Intimidated or Not Interested in Soloing?

I have been playing for 4 years, and I still can't play someone elses solos. It doesn't work. And I can only play rythem, and simple solos I create myself.

i never used to want to solo, and even now if i do it tends to be melodic or effects based soloing rather than fast. i still prefere to play with rhythms, thats what gets people dancing, though i like writing guitar based melodies that can be used as solos or alongside vocal melodies.

I find learning and playin rhythm to be much easier than learning the solo.
For instance, I picked up the rhythm parts for Peace of Mind by Boston in no time.
It's been several months and I'm still working on the solos (there are five).
At one point, the rest of the family banned me from playing that song, since they were sick of hearing it all the time.

I did a ton of things to learn how to solo, including listening to the blues, backing tracks, and video lessons.

The best was a little software program that played the solos in midi. It allowed for slowing down and looping sections.
I don't remember what the name was, but for a while one of the major guitar mags had their lessons in it, which could be downloaded.

Figuring out the rhythm and solo by listening to a song are very difficult techniques that aren't used as much now that tab is freely available from the web.

On the other hand, learning the solo from tab is still pretty hard (for me, at least).

Sounds like many of us have similar backgrounds.
I've played rhythm 15+ years with little desire to play lead. Primarily because my fifth finger (left pinky) is about a 1/2" too short, and is not as mobil. Nevertheless, about a year ago I got the urge to learn lead. After internet and forum researches, I began studying scale theory and practice in January. Although I can 'hear' music fairly well, I am extremely analytical and learn better when I understand the why's and how's of linking notes to make phrases, paragraphs and essays. My goal is to improvise a fusion of jazz/rock solos.

I must say, If you don not have the desire to learn leads, then let it be; however, if you've got the itch...then begin invistigating the how's and why's of note building.

I'm currently using a software Program called "Guitar Scales Method". It will serve the analytically and educationally minded extremely well!

I also practice my favorites like: While My Guitar Gently Weeps, Brother's in Arms, You Shook Me All Night Long, and now Hotel California. Eventually I will tackle Free Bird.

Practicing both has catapulted my ability and understanding of leads.

Hope this helps, and Best Wishes!

I don't think I'll ever be a good lead guitarist - my problem with solos is all mine sound pretty much the same. I'd rather play a slow tasteful solo though than rattle out a 100mph solo, even if I was capable of it. I think I was born to be a rhythm guitarist - I can write a catchy riff and record it, but I hate adding solos! However there is one really cool solo on one of my songs - that's because Smokindog played it!

I'll second (or third?) Wes & Smokindog - grab a CCR greatest hits - you won't find any long solos (except for "Heard It Thru The Grapevine!") but you will hear some great short solos and some GREAT rhythm guitar.

:D :D :D

Vic

I added a short solo in 'Holiday' this time.

Whenever i pick up guitar , i usually play random notes initially and then maybe try to find out a popular lead.Then done with them , i start the rhythms.

Somehow i believe with practice and patience , i will be able to play all that i want to... :D

And listening to ccr and status quo's two hit songs...i keep yearing for a telecaster :oops:

Hi,

This is my first post on Guitar Noise but I've spent tonight reading a lot of the posts. Great site!

One thing I can say from experience about soloing is, don't fall into the trap of deciding that "I'm just a rhythm player, I don't want to play leads" just because you don't feel good at them right now.

When I started playing, around 15 years ago, I only had a hand-me-down nylon string guitar and only really learned chords. I was very clueless and decided that I was only a rhythm guitar player, because--honestly--I just felt bad for not having an electric guitar. So I decided that I could only really play rhythm and that lead wasn't something I was interested in.

Of course, it WAS something I was interested in, and I *could* have started learning right away on the classical guitar and worked my way up. As a result, it took me around ten years to actually shake off that notion and start actually working on playing melodies, leads, solos, etc.

I've been writing songs for that whole time, and yet I still feel like I'm coming at it backwards, or that there's a big part of my guitar education missing, because I blocked out a lot of avenues of learning when I was starting, just because I felt like I didn't have the capacity, or the gear, or whatever it was. Don't fall into that trap.

Jeff Coleman
http://www.progressions.org/music/
http://www.progressions.org/blog/

I've been playing about four years or so with the goal of becoming a lead guitarist (if you can call it that) and I'm still no where near that yet. To be honest I don't practice soloing as much as I should be I just started with a highly recommended teacher so hopefully that will change.

