An Interview with Roger Fisher of Heart - Magic Man

Elliot Gould of Render Edge Media sits down with Roger Fisher, Heart's original lead guitarist, for three days of interviews. Roger discusses a wide range of topics, including the collaboration with his brother, Michael Fisher, the original Magic Man, on the writing and recording of his latest album, "Heart of the Blues," his love of designing and building guitars, how some of Heart's most iconic songs were written, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction concert.
In this video, Roger shows how he tunes his guitar to achieve the special sound required to re-create the lead and rhythm guitar for Heart's "Magic Man."
For more information and the back story behind this interview, see renderedgemedia....
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[@BWR84]

I don't think Roger gets enough credit for his part of the early hits Heart had. Everyone remembers Anne's powerful voice, but so many of their early songs included incredibly complicated and memorable guitar parts from Roger. The songs would not have been the same without him.

[@TheMNB]

He did so much fantastic guitar work with Heart.

[@sammyvh11]

Oh he gets credit.

[@sonofbarnsey]

He AND Howard Leese both deserve way more credit

[@johnmonroe7378]

Brad Robole Absolutely true.

[@OakLawnSpeedShop]

Brad Robole drummer rocked too

[@danepaulstewart8464]

Frikkin’ GENIUS! That tuning shaped a decade of rock!

[@rationalmuscle]

One of the greatest (and most underrated) guitarists. This solo in particular is a work of genius.

[@ralex3697]

rationalmuscle He is one of my favorite guitarists of all time

[@sebastiannai4381]

Absolutely criminally underrated. For the life of me I can't imagine why this guy was never mentioned among all the other classic rock guitar heros when I was coming up in the 80s and 90s. Totally unique player, badass blues feel, awesome songs, groove, he was incredible

[@DCB728]

When Roger starts that break at 2:50, it always sends chills up my spine. Mind bending.

[@JH-qy8no]

It is tragic how underrated Roger is as a musician. I appreciate his contribution.

[@tinanoel452]

Magic Man is definetly one of my all time favorite songs

[@metalmamasue3680]

Mine too 🤘

[@leeforrester466]

That solo still gives me the chills. Now he explains the tuning. Pure genius.

[@frankevega]

It's called Roger tuning :)

[@mediacritic]

Because it's an old song we've heard a million times, it's easy to forget how fucking great Magic Man is.

[@barnhill12tribes]

Anyone that would give a thumbs down has to be some kind of special sort of narcissist! Roger is pure genius!

[@jawsxx8683]

After watching this, I just appreciate Roger that much more.

[@josephlalock8378]

ditto

[@ZFlyingVLover]

This guy was the soul of the music that made heart famous

[@JesseeSage]

As much as I love Ann and Nancy's work, Heart is not complete without Roger and his unique playing style. His string vibrato sings and resonates emotion and has since been absent from their music. Amazingly, some 40-50 years later, even the best of the solo transcriptions never got this right, to figure in an alternate 'up-tuning' for Magic Man. Such a great song 🎸

[@allancerf9038]

I feel sad that he had comparatively little success after being fired. I enjoyed the Heart Audio Book with the Wilson Sister (and at one point, even Roger) narrating. Sure, he blames himself. However, I grew up in Kirkland and everyone knew all the Heart scuttlebutt - some of which was actually true, LOL. Some of what the Wilson's say in the audiobook is at odds with interviews from that era in the Seattle Times. Sure, faulty memories over time- but also, a fair amount of bullshit. My notion is that the gal's just wanted Roger gone. And yeah, their music has suffered a lot since.

[@w.harrison7277]

The guitars on Magic Man were so sophisticated and masterful and confident that the song had power that was scary to me then and now. It sounded dangerous, somehow, as a total song, like no parent would want their teenager listening to it. It made the power of the adolescent female sociopath come alive in her full insanity with the lyric, "Try to understand, he's the magic man, momma." It felt very "Go Ask Alice", remember that book/movie? This song seemed like adolescence going too far into a world you may never return from. Fantastic recording! The whole album, really.

[@DCB728]

Yep, I remember "Go ask Alice" well. Roger's playing is indisputably brilliant.

[@michaelsteven1090]

I was 16, in ‘76, practicing for “Battle of the Bands” when the singer walked in and said, “you gotta hear this!” ..it was “Magic Man”..I’ll never forget it..oh, and that guitar sound! Thanks for the memories Roger.

[@slippinjimmy6511]

Michael Steven Geez, lucky you. You were born in the right era

[@dibber43]

Loved Roger Fisher in Heart!!! Unique guitar sound in the 70's!!! When you heard him play, you knew it was Heart!!!

[@DCB728]

Some of the best lead guitar ever written and played. Only Roger can play Magic Man. We love you Roger!

