I actually performed "Don't Speak" on solo guitar/vocals at an open mic a couple months ago. It was my first time playing guitar in public! Since I didn't get boo'd off stage, it must have been decent enough (though I did mess up the solo a bit, oh well). I played something similar to the rhythm guitar part on the video.
When I started working on the video, I decided to focus on the beautiful Spanish-style solo. This solo always felt a bit out of place in the original song, which is alternative rock everywhere else. For my cover, I went the opposite direction - making the solo the heart of song, and the rest of complement it. I did this by:
- Playing the Spanish-style lead guitar throughout the song. Why just do it in the solo? So I did some songwriting. The lead guitar part ended up with a cool counter-melody during the chorus as well the verses.
- Applying some Latin style syncopation to the rhythm guitar part. It turned out sounding a little Brazilian.
- A Salsa-style rhythm and bass. The song starts out a little slow (since it's supposed to be a sad lament). But it really picks up at the chorus. I decided to throw in the full Salsa bass line rhythm, plus some conga/snare/shaker action for some zest.
