Tips for improving soloing (guitar)

[fcgamer | 4,754]

I know there's a lot of talented guitarists on here, during the past two months of soft lockdown in Taiwan I've been playing so much guitar, I feel like my ability has improved more in such a short time than it did in the past ten years, and I've been playing for about fifteen years anyways, off and on (though generally solo, not with others).

I have a good grasp on music theory and play a few other instruments as well, for what it's worth.

My weak point has always been soloing though. I'm considering paying for lessons at a local guitar shop to address this (I still might, just for the social / accountability aspects) , but I'm wondering if anyone here has suggestions for basic and intermediate guitar soloing techniques.

Thanks!

[guitarzombie | 927]

This is my specialty.  Its hard to even know where to start.  Sometimes its as simple as just jumbling the notes around randomly.  Cant learn to swim without being in water.  

Learn about avoid notes.  Notes that are a b9 above a chord tone.  They contain a lot of tension.  Know what they sound like is really important.  One easy way to be safe is any time you have two notes a half step apart, pick the one a half step lower (IE B/C, pick B)

Understand you color tones vs your chord tones.

Learn the entire neck, not just one position for a scale.  The more ways you can play the same scale on different strings/different fingerings will get you out of getting lost.  Especially when improvising and keys are changing fast.  But thats an advanced thing. 

Understand the concept of modes.  Modes are just parts of the major scale, but when used on their own, have their own unique sound.

LIterally every note works over every chord, its just how you use it.  Theres a pillar of consonance/tension.  The most consonant is your root, then chord tones, then the next sounding good ones are your color tones (2s,4s,6s) but they might have a tiny bit of tension that need to be resolved.  Next is dissonance which would be your chord tones outside of your key (like a maj7 against a min chord).  Then your avoid notes in your key.  They sound awful but are important in giving that key its character.  Finally the worst sounding notes are your avoid notes not in your key (like your b9 against a maj chord).

I often say it like this.  If you were to paint a picture of the sky, what color would you use?  Blue.  But now I say, i want you to use green.  Well how would you do that?  An experienced artist or someone that knows color theory, can integrate that color while still making the sky look blue, that doesn't mean the whole sky will be green.  Thats the same way that ugly notes/notes outside the chord work.  So when chords sound nice, play nice, when chords sound ugly, play ugly/use tension.  

It seems very daunting but when you get the feel and control of the neck and develop your ear to recognize modal characteristics/colortones/avoid notes, its actually very easy.  Also make phrasing more vocal/lyrical, than robotic up an down scales or just straight 8th/16th note rhythms.

[Andy_Bogomil | 815]

Some awesome advice above there. I'd just like to reiterate about focusing on chords and chord tones rather than scales. I played for many years without much progress because I would just rip up and down scales without any proper application. If a song was in Am, I would simply just play an Am scale without consciously thinking about it other than sticking within the scale... Sounded pretty shit as a result. 

Keep it simple. Start with simple backing tracks of a few, slow chord changes. It really is about tension and release. Creating tension and flavor with modal or non chord tones but resting and resolving on target notes of a chord. Knowing the neck, chord shapes and arpeggios will go a long way and then focus on scales for longer runs. 

Another thing that really helped me would be listening to a backing track without playing. Your mind will start to hear melodies and then you can hum or sing them first, then try to play or even transcribe it from a recording. Also, pick out a few solos you really like melodically and transcribe them. 

 

[guitarzombie | 927]

Playing to a backing track is certainly important too.  There are more weird things and limitations with function harmony.  (Functional meaning a logical chord progression, C-Am-F-G).  Once you understand avoid notes, why is it sometimes they work and sometimes they dont?  The most common avoid notes are the perfect 4th in a major chord, and the b6 against a minor chord.  So for that chord progression, the first chord's avoid note is F (the p4), then when it goes to Am, its still F (the b6) but then when you get to F, it works, and then to G, F is the b7 which also works.  This is important because you have to be familiar with what comes next in order to make a logical and musical phrase.  So for C and Am, you might play a line like C D E, G E B E, then when it gets to F, you can go from the E to F, accentuating the change to F.  Making the melody logical and appealing. Or you can play that F at the end of the Am chord that sounds a bit ugly, but then when the chord changes, that F gets resolved.  Eventually this all becomes instinctual because you can hear/feel it.

[Hammerfestus | 3,889]

Yeah.  Do what those guys said.  
I’ll just say make sure you’re learning stuff by ear not just tabs.  I feel that there was a period as a guitarist where I spent most of my free time in my uncle’s basement figuring out classic rock tunes by ear and playing Risk when I felt that my playing was at its most solid and coherent.

