Robby Krieger
Acoustic Guitar Solo on
Spanish Caravan

About

Robby Krieger's acoustic guitar solo opens "Spanish Caravan" from The Doors' 1968 album Waiting for the Sun with one of the most distinctive passages in the band's catalog. This unaccompanied introduction is performed in free time in E, a virtuosic display of classical and flamenco guitar technique that draws on Isaac Albéniz's "Asturias (Leyenda)." The rubato phrasing allows Krieger to showcase his classical training, with rapid arpeggios, tremolo picking, and the dynamic range of the nylon-string guitar creating a dramatic prelude before the band enters. The solo stands as evidence of Krieger's extraordinary versatility as a guitarist.

Robby Krieger was 21 to 22 years old at the time.