[@geraldhartley]

Roger Fisher is a genius. He guitar work made all the difference on those early Heart albums. The solo on Magic man is just BRILLIANT. Now I understand this tuning played a major part in its unique sound. 😮

[@EGlideKid]

What an underrated guitarist, and a really good guy from the looks of it. Love his stuff. Will always be jaw dropping and iconic.

[@EGlideKid]

@Cire Rednulk Go back to sleep, troll. But first, read all the comments below mine, then take the red pill.

[@EclecticHillbilly]

For me, the band was never the same after they got rid of Roger.

[@rationalmuscle]

Brilliant solo. Never knew about the tuning. Explains a lot!

[@marctaurus8348]

Roger your guitar work on magic man is forever a unique masterpiece!

[@w.harrison7277]

It was confident, masterful, and spellbinding.

[@Dune137]

Absolutely awesome! I have always been impressed with all of Heart's musicians, particularly Roger. The lead guitar in Magic Man is amazing and very unique. He is extremely creative.

[@rsviews2167]

Roger Fisher holds a special place between my ears. He was a style in himself, and I would have LOVED to hear MORE from him, in any musical territory. To me, HE definitly had something to say . He had a voice of his own. His licks were always more than notes, they were statements, his fingers were telling me a story, everytime. Few guitarists have that talent and understanding of their instrument. I'd much rather listen to Roger Fisher doing anything than shredders like Malmsteen and such.. I was glad to see this interview. Thanks for posting.

[@ras124]

Wow, the solo!

[@marcusmofield5815]

His tone on the record is just unbelievable.

[@realcygnus]

I had no idea it was played with a different tuning ! One of the best songs in rock history imo.

[@paulhom2649]

Magic Man is one of my top ten songs, just because of the guitar solo's. It leads the way for me in the seventies to more symphonic bands like Pink Floyd, Yes, Genesis and Rush. Thanks for sharing.

[@sixfoursoul2538]

WOW ! this guy really knows how to play !

[@nbcguitar]

This solo..the tone..the licks...the voicing... everything working together is just inspired genius.

[@dougewing1571]

I remember when these great songs came out. My favorite memories are going to the basketball game's in high school. I remember one night, I went out to my car to smoke a good one. And listening to heart on the radio... It was magic man... I was blowed away in two ways that night.. lol

[@ronaldryan2597]

That's one bad ass riff. So glad I came upon this video. It was very interesting and informative.

[@carriemorley356]

Love you Roger! I went to a party at North Beach in the mid 70s where you were and remember a nice chat! Love from a hometown girl❤

[@petey604]

Amazing, great player and iconic songwriter!

[@diannecarpenter7718]

Roger Fisher, rocks !! 🎤🎸🎵🎹🥁 Life is better with music.

[@drumhd1]

Roger is an amazingly inventive player. Legend!

[@BridgeGuitar]

Fantastic originality. One of the most unique and inspiring leads ever.

[@surfpac]

One of my all time favorites..Magic man bends are legendary....wicked!!

[@peteve1069]

Roger, nobody plays Magic Man like you do. Not even close. You are the man. The early years.... It's just amazing.

[@amandalively1]

This guy is a beast on the guitar.. Amazing!

[@MikefromAlabama]

Always loved Hearts lead guitar lines! Wow.

[@windowgirl7300]

TOTALLY UNDERRATED!! This guy defined HEART'S 70s muzik!!

[@traegermethod3802]

One of the all time great solos. Genius.

[@superlead100100]

I absolutely love Roger Fisher. Got to see him up close on the Dog & Butterfly tour. Inspired me to play guitar. Turns out he is a very cool guy too. Go Roger!

[@funeralbillii9172]

Thanks, Roger...just snapped my High E string.

[@scottfleming6166]

Awesome! Serious chops !!

[@harrytuttle8161]

Great video , Heart was always playing in the background of my childhood . Barracuda was my smoke on the water . I never knew about the augmented tuning ?????

[@skyriminspace]

Solos & riffs for days on this guy. Must'a been smokin' somethin' good back in the day!

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

the guitar work in early heart is some of the best,most creative and unusual guitar playing and inspired me to learn how to play back in the 80s

[@EclecticDiscus]

So under rated in the success of that early heart stuff which was the best stuff. Roger made it special.

[@knowitall1694]

When I started to play guitar, Roger's solo inspired me to go into guitar territory never heard before - or since. Thanks Roger!

[@guitarsncarsnart]

What a nice guy, Cracked up when he said the string tends to break..great player.

[@JH-qy8no]

Notice he said he had a sound in his mind. Then he went to work on the tuning to make it happen. That is what music is all about.

