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Solos for intermediate guitar?

Suggestions
LedZeppRox13  
14 Aug 2010 12:02 | Quote
Joined: 22 Apr 2010
Karma: 11
Any suggestions for some solos i could learn? im trying to solo more cause im more of a rhythm guitarist and i wanna be more well rounded. maybe something that can help me get my speed up?
Empirism  
14 Aug 2010 12:40 | Quote
Joined: 23 Jun 2008
Finland
Lessons: 4
Karma: 35
Well, you might check this lesson out to improve your speed and a stuff...

http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/lesson.php?id=86
Mezzie  
14 Aug 2010 14:08 | Quote
Joined: 01 Aug 2010
Canada
Licks: 3
Karma: 4
I would suggest making your OWN solo's, using different scales and stuff. Making your own solo's is alot more fun than just copying some other guys solo. There is nothing wrong with that but i think this is a better way. When making your own solo YOU get to choose what kind of sound you want, it's a lot more fun lol. If you're looking to get ur speed up it's best to practice and check out lesson's on improving speed.
Admiral  
14 Aug 2010 15:29 | Quote
Joined: 10 May 2009
Germany
Lessons: 1
Karma: 12
ah, there are too many to name. and also what do you classify as intermediate? Like what are you playing atm?
If you want to work on speed, use a metronome (!!!) and learn as many different solos as possible.
nullnaught  
14 Aug 2010 16:51 | Quote
Joined: 05 Jun 2010
Karma: 22
Try some randy rhoads solos.
EMB5490  
14 Aug 2010 19:32 | Quote
Joined: 10 Feb 2008
United States
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Karma: 31
nullnaught says:
Try some randy rhoads solos.


:) :)

before i suggest anything...

can we see a video of youre rythm playing?

i dont mean any offence at all, but i believe that some people when they have trouble with lead and dont like to solo call themselves rythm players, when infact playing rhythm is harder then most think, of course if youre playing famous pop songs just learn 1,4,5 and possibly a minor chord in there and youre set, but for serious rhythm playing it involves awesome feel and awesome technique... and most people consider rhtyyhm to be easier then lead, the truth... (or acctually my opinion) is that rhythm may be harder. I consider myself a good lead player, but not necesarily a good rhythm player, i practice both but sometimes the strumming a "weird" chords get the best of me, and playing lead is just easier.

At that, id be curious to see your rhythm playing and your lead playing. And i dont reccomend people to play solos very often, but to improvise, but without the proper training improvising can be like driving in a car without headlights in the dark, you dont really know where youre going, how to get there, but you know the simple stuff, putting your foot on the gas, to break when old ladies cross the street...(if you see them!) and all that but dont know the important details. Without the proper theory knowledge and training your going to play similar simple licks and not know where to go from them (of course theres an exception im talking general, or at least for myself, i didnt just make magic, i had to learn and work, and i still dont make magic :)

sooo if yall are still with me, november rain is a simple solo, yet extreamly hard to play, the feel of it can really shake some people, instead what id do is learn some of your favorite solos... If theyre jams (i can see you like zep, they have many jams) find the key (page works with pentatonics a lot...) and find the scale an jam on it... and in the mean time during practice id work on things like vibrato, bending in key and in pitch, and all that good stuff. DONT work on speed before you can do that. at least dont shred. they you turn out to run before you can walk and you need to go back an learn the basics...

wow long post... i feel like carlsnow... :) (Dont eat me!)

anyway,

peace love organics.....(fill in hippie mumbo jumbo here).... and guitar :)
case211  
15 Aug 2010 01:28 | Quote
Joined: 26 Feb 2009
United States
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I would agree completely with you EMB, but I don't think that rhythm is harder than lead or lead is harder than rhythm. I firmly believe it's more about the person's comfort zone, some find it more natural to sit back in the pocket with the drums than others, where some (like myself) aren't the strongest rhythm players naturally, but feel more comfortable with doing leads over the top(not that I'm good, I'm just at home there lol).
So I feel that some people have a better feel for soloing and some people have a better feel for rhythm playing.

BUT I definitely agree with jamming over some tracks. That is the best advice for learning how to improvise and think on your feet. And to make it easier you could look up some backing tracks for blues/jazz(start slowly, gives you more time to feel your way around) and they usually attach the given key in the title, which is good if you want to start right away without having to worry so much about trying to find the key of the song. It's good to learn to do that later, but for now I don't think that is what you are asking.

The best way(*In my opinion*) would be to learn the 5 pentatonic positions, starting from whatever key: A, B, C, C#, etc. and learn those five positions comfortably. Get to the point that you can get from the starting position to the octave of it comfortably. say again comfortably. You don't need to be fast or quick through these, like EMB said, don't shred yet. You want to be knowledgeable about the positions and the shapes that you will be encountering next, previously, etc.

