DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME : Our text files and message bases are for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. DO NOT undertake any project based upon any information obtained from this or any other web site.We are not responsible for, nor do we assume any liability for, damages resulting from the use of any information on this site.
(124 votes) Published: Oct 29, 2006 11:30 a.m. In 1 Favorites Lists Viewed 392 times
Soloing A look at concepts, with examples at the bottom. Bad examples, but examples none the less
Alrighty, so there a quite a few eggs on setting up a guitar, and their are eggs on playing other people’s music, and even an egg for beginning guitarists. However I’m not a Beginner and I rather enjoy creative artistic expression as apposed to covers. Or improv, if you will. I figured that I might not be completely alone in my endeavor, so I thought I’d share some techniques for improving improvised solos, or entire songs if one would prefer.
Step One. Warmup: Believe it or not this is important. However, I’m sure everyone knows how to warm up, I’m also sure most already know that it is important. For those that don’t, before you shred you should play scales and arpeggios or whatever to a metronome, http://www.metronomeonline.com/. No rhythm, no legato, just warming up the fingers, like stretching before you play football. If one should feel the need to make their warmup from a song, I suggest Yngwie’s Arpeggios From Hell.
Step Two. Know what your going for: Your gig is in the middle of a bone crunching metal section, time for solo and you launch into a clean and happy bridge section. This works, but it will completely change the feel of the song. Contrast shifts peoples attention to whatever is being contrasted. Metal and happy chords are quite a contrast, listeners attention will shift from the repetitive rhythms of metal to the new sound. This means that when you switch back to metal, it will sound much harsher. Or vise versa. However if your focus isn’t on musical articulation, then the clean section will just sound out of place. Think Metallica(Post Mustain) vs Megadeath.
Know your key. Launching into a solo that is in a different key will simply clash with the rest of the song(thats bad). This is fairly simple. Instead of teaching about keys and harmonics and whatever, just listen. If you play a solo that you like but it clashes, subtract a fret from each note, or add. If you end up like I did with a singer that always sings flat, then you might tune down half a step, it works pretty well.
Step Three: Some Skills. Fancy and Fast only impress people that don’t know much about playing guitar, which is most your audience. Heres some easy tricks that you may or may not know.
Legato-This is basically anything you can do to make continuous noise, often without picking. Hammer ons and pull offs-Which are smashing a fret then un-smashing a fret respectively, and finger/pick tapping which are performing hammer on and pull offs with your right hand. Sliding which is moving from fret to fret without lifting your finger, and Bending, which is fretting a fret then, well, bending the string.
Tremolo- No, not the bar. The picking style. Known sometimes as speed or alternate picking, this is pickin up and down as fast as you can. A good exercise would be to use each string, start on first fret, pick four times, second four times, third, fourth, next string. Use a metronome, start around 110, gradually increase. You’ll be in the 300s in no time. This will also improve the speed of your left hand.
Scales: Well, scale. Since no one has to patience for scales, just learn one. Pentatonic Minor. And the Blues Scale, their really very similar.
Red Notes are on Blues Scale Only.
Those of you with a good ear will know that these scales are used in almost everything. They work in almost everything, every genre, every tempo. Thats why I chose them. This can be done ANYWHERE on the fret board as long as it follows the same pattern.
But thats just a scale, scales are boring. So add Legato, add bends, switch it up a little. All riffs are a chunk or an entire scale in some form or another.
Arpeggios. This is probably the hardest thing for any guitarists. Unlike other instruments arpeggios on a guitar are not cut and dry, and are not nearly as easy. However, arpeggios are beautiful musical phrases, and should not be left un-used. In its simplest, an arpeggio is a chord where every note is played individually, not as a whole. Arpeggios will separate a good guitarist from an epic guitarist. Take an Am chord and break it down.
E:--------------5-8-5--------------|
B:------------5-------5------------|
G:----------5-----------5----------|
D:--------7---------------7--------|
A:------7-------------------7------|
E:--5-8-----------------------8-5-|
It may not be the best sounding, but it is one of the easiest. Explore more, find the cool ones. Good luck.
Examples (recorded with a web-cam, no bitching at me about sound quality.) Just Open in a tab, or if you have IE open in new window, and open-play. Or save them for future referance or something.
Oct 29, 2006 11:37 am - *sigh* It seems I am yet another victem of the people that think everything is c/p. Why, may I ask, do you assume that I am incapable of origional thought?
Oct 29, 2006 11:43 am - Very true. However, this was not copied from anywhere, granted guitarists have been using this for at least forty years, and listen to the examples, you’ll know that they really are some loser(me) recording with and eyetoy.
Nov 02, 2006 4:59 pm - It almost worries me that only one person pointed that out. I noticed it after i had clicked submit, and figuered "meh, whatever." For those who will question, the body of the egg was typed in word first
Edit Page
Message Kapraxis
Add Comment
Add to Favorites
Email to Friend
