Playing a solo is one of the most terrifying experiences for beginner guitarists, but it doesn't need to be overly difficult. First of all, remember that the best solos fit the specific song. The speed of execution does not matter. If you focus on writing a solo that blends perfectly with the song, you can succeed. All you need is practice and improvisation skills.
Note: This article assumes that you are already capable of playing as a lead guitarist. If you are a beginner, please read the following articles before continuing:
- Learning the Scales on the Guitar.
- Read Guitar Tabs.
- Mastering the Basic Techniques of the Solo Guitar.
Steps
Method 1 of 2: Compose Your First Solo
Step 1. Improvise on the song to figure out which key and style to follow
To write a solo, you need to feel comfortable with the song and the chord loop. If you have to write a solo it is very likely that you are in contact with the author of the song; usually it is he who lets you know the chord range and key. Listen to the piece 2 or 3 times improvising on the guitar to find some ideas on scales, notes and riffs.
Don't try to find the perfect solo right away. Just play along with the song, trying to make up your own mind about the parts that might work
Step 2. Determine which scale to use
You have many options available and none of them are necessarily the right one. While you can use multiple scales in a single solo, based on the harmonic loop, you should become familiar with only one scale before moving on to more complex playing if you are a beginner. If you are unfamiliar with any of the scales below, read this article to learn more about scales and modes to expand your soloing technique. At the beginning you can use in almost any song two simple scales that can be played anywhere on the neck according to the various keys. The following forms are an example:
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There Pentatonic minor scale it is one of the most versatile, used in rock, blues, pop and jazz music. For an E minor song, you would play:
Mi | --------------------- 0-3- |
Yes | ----------------- 0-3 ----- |
Sol | ------------- 0-2 --------- |
King | --------- 0-2 ------------- |
The | ----- 0-2 ----------------- |
Mi | -0-3 --------------------- |
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Also there Major pentatonic scale it is equally versatile, but conveys a more lively and cheerful mood. For an E minor song, you would play:
Mi | --------------------- 3-5- |
Yes | ----------------- 3-5 ----- |
Sol | ------------- 2-4 --------- |
King | --------- 2-5 ------------- |
The | ----- 2-5 ----------------- |
Mi | -3-5 --------------------- |
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This version of the Major pentatonic scale it is more lively than the previous one. For a song in E major:
Mi | ------------------------------------- 9--12-- |
Yes | ------------------------------ 9--12 --------- |
Sol | ----------------------- 9--11 ---------------- |
Re | ---------------- 9--11 ----------------------- |
The | --------- 9--11 ------------------------------ |
Mi | --9--12 ------------------------------------- |
Step 3. Start composing with long, simple notes
Instead of playing as fast as you can, do a test solo playing around 8-10 notes. These long, powerful notes will be your reference points that you can return to when you play faster. These notes, usually placed strategically between the chord changes of the harmonic loop, will form a sort of map of your solo.
During your solo, try to play only the root of each chord that is played. This will help you find the structure of the song on the fretboard of the guitar
Step 4. Integrate other melodic parts of the song into the solo if you're not feeling particularly inspired
If you are not yet familiar with scales, if you can't think of anything to play, or if you just want to give your solo some form of structure, try playing the same notes that the singer sings. Start with a 4-5 note riff that calls up the main tune or a series of notes you've played before. Then repeat the same sentence, changing a couple of notes. Edit this riff 2-3 times, ending with a completely different composition than the one you started with. This method will allow you to write a simple solo that blends perfectly with the rest of the song.
Step 5. Think of a solo as a short story where you build up tension as you progress
The best solos ever written always have a certain structure, from the blues of Clapton in Layla to the genius expressed in the single notes of Django Reinhardt. They develop slowly and gradually increasing the degree of complexity to engage the listener - not just to demonstrate the author's technical skills. Think of your solo as a story, with an introduction, a middle part, and a conclusion. A good example structure can be:
- Introduction: starts slowly, with small phrases of notes or parts repeated at low speed. You should introduce the notes you are going to play, perhaps repeating a melody you played previously, repeating the same phrase 2-3 times or imitating the melody of the sung part.
- Central part: Begins to explore the keyboard when the chords change. You could move to higher notes, repeat some of them, or add bending and vibrati.
- Conclusion: ends the solo with your best phrase or the fastest series of notes, ending your solo in the most intense climax.
Step 6. Keep improvising until you find something you like
In some cases it will take a short time, but often, you will have to play it many times, keeping the best parts and cutting out the ones that don't work, until you get a complete and quality composition. Don't tense up and don't be afraid to experiment. Once you've found the right notes, you can make the solo more interesting by adding some embellishments:
- If you hold some important notes for long periods of time, try vibrating them or using bending to simulate singing.
