Here's where I am at.
I'm trying to develop a vocabulary for good phrasing. More licks !
I'm trying to improve my legato playing by connecting my phrases more smoothly with hammer ons and pull offs.
And so I am looking for a list of solos to work on, solos that make the guitar sound truly delicious, that bring out very guitaristic elements and nuances. (the bends, slides, H's P's)
My chops arent so great yet so I need something not too fast. My ears can pick out stuff that's mainly pentatonic based. (although- ones that go back and forth between minor and major are a bitch to pick out- a la bb king)
So far i've been working on
crosscut saw- albert king
i'll play the blues for you- albert king
the thrill is gone- bb king
paying the cost to be the boss- bb king
i cant tell you why - the eagles
after midnight- eric clapton
all along the watchtower- jimi hendrix
i guess these are mainly pentantonic based, bluesy sounding solos.
So I'm all ears to your suggestions in terms of solos that really helped you get your chops down, that have given you a vast vocabulary of licks, that have inspired you and made you truly appreciate the guitar to a greater degree.
Thanks guys !
I would say check out a guy named Marco Sfogli, if you haven't heard of him yet. He has some of the most tasteful licks and melodies I have ever heard. You can also buy the original backing tracks from his compositions for like 10 bucks.
Also, Marty Friedman has an album out called Scenes, and its one of my favorite albums of all time, which is saying quite a bit. The whole album is like a journey, its simply incredible. I know there are a few tabs out there for one of the opening songs entitled "Valley of Eternity". Beautiful song that has a huge range of skill. Really easy slow parts so blistering pentatonic fits.
Both of these suggestions are purely opinionated, but still if you like guitar and good phrasing; none of this shredding just for the sake of speed; if you want to hear some real...intimate guitar playing, definitely give that stuff a listen. Both of them have such connections to their instruments, it just blows me away.
Here's where I am at.
I'm trying to develop a vocabulary for good phrasing.
Sing / hum a melody. Any melody. Where you breathe is the natural end of the phrase.
So . . . sing / hum a phrase, then play it. Then play along as you hum. This way you learn to let the audience breathe during the solo.
Playing guitar and never playing for others is like studying medicine and never working in a clinic.
A guy at a guitar shop showed me this riff when I was first starting (right after he showed me the minor pentatonic scale).E------------------------7---------9p7------------------
B---------------------7------10p7-----10p7-----------
G-7h9b11rb9---7--9b11---------------------9b11-7
I started fiddeling around with it, and started listening to a LOT of Hendrix, SRV, Clapton, Robert Johnson, and a lot of other guitarists of any genre. The first solo I learned (kind of) was the solo to Red House, which helped me develop fast triplets, and helped me learn to fiddle with the minor pentatonic scale in a few positions (as well as switing to and from these positions).
I play the guitar, I taught myself how to play the guitar, which was a bad decision... because I didn't know how to play it, so I was a sh***y teacher. I would never have went to me. -Mitch Hedberg
