song title: Indian Dawn LQ (768k)
Album: Firewind
Year: 1981
Comments: This is the final bit of the extended solo at the end of the song. I absolutely LOVE the way Uli uses the wah here — it's the bar by which all other wah solos are judged! There is so much emotion in this one that it literally brings tears to my eyes.

Song title: Earthquake (Sound files coming soon!)
Album: Earthquake
Year: 1979
Comments: This is just a small section from this long instrumental. Do you think little Yngwie spent a lot of time in his bedroom in Sweden learning this one note-for-note? I'm sure he wasn't the only one ;-) !

Song title: Cast Away Your Chains LQ (437k)
Album: Firewind
Year: 1981
Comments: As always, very melodic, musical use of arpeggios and scalar runs.

Prologue to the Symphonic Legends

Song title: Pegasus HQ (1.5M) LQ (811k)
Album: Prologue to the Symphonic Legends
Year: 1996
Comments: Absolutely stunning tone, phrasing and vibrato. Uli Jon Roth at his best. Showcases the abilities of the Sky Guitar. Very musical use of arpeggios.

Song title: E Lucevan Le Stelle (Puccini - arr Roth) HQ (1.4M) LQ (731k)
Album: Prologue to the Symphonic Legends
Year: 1996
Comments: Amazing control and vibrato, masterful use of the wah pedal.

Song title: Starlight HQ (287k) (LQ 142k)
Album: Prologue to the Symphonic Legends
Year: 1996
Comments: More stunning tone, phrasing and vibrato.

Song title: The Winds of War HQ (371k) (LQ 187)
Album: Prologue to the Symphonic Legends
Year: 1996
Comments: Like everything else from this CD, beautiful tone, vibrato and use of the wah. Interesting arpeggios rather than the garden-variety sweeps (boooooring!) that became so commonplace in the post-Yngwie era.

Uli's work with the Scorpions

Song title: Sails of Charon HQ 747k LQ 375k
Album: Taken by Force
Year: 1977
Comments: The first time I heard this seminal solo is indelibly etched in my mind — it was at a party, late at night, I wasn't really paying attention to the music, and suddenly "The Riff" made everything else in the room fade into non-existence. It was my introduction to Uli and the Scorpions. Lots of scales and arpeggios, but they remain musical rather than exercise-like. Massively cool harmonic minor and diminished runs.

Song title: Catch Your Train (HQ 592 kb LQ 297k )
Album: Virgin Killer
Year: 1977
Comments: The solo that started it all when it comes to diminished runs. For the day, it didn't get cleaner and faster than this. Cleverly constructed and melodic.

Song title: We'll Burn the Sky (Sound file coming soon)
Album: Tokyo Tapes (Live)
Year: 1978
Comments: I still remember how much Uli's playing here moved me the first time I heard it. So melodic!

Related Links

Uli's authorized web site

Uli's evolution as an artist - from the authorized web site

Dinosaur Rock Guitar - Guitar Alchemy article on Uli

Uli Jon Roth Site by Chad Armstrong. Very nice discography, lots of pictures, some sound files. It was very helpful to me in constructing this page.

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