Improvise a Solo on Guitar

Improvising a solo can be simple if you know a few techniques and music theory. A solo tends to be less about improvising and more about how much time you spent preparing for it. The result of a lot of dedicated practice will result in the sound of an improvised solo.

Steps

Learning Techniques of a Guitar Solo

1. Use silence strategically. Some guitar players don’t realize the effect of adding a rest, or silence, to their solo. A rest in a guitar improvisation is a good time to recollect your thoughts and decide where to go. Listen to some of your favorite solos and you might notice that the guitarist isn’t playing nonstop.
   • A good way to employ a rest is by using your palm to mute the strings. By doing this, you can resume playing with your picking hand quickly.
   • A rest is commonly used at the end of a guitar line, or a succession of notes across the fretboard.
2. Vary your timing. Timing, or the speed at which you play a solo, can offer a variety of effects. Many beginner guitarists feel inclined to play a guitar solo as fast as they possibly can. While many soloists do play fast, it is oftentimes more interesting for a soloist to modify the timing to create a better feeling for the solo. The mood of the solo will be reflective of how the soloist speeds up or slows down during a solo.
   • For example, you can begin a solo at a quick pace, but then slow it down once you hit a harmonious note or melody.
   • There are plenty of interesting and sometimes overlooked effects you can do with the speed and variety of timing used during a solo.
3. Utilize vibrato. Vibrato is when the pitch of a note bends. There are effects that produce this sound, but you can also achieve it using your fretting hand. Hold a note with your hand and bend the note back and forth quickly. The result will be a vibrato sound. To increase the stamina of your fretting hand, position a couple fingers above the finger that is holding the note.
   • By using multiple fingers, you’ll be able to bend the string farther and for a longer period of time.
   • Vibrato is a technique that is utilized at any given point of a solo. Play around and use it once you hear a note you like.
4. Do pull offs and hammer ons. A lot of the core to guitar soloing is made up of pull-offs and hammer-ons. Pull off is when you pull your finger off the string so that the open string (or another note you have positioned) rings out. Hammer on is when you slam (or hammer) your finger onto a string. Both hammer ons and pull offs allow you to quickly play a note without having to pick the string.
   • Use a combination of hammer ons and pull offs to execute a quick melody.
   • Flatpicking guitar is heavily made up of these techniques.
5. Slide your fingers. Another staple of the guitar solo is the slide. Sliding on the guitar is an easy technique, but must be used tastefully. Slides are commonly used to begin or end a solo, but you can also employ them in the midst of a solo. Hold a note on a string and slides your finger up or down.
   • You can build your fingers strength and even slide chord shapes.
6. Practice tremolo picking. Tremolo picking is when you use your pick to play exceptionally fast. The name refers to the similarity in sound that is produced with the tremolo effect. Do this by alternating between downstroke and upstroke with your pick. Practice this slowly until you become comfortable.
   • It might be hard for a beginner to control where the pick goes. This all takes time and practice.
7. Build up to something. Understanding when and where your solo will end is extremely important to a successful improvisation. Knowing how long you'll be improvising means you can successfully bring the solo to a peak - with techniques like playing faster or in a higher register as the solo draws to a close. This gives your entire solo a strong feeling of intention and helps you finish strong.
   • This technique also implies knowing to start things off a bit slower. Allow your solo to breathe in the beginning then build in intensity as it goes along. Make sure you have "somewhere to go".

Using Music Theory to Solo

1. Learn scales. Almost every solo is performed around a scale of some sort. The most common scale for soloing in rock n’ roll music is the pentatonic scale. Once you know how to play a scale, you can change which key you play in by changing the starting note. This is helpful because you don’t need to relearn the same scale based on a different key. Utilize patterns for while you’re playing as much as possible.
   • Other important scales to learn are the minor pentatonic, blues, natural minor, major, and the chromatic scale.
2. Consider and vary your approach. There are two different approaches to a guitar solo: vertical and horizontal. The vertical approach is when you solo according to the current chord. A horizontal approach is when solo according to the current or relevant scale. The best players utilize both of these practices.
3. Play in a vertical approach. Consider the measure of the song you are going to solo over and make sure you know all the chords. Once you know all the chord shapes, you will be able to select notes out of each chord. This technique is called wrapping chords. Pick out notes from whichever chord is being played and pair those notes with notes from a neighboring chord.
   • For example, if the song is made up of E, A, and D, you can pick out various notes from these chords during the measure.
   • You can add variations to the sound by including neighboring tones. A neighboring tone is a note that is a half step below or above the note you’re playing.
   • Jerry Garcia, for example, utilized neighboring tones in his solos.
4. Play in a horizontal approach. A horizontal approach has a few more options for playing than the vertical approach. For most chord patterns there are multiple scales that can be played to add different moods. You are usually safe to play a scale in the key of the root note. The root note is the key of the song. For example if the song is in the key of C, you could play around a C major, pentatonic, or blues scale.
   • If there are chords that contain notes that are not in the scale you are playing, you’ll need to accent those notes. Like the vertical approach, it helps to know the chord shapes and each note in the chord.
   • Some common scales to play in a solo are the major, harmonic minor, and melodic minor scales.
5. Learn all the octave patterns. Voicing is a powerful tool for a soloist. The voice of the sound refers to the octave you are playing at. Start small and try to identify each “E” on your fretboard. You can use common patterns like skipping a string and playing a step up. Try hard to ingrain into your memory where each note is.
   • In the midst of improvising, you can benefit from switching the voicing to alter the sound of your solo.
   • A commonly overlooked octave for soloing is the lowest register. This voicing sounds great after playing in a high register for a bit.
6. Practice soloing in multiple keys. You can’t practice too much when it comes to playing an instrument. This is especially true if you plan to take a lot of solos. An easy way to practice is to challenge yourself by changing the key of your solo. Many guitarist are comfortable soloing in E and A, but can they solo as well in Bb?
   • Apply the same type of practice to each key to best prepare yourself for playing with other musicians.

Soloing with Musicians

1. Utilize call and response. Call and response is popular is several styles of music. It uses conversation as a metaphor for playing music. One way to utilize call and response is by accenting certain notes during a solo in response to what other musicians' are playing. Another is to create a "call" on your instrument and have your band respond with a unified "response".
   • This technique is also called "question and answer" in jazz improvisation and can be used within your own solo. Pose a "question" with a series of notes, then "answer" that question with your next series of notes.
2. Use motifs, repetition, and the main melody. A great way to bring all the musicians together during a solo is by playing a motif of the song. A motif is a repeated melody that is usually a short phrase. The motif could be from a riff during the verse or might even be part of the melody from the chorus. Repeating the motif during your solo is a good way to indicate to your band to change something.
   • Oftentimes the main melody from the song acts as a motif and indicator to the other musicians.
   • You might use it to speed up the band, slow the tempo down, change into the verse, or even end the song.
   • For an example of a band's relationship with a motif or main melody and repetition, listen to John Coltrane's version of "My Favorite Things."
3. Listen to your bandmates. All musicians should keep one ear focused on what they’re playing and the other ear focused on the band. One part of listening is centered around keeping an eye out for signals or cues your bandmates might physically give off. Even while you are soloing, it will help you to occasionally glance up and check in with your band.
   • A guitarist that overplays and doesn’t consider the rest of the band is a bad guitarist. It’s important not to overstep your solo and keep the mood in a unified spirit.

Tips

• What sounds good is good. Let your ears be your guide.
• While it may not seem obvious, one way to learn the lead part or the melody of songs is to learn how to play another instrument.
• It can be tricky for starters, but practice will make you a better guitar player.

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