[@CrimsonThorns]

2:47-3:47..so badass. And no one has played it that well since Roger was out of Heart. Other guitarists have tried, but not as good or even close.

[@guitarsncarsnart]

You nailed it bruther...wow.

[@rickd5997]

He put life into his work that solo is amazing

[@trismahaffay2813]

Crazy !!......pure genius!

[@bobchristopher7383]

Excellent information...Thanks very much for the lesson... Cheers Bob

[@paulcooper5748]

love it.

[@JH-qy8no]

2:49 sounds like a tornado siren going off. I love it!!

[@jimih7811]

Mr. Fisher you are a genius and you were the heart of heart .........When you left heart lost the magic....

[@josephe4677]

not entirely-like Fleetwood Mac, Heart's strength was the combination of the entire band. But If I had to pick three members, Ann Wilson, Roger Fisher & Mike Derosier were the killer talents

[@bornagainbornagain6697]

Obviously a master. Thank you sir.

[@lukewschneider]

suprises me all the time, he can play the guitar like you or i can talk. strings are the letters and chords are the words. true guitar hero, thanks for all your time spent practicing and performing. 👍🙂

[@MarkMcPeak5895]

One of the great original soloists and solos on Magic Man and Crazy On You!

[@frankevega]

Man Roger is a badass. Love those sounds.

[@dvdspank1]

Great video! Goes to show the magic manhood runs in the Fisher family. And listening back he kept that magic up right to the very last chord on Mistral Wind from the underrated album Dog and Butterfly. After that Heart still featured the fantastic voice of Ann Wilson, but Roger is surely missed. He must have been devastated being voted out of the band, for in the 80's it seemed he'd disappeared. His first memorable new riffs I hear now on some tracks on his newest release Heart of the Blues. Good to hear he's finally back in shape!

[@Lisajcarton]

Brilliance~~ so happy to see and hear this💜

[@dmmjq2]

Sweet... never knew he tuned like that for that song... very creative

[@markblackwell9486]

Amazing player and writer

[@5150JAM]

loving this

[@teepetro3798]

I love those guitars

[@johnwattdotca]

Mr. Roger Fisher! You may have had the most desired gig in Canada and the world. I was playing and living in Toronto when word got around you got fired from Heart, and making it to Vancouver for an audition became the ultimate fantasy for guitarists. For me, getting a gig as a backup guitarist for Jimi Hendrix or George Benson was 2nd. And as you can tell, I'm still looking and listening to you. Back then, I thought Terry Kath and you should have got together.

[@darkjester2713]

He attacks those notes like a beast .

[@dynjarren7523]

Oh Great! Special Tunings! No wonder I could never get it to sound right. Now I know why after all these years!

[@christopher8220]

This sh%t is AWESOME-AF!!!

[@CrystalTwinStar]

Nice to see him and his talent showcased...and...he's VERY easy on the eyes 😊

[@michaelstapleton2768]

Wow still flawless as ever

[@paulcooper3463]

Love roger fisher would love to meet him.

[@jjtcorsair]

3:13 There it is! That lick that has killed me forever. Such a wild solo played with such feel!

[@thomasanthony5306]

This interview showed me that i had been sleeping on him. Never realized how great of a guitarist he truly is. Keep rocking my man!

[@kingadalou]

Hes a beast.

[@mleightle9289]

Jesus where guitar playing meets yoga/twister, there's a 1.5 minute million dollar guitar lesson ....the piezoelectric/magnetic pickup blend is amazing!!!

[@timtravasos2742]

Amazing

[@AyayronBalakay]

so awesome

[@ErnieDouglas]

ROGER! Your freakin' vibrato depth, vibrato speed changes and bends way up to pitch at more than a full step many times.. is unbelievable!!! This always amazed me. I'm sure Jimmy Page was salivating when he first heard your solos, lick sprinklings, part & harmony composition & point-counter point rythym work with Howard. I know I did as a developing player that turned into a long career over all the 40+ years later. Roger, you are a one of a kind player and belong being mentioned with the handful of truly magnificent landmark all time great rock guitarists who did things & sounded like no one else.. while no one else could play like/what you do. I know you can play every Page & Cream Clapton lick note for note.. and could've give them a run for their money on their own stuff. Neither could do the same with you.. because your own original playing & composition is just as unique & as skilled as either of those guys in their hey day. For sure you don't get enough credit from the general rock music fans as far as being one of the top guitar greats. But, amongst the good player & professional guitar player crowd you are considered on of the best, and the licks and other compositional parts your wrote and played on record are some of the best in rock & roll history.

