Lead Guitaring

[Genoscidal]

haha.. yea.. im trying to advance from rhythm to lead.. ive heard of pentatonic scales and all tt.. but what does one mean by learning the scales.. u mean memorising the fingerings at diff parts of e fretboard? And also how to make use of it? haha pls no guitarlesson websites.. i dun get a thing >< Sorry for being so troublesome.. heh =/

 

[GuitarNoob]

Get a guitar teacher then

 

[neuro182]

Hmm

Go to online website.. Search for guitar scales & learn all the box positions of the diff scales..

Train your fingers to be more nimble cuz not many people haf a natural nimble fingers to play smoothly across the fretboard. Slow things down 1st by playing at a slow tempo then later increase ur speed by playing at a higher tempo (my suggestion - try using metronome).

As you get the scales positions stuck into ur head & ur fingers trained to become more agile, you will be able to play lead anytime & anywhere in the world. Maybe you will still need to study some theory through online websites or through a music teacher, to ensure you play in the right key/track.

This is my 2 cents worth.

 

[MadWerewolfBoy]

pentatonic scales are just like a major harmonic scales (white keys on a piano in C maj) just that it has 5 notes in a cycle...

learning them is quite easy... all u need to do is to memorise the patterns on the fret boards... scales are just patterns on a fret board and they just move up or down the fret board depending on the key u're scaling in...

its best to start memorising/practising patterns of scales relative to the root note (key u're scaling in) 1st...

 

[Mobius]

Go find the 5 basic shapes of the pentatonic. Start practicing on one and try to drill it in. Start slow, tap ur feet as u play them so as to get a good sense of rhythm. If u find it difficult to tap as u play, get a metronome or download some metronome software off the web. If u are comfortable, increase the tempo a bit. This may be boring, but u are slowly and surely building up dexterity in ur fingers. As u learn that particular shape, always know where the root notes are, as they serve as a reference, i.e it helps u to place that shape onto ur guitar fretboard, or helps u know where that shape is at the fretboard for different keys.

If u have drilled it in, its time to use wat u have learned. Try to play something from the shape against a backing track of ur choice. Afterwhich, u can move onto another shape and repeat as above.

After u have learned all the 5 shapes, U can incorporate phrasing training in ur scales practice. That is incorporate some hammer ons, pull offs, slides, bends, vibratos. Learn them one by one. Phrasing makes ur lead playing sound more alive.

Hope this helps. Remember patience is the key. More haste less speed. All the Best!

 

[guitarman78]

How exactly do i pick up lead? Where to start? other than juz playing tabs? Show me the light! haha =)

I guess most of you should know this la ... but for the benefit of those who don't.

Music has 3 components ... all three components are equally important in order to attain good musicianship. They are Melody, Harmony and rhythm.

And don't be surprised if I say this .... of all three, rhythm is the most important. You can play a wrong note or wrong chord on stage and might not get noticed. But if you play a song with the wrong rhythm, the backbone of the song is totally eliminated.

Rhythm

So i suggest you try working on rhythm. You can achieve this by playing exisiting songs you hear on CDs. Not just strumming on the acoustic guitar ... but learn to play the rhythm note for note, chord for chord, play exactly how they play and learn the theory behind it and try to think like they do. Think of your favourite guitarists ... steve vai? joe? Iron Maiden? Mr big? and start to work on your rhythm untill you are locked dead tight with the drums. If you are interested to be a really versatile player, try different genres .... like Bossa, Samba, Cha cha, Swing, Blues, pop, Funk.
Think about off beats, triplets, half time, double time, syncopations, funk strumming, etc.

Melody
Learn scales. Learn them all possible shapes ... all posible keys.
Maybe you can start with Pentatonic scale and major scale. You may find yourself playing one shape for hours... just do it ... keep playing in a slow speed ... let your fingers get used to it. And slowly progress to a faster tempo. You have to be patient for this part ..... if you have to spend one whole day on just on shape .... just do it, be patient. Then master these shapes one at a time .... you must be able to play one scale at a key throughout the whole fretboard.

Harmony
Dun limit your chords to just the first 5 frets. Learn them in different positions on the fret board. Learn that C=C,E,G or E,G,C or G,C,E. Learn that there are many inversions, drop 2 voicings, tensions, flatted or sharpened notes to a chord. You can find 100s of positions just by C alone throughout the fretboard. You can also learn these by playing songs from artists.

All these will take years to develop ... but if you try hard enough ... it's attainable. All the best!!
[/b]

 

[popeye]

How exactly do i pick up lead? Where to start? other than juz playing tabs? Show me the light! haha =)

pentatonic, major scale, minor scale. And it already can do wonder 8) After that you just listen to many style and set your direction where you want to go.

 

[mus]

You can try playing solos from your fav bands. Learn to play Steve Vai's, Joe Satriani's, Paul Gilbert's. Hopefully you'll be on your way. Learn scales and follow a metronome.