For what ever reason my take on it is that learning easy to intermediate rhythms come easy because they are alot easier than soloing. I'm sure playing complicated, syncopated rhythms with alot of palm muting etc., is just as hard but at the begining I think for most people playing rhythm is just easier.

With that said it's all about practicing. The first thing my new teacher is having me do is work scales playing the notes as quarter notes, eighth and triplets to get a feel for rhtyhm not just going up and down the scales.

I think Wes has a good idea just start with short easy solo's and work from there. I've tended to try long solo's right from the start and alot of the problem is I can't remember 32 bars of notes for a solo so I end up forgetting them rather quickly.

Also playing to backing tracks and chord progressions are good but to me that helps more with your improv skills. The problem I find with backing tracks etc. is that it's much easier to sound half way decent since there's no right or wrong as you are making this up as you go along. With playing someone else's solo there's only one way to play it correctly.

Am I the only one that has this problem?

People like doing what they do best. If you never practiced soloing much you probably aren't too good at it, so practicing it gets frustrating. The only sane advice I can come up with is: learn to solo. No matter what you like or who you are, *everyone* needs to be able to play licks, fills and riffs, even if only to spice the rhythm part up. And that goes for electric, accoustic, banjo, mandolin or anything else that has strings on them. And I think it's quite possible that strumming chords without any kind of melodic play in between will get terribly boring in the long run...

Sentence of the Day: if you aren't getting frustrated while practicing you aren't practicing. So do yourself a favor and get frustrated.

Welcome to GN Jeff! Never to late to learn new tricks ( says the old dog) :D Having a good background in rhythm playing is a good thing. You will probably approach playing lead somewhat differently than you would have if you started playing lead 15 years ago. Judging from what I was listening to on your web site It will we very interesting 8) 8)
I was just listening to "Surreally Devine" and "Ballad Of Bobbie Rose" Thats some great stuff. Nice job !! Looking forward to seeing you around the forums--the dog

I'm guessing here but I think to able to play a solo to a popular song takes years because its a combination of remembering tab and knowing the fret board real well. Back tracks you can kinda free wheel and its your own thing and the rhythms are very forgiving.

You would be amazed though that if you play a simple rhythm you can lay down your own solo by just using very few notes, even 2 notes, if you use hammers and slides and changing what order you play them. This also helps when you start to jump from rhythm to fills and riffs which for me is a major hurdle and will probably determine if I move ahead or not

Thanks, smokindog! Glad you liked the tunes.

I've definitely come farther in the last couple of years than I did in all the previous time on lead playing. For the longest time I didn't realize the power that my own decisions had--I decided so strongly that I was just a rhythm player, it stuck with me and is still lurking in the back of my mind.

DECIDE that you *can* play the kind of leads or solos you want to play, see yourself up on stage or in the studio playing melodies that right now you couldn't even touch, making awesome music that inspires you and makes you happy. I really believe that if I'd made that kind of decision years ago I'd be in a better place in my playing.

Smokindog, I was checking out your songs too, I liked "hummer"--don't think I'd ever heard a wah-wah on a steel guitar before! Cool sound.

Jeff Coleman
http://www.progressions.org/music/
http://www.progressions.org/blog/

Thanks Jeff, I recorded that on 4-track cassette :D JJ Cale Did a song called "Crazy Momma" around 1971 with a wah-wah On a el-cheapo LP copy played lap style. 8) 8)

After 4 years I'm finally starting to put together the intro to Wish You Were Here and I gotta say I like playing lead. I'm still a rhythm player at heart but some cool leads are awesome to play.

I find learning and playin rhythm to be much easier than learning the solo.
For instance, I picked up the rhythm parts for Peace of Mind by Boston in no time.
It's been several months and I'm still working on the solos (there are five).
At one point, the rest of the family banned me from playing that song, since they were sick of hearing it all the time.

I did a ton of things to learn how to solo, including listening to the blues, backing tracks, and video lessons.

The best was a little software program that played the solos in midi. It allowed for slowing down and looping sections.
I don't remember what the name was, but for a while one of the major guitar mags had their lessons in it, which could be downloaded.

Figuring out the rhythm and solo by listening to a song are very difficult techniques that aren't used as much now that tab is freely available from the web.

On the other hand, learning the solo from tab is still pretty hard (for me, at least).

on Peace of mind please tell me you didn't just say they were power chords...those thingd=s get me peeved

as for the real question, it depends on what type of music you like. for punk and alternative use rythem. for metal and every thing else use solos.