How to improvise solos?

[jaymz]

hi guys..

can anyone give me tips on how to start coming up with solos?

i've got a book on all the various scales in different keys...will that go a long way?

hope for some valuable insights..

thx!

 

[DoubleBlade]

wad i'll normally do is hum a tune to myself and play it on my guitar after having learnt all the notes in it.

or another way u can do is to just jumble the notes up in a scale and play it

for example for a C major scale it's C,D,E,F,G,A,B

maybe u could create a solo by jumbling the notes up like C,G,D,B,E,C,G,E,D etc...i'm juz giving an example

 

[DoubleBlade]

who knows? maybe after a few trials u might get a nice and short solo =)

 

[jaymz]

ok...

lets say...i start with a chord pogression..eg: C G Am..

if i wanna play a rock solo...does it mean that i gotta combine the pentatonic scales for each key?

 

[DoubleBlade]

ur chord progression must belong to a key.dats where ur music theory comes in.u need to know which key does the chord progression belong to before doing a solo on the pentatonic solo

 

[bluepowder]

the best way is to start with the pentatonic.....easier than most other scales and u have those great sounding licks from the pentatonic for any situation...try it out

 

[DoubleBlade]

u can actually create a solo wif the pentatonic scale without knowing ur theory. but it would be better to know a little bit of theory

 

[vernplum]

Have a look at these two threads that contain quite a lot of info.

http://www.soft.com.sg/new/modules....c&t=2088&sid=a6a22a0f78ae3bfb80f0fde8b286c187

http://www.soft.com.sg/new/modules....c&t=2014&sid=a6a22a0f78ae3bfb80f0fde8b286c187

 

[Silencer]

no sure way of teaching improvising solos. there're a thousand ways to play a solo, but the most important way is what you feel. Solo like you BELIEVE. feel the song out, then solo like no tomorrow

 

[teleholic]

u can learn all the theory in the world, but if u can't apply it to your playing then it's useless..maybe you should just try the van halen school of rock..to him, there are 12 notes in music, and it's up to him how he wants to play them..now that's coming from a legend 8)

 

[vernplum]

u can actually create a solo wif the pentatonic scale without knowing ur theory. but it would be better to know a little bit of theory

Knowing a pentatonic scale is knowing some theory.

 

[vernplum]

wad i'll normally do is hum a tune to myself and play it on my guitar after having learnt all the notes in it.

This is good advice to get started 'playing by ear'.


Listen to your chord progression a few times and imagine a melody that fits over it, or sing some 'la la la's over it with a random melody that sounds good to you. Then play it back on the guitar. That's a perfectly valid guitar solo. That's what Kurt Cobain did.

 

[vernplum]

u can learn all the theory in the world, but if u can't apply it to your playing then it's useless..maybe you should just try the van halen school of rock..to him, there are 12 notes in music, and it's up to him how he wants to play them..now that's coming from a legend 8)

Knowing that Van Halen said "there are 12 notes in music, and it's up to him how he wants to play them" and not being able to apply that to your playing is equally useless.

 

[dhalif]

be free, follow your heart
















JANGAN SALAH KEY SUA!!!

 

[ShAd3]

aik.. So the important thing in improvising solos is to stay in key? kinda noob here.

But if lets say for example i have a progression in the key of A.

Can i make use of the following scales?
1) A minor pentatonic
2) A major scale
3) F# minor scale.

What other scales can i make use of ? Btw do i have to land on the right note of the chord in order to end that bar so as to set the mood ? hmmm.. :?:

 

[bluepowder]

hehe actually dhalif was right...just follow your heart.....

for all the rules that people make and all the theory that people write books on.....u have some alternative coming up.....

like how marty friedman goes slightly out of timing and out of key for a while...just to make it sound "exotic"...not lying man...his own words.....


i guess an easy start would be to take something like E D C B power chords....and use Eminor pentatonic to solo over it...listen to NIB by black sabbath......tis how i learnt by listening to songs....

 

[dhalif]

doesnt matter where u land.. it sounds good.. u like it.. u feel good bout it.. why not?

Eminor Progression.. Say E C D (very iron maiden-ish stuff).. what u can use.. pentatonic on E... Aeolian(minor) on E... Ionion(major) on G... Mixolydian on D... and i think phrygian somewhere around B or something.. blargh..

so now you have all the patterns that can be used.. how ya wanna create kickass lines out of it? its up to your creativity.. don't need to use the whole pattern... dun need to start from the top.. no rules.. just ur creativity within that pattern.. if you wanna go further.. sure.. find anchor points to do a transition from say an E pentatonic to the phrygian.. or E aeolian to G major.. how you going to move it? get to know the in between notes you can touch and which you can't.. hmm dont say can't.. just which are the ones that'll sound ugly.. sure if u sprinkle some off notes.. go ahead.. important thing to improvisation is just to know your way around the fretboard.. after that.. its all fun and ideas..

that progression if you sweep the right patterns E, C, D = SHIOK AH!!!!!!!! .. but u see.. i have yet to acquire that level of playing.. so i just keep quiet and play pentatonic la..

ok la have fun babehh... \m//////////////////////// <-- alot of pinkies