Guitar soloing(experienced advise would be nice)?

Question

Well see I can do solo well the problem is that mostly they feel too cluttered. Basically bunch of random notes put together(eventough they seem to sound nicely most of the time). I want to know a good way to put together a melodic solo and just drop all the cluttering of the notes and make nice and smooth.

Answer 1

I agree with your first answer and I will go one better and give you some examples of very minimalist lead guitar. Even if you don't like the music of their bands, you have to admit that they are talented and they hang on every note instead of embellishing it.

I'm sure that as a musician, the temptation is there to make things flashy and use a lot of finger work. However, I truly believe one of the keys to being happy is learning to embrace simplicity. Not that it matters, but millions have been made on it, even in non-artistic professions.

When you call tech support for your computer, they come in and push a few buttons, they don't even break a sweat and then they get upwards of 50 dollars per hour. They have the secret though...it isn't that they know how to push buttons, it is that they know which buttons to push. They just get the job done without a lot of drama. Likewise with your guitar playing. You don't have to be flashy to stir the emotions of a listener. In truth, playing minimally can actually reach more people because there is more room for interpretation, less overwhelm. You can blow them away, or you can lure them in...and then blow them away.

Here are some really good guitarists that make every note count, they solo freely and play a very melodic guitar but they are also very supportive to the rest of the band, they don't TAKE center stage, but are often given it because they are just that damn good.

The Edge from U2.
Steve Howe from Yes
BB King.
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Jeff Beck
Eric Clapton.

Get reacquainted with their music, or listen for the first time. Saturate yourself with it for a while, play along, and see if you can't let their approaches permeate your style of playing.

Another thing I would do as well, is try uncluttering your life a little. Get that spirit of simplicity into other activities in your life. Hole up for a while, learn to meditate, watch the washing machine spin. Take walks. Whatever. I'm not saying to join a monastery or abandon all that you know...but if you seek simplicity as a person, then your style as an artist will become simpler too.

Answer 2

No! Never give up! Every guitarist gets into a slump when they want to, it's happened to me and I'd wager it's happened to everyone else. You have to be patient and it will come. Every step, no matter how small, takes you closer to your goal and if you keep taking steps toward your goal you will get there. Don't listen to people who don't know what they're talking about. You said so yourself, you've invested three months and this and feel yourself making progress. Just try a few seconds of a solo at a time, for example. You don't have to learn the whole solo at once. Learn a bit each day. I play by ear but my passion is blues, SRV was amazing but if you pick his early songs apart a lot of it is built around the I IV V progression. Some songs are more complex than others, start with something with I IV V progression like blues. Learn the root notes of each chord and how to recognize chords. I know it's boring at first but theory is so important. When I learned the open chords and major and minor chords, then pentatonic scales I practiced that theory and then when I heard it in a song I'd recognize it. For example, Pride and Joy. Don't get me wrong, SRV was the most phenomenal guitar player, and it's damned near impossible to play like him (trust me, I am trying!). But, the progression is simple. It's in E, and Goes E-A-B. Then the solo... it may take awhile to learn. But the solo is in E minor pentatonic, and so is the intro. Perhaps taking an ear training course at a college would help, it helped me as well and I've been playing by ear. Also playing the piano helps. Guitar is my real talent but I play the piano too; I started off with piano and it has made me a better guitarist.

Answer 3

don't just make it a bunch of notes. Hang on to bends or give some vibrato with string bends and skip strings when going up or down the fretboard. Follow the main melody of the song and elaborate on the key points of the melody in your solo. Listen to your favorite riffs and change them up. Try some of them in your solo. The best solos have feeling not notes.

Answer 4

Start with this: Get a melody in your head, then sort it out by singing or humming it, THEN play it, simple. Practice the technique often, it works!

Answer 5

Play along with artists whose style you want to emulate (on CD). The more you listen and practice, the more you can pare down your style.