How to Solo
Is being able to solo on guitar something you would like to be able to do? For most of us, the answer is "yes, of course!", as improvisation is a key element in many modern music genres. So, if you listen to anything from Metallica to the music of Miles Davis, you should find this lesson useful and insightful.
Picture this: you're on stage with your band (or you might just be jamming with a few mates, it doesn't matter), and you're strumming through the chords. Things are going well, and you notice that the audience is intently listening to what you're playing. Slowly the music starts to build, through the chorus, the singer hits that high note with so much energy. The audience is in awe.
Right at this moment, you know what comes next, the solo- but wait, you haven't prepared one already. What do you do? Knowing that what comes next could make or break the song- and its going so well! You don't want to make yourself look like a moron in front of everyone. You want to hit just the right notes for that perfect solo, right?
Where are you at this point? Do you know that you can pull it off? Or are you frozen to the spot with nothing to play? Well, whichever stage you are at, there are techniques that can help you overcome this anxiety. It is possible to practice improvising, so that you can pull off a great solo every time! Instead of ruining a song with "bum" notes, you can earn adoration from your friends and fans. You want that, right? Watch this Video:
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Now, with these techniques you're not practicing scales, or any specific licks. You actually practice "How" to improvise- and thats what you need with soloing, because every time it will be different. Knowing your scales will only help you to know what "set" of notes to play. Thats all a scale is: a group of notes. What you wont learn from scales is how to construct a melody from those notes- to actually create something musical.
This leads us on to the second video, where we actually use a scale. Remember, learning scales does help, but it wont "make" you solo well. These techniques help you actually create your own solos, from scratch!
These techniques aren't all there is either. There are plenty of exercises like this that will boost your playing skills, but I'm afraid I save the best of them for my students. The advantage of private tuition is that I can tailor the learning experience to your individual needs- so that you get the best out of your time!
If you would like to contact me for private tuition, email me at this address:
chainsawmaniak@googlemail.com
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