One way to do this would be to learn these box shapes one at a time, linking from one to the other the whole way. This will help you get used to moving around the neck for soloing instead of getting stuck in the the first position.

Zakk Wylde does an exercise where he will put on some tunes(i.e. the radio, or a CD, or vinyl :D ) and he will go through the 5 pentatonic positions and practice "connecting the dots". I do this(though not always with music playing) and it is very helpful. It's sort of like a "practice solo" if you will. Just nice and slow, learning how to get in and out of the positions of the pentatonic scale.

So if you managed to read all that and didn't take a nap haha I commend you :D

But in short here's what I suggest:
1.) Learn the 5 pentatonic positions in any key to start
2.) Practice getting in and out of these 5 positions
3.)"Connect the dots"(Learn other ways to go from position to position)
4). Once you become acquainted with the 5 pos., try a slow solo over top of an easy going blues backing track(check out youtube) since it will allow you to think about what's next and not force you to play faster than you should.

And really I don't know when you should learn some solos of your favorite artists, but I did that before learning anything about pentatonic/diatonic/theory, and I wish that I had done it after I learned something about pentatonic scales and some of the basics about soloing, since I had no idea what I was playing and really didn't know how to add my own "flavor" to a solo, let alone actually write my own solos! haha

Alas I'm probably not the best to give any advice here(jazz, carl, gs, emp! help!) haha but I like to try to help :D

anyways, I definitely agree with using a metronome for basic exercises and EVERYTHING else, even if you are eating, set up your metronome and chew with the clicks haha(okay don't do that, but it would be funny)

There will be plenty of time to learn more complicated things about lead playing so don't try to rush through something. ;)

I hope you aren't asleep NOW haha I really need to stop with these long posts! I guess unless I'm helping some insomniacs get to sleep by reading these I don't feel too bad lol

-Case
deefa  
15 Aug 2010 09:32 | Quote
Joined: 22 Dec 2007
United Kingdom
Karma: 8
I'm pretty much in agreement with EMB & Case. Blues impros around the major and minor pentatonic are a good way into soloing. covering solos of the 'greats' is a good source of inspiration and can sometimes help you out of repetitive 'brick walls.'
The really important thing about soloing is to put clean before speed.
EMB5490  
15 Aug 2010 09:47 | Quote
Joined: 10 Feb 2008
United States
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"clean before speed" indeed the most important. if you cant play a lick slower, dont play it faster, promotes wrong everything basically, and just going as fast as you can as ive heard sometimes i think would be terrible.

Practice scales, runs and licks clean (little or no distortion, if you distort your amp to the point of insane amount you wont hear your mistakes...
Empirism  
15 Aug 2010 12:39 | Quote
Joined: 23 Jun 2008
Finland
Lessons: 4
Karma: 35
yeah, agreed.

lately im starting to look how Edge from U2 play, he is darn good without any fancy stuff, he just made his playing so great just with rhythm.
nullnaught  
26 Aug 2010 21:01 | Quote
Joined: 05 Jun 2010
Karma: 22
Lead is (most of the time) only one note at a time which i consider to be less complicated than rythym.
DarkRiff  
26 Aug 2010 21:15 | Quote
Joined: 18 Mar 2008
United States
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Karma: 12
Well, the solos I worked kinda went by certain bands

1st solo I learned was the intro solo to fade to black but then It kinda went into this order.

Black Sabbath solos (novice - moderate guitarists)
Led Zeppelin solos (moderate guitarists)
Iron Maiden solos (moderate - intermediate guitarists)
Black Label Society/Ozzy Osbourne solos (moderate - intermediate guitarists)
Judas Priest solos (moderate - expert guitarists)
Megadeth solos (intermediate - expert guitarists)
Pantera solos (Intermediate - expert guitarists)
Dream Theatre/John Pertucci solos (expert guitarists)
Racer X/Paul Gilbert solos (expert guitarists)
Satriani/Vai/Malmsteen etc... solos (expert guitarists)

That's my opinion when it come to certain bands, but ,of course, it also varies with each solos from each song from each band.

and it definitely varies with what music you listen too.

I, liking mostly hard rock and metal, played stuff like this, but I also dabbed into things like Steely Dan, BB King, and other Blues and Jazz Rock bands. I also love celtic music.

learning and trying to learn the solos of the music I loved helped develop MY playing style...Which is the most important thing.
case211  
26 Aug 2010 22:33 | Quote
Joined: 26 Feb 2009
United States
Lessons: 2
Licks: 6
Karma: 24
+1
Finding your own style by learning how to play by some of your favorite guitarist's solos is the end goal definitely.
Duff  
27 Aug 2010 16:39 | Quote
Joined: 23 Aug 2010
Romania
Licks: 4
Karma: 6
well you can learn ... Alright now from Free .. it's a cool and a very easy song


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