Don Felder's Reason for Always Practicing Hotel California Solo Guitar Before Going on Stage

Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder (Instagram @donfeldermusic)

JAKARTA - Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder revealed the reason he always practiced the "Hotel California" guitar solo every time before going on stage.

Even though he has played the masterpiece thousands of times for decades, the 76-year-old musician is reluctant to perform casually in order to maintain the satisfaction of his fans.

Felder explained that every note in the guitar solo part of "Hotel California" has been deeply ingrained in the listeners' memories since the song was released in the 1970s. Therefore, he feels a moral responsibility to present a game that is precise and in accordance with the original recording without making wild improvisations.

"One thing I always do at every show, before going on stage, is to rehearse 'Hotel California' because I don't want to disappoint anyone," Felder said, quoted by Ultimate Classic Rock, Wednesday, August 5.

"Everyone knows every note in the solo of that song, and I'm afraid if I start improvising, people will think, 'What is he doing? That's wrong! It's not his solo! Is he forgetting? Or maybe he's too old to remember it? "

The Florida-born guitarist admitted that playing the guitar solo required a very high level of concentration. He refused to play his own song automatically without proper preparation.

"I think people want to hear it exactly as they remember it from 50 years ago. So I did my best to play it, and it really requires the most intense concentration to execute the solo over and over again. You never want to just play it on autopilot mode," he said.

The song "Hotel California" was created by Felder together with two other Eagles members, Don Henley and Glenn Frey.

The composition was originally composed by Felder in Malibu, California, before Henley and Frey added allegorical lyrics about California mythology and Hollywood life.

The song, which lasts more than six minutes, successfully topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977 and won the highest award, Record of the Year, at the 1978 Grammy Awards.

In every live performance, Felder is identical to the white Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck guitar. The use of the iconic guitar began from the technical need to play the 12-string acoustic track and the electric track alternately without having to change instruments on stage.

"The reason I ended up using the guitar was because I was trying to figure out how to play 'Hotel California' live, because I play a lot of different guitar tracks on the record. Instead of switching guitars, I told the roadie to buy a double-neck guitar, and he came back with a white one," Felder said.

Currently, Felder is still actively touring solo and performing as an opener for Canadian band The Guess Who, until the end of August, before continuing his independent concert series in the United States.

In the midst of his busy tour, he is also preparing new song material for an upcoming album project that carries a blues-rock touch.