Write a Guitar Solo

Soloing is one of the more intimidating feelings for most beginners, but it doesn't have to be challenging. Remember that a good solo, above all, fits into the song. It doesn't matter how fast or slow you play. If you just focus on writing a solo that slides into the backing track, you'll succeed. All it takes is some practice and improvisation.

Note: This article assumes you already have a basic grasp of lead guitar playing. If you are just starting out, it is recommended that you read the following before continuing:

Steps

Drafting Your First Solos

  1. Improvise over the song to get a feel for the correct key and feel. In order to write a solo, you need to be comfortable with the song and the chord changes. For any solo you're writing, you'll likely be in contact with the person who wrote the song, and they should tell you the key and the chords they used. If not, the key is usually the first chord played. Listen to the song 2-3 times while fooling around on your guitar to get some early ideas for scales, licks, and tones.
    • Don't worry about coming up with the perfect solo on the spot. Just play along, making a mental note of parts that sound good.
  2. Determine which scale you want to use. There are a lot of options out there for scales, and none of them are necessarily "right." While you can play multiple scales in one solo depending on the chords being played, beginners should get comfortable with one scale first, then move on to more complicated solos. If you don't know any of the following scales, click here to learn more about guitar scales and modes and expand your soloing range. When starting out, there are two basic scales that can be applied anywhere on the neck, for use in almost any song. The following shapes can be moved anywhere on the neck to change the key:
    • The Minor Pentatonic Scale is one of the most versatile scales around, used in rock, blues, pop, and some jazz music. For a song in E minor, you would play:
      E|---------------------0-3-|
      B|-----------------0-3-----|
      G|-------------0-2---------|
      D|---------0-2-------------|
      A|-----0-2-----------------|
      E|-0-3---------------------|
    • The Major Pentatonic Scale is similarly versatile, but has a happier, jauntier feel. For a song in E minor, you would play:
      E|---------------------3-5-|
      B|-----------------3-5-----|
      G|-------------2-4---------|
      D|---------2-5-------------|
      A|-----2-5-----------------|
      E|-3-5---------------------|

      [1]
    • The Major Pentatonic Scale is a happier, brighter version of the above scale, and can be used in similarly bright songs. For a song in E Major:
      e|-------------------------------------9--12--|
      B|------------------------------9--12---------|
      G|-----------------------9--11----------------|
      D|----------------9--11-----------------------|
      A|---------9--11------------------------------|
      E|--9--12-------------------------------------|
  3. Start writing with big, simple whole notes. Instead of playing as fast as you can, play one practice solo where you just play 8-10 notes total. Make these big, powerful notes -- the "islands" you can return to once you start playing quickly. These notes, which most people naturally place on or after chord changes, will form the road map for your solo.
    • Try a solo where you just play the root note of whatever chord is being played. This will help you find the structure of the song on the fretboard.[2]
  4. Incorporate other melodies from the song if you are lost. If you don't know your way around a scale, can't think of anything to play, or simply want to give your solo some structure, try playing the same notes the singer used. Start off with a 4-5 note lick that resembles the main melody or a lick you play earlier in the song. Then play it again, this time changing 1-2 notes. Adjust this lick 2-3 more times, ending with something completely different from your original lick, to write a great, simple solo that fits in seamlessly with the rest of the song.[2]
  5. Think of a solo as a brief story, building tension throughout. The best solos ever written, from Clapton's searing blues in "Layla" to the single-note genius of Django Reinhardt, all have structure. They build slowly, adding complexity over time to hook the listener -- not just show off technical prowess. The best way to start is to think of your solo as having a beginning, middle, and end. A good structure to start with might be:
    • Beginning: start slow, with short little phrases of multiple notes, or slower repeated bits. You want to introduce the notes you'll be playing, maybe playing off an earlier melody, repeating the same phrase 2-3 times, or mimicking the vocal melody.
    • Middle: start exploring the fretboard as the chords start changing. You might move into higher notes, play some repeating notes, or start incorporating bends and vibrato.
    • End: end the solo on your best phrase or your fastest set of notes, culminating the solo in a high point or climax.[3]
  6. Keep improvising until you find something you like. Sometimes you'll find the solo instantly, but more often than not you'll need to play it several times, taking what you love and cutting what sounds bad, until you have a full solo worth playing. Stay loose and try new things. Once you have your notes down you can start spicing up the solo with added flourish and fun:
    • If you have some key notes that hold for a long period of time, try shaking or bending them to make them really sing.
    • Can you slide into notes? Hammer on or pull-off them for quicker playing?
    • Can you cut or add notes to make the pacing and tension build up better? Are there some odd notes outside of the scale that give the song a unique flavor?[4]

