Soloing

[Diddleydaddy]

I have played for about 3 Solid years and I love it more every day. Does anyone have any advice for a person who would like to learn to create good solos? I do well learning solos, but creating them is a different thing for me. I want to play good sounding solos that relate to the song I'm playing, not just a bunch of fast, flashy runs. I like speed where it fits, but I think a single note can speak just as powerfully, depending on the context. For me it's just finding the right notes, rythmic patterns etc. Also what advice do you have on spicing up chord pros and adding fills? I would appreciate any suggestions.

[TurboDog]

There are a variety of ways to start soloing techniques. I'll throw some at ya.

 

Learn scales. Major and minor harmonic, major/minor pentatonic for starters. This will give you a good reference as to what notes you can use. (But don't be confined by these as well...feel free to play whatever sounds best to you).

 

Learn some other peoples solos. There are certain tricks we all use in soloing. You can learn these by learning other artists solos and picking up some of their style. Don't think of this as cheating, we all do it.

 

Start developing your own style. This will probably come naturally, as you will repeat themes/techniques that you like in your solos. Just don't overdo it.

 

Play along with radio/cd/jam tracks/friends or whatever. Learn a song and it's key. Then play solos with it over and over, noting chord changes. Try to follow chord changes with your solos.

 

Start slowly, using single notes and bends. When you feel good about what you are doing, throw in some more speed and hammer-ons/pull-offs.

 

Practice speed techniques. You don't have to be Steve Vai, but there are times when you may want to bust out a fast run. Fretting practice helps your speed, accuracy, and strength.

 

There are a ton of websites that offer free on-line lessons. Find some and practice them as well. Several videos and books on this topic as well.

 

What am I leaving out?

[baronedo]

Start by learning Major and Minor Pentatonic scales in all keys and positions on the fretboard. These scales are very versatile and relatively simple and can be used in country, blues, rock and even some jazz. A trick for me (and I'm sure many others) is to learn the various shapes/forms made by the scale notes on all the strings along a 4 to 5 fret section of the fretboard - noting where the root note location is in relation to the overall shape of the scale pattern. Knowing the root location allows you to repeat the shape/scale in different keys as opposed to being locked into a limited number of keys. After you learn the pentatonics, I would branch into the Aeolian (i.e. natural minor)and Dorian scales as these scales can be thought of as expansions of the Minor Penatonic scale (i.e the Minor Pentatonic scale with a few added notes).

 

Learning these scales will give you some guidelines for playing the right versus wrong notes. However, learn to play from the heart and by feel as some of the previous respondents have suggested, i.e. with bending, slides, and controlled finger vibrato. Also, don't be afraid to jump around on the fretboard and/or to skip strings, to give your soloing some variety and keep you from getting in a rut. Keep studying and learning new stuff. There are some great Video tape/booklet lesson as well as cassette/CD lesson with books.

 

I purchased a Casette with book entitled "Killer Pentatonics" from Musicians Friend and it has lots of good soloing licks in it, all based on the Major and Minor Pentatonic scales. Another good video is entitled "blues rock guitar soloing" by Starlicks (distributed by Hal Leonard) and features Matt Gurman.

[Rim]

Here's some basic stuff which I find I still have to remind myself:

 

• Repeat some notes - Sometimes I get caught up in what ever scale I'm using that I forget that repeating the same not a few times (not too much) in a row can help make the solo more memorable.
   
  
• Vary your rhythm - Again, sometimes I end up playing all eighth notes or whatever. Hold some out longer, add syncopation.
   
  
• Use different modes - Pentatonic scales are very good to learn. I'm to the point where all my solos sound bluesy, though, so I've learned the different scales as Lancer mentioned. Now I know how some players sound not too bluesy.
   
  
• Jam with CDs - Pick songs that have a lot of spaces where there is no singing or soloing and solo over it. I used to love jamming to "Dark Side of the Moon" and "Wish You Were Here" albums because there are a lot of space to improv. Try both copying Gilmour and also coming up with your own stuff.
   
  
• Jam with other people - Find other guitarists to jam with. Their level doesn't matter. If they're good, they can teach you. If they're not too good, they can strum rhythm while you experiment. Trust your ears.
  [*}Keep learning new stuff - New to you, that is.
   
  

I've also read that you need to think of each note you play as having a beginning, a middle and an end. For example, for the beginning, do I just pluck the note or do you hammer on? Do I slide up to it or slide down to it. For the middle, how long do I hold it? Do I add a vibrato and how much? For the end, do I just let it go or do I let it fade out? Do I slide out of it? To be honest, this makes my head hurt, but it may be useful for you!

[jlh]

All the other folks comments are right on. One trick I like to use when developing a solo for a song is to first learn to play the melody of the song well. After playing it for a while things start to come to me like "hey, if I just hold this note instead of play all three it sounds kind of soulful" etc. Soon it has the character of the tune, but is not really the melody anymore. This is less a technique for improvisation than working out a cool break for a song. For improv see above messages.

[jsull]

Sing your solo while you play it. (Off-mic is OK.) Takes a little practice, but I find it's really helpful when I remember to do it.

 

Just something I'm working on for myself, but I'm trying to think more about the space between the notes, and letting a little more air in my playing. It's too easy to just buzz-saw along without taking a breath.

 

Which reminds me of another tip I heard, which sort of ties these together, try to play your solos in phrases. If you were singing it, when would you take a breath?

[Chip McDonald]

Learn diatonic scale positions.

 

Learn your favorite solos in the context of where they are in said positions.

 

Make yourself recombine these solos in different combinations in different keys.

 

Learn enough examples that when you recombine these where they came from aren't recognizable.

 

Learn to reharmonize melodies, and the concept of sequencing.

 

... then forget all of that and let an original amalgamation come out.