Fab points mentioned so far... Theory and fretboard knowledge will also come into this... so if yu know your modes/arps etc then you'll be able to bring about a change of mood instantly as long as you know what sounds like what, you know?
Dynamics:
-Palm mutes while picking hard/soft, using legato, tapping etc
-Playing near the bridge makes things sound harsher while playing near the neck makes things sound more light and fluffy...but also a little more muffled (listen to that track, clare...)
-Picking with the edge of the plectrum rather than the flat side... I do this a lot and it sounds awesome, IMO. Very rocky and defined. It's also east to get a pinched harmonic out quickly if you're playing like this.
-etc etc etc etc You get the idea... The little nuances you create with your fingers and the way you play are a massive part of your sound.. Try playing the strings off the fretboard! Or tapping the back ot the fretboard!
Note choice:
-Like I said, you should know how to create a mood with different scales if you know them.. Also, you shuold know the scale you want to play all over the neck so that you have the option of playing a note anywhere.
-Generally, you should stick to chord tones if you want to be safe.. There's no doubt.. playing chord tones against the chord in question will undoubtedly 'fit' and sound awesome. But obviously don't play the notes in the same position as the chord you're playing or it might mush. You should generally try to end the solo on the chord's root or strong chord tone such as the 3rd or 7th.
-Play using outside notes! Just mess about and play lead-in notes and whatnot.. It'll make you sound like you really know what you're doing! :lol: :wink: But try things like... Well.. you know Paradise City? Slash uses the dorian scale with the added blues note. At the end he does hammer-ons from 15-16-17 on A string up to B string but messes about the order.. some of those notes obviously don't belong, but it sounds cool! Often I'll do something similar when tapping, I must admit. I'll play some notes with the left hand and with the right I'll slide and doo-da anywhere if it sounds good!
-Like Jason says... use your ears and sing along, and try to make the most of a few notes.. Phrasing is everything! It HAS to have a hook and be catchy!! Just sing 'Scit-scat a bobble doo daa.. wayhey!! A bam woooooo shaska boink!'.. that would be the rhythm :lol:
-Like somebody said, the textbook thing to do is start off low in the register and work your way up the fretboard (and with increasing speed if needed) to the higher notes for the climax. Again, you'd need to know the scale all over..
-Really, one of the best things to do is stick on your fave song and widdle over it!! Widdling's not ALL bad..
Structure:
-Textbook way to go is start slow with a catchy lead line then build up the speed while increasing pitch to end up with an orgasmic bend to the target note :lol: I tend to, like Bezzer says, let everything out in the oner and leave no surprise for the listener :lol: But I guess the point here is that there are no rules.
-This doesn't really come under 'structure,' but V N' M's point about rhtyhm is great.. There's no point in playing 4th notes all the way throughout. Let the piece breath, and make sure to spice it up with triplets or whatever every now and then!
-You can do the usual ABA structure and whatnot... but I suggest just doing whatever the hell you think sounds OK! Also.. If you play two A sections, it's a good idea to vary the sound of a little while keeping it recognisable. Imagine if A was a book. You wouldn't want to read a whole book twice unless it was great or at least varied..
Other stuff?
-Think about harmony and counterpoint. Sometimes two or more lead guitars can create an amazingly complex-sounding solo while the separate parts are really simple!
-Technique... If you want to play shit-hot solos then you're going to have to practice with regards to technique. There's no doubt it sounds awesome when somebody builds up to a fast run, pulls off a pinched harmonic, taps their way back down to the lower notes and then does some string skipping on the bass notes :lol: Know your techniques and practice!
-Theory again... boo.. :lol: Learn it while you can!
TBH, I say just go and shove on your fave CD and widdle to it! Do this a lot and then actually record your widdles! If you're more of a composer (I certainly am.. not so hot with the improv!) then it's great (but frustrating!) to sit down and use your ears to find that awesome lead line of your dreams, and then surround it with lots of other musical things.
I hope that wasn't crap! Lots of other stuff, but work to do :lol:
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How many ways can you use to produce a note: upstroke, down stroke, tremolo pick, thumb nail, thumb flesh, finger nail, finger flesh, snap (pull string away from fret board and let it snap back), hammer on, pull off, slide up, slide down, bend up, bend down (release), whammy down, tap, tap and slide, tap and bend, feedback (touch the guitar head to the amp), violining (pick, then turn up the volume), harmonic, pinched harmonic (thumb over pick), harp harmonic (thumb picks and finger touched the node point), half harmonic (finger plucks whilst side of thumb touches the string at the node point). In the right place each of these will add interest.
Roland
[url]http://www.Misbehavin.org[/url]
Originally Posted by jason morris
Exactamundo. Book 1 is the stuff that I already knew (and much of book 2), but really well put, and ideal for an intermediate player to get up to scratch & plug up knowledge holes.
I found that too. I could see they were good books....... but I already knew it! :lol:
I think the trick is not to think of technique.... well, DO think of technique, but don't think of it as an exercise, think of it as a means to achieving a certain sound. That's the way I did it. I've NEVER been one for exercises but I'm still partial to a bit of the wankery now and again and if my muso friends are anything to go by I'm not bad at it.
I think a part of getting good at it simply comes from really WANTING to instead of feeling some obligation towards it. If your musical "minds eye" isn't coming up with that kind of music it can make things a lot harder.
Most of all though, don't rush it, it takes years and you'll not notice an immediate improvement over the course of a few hours.
Another thing is to observe the players you like, and try and understand/dissect the music, so you can see that when they hit that certain note that totally makes you cream, you can understand why it does that on a musical level. You can then take "shortcuts" in your further writing because you've learnt how to create that sound. That's the way it is for me in furthering myself, I always download powertabs of music that makes my ears prick up and work out *why* it does.
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Nice one, Roland!!!!!
+1, 000, 000
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That's ace, Thomas, thanks. I'm going to bed now so i'll have to read it tomorrow - way too tired to do it justice now.
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Play with your teeth. Can't beat that tooth-tastic tone.
The best way to improve your solos is to understand how music works. The more you know the better your solos will become.
That's it right there. Soon as I understood what was going on in things I liked, it made it a lot easier to recreate a similar effect in my tunage.
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Thanks guys, there are some excellent tips and insights there.
Thomas - that was brilliant, thanks very much. It's given me some ideas of what I should be thinking about.
Roland.Gower - again, brilliant - there really are so many ways to play the same thing! I hadn't thought of that, so thanks.
V'n'M - more sound advice, and the part about it taking years to do well, makes me feel a lot better, I was getting frustrated when I clearly wasn't getting any better the other night!
Ta, guys.
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Speed Mechanics for Lead Guitar
Total Rock Guitar - Lesson 11
Foo Fighters - Times Like These
10 Minute Workout Chart 3, level A-[/i]
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Yeah, what a pain having to do all that learning, though.. :lol: :wink:
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