- Can you gloss over the notes? Can you play them faster with hammer-on or legato?
- Can you delete or add notes to improve the rhythm of the solo or to develop better tension? Are there any particular off-scale notes that can give the song a unique style?
Method 2 of 2: Composing Best Solos
Step 1. Practice stairs regularly, following new patterns
Run the stairs up and down. Don't focus on speed; You will improve much faster by playing a scale slowly for 20 minutes than by trying to play it as quickly as possible for hours. Make sure you perform the exercise perfectly, without skipping notes and without making mistakes. Listen to what you play to give the notes the right dimension based on the context. When you think you have familiarized the whole scale:
Try new patterns. Play three notes on the scale in sequence, move up by two, move down by three, and so on. Skip one note every four. Play the notes according to the pattern 1-2-3, then 2-3-4, 3-4-5, and so on, in quick succession. These simple exercises will allow you to accelerate the speed of your fingers and will allow you to avoid simply playing the scale up and down
Step 2. Choose your notes wisely, just as a singer decides which notes to sing
If you replace the words of a song with notes, you can realize how all the singers constantly do solos. However, since a singer has to move slower than a guitarist, he has to make sure that every note is the right one. It's not enough to simply sing a scale: they have to make the whole verse coherent, smooth and perfectly integrated. You should do the same thing in your solos, regardless of playing speed. When composing, think about:
- What are the important notes and how you can emphasize them with vibrati and bending.
- How can you smoothly move from one note or chord to the next while respecting the melody?
- What is the overall emotion of the song and how your solo fits into it.
Step 3. Study the solos of your favorite guitarists, learning them perfectly
Solos are not just a random series of notes in a scale, but are rather composed of rapid succession of specific melodic intervals. Try listening to them, singing them and playing them on your guitar. Try to notice how they match the chord progression of the song.
- The best guitarists in the world have spent years studying the solos of other professionals, drawing inspiration from their works and learning their structure. For example, Duane Allman would move his turntable with his foot, moving the needle to listen to solos again as he tried to learn them.
- Online you can find guides and videos for "Learning to sound like _". They are great aids for learning new scales and note combinations to integrate into your playing.
Step 4. Sing out your ideas for solos, then try playing them on the guitar
If you have a clear vision for your solo, sing the notes and record with your phone or computer. Grab your guitar and try to transfer the idea to the fretboard.
Step 5. Learn new techniques to add flavor to your solos
You can learn sustained bending, pizzicato harmonics, vibrati, palm muting, etc. to give your style a unique flavor. Not all solos require advanced techniques, but knowing many tricks allows you, over time, to develop your repertoire of phrases to use when needed.
Step 6. Learn to make the most of the ways
These are variations of the most common scales and each of them has notes and characteristics that distinguish it. Learning the modes is a great way to create solos to suit the style of each song. Keep in mind, however, that they change according to the hue. The variations are innumerable, the best way to choose a way to develop is to know music theory, or do research on the internet to learn how they move. There are many generators on the internet that allow you to enter a key and the way you want, and then show you the actual scale you need.
- Ionic - the simplest major scale sound, is often considered "happy" or "triumphal".
- Doric - a versatile scale, suitable for blues, rock and metal, common for minor keys.
- Phrygian - the most "exotic" way.
- Lidio - you can notice its sonority in Steve Vai's solos. This mode is characterized by a particularly evocative atmosphere.
- Misolydian - a way on which blues and classic jazz are based; often used in acoustic pieces.
- Wind power - a markedly minor way, often considered "sad" or "depressing". It is often used in classical music.
- Locrio - a very "bad" and dreary sounding mode, very common in heavy metal.
Advice
- Working with stairs alone can limit your creativity. If a note sounds good, don't be afraid to use it.
- A good way to write the beginning of a solo is to replicate the instrumental melody of the rest of the song (if any) and play it in a different octave or harmonized version.
- Practice is key.
- The secret to playing fast is being able to use the pick quickly and accurately. Learn various techniques related to picking, such as alternate picking, favorable alternate picking, tremolo, and sweep. Country-style picking can also be helpful.
- It is possible to use notes that do not belong to a scale, it is one of the techniques often used in jazz. Just make sure they are properly placed in the appropriate context.
- On the internet you can find many exercises to practice. Remember that the help of a teacher allows you to improve your skills quickly.
- Always let your solos "breathe". Give viewers and yourself time to enjoy the music and your solo without overdoing it.
- Do not neglect techniques such as vibrato, staccato, accents, bending and glissato; these are techniques used universally by all guitarists as they give just that extra touch.
- Try playing solos on almost any song. Play your favorite records and improvise, freely.
