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Faster Guitar Solos

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(@dp2460)
Active Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 3
Topic starter  

I just began playing guitar for a little while now and I really enjoy it. I can play all chords but I am having problems getting accurate speed on the solos that I attempt. Can anybody point me in the right direction in getting my solo speed and skill up, and are there any good solos to practice with? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.


   
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(@yoyo286)
Noble Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 1681
 

Hey DP2460, welcome to guitarnoise! I'd reccommend dong some exercisises and working on scales. 8)

Stairway to Freebird!


   
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(@taintedreality)
Eminent Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 31
 

I've found that doing chromatic exercises helps a lot. Doing various stroking patterns repeatedly. Then I sit for what feels like hours and do constant downstroked-palm mutes on my lower strings, trying to build speed as I go. Pentatonic scales with different picking patterns are good to do too. I usually play pentatonics all over my neck once I'm warmed up. The thing about practicing those scales is that you can easily improvise them into a solo... so might as well build speed to them. Cheers.

- reality


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

DP2,

The most important thing is that you start the solo very slowly. Once you can do it perfectly, pick up the speed a bit, once you have that perfectly, pick it up more, and so on. Also, make sure you are doing down-up picking.

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


   
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(@forrok_star)
Noble Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 2337
 

Hi and Welcome.

Practice finger exercises. Start at the first fret low E working you way to the high E and back to the low E. Then move up one fret and start over again. Do this all the way up the neck. Then mix it up adding in some slides, use some vibrato, some bends. Practice bends, vibrato,slides with each finger not just your index and ring fingers. Your playing and finger accuracy will improve great with a short time.

E|--I|--M|--R|--P|---
B|--I|--M|--R|--P|---
G|--I|--M|--R|--P|---
D|--I|--M|--R|--P|---
A|--I|--M|--R|--P|---
E|--I|--M|--R|--P|---

Have you ever the saying "you need to walk before you can run ". Playing fast is a good example of it. Having lighting coming from your finger tips will come the more you practice, for some it will be sooner than others. The real trick learning to play less and say more. Learn to get your guitar to Talk. BB King can say more with one note, than some guitarist do playing 50 playing fast. Playing slow and getting your guitar to talk is way harder to do than playing fast. And is most impressive.

Don't take me wrong flash techniques are fun and great to play.

Joe


   
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(@onion_dav)
Eminent Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 27
 

DP2,

The most important thing is that you start the solo very slowly. Once you can do it perfectly, pick up the speed a bit, once you have that perfectly, pick it up more, and so on. Also, make sure you are doing down-up picking.

yeah that method has certainly worked for me! ive been focusing on the lead riffs and by using this method have got a lot better!

'i want that one...'


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

Hi DP2460 and Welcome to Guitar Noise! :D

A metronome is also very helpful building up speed. You can start an exercise at say 70 BPM. Once you can play it at that speed without mistakes move up to say, 74 BPM. Continue in this fashion until you get to a speed where you cannot play the exercise accurately. Then move back down maybe 10 BPM and start over. You will be surprised how quickly you improve with this method.

But as Joe (Forrok Star) said, it is more important to play meaningful solos than just speed. So practice playing very slow as well. Sometimes it is more difficult to play slow than fast!

I also think it is important to develop finger independence. If you only play 1-2-3-4 up the neck in order you can develop a habit of always playing in that order. So mix it up.

1-2-3-4
1-2-4-3
1-3-2-4
1-3-4-2
1-4-2-3
1-4-3-2

2-1-3-4
2-1-4-3
2-3-1-4
2-3-4-1
2-4-1-3
2-4-3-1

3-1-2-4
3-1-4-2
3-2-1-4
3-2-4-1
3-4-1-2
3-4-2-1

4-1-2-3
4-1-3-2
4-2-1-3
4-2-3-1
4-3-1-2
4-3-2-1

As you see there are many orders you can play this one finger per fret exercise. Some will be very easy, and some will be difficult. I like to work on the hard ones. If you mix up the order you will really develop finger independence.

It takes time. Be patient and try to spend at least 15-20 minutes each day practicing like this. That is enough. In a few short months you will develop great speed and finger independence.

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


   
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 sirN
(@sirn)
Reputable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 358
 

Dong excersises? :lol:

check out my website for good recording/playing info


   
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(@simonhome-co-uk)
Prominent Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 677
 

I started off with really easy stuff to begin, to get your fingers used to the idea of soloing.
Some of my first solos were Smells like Teen Spirit, Californication etc. Then work up to say Whole Lotta Love by Led Zep and stuff like that before tackling anything fast like early Metallica solos (check out One, Disposable Heros, Dyers eve even if u cant play em)


   
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(@elpelotero)
Estimable Member
Joined: 20 years ago
Posts: 93
 

dude, if u can do dyers eve u are an animal. kirk has said they dont play that live b/c that solo gives him trouble


   
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(@yoyo286)
Noble Member
Joined: 19 years ago
Posts: 1681
 

Oops... *Doing :oops:

Stairway to Freebird!


   
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