[guitarzombie | 927]

1 hour ago, Hammerfestus said:

Yeah.  Do what those guys said.  
I’ll just say make sure you’re learning stuff by ear not just tabs.  I feel that there was a period as a guitarist where I spent most of my free time in my uncle’s basement figuring out classic rock tunes by ear and playing Risk when I felt that my playing was at its most solid and coherent.

I disagree but a little.  You're not totally wrong, but its how you use it.  I transcribe a lot of solos and sometimes I see someone play something in a way I didn't think before.  So I try to use that.  But not the actual line itself, but the way its viewed on the guitar and use that as a point of reference to improvise with.  Its all about viewing the neck in interesting ways and you cant think of everything.  So take from a lot of people but make it your own.

But a LOT of guitarists nowadays, write very overly intricate harmonic and technical lines to use over certain chord progressions and to me, thats just really lame.  Being able to improvise makes you a real musician IMO.  You're creating music, not parroting something youve learned that'll work over something.  It becomes less creative to me.  It takes more skill, ear, and harmonic understanding to create on the spot while things can get complicated.

[Hammerfestus | 3,889]

1 hour ago, guitarzombie said:

I disagree but a little.  You're not totally wrong, but its how you use it.  I transcribe a lot of solos and sometimes I see someone play something in a way I didn't think before.  So I try to use that.  But not the actual line itself, but the way its viewed on the guitar and use that as a point of reference to improvise with.  Its all about viewing the neck in interesting ways and you cant think of everything.  So take from a lot of people but make it your own.

But a LOT of guitarists nowadays, write very overly intricate harmonic and technical lines to use over certain chord progressions and to me, thats just really lame.  Being able to improvise makes you a real musician IMO.  You're creating music, not parroting something youve learned that'll work over something.  It becomes less creative to me.  It takes more skill, ear, and harmonic understanding to create on the spot while things can get complicated.

I really was never a good lead guitarist.  Don’t listen to me.   I spent more years as the bass player.  Lifetime ago.

Edited July 23, 2021 by Hammerfestus

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

Learn/Play/practice jazz

[fcgamer | 4,754]

37 minutes ago, MrWunderful said:

Learn/Play/practice jazz

Oof. I have a good friend who's into this, went on to become a professional musician.

He taught me all about the theory, the four part chords were something spawned from hell though.

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

20 minutes ago, fcgamer said:

Oof. I have a good friend who's into this, went on to become a professional musician.

He taught me all about the theory, the four part chords were something spawned from hell though.

For me, as a guy who has always been into metal/rock and learning how to play guitar on those styles, it made me look at playing in complete different way. Im literal trash at it though. It helped my playing however. 
 

I stopped playing guitar (basically) like 6 years ago and almost exclusively play the drums now. I got to jam with some jazz guys and on the drums it was much more natural for me and more enjoyable. 

[guitarzombie | 927]

Haha taking baby steps to get to jazz.  Jazz is just harmonic freedom where you can play with harmony and improvisation.  But most of the guitar stuff that jazz people do is kinda boring because its just a bit more interesting pentatonic scales.  Jazz was derived from the blues but became more harmonically adventurous, but I never was a huge fan of the early stuff as it doesn't really excite me.  I enjoy more of the fusion, really harmonically free stuff, where every chord is interpreted as a new key.

[Hammerfestus | 3,889]

Local fellow

 

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

4 hours ago, Hammerfestus said:

Local fellow

 

Fucking Love Jerry C and everytime I hear pachbel cannon in D i think of this arrangement. Some of his other stuff is really cool too. 
 

Is he really local to you?

[Hammerfestus | 3,889]

26 minutes ago, MrWunderful said:

Fucking Love Jerry C and everytime I hear pachbel cannon in D i think of this arrangement. Some of his other stuff is really cool too. 
 

Is he really local to you?

Not to me but to @fcgamer.  Taiwanese guy.   Back in the day I was more into the funtwo cover of this one.  Much cleaner.  

[guitarzombie | 927]

Thats pretty cool but Im not exactly sure if thats what he was talking about.  That stuff is written out, which is ok.  I was under the impression he wanted to improvise and create on the spot.  Which is way harder.  Two of my favs:

 

and even though its jazz, or fusion, the best and the beast:

 

[Hammerfestus | 3,889]

6 minutes ago, guitarzombie said:

Thats pretty cool but Im not exactly sure if thats what he was talking about.  That stuff is written out, which is ok.  I was under the impression he wanted to improvise and create on the spot.  Which is way harder.  Two of my favs:

 

and even though its jazz, or fusion, the best and the beast:

 

Yeah I know, but how often do I get the chance to bring up random Taiwanese guitarist from 20 years ago