How can I improvise a decent solo?

Question

How do I get better at improvising solos on guitar? I know the pentatonic scale inside and out. I know all the different forms of them across the fret board. I am lightning quick running up and down the scale. I only know about 3 licks but I've mastered them.

My solos always sound the same because I use the same licks and I just go up and down the scale. I also always tend to stay in the same key also, which makes it quite lame.

How can I spice up my solos? I have a fender G-dec amp and it can play bass and drum lines while you freestyle. I just want to be able to practice some good soloing techniques.

Answer 1

Remember that when you're playing a solo, you're basically composing a melody spontaneously, on the fly. Instead of just running through the licks and scales you know, as fast as you can, try coming up with a coherent melody line that has a beginning, a middle and an end. I know -- easier said than done -- but think of your guitar as a voice, and make it "sing".

One tip that I find helpful in coming up with original licks when you're practicing soloing is to scat sing (using nonsense syllables) along with the chord progression you're soloing to -- tape your singing -- then figure out how to play what you just sang. Its all too easy to get stuck in familiar fingering patterns on guitar, and then your playing gets to be really repetitious because you can't think how to break away from those. But if you sing your improvised lines first, you're free to create melodic ideas without getting stuck in fingering patterns, and you'll probably find yourself singing lines that are much more melodically and rhythmically complex -- and interesting -- than anything you would come up with on guitar. Try it!

Answer 2

This helped me a lot: don't just run through the scales - do the scales in different "interval" combinations - go up and down the scale skipping every other note, then every third note, etc. For the really large interval "leaps" use more than one "octave". Learn the different modes too, and be sure to learn some specific melody lines. I sometimes throw in the melody to "Material Girl" by Madonna, and being a blues rock GUY, this is always good for a laugh... and a wink from me. Someone else I know throws in the theme from "M.A.S.H." - "Suicide is Painless", and the crowd loves it. I don't know if you take lessons, but that can be a big plus too. I sometimes feel like my improvised solos sound the same too, but I've learned to deliberately take chances, and although it sometimes comes out sounding terrible, sometimes it works out great. You will also discover that the people who seem to be great at improvisation spent a whole lot of time off stage learning what to play, so a lot of what seems spontaneous is actually something that has been extremely well rehearsed. Listen to a lot of great players and hear what they are doing, and keep going - it takes a long time to get great on the guitar. I've been playing for years and only now do I think I'm actually starting to get to the point where I'm good, and am still working my way towards being great. Patience, and keep at it, keep at it, keep at it!

Answer 3

A lot of good suggestions, has anyone mentioned thinking and playing more through the “chord” rather than a scale. This should open up new sounds and licks that you can get creative with, even if your just practicing over a single chord vamp.

So if you’re playing a C7 chord try making a melody out of C E G and Bflat. Once you can do that, try adding notes above or below those “Chord Tones” (one fret for a half-step and two frets for a whole step). Make sure you’re playing real rhythms; tap your foot or whatever to feel the groove. This alone should open up all sorts of new possibilities and also change up the muscle memory in your fingers. Try that approach on an easy I IV V rock tune or a blues and you’ll have lots to work with for awhile.

Mix this up with everyone’s scale approach and sounds like you’re going to have a lot more variety in your improvising. Have fun I feel your pain!

Answer 4

First off, learn more scales. Most importantly the major scale. When you learn the major scale you have actually learned 7 different scales!!! A good scale book, or website can explain far better than I can, at least in this space. My other advice is two-fold. Computer software that can play/generate backing tracks can be extremely helpful. Also a buddy that plays guitar, bass, or even piano, that you can jam with. One of you plays a chord progression, the other solos. Then you switch, to keep it fair and fun! The human element is by far the best, but the software can be used at anytime. Use both if you can!

Answer 5

one can improvise with just 2 or three notes.improvisation can be taught to only a certain, degree the rest is imagination or creativity,and taste.there are no wrong notes,just bad choices.on a technical note,learn any given scale through the cycle of 4th's or 5th's,be it whatever scale.try playing in the mode of a given scale,say g. start on the root G ascend to to octave G .start your decent on the 9th which is A to the lower A which is the 2nd.progress through the modes of a scale as such.this will help your fingers get use to the different positions.learn ALL the scales,you will never use them but it makes the easier ones more easy.like swinging two bats before you step up to the plate,toss the one aside and bat in hand becomes lighter.
lot to chew at once,i know.been at it 30+years,most of that jazz improvisation.flute and sax.
take care.
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