I am the worst soloist please help!

[innerdreamrecords.co]

I need some practice advice from you guys who solo so well, you know who you are!

Where can I find a site with cool licks and solo techniques to expand my vocabulary? I don't want to be a shredder or EVH but I certainly would like to be able to to put together an 8 measure solo with some cool rock licks. As of late I like Jerry Cantrel's solos heard on "Your Decision" as an example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2D37POA11KY

 

[Jay 77]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

Depending on your knowledge and skill level, two good sources are on youtube:

Any Paul Gilbert instructional vid, simply because he teaches so clearly and offers some great licks that can be applied almost anywhere.

Any of the "Alchemical Guitarist" lessons from Richard Lloyd, as found in Guitar World magazine. A big part of soloing is understanding the fretboard and how to get around it. He does a fantastic job of teaching exactly that.


Good luck!

 

[GoDrex]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

in that song he's just doing some deceptively simple notes in a minor scale.

try learning that solo and that will help you out a little.

I have two methods for coming up with solos:

1) improvising over the backing for a while to see what sounds good. Record what you're doing. Pick out some parts that sound good and try to repeat them - or get lucky and hit something good.

2) Come up with a melody in my head before touching the guitar - then try to learn that.

another thing to try is if your song has a vocal, play the vocal melody as a lead and then try to add some embellishments.

try playing over some blues backgrounds - - that will help you with your phrasing.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

in that song he's just doing some deceptively simple notes in a minor scale.

try learning that solo and that will help you out a little.

I have two methods for coming up with solos:

1) improvising over the backing for a while to see what sounds good. Record what you're doing. Pick out some parts that sound good and try to repeat them - or get lucky and hit something good.

2) Come up with a melody in my head before touching the guitar - then try to learn that.

another thing to try is if your song has a vocal, play the vocal melody as a lead and then try to add some embellishments.

That solo he plays is simple but he plays this super tasty little lick at the end of the first solo (the one that sounds like it has a univibe on it). That's the kind of stuff I want to learn. Little killer licks that I can throw into a melodic passage as he did.

 

[post toastie]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

are you familiar with hammer ons ?

pull offs ?

slides (up to notes) ?

slides (down to notes) ?

bends (up to notes) ?

bends (down to notes) ?

if not look up the terminology on a tab site.

in order to train your ear...sing the part that you want to play...it will help ingrain intervals into your mind. then break down the desired solo into it's component parts.

as with any process, it may seem like an impossible blur until the procedure is broken down into smaller digestable chunks that are then re-assembled flawlessly.

and have fun !!!! :1:

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

are you familiar with hammer ons ?

pull offs ?

slides (up to notes) ?

slides (down to notes) ?

bends (up to notes) ?

bends (down to notes) ?

if not look up the terminology on a tab site.

in order to train your ear...sing the part that you want to play...it will help ingrain intervals into your mind. then break down the desired solo into it's component parts.

as with any process, it may seem like an impossible blur until the procedure is broken down into smaller digestable chunks that are then re-assembled flawlessly.

and have fun !!!! :1:

Well, yes I am familiar with those and when I said the worst I didn't mean the worst! LOL I have an education in classical music and have played guitar for many years but my lick library stored inside my head is lacking in coolness. I can string together melodic phrases all day long what I don't have is the cool embellishments that I mentioned in his solo.

 

[post toastie]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

Well, yes I am familiar with those and when I said the worst I didn't mean the worst! LOL I have an education in classical music and have played guitar for many years but my lick library stored inside my head is lacking in coolness. I can string together melodic phrases all day long what I don't have is the cool embellishments that I mentioned in his solo.

do you mean the slide ups and trills ?

 

[tone4days]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

funny
those of us who grew up as guitarists copping licks from our favs spend the rest of our playing life trying to unlearn them so as to be able to come up with our own unique 'voice'

you have a chance to start without a lifetime of cliches in your muscle memory ... blaze your own trail!

i do like the "sing a phrase, then figure out how to play it " approach ...

