Soloing

Hey,

I been sorta soloing for a few months, i have just been using the minor penatonic scale patern at just really going up and down the scale. I can now do this with my eyes closed, and its getting really bouring and predictable.

How do i progress to the next level of the really good rock solos using the high notes with harmonics etc.


Any book? Any online tutorial? any advice?


Thanks for the help :)



timedout

A good way to progress would be to learn to play the minor pentatonic scale in any key, anywhere on the fretboard. For a long time I was stuck with playing in 1 or 2 positions, which limits your playing alot.

I have an excellent book which helped me progress alot with my soloing, the book is:

Fretboard Logic SE

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0962477060/qid=1080521212/sr=8-1/ref=pd_ka_1/104-3312649-0485534?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Nice and cheap, and definately one of the best guides to scales and other aspects of guitar playing i've seen. It mainly deals with the CAGED system, but makes it very clear.

Another few things things to practice would be to be aware of what notes your landing on when soloing in a particular key, for instance landing on the root of the chord your soloing on doesn't always get you the best result, likewise playing the scale of the chord your soloing over isn't nessecary, there are other alternatives. Also, concentrate on what your going to play before you actually play it, don't blindly moved around the scale. If your stuck in the habbit of starting your scale on a certain string, try starting on a different octave, or start on the 3rd or 5th of a particular scale, just try different things out.

Those are just a few tips anyways, theres tons more you could do. Just that alone could keep you going for a long time anyway.

Hope that helped.

- J

thanks a lot for your help.....


Any other ideas?

I do encourage you to learn more theory, but do spend some more time trying to express through pentatonics. Try "Stairway to Heaven" solo and stuff like that. Theory is a tool, a vocabulary, but you must have something to say, so don't let it be nonsense.

Use your pinky. Learn the three patterns that'll set you on the road to stardom, on top of the minor pent, or 10 yrs from now you'll be wishing you did.

|----5--7--8


|----5--6--8


|----5--7--9


Play these in every combination you can think of. You may have to play with your guitar a little higher than what you're used to to be able to get your fingers there.

That's my solo advice of the year.

ie:

|--------------------------------------------------------5-7-8
|---------------------------------------------5-7-8
|---------------------------------5-7-8
|----------------------5-7-8
|-----------5-7-8
|5-7-8

and back down and in reverse order and whatnot. Two kinds of players - pent and minor - but if you can score both you're in the clear.

Have a look here

I know what you are going through, believe me... What helped me in the next progression of learnig was again, learn all the positions of the pentatonic scales in all keys. But what really helped me out was renting a instructional video that featured Larry Carlton's playing and techniques. Learn how to bend those strings brother.... There are several techniques that he covers for bending and virbrato. This made my sound and lead playing that much more interesting. Another exercise with pentatonic scales is the call and response drills. You create a riff and try to respond with another riff that closely resembles it. It's like have a guitar dual / cutting heads with yourself. I don't know if they still have that Larry Carlton video in circulation, but if you find it, get it.

Riffmaster

You can always try combining, well I guess it's not really combining, but it kind of is. the C Major scales goes really well with the A pentatonic minor scale. obviously A minor is relative to C Major. Really all you are doing is leaving out notes of the Major scale. I would give an example, but this is my first post ever, and you can find the C Major scale yourself. you'll see want I mean, just try it.

I've got a book called 'Rock Guitar Techniques' from 'Basix'

now there are some good lessons in it!

details:

Basix 'Rock Guitar Techniques'
Jeff McErlain
Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.
$10.95