Lead Guitar Solos: Essential Facts

If you've ever heard Michael Jacksons "Beat It"

, guess who plays the guitar solo? Eddie Van Halen. While it may seem glamorous to be able to play lead guitar solos in a band, it is important to know what function you're actually playing in order to effectively contribute to the performance of your group. In this case, Eddie was contributing to Michaels' project with his solos.

Of course, Eddie was playing Lead. Lead guitar should be distinguished from rhythm guitar. Rhythm guitarists are the ones who provide structure to the song by supporting the lead singer's vocals; they are also usually major contributors to the band's songwriting process due to their mastery of rhythm. Lead guitarists, on the other hand like Eddie, provide solos for songs and use the rhythm guitarist's work as a foundation for their own.

Let me give you an example. Take lead guitarists like Paul Gilbert, Greg Howe, George Harrison of the Beatles and Jimmy Page. Here are a few rhythm guitarists. Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones, Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and John Lennon of the Beatles. Singer-songwriters such as Bryan Adams, Avril Lavigne, and Bono of U2 are also known lead guitarists.

The playing styles of lead guitar solos also differ significantly from those of rhythm guitar solos. Rhythm guitarists mainly use chords and strum their guitars while lead guitarists focus on solo-string playing and solo using plucking. The best guitarists should ideally be able to play both roles in the band, especially if they are the lead singers.

When picking up the techniques for how to play lead guitar solos it's key that you master the basic scales. After all, these notes will be the building blocks that you use for improvisation. When it comes to scales, the scales to learn are the Pentatonic Scales and of course - the Blues Scale.. Its also really important to study the styles of lead guitarists you admire, and build your inspiration until you begin to develop a style of your own. Even mimic their style for a short bit if necessary.

A great way to get started is to download a MIDI file of a song that has a strong guitar solo, such as "Jump" by Van Halen or "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits. Next all you do is mute the guitars solo track and record your own playing over it. This is where the hard work comes in. Practice the solo over and over again until you feel that - you cant stand the song any longer! Ok, ok, just kidding. But keep playing until you're no longer just imitating the original but playing the solo in your own style.

by: Soudai Kunai

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