Building Better Solos

  1. Practice your scales regularly, playing with new patterns. Play the scale up and down. Don't try to play it fast-- You will improve much more quickly by playing it very slowly for 20 minutes than by trying to play it as fast as you can for hours. Make sure you play it cleanly without any dead notes or screw ups and listen to each note in correlation to the others. When you're sure you have the whole scale down:
    • Play new patterns. Run three notes down the scale, back up two, down three, etc. Skip every 4th note. Play notes 1-2-3, then 2-3-4, then 3-4-5, etc. in rapid succession. These little tricks will speed your hands up and keep you from always playing simply up and down.
  2. Choose your notes wisely, like a singer chooses what notes to sing. If you replaced all the words in a song with notes, you'd basically see that good singers are "soloing" all the time. However, since singers must move more slowly than a guitarist, they are more concerned with making each note count. They can't simply run through a scale -- they have to make the whole line or verse coherent, intertwined, and smooth. You should be doing the same thing in a good guitar solo, no matter what speed you go. While composing, think about:
    • What are the important notes, and how can you emphasize them with vibrato or bends?
    • How do you get from one note or chord to another smoothly and melodically?
    • What is the overall feel of the song? How does your solo fit into that feel?[5]
  3. Study the solos of your favorite guitarists by learning them perfectly. Solos aren't just a random assortment of notes in a scale, but rather they are composed of a quick, precise, and melodic succession of scalar intervals. Try listening to some solos, singing them back and working them out on the guitar and see how they work play the chords underneath.
    • The best guitarists in the world all spent years memorizing other people's solos, taking little licks and learning structure firsthand. Duane Allman, for example, famously operated his record player with his toe, moving the needle to rehear solos over and over while he tried to learn them on the guitar.[6]
    • There are guides and videos online to "Learn to play like _____." These are great ways to learn new scales and note combinations for your own solos.
  4. Sing or hum your solo ideas, then figure them out on the guitar for quick, melodic solos. If you have a specific vision in mind, sing it out and record the "solo" in your phone or computer. Then grab your guitar and work on transcribing the song onto the fretboard.[7]
  5. Pick up new techniques to add flair to your solos. You can learn guitar techniques like sustained bends, pinched harmonics, vibrato, sweeping palm muting, etc. to give a unique sound to your lead playing. Not every solo needs an advanced technique, but having a bigger bag of tricks will lead to better, more diverse solos every time.
  6. Learn how to use modes to your advantage. Modes are variations on common scales, each with distinctive notes and flavors. Learning modes is a great way to tailor your songs to the genre or mood of the song you're soloing over, and they don't vary wildly from the pentatonic scale. However, the modes change depending on your key. Because there is too much variation to list here, the best way to choose a mode is by knowing music theory, or searching online for modes in the key of your song. There are many online generators that let you type in the key and the mode you want, then show you the scale you need.
    • Ionian - The basic major scale sound, it is often considered "happy" or "triumphant."
    • Dorian - Your all-in-one blues, rock, and metal scale, common for minor keys.
    • Phrygian - The exotic mode. Sounds a bit middle-eastern/Egyptian.
    • Lydian - Common in Steve Vai songs, this creates a dreamy atmosphere.
    • Mixolydian - Old school blues/jazz based, and common with acoustics.
    • Aeolian - Straight minor, often considered "sad" or "depressing. Used in classical music a lot.
    • Locrian - Super "evil" and dark sounding, and common in heavy metal.[8][9]



Tips

  • Working from scales can limit you to just a scale so branch out. If a note sounds right, it is right. Express yourself.
  • A quick and easy way to find what note scale to use is to just pluck the top E string (assuming you're in standard tuning) and slide your finger up the neck and stop when it sounds like the note in the song is the same as the one you're playing. (You should be able to make out what I'm talking about once you learn a scale.)
  • A good way to write a start to a solo is to simply replay the instrumental hook from the rest of your song (assuming there is one) and then play it in a different octave or a harmonized version of this ;) There's a Little Brian May trick. Many solos are comprised of this strategy, usually by playing the hook somewhere past or around the twelfth fret.
  • Do not neglect little techniques like vibrato, staccato, accenting, pitch bends and slides - these are universal for almost all guitar solos, as they give solos a little extra flavor; you won't hear many solos out there that are restricted to playing just the notes without any of these techniques. However, some do and they can surprise you.
  • Practice is the key word.
  • Try to play a solo to any song you can. Put on your favorite albums and just improvise. You can even improvise over TV commercials and music in your downtime.
  • The key to playing fast is being able to pick quickly and accurately. Learn different picking techniques such as Alternate picking, Economy picking, Tremolo picking, and Sweep picking. Even the Country style picking will come in handy.
  • It's also possible to use notes other than those within the scales. Just make sure that these are not long and drawn out, because if they are, they will clash with the key. But, jazz players do this a lot and make it look like they're doing it because they're amazing but in actual fact some do it by accident and play on it to make you think they are and all of a sudden it doesn't clash as nastily as you first heard and thought it would.
  • Always breathe in your music. Playing too much and/or too fast can be suffocating for the audience. Give them and yourself time to appreciate the music and then the solo.
  • Practice exercises, which you should be able to find all over the internet. Note that under a teacher your skills will bloom faster and more beautifully. It is not absolutely necessary, but it helps a lot. Self-study as well as being taught is a good idea.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/for_beginners/for_beginners_how_to_begin_soloing_and_write_your_own_stuff.html
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.musesmuse.com/col-tomhess-guitarsolophrases.html
  3. ↑ http://www.guitar9.com/columnist910.html
  4. ↑ http://www.metalsucks.net/2012/09/19/the-leads-are-weak-how-to-write-a-guitar-solo-via-pro-wrestling-school/
  5. ↑ http://tomhess.net/HowToWriteAGuitarSolo.aspx
  6. ↑ http://www.guitarplayer.com/artists/1026/10-things-you-gotta-do-to-play-like-duane-allman/14489
  7. ↑ http://tomhess.net/HowToWriteAGuitarSolo.aspx
  8. ↑ http://www.guitarhabits.com/play-and-apply-the-7-modes-in-7-days-tabs-incl
  9. ↑ https://www.guitartricks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=108
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