[@FisherBrosandtheHumanTribe]

Thanks for your kind words, buddy! I'm happy being under the radar ;-)

[@ErnieDouglas]

@@FisherBrosandtheHumanTribe - I also want to say that you should know that many of us completely understand that your original guitar compostions, unique playing style & top of the heap guitar skill made Heart's landmark songs rock classics.. just as much as anything the two sisters brought to the table. Somewhat the same with Mike, Steve Howard but not rivaling the sisters contribution to the incredible success of the music like you. And, I think maybe after all these years that is the root of the sister's issues with you. I think your great musical talent & huge musical contribution to the band, which rivaled all that each of the sisters brought to the table, was (and still is) a big threat to their ego's and controll/dominance that they grew to have over the band. As songwriters on their own, and singers and players of their own original songs, they have had marginal success since you were kicked out of the band. No rock classic major hits hits on their own with what you brought to the table composing, playing, writing, orchestralizing, et al. Their big hair later 80's success only came from songs they didn't, and could never right on their own.. performed by homogenized Hollywood session musicians sounding the same as every other song on the radio. But again even then... both sisters could not make big hit, or historical classic rock songs on their own. So the real problem it seems to me... is the sisters & their major ego's would have to admit to themselves & the fans that they aren't quite what they think they, or what they have been made out to be in rock history. Anne is one of the best rock vocalists of all time.. not even taking into account her sex. Nancy is what she is, if she could have musical performance-wise made the band what it became... then why were you & Howard there? Both sisters WERE great songwriters, but only for a few years and only when YOU, Roger Fisher, was writing/co-writing songs with them (I know Mike, Steve & Hiward had some part & got some credits).. and composing/orchestrating/arranging/playing the unforgettable "hit signature" guitar licks/parts that made the songs hits.. and now timeless classics. Thanks for all you done Roger! You're playing & licks mesmerized me and generations of guitar players when I first heard them as a young kid (& still today), just as I'm sure Page or Hendrix's did you when you were young.

[@paulh6673]

I will try tuning my strings like this, with my head turned the other way, eyes closed, and grimacing.

[@CBDM777]

He's a talented dude

[@DanimalistBoot]

I've always preferred clean players (Cliff Gallup, Mark Knopfler, Johnny Marr) because I feel like distortion and feedback hide flaws. and can become a crutch for weak players (Neil Young). But some players really know how to use them (Hendrix, obviously) and THIS SONG has always struck me as one of the most creative uses of distortion and feedback. Roger Fisher's unmasking the magic here (no pun intended) doesn't make his playing on this any less magical.

[@EclecticHillbilly]

Exactly. Too many people use distortion for distortion's sake. Roger used it for the song.

[@damon123jones]

he is so great

[@jodylowe8476]

That is an amazing guitar.

[@OwenGrantham]

It's a great to hear the methodology behind one of the 70's greatest songs. I remember the first time I heard this album on a mates Akai reel to reel tape. I bought the album on vinyl (obviously) as soon as I could, and still have it along with a modern Vinyl pressing AND on CD.

[@Skypie61]

Absolutely agree. Roger is in my top 5 Rock guitarist for 70's/80's...

[@dgcmusi]

What a great player and composer

[@archiecunningham3734]

Right on! 👍🏻 loved this! Sooo awesome.

[@ericwaldo5034]

He is amazing!!!

[@bluegrassreb1]

magic stuff Mr. Fisher thank you!!!

[@JH-qy8no]

Love that lick down at 15th fret

[@Cook9698]

love that lead on that song such a cool tuning for that one

[@jastrass]

Roger, I have listened to that solo 10 million times, it never gets old and its perhaps the very best sound heart ever made. You had o have the worlds' strongest compressor to get that sound, can you share if you used one to get the nearly synth type quality of the part; also Les Paul right?

[@FisherBrosandtheHumanTribe]

Yep, Les Paul. I used no compression. Flicker added a little at mix down. The sustain of a semi-clean sound is wonderfully achieved by standing if front of a loud amp. The vibrating air from the speakers moves the strings...endless sustain and feedback :-)

[@alanmiller2250]

Definitely one of my favorite guitar bands, back in the day. I like Nancy - you had one of the best bands of all time. I wish you could all make one more album together. The songs were better, that's the most important thing.

[@scottyh8494]

He’s awesome 😎

[@mydogspet]

Such a clever player!

[@carolinapirate2830]

Countless guitar players have listened to that song and wondered how he got that sound with standard tuning. Now we know. He was not using standard tuning. Doh! For guitar players like me that is as aggravating as when Tommy Shaw of Styx admitted that he was unable to play one of the twelve string guitar parts on a Styx tune, so he took off six strings and played it. Then he recorded it a second time with only the other six strings on. The recording engineer then mixed the two parts together. Tommy said the part was almost impossible to play with all 12 strings on at the same time. Double Doh!