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Soloing?

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(@evolution)
Estimable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 150
Topic starter  

I've been having tons of trouble soloing. I can't pick out the melody in a song to play. I'm guessing it's because I'm so incredibly uncreative and need some guidelines on how to pick out melodies :x Anybody have any advice on how to pick out the melody of song and play it as a solo :?:


   
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(@steve-0)
Noble Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1162
 

Soloing requires tons of practice, I know quite a few licks (enough to probably write a solo) but I don't feel I'm good enough to just go out there and improv a solo quite yet: basically you need to keep learning licks and solos, it comes with time. As for taking melodies from a song and using it as part or an entire solo, then that's an ear training issue and there's no easy way around that either. Anyway you look at it, you just gotta keep practicing more.

Steve-0


   
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(@evolution)
Estimable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 150
Topic starter  

That first post was a result of frustration. I'm guessing soloing would be just like everything else that you have to practice before I can get right.


   
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(@steve-0)
Noble Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 1162
 

Meh, we all get frustrated :D Soloing is always tough and REALLY frustrating because I've always found that 90% of the solos I loved (from the hard rock genre) were composed of this general formula:

10% creative melodies (very easy to play)
90% impossibly fast technical mastery playing

Now not every song is like that, and that 90% becomes less and less impossible the more you play: but when you're just starting and you're a fan of bands who have guitarists that really know how to play (Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, etc.), it can be really frustrating. Just hang in there and don't try to play something that's impossibly hard. For example: if you're having difficulties with picking a 16th note run, don't attempt a sweep picking lick that's 32nd notes for 8 bars!

Steve-0


   
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 Taso
(@taso)
Famed Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 2811
 

What kind of music are you playing? Are you trying to write your solos, or improvise?

http://taso.dmusic.com/music/


   
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(@evolution)
Estimable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 150
Topic starter  

What kind of music are you playing? Are you trying to write your solos, or improvise?

I'm trying to solo Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton and I guess you could call what I'm trying to do is improvising. I just want to solo over the rythmn to play the melody sort of like this https://www.guitarnoise.com/lessons/leading-questions/


   
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(@anonymous)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

I have been working on a solo instrumental version of wonferfull tonight from a fingerstyle songbook for about a week now. I have the song down but still make occasional anoying mistakes.
This version has the distinctive intro and then plays the melody line with underlying bass notes and some fill here and there.
The book is:
Classic Rock for fingerstyle, published by Hal Leonard and arranged by Marcel Robinson


   
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(@tim_madsen)
Prominent Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 724
 

If you don't have the ability to pick out the melody notes of a song (which I don't) you can get them by buying the sheet music for the song. If you get the kind with guitar tablature (the melody notes are tabed), it's easy to learn the melody. Then it's just a matter of adding some embellishments of your own and you've got a solo. It still takes lots of practice though.

Tim Madsen
Nobody cares how much you know,
until they know how much you care.

"What you keep to yourself you lose, what you give away you keep forever." -Axel Munthe


   
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(@gnease)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5038
 

Can you whistle or hum a solo line? That is anything that seems to go with the song? ... e.g., variation on melody, rhythmic tattoo with minimal melodic movement (but interesting), a riff, funny noises that sound good, counterpoint to the melody. This is a start, as it means you have the internal feel for creating a solo. The step that will take time is learning to transfer that to your guitar playing. This could take months or years, but the trick is to start with simple, interesting patterns, and play SHORT solos. Remember that a solo can be one note of the scale (a la Neil Young) or only three notes of the scale (too many examples --- someone help me here) to every freaking note available (EVH, Yngwie, Al Dimeola, John McLaughlin) But good is good, no matter how simple. And many times, short is better. Don't over-reach, don't over play. Stop, when you run out of musical things to say. Pick a few notes and make each sound good, then get out. And have fun.

-=tension & release=-


   
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(@gizzy)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 109
 

I just try and figure out what key it is in then play some scales that fit that key, and have picked up some of the melody to a song just messing with the scales for a while, like what was said earlier don't
need to add tons of notes just enouph to make a nice blend, I try and do this with alot of songs sometimes I can get it right away sometimes takes more working with it.

:D


   
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(@kingpatzer)
Noble Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 2171
 

A couple of tips:

1) chart out the chord progression you're soloing over and keep it in front of you until you know it by heart

2) start with quarter notes. No, it's not sexy, but it will give you the time to think until it starts becoming more natural. Good solo's don't just happen by accident.

3) start or end each measure on the 1, 5 or melody note of the chord

4) know for each measure what scale you're going to be playing on and what accidentals you're ok with.

5) learn what scales sound good with what chords in your style. Jazzers can by with Diminished scales over 7ths, for example, but rockers generally can't.

5) when you can pull off a good sounding solo using quarter notes, start adding one set of eigth notes or one triple per measure.

6) add more eigth notes and triplets until you are playing at tempo and sounding good and still hitting the key tones each measure.

7) Once you have #6 down, forget everything above -- if this doesn't make sense yet, then you don't have #6 down

"The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side." -- HST


   
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(@evolution)
Estimable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 150
Topic starter  

Well I'm starting to get this. I'm starting to get something to sound decent now after alot of trial and error. :D


   
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(@wes-inman)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 5582
 

Evolution (I like the name)

Great tips by everyone, especially kingpatzer.

I have found that one of the greatest secrets to playing a solo is to simply not think about it. That may sound goofy, but it works. Just go where your fingers want to go.

Hit a bad note? Bend that baby until it sounds good. That's what Jimi Hendrix said he did. :D

You just have to play within your own abilities until your skills improve over time.

But what I'm really trying to get at is this:

When you try to force a solo, it will sound exactly like that, FORCED.

So, you have to just let go, relax and have fun. You will be surprised just what you can do once you let go like this. Just go with your feelings. Be fearless.

Don't worry. Be happy.

I know this all sounds crazy, but try it and you'll see.

When you hit something that sounds bad, be creative and make something good out of it.

Go with the flow.

This post probably has the worst cliches of all time. :D

Play like yourself. Don't worry how it sounds. It will sound good, because it is a true expression of yourself.

Trust me.

If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis


   
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(@twistedfingers)
Honorable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 596
 

A couple of tips:

1) chart out the chord progression you're soloing over and keep it in front of you until you know it by heart

2) start with quarter notes. No, it's not sexy, but it will give you the time to think until it starts becoming more natural. Good solo's don't just happen by accident.

3) start or end each measure on the 1, 5 or melody note of the chord

4) know for each measure what scale you're going to be playing on and what accidentals you're ok with.

5) learn what scales sound good with what chords in your style. Jazzers can by with Diminished scales over 7ths, for example, but rockers generally can't.

5) when you can pull off a good sounding solo using quarter notes, start adding one set of eigth notes or one triple per measure.

6) add more eigth notes and triplets until you are playing at tempo and sounding good and still hitting the key tones each measure.

7) Once you have #6 down, forget everything above -- if this doesn't make sense yet, then you don't have #6 down

King, you should turn that into an article...

Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming -- "WOW--What a Ride!"


   
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(@evolution)
Estimable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 150
Topic starter  

Yeah those tips sound like they would've helped me before, but I'm still going to try them anyways to see if I can make what I have now sound better.
Evolution (I like the name)

Thanks 8)


   
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