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.