Remember to always warm up before playing.

 

[Genoscidal]

Lets say e jam is in G.. i start e minor pentatonic at 6th string 3rd fret.. how do i proceed to move along e whole fretboard yet not drifting from e G key?

 

[neuro182]

This should help you understand abit about Pentatonics -> http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/Stadium/9615/scale_p.html

 

[fgl]

Hi bro...U managed to sell the dual sound oleady ah? saw yr ad in luthers... 8)

 

[neuro182]

Hee

Yupsie . . . waiting for a SD JB in the bri & a SD Jazz in the neck . . . any recommendation for the mid? or jus keep it stock?

 

[fgl]

RECO DIMARZIO virtual vintage solo - sure to match 8)

 

[neuro182]

Hmm

nice . . . wonder how it'll sound like with JB & Jazz . . .

 

[ShredCow]

From Dimarzio to SD? Man, you got to make up your mind.

 

[neuro182]

I dunnoe how the tones gonna go with my RG, so prolly jus mix & match & see what comes out of it if good, then keep. if not, den get it out & mix & match again. Gonna involve lotsa cold hard cash :?

 

[Genoscidal]

Heh.. thx guys! Finally know how to improvise using the Minor Pentatonic Scales.. hmm how to improve? What to do now? lol. Learn other scales? =/ As in for lead guitaring

 

[guitarman78]

Genosidal ..... in scales there are no progression. Every scale is used and functions differently. Even up till now, i am still trying to improve on what i learn from my basics.

You can learn other scales like the blues scale or major scale. You can try playing it in 3 notes per string or 2 notes per string.

And also explore the different shapes of the scales you've learnt. It helps you respond to different positions on the fretboard .... especially when you are responding to a particular chord voicing.

But even as you learn other scales .... dun forget to keep improving on your pentatonic ... as you learn more things .. you realise that your practice routine will get longer and longer ..... sometimes you can't even cover everything in a day as you work on Chord voicings, progressions, speed picking, melodic minor scale, etc.

Another way is to emulate a song ... note to note, rhythm to rhythm. Choose a song worth following. It helps.

 

[marshall_law]

How exactly do i pick up lead? Where to start? other than juz playing tabs? Show me the light! haha =)

I guess most of you should know this la ... but for the benefit of those who don't.

Music has 3 components ... all three components are equally important in order to attain good musicianship. They are Melody, Harmony and rhythm.

And don't be surprised if I say this .... of all three, rhythm is the most important. You can play a wrong note or wrong chord on stage and might not get noticed. But if you play a song with the wrong rhythm, the backbone of the song is totally eliminated.

Rhythm

So i suggest you try working on rhythm. You can achieve this by playing exisiting songs you hear on CDs. Not just strumming on the acoustic guitar ... but learn to play the rhythm note for note, chord for chord, play exactly how they play and learn the theory behind it and try to think like they do. Think of your favourite guitarists ... steve vai? joe? Iron Maiden? Mr big? and start to work on your rhythm untill you are locked dead tight with the drums. If you are interested to be a really versatile player, try different genres .... like Bossa, Samba, Cha cha, Swing, Blues, pop, Funk.
Think about off beats, triplets, half time, double time, syncopations, funk strumming, etc.

Melody
Learn scales. Learn them all possible shapes ... all posible keys.
Maybe you can start with Pentatonic scale and major scale. You may find yourself playing one shape for hours... just do it ... keep playing in a slow speed ... let your fingers get used to it. And slowly progress to a faster tempo. You have to be patient for this part ..... if you have to spend one whole day on just on shape .... just do it, be patient. Then master these shapes one at a time .... you must be able to play one scale at a key throughout the whole fretboard.

Harmony
Dun limit your chords to just the first 5 frets. Learn them in different positions on the fret board. Learn that C=C,E,G or E,G,C or G,C,E. Learn that there are many inversions, drop 2 voicings, tensions, flatted or sharpened notes to a chord. You can find 100s of positions just by C alone throughout the fretboard. You can also learn these by playing songs from artists.

All these will take years to develop ... but if you try hard enough ... it's attainable. All the best!!
[/b]

Basically learn all these you can solo well. To be able to be a good lead guitar, you need to master all these. When you master all these you can create motif. Rhythmic or melodic. And when you solo, if you can play with the harmony, you can execute the motif well.

When starting to learn how to solo, learn other people's licks. Don't limit yourself to learning licks. Know why they play the licks in this supposed manner. Then apply in different keys. And the last step is to forget about the licks you learn and apply them in your own solo. The last step is the most difficult.

IMO, a good solo must have motif and development. Learn how to create motif and then how develop your solo from the motifs. You'll get the crowd going. Pat Metheny is able to do that.

 

[thor666]

Marshall_law,

Link: Please do not use the quote button

If you have to, it would be nice for you to cut and paste only the relevant parts you are referring to.

Thanks.