Solo creation

Hello fellow guitarists, i want to ask a question about the art of composing a good guitar solo.

My big idol is Slash! and i admire pretty much anything that he does with music. There is a thing that have disturbed my mind for quite some time now.
How can he create so many variations within the pretty ''straight forward'' scales that he uses in his solo.

How do i start composing good solos like him for the songs im writing?

Ofcourse i know that i have to follow the chords going on behind the solos, i think you know what i mean. I want to make the solos unique with nice variations.
Since my playing style is very much based around Slash's style, it reminds alot of his stuff that i do for solos. But i feel something is missing.....
Any advices or thoughts about this?

:)

Hey Caponi,

I love that about Slash's playing, using basic scales and creating amazing solos.

Following chord tones is a great start. One thing I notice about Slash is that he's very melodic, he makes his guitar sing out the notes.

Another thing that comes to mind is that you can make even one note sound different with technique:

bend it
vibrato
slide into it, slide away from it
palm muting
pinch harmonics
repeat it
hammer on/pull off
trill
double stops (two notes)
raking

..and a little wah when you want to :cool:

for example, if you used one technique on one note and a different technique on another you've really got a ton of possibilites, even with a simple blues scale.

Also, remember that what you don't play is important too. A little silence lets a solo breathe and adds anticipation.

If you learn say the pentatonic scale in A,learn those notes all over the neck from open strings to the highest fret on your guitar and a side suggestion,use all your fingers pinky included !!!!

I like some of the things that Neal Water had to say... especially about silence. I see some similarities in Slash's killer leads to some other greats. David Gilmore (Pink Floyd) once said... I'm nowhere near the fastest guitar player around, that's why I have to make every note count!!! Pick a few notes that sound cool together, then work on the technique. It will come!