Guitar Solo Tips

Even though most modern guitar solos are typically just simple contextual musical interludes with little relation to the classic masterpieces of the past, there are still some basic principles to follow when soling in todays pop and rock tunes.

I will break things down to 3 basic elements in your soloing to think about as you record or perform some lead guitar.

SIMPLE MELODY

 Let a simple 3 or 4 note melody or motif be a good starting point 

to your solo. It can be something inspired by the song's melody or just

a line that adds to the existing material in the parts of the song.

CHORD NOTES OR TRIADS

Try to follow some of the outlines of the chord tones

throughout your soloing. Sometimes it's just a targeting the

first or last chord of the progression and highlighting those notes

to create resolution and musical poetry.

CLASSIC PENTATONIC SCALE RUNS

One can really tie things together with classic blues

and pentatonic runs. They seem to fit in almost any occasion

and give soling that classic element that everyone knows

and loves about the guitar. 

Put these three elements together next time you get to solo, and you will be pleased at the outcome. You'll have to work a bit to become quick at hearing and making melodies, know the locations of some basic triad (chords) shapes, and memorise some classic bluesy runs to begin playing like a pro.

UNTIL NEXT TIME....

Guitar and Technology

I think I could walk into any music shop anywhere and with a guitar off the rack,

 a couple of basic pedals and an amp I could sound just like me. There's no devices, customized or otherwise, that give me my sound. David Gilmour

Personally, I don't know too many guitar players that could make this claim in the present age. Technology offers an endless horizon of options for guitarist and we spend a great deal of time and money in a never ending cycle of developing our sound through a revolving door of guitars, amp, and pedals. 

While many of our guitar heroes had their own historic tone journeys, they all seemed to stumble onto a path of realisation that their fingers held the secret to their success and to their uniqueness in the world of guitar and music.

In a world of a somewhat unlimited technology boom, test your mettle by regularly plugging straight into an amp and using your fingers to create multiple tone options and dynamics. Play a gig with little or no effects and you'll see that it challenges you to problem solve the role(s) of the guitar in a music context without artificial ambience, texture and dynamics. 

In a world of all these endless choices I still play a '62 reissue strat through a plexi-style amp and I never tire of the sound. Just some thoughts to wrestle with the next time you go to the music shop. 

More Thoughts on Speaker Simulators and Impulse Responses

I just flew to and from the Breakforth Conference in Edmonton. I was performing at the Canadian Gospel Music Awards show and doing 3 guitar clinics the following days at the conference. On top of the regular plane fare there was a baggage fee added for each additional piece of luggage beyond my carry-ons. To take both an acoustic and an electric guitar cost me about $135. I don't know what an amp would cost but the extra cost is surely a deterrent for the near-present and the future flights I take with my guitar gear.

A little while back I did a conference in Downtown Vancouver with an in-ear monitoring system for stage and a request to play without amps on stage. I ended up taking a couple of guitars, my pedalboard and a speaker simulator. I could pack my entire rig in in one trip.

These types of scenarios are becoming commonplace at least in the circles that I work in. The footprint of what I need to play a show seems to be growing smaller. The question for me seems to be; 'how do I build my setup to get great tone, versatility,  quick setup and tear-down, but also have the tools I need to fit in one gigbag and a small padded case?'.

The answer for me, is to have one great guitar and about 7 or 8 boutique pedals, chosen with great care and able to fit on a tiny pedalboard, both small enough to be carryons on a plane.

It does seem to take a bit of the fun out of what guitar playing and collecting gear is all about but I prefer it now for most of the gigs I do. Once in a while I will arrive at a gig and there will be stereo Fender Deluxe's, a Blues Deville or a Vox AC30 waiting for me onstage and I do get excited to crank up a bit. I will give you some more particulars in the future of the ins and outs of using a small system.

Below is the Tech21 Flyrig. What a cool idea this is. It has everything you would need for a basic gig and you could fit it in your gig bag. They have a few different styles to choose from. Wow!

The new addition to my pedalboard will be the Radial JDX Direct-Drive speaker simulator/di combo pedal. It sounds fantastic and it will lighten my load, while sacrificing nothing in my tone, expression, and the versatility I need for the type of gigs I'm doing. Check it out at:  http://www.tonebone.com/jdxdirectdrive.php

Speaker Simulator Options for Guitarists

Along with my busy guitar lesson studio, I am a fairly busy schedule as a professional session and live player. I used to have a big rack system with preamps, power amps, rack-effects and cabs, with flight cases and the sore back that went along with the whole rig.

For the last 5 years I have worked in all the same situations without the amp, rack and cabs. My rig consists of a pedalboard that can fit into a common briefcase; along with a speaker simulator and some in-ear monitors. I can pack my entire rig into a gig in one easy trip.

The positives of the setup are easy to see and feel: less stuff to pack; less stuff to maintain; less stuff to go wrong; less volume to contend with; less setup time; and certainly more flexibility in each different room situation.

I am not opposed to having amps and cabs; rather I'm choosing a strategy that makes sense given the musical situations I am generally playing in.

Here are some excellent options if you want to try gigging without a traditional guitar amp setup. Just put some pedals or a pedal preamp infront of one of these speaker simulators and you'll be surprised at how good the sound is through studio speakers, a PA or in-ear monitors.

Neunaber Iconoclast

BluGuitar Blubox

Lodigy EPSi

Digitech CabDryVR

Yes. Nothing else can completely replace a great tube amp cranked up, but

as a second backup rig, or flyrig, or just a lightweight alternative to the big amp

that you can't turn up anyway (because the room is too small); these small

cab simulators really do deliver a realistic tone and feel that can

even fool experienced guitarists in the audience.