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

At about 2:37 seconds of the video he plays a little lick to end the solo. Those types of little licks are what I'm interested in.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

funny
those of us who grew up as guitarists copping licks from our favs spend the rest of our playing life trying to unlearn them so as to be able to come up with our own unique 'voice'

I hear that! I'm not a guitarist in the sense that many of you are, I'm a songwriter and singer who plays guitar to embellish my songs. I obviously don't want to sound cliched so I think If I can learn some of these licks I can make them my own.

 

[post toastie]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

At about 2:37 seconds of the video he plays a little lick to end the solo. Those types of little licks are what I'm interested in.

i think you mean those sliding harmonies ?

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

i think you mean those sliding harmonies ?

No. The bit comes in at 2:37 to end his first solo. I hear the sliding harmonies, they come in later. The solo starts at 2:20.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

Depending on your knowledge and skill level, two good sources are on youtube:

Any Paul Gilbert instructional vid, simply because he teaches so clearly and offers some great licks that can be applied almost anywhere.

Any of the "Alchemical Guitarist" lessons from Richard Lloyd, as found in Guitar World magazine. A big part of soloing is understanding the fretboard and how to get around it. He does a fantastic job of teaching exactly that.


Good luck!

I'll check these out thanks!

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

No. The bit comes in at 2:37 to end his first solo. I hear the sliding harmonies, they come in later. The solo starts at 2:20.

Well, knowing how to play them is one thing, but knowing when is another.

If it's the "when" you're interested in, that's something only you can decide.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

Well, knowing how to play them is one thing, but knowing when is another.

If it's the "when" you're interested in, that's something only you can decide.

Not when how.

 

[post toastie]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

>>>>>quote from post #12: No. The bit comes in at 2:37 to end his first solo. <<<<<


well that's what i thought you meant the first time in post #7.

from the last phrase preceding your section: this is one lick.

4th string:
Db to Eb hammer on
3rd strung:
Gb
4th string:
Eb

Now starting YOUR section - the last phrase and walk-up:

lick one:

3rd string:
Gb > Ab to Bb slide
2nd string: Db > Eb
3rd string: Ab
1st string: F

and continue to walk up from that F to:
1st string: Gb > Ab
andd alternate between those last two notes:
Gb > Ab > Gb
and bend that Ab up a half step and back down to Ab

pull off off that Ab back down to the Gb

and the last note is:
2nd string:
Eb with a trill.

or something like that.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

well that's what i thought you meant the first time in post #7.

from the last phrase preceding your section: this is one lick.

4th string:
Db to Eb hammer on
3rd strung:
Gb
4th string:
Eb

Now starting YOUR section - the last phrase and walk-up:

lick one:

3rd string:
Gb > Ab to Bb slide
2nd string: Db
3rd string: Eb
1st string: F

and continue to walk up from that F to:
1st string: Gb > Ab
andd alternate between those last two notes:
Gb > Ab > Gb
and bend that Ab up a half step and back down to Ab

and the last note is:
2nd string:
Eb with a trill.

or something like that.

I'll check this out, thanks for taking the time.

 

[Gamera]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

Maybe you're thinking too hard. The best advice I ever received was to solo the way you would sing. Unfortunately I couldn't sing to save my life so it didn't do much good for me although I understand the concept. And it did help a little in allowing me to let go of the tech stuff and rules that seemed to stifle my thinking.

 

[post toastie]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

I'll check this out, thanks for taking the time.

cool deal...refresh the page and check out the edited version as there were mistake (typos) in my original notatation that have been corrected.

 

[innerdreamrecords.co]

Re: I am the worst soloist please help!

Maybe you're thinking too hard. The best advice I ever received was to solo the way you would sing. Unfortunately I couldn't sing to save my life so it didn't do much good for me although I understand the concept. And it did help a little in allowing me to let go of the tech stuff and rules that seemed to stifle my thinking.

In terms of stringing together a melody like a vocal melody that isn't a problem. I'm looking for little fills and licks that sound cool to add ear candy to a solo or song, or be able to string a few together to comprise a solo.