Lead Guitar Questions?
We’ve had a reader question come in on the subject of lead guitar. Let’s take a look:
Question: Hey everyone, I am an aspiring guitarist and am wondering how to take that bluesy sound out of my rock solos? Any tips on playing lead guitar at all would be helpful. Anything at all!
Thank you all
Rock on! \m/^_^\m/
Answer: The reason that you are getting a "bluesy" sound (which there is really nothing wrong with) is that you are relying on the basic pentatonic scale which is essentially a "blues scale" Here are some very easy additions to that scale to help you develop a more linear playing style that lends itself to a more "modern" sound
Basic pentatonic scale: (added notes)
—-5–(7)-8—
—-5(6)—8—
(4)5—7—–
—-5—7-
—-5—7-(8)-
—-5–(7)-8-
The added notes are from the major/minor scale and are actually the half steps that are not included in the pentatonic scale. You can still play the same pentatonic riffs that you are used to, but now you can add in the notes of the DIATONIC scale to give you a larger vocabulary for phrasing.
Basic pentatonic scale: (added notes)
—-5–(7)-8—
—-5(6)—8—
(4)5—7—–
—-5—7-
—-5—7-(8)-
—-5–(7)-8-
The added notes are from the major/minor scale and are actually the half steps that are not included in the pentatonic scale. You can still play the same pentatonic riffs that you are used to, but now you can add in the notes of the DIATONIC scale to give you a larger vocabulary for phrasing.
I strongly suggest getting together with a good teacher to help you with these concepts and accelerate your lead playing ability
Well its tough b/c the pentatonic ‘blues’ scale is so pervasive in rock music that most of the 1st licks we learn are based off that easy to learn scale.
Best bet, then, is to try to avoid it by relying solely on the modes and minor scales.
Back in the late-80s, harmonic minor (one of the minor scales next to ‘natural’ & ‘melodic’) was all the rage. Hell, it was THE scale for a lot of guys who went on to release instrumental solo LPs/CDs. It gave their lines a classical & somewhat ’sad’ sound (after all, the scale is minor & not as bright as a major scale). Thats an option. Another is to look into ‘exotic’ scales. There are scale books out there for budding ‘guitar gawds’ that have all these. Check ‘em out & good luck.
Just remember: if the song you’re playing on isn’t good, no one will care how good you are as a soloist b/c they’ll tune the song out. Give yourself good material to work with!
Try learning the full Major/Minor scale, and work on adding arpeggios into your playing. It helped my lead playing a lot.
Hello there,
The bluesy sound so common in rock is due to the mode you are soloing in. Learn the other modes and you can develope a wider array of sounds. Listen to Joe Satriani discuss soloing and modes and scales. In addition to being a great guitarist, he is a good instructor.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTQolymKmDA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYs_I1V9nnA&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-91Z7U1c8CY&feature=related
Later,