Three Powerful Guitar Exercises That Make Your Solos Sound Better Than Ever
By Tom Hess
How do you start playing better guitar solos very quickly?
It’s hard to believe it now, but I used to think the answer was:
“Build a vocabulary of tons of scale patterns and cool licks.”
When I used to think that, I wasn’t a very good player. In fact: I was horrible!
I was sold on the idea that learning new licks was the key to my success.
Later, I made a realization:
I knew a ton of scales and licks… I just didn’t know how to actually use them in a musically expressive manner.
Good news was, I had a guitar teacher who ended up changing my perspective. He told me that I was…
…100% incorrect!
Then he helped me understand how to use my guitar knowledge to play great solos (all within a single lesson).
My guitar soloing ability was changed for good.
So, what did I learn?
Watch this video to see what he told me and learn how to use this information to transform your guitar playing next time you practice:
(Make sure you’ve checked out the video before reading on.)
How can you bets use these ideas while practicing?
Get better at using the critical lead guitar techniques that make any solo sound great when mastered:
Guitar Soloing Technique #1: Vibrato
Having excellent vibrato is all about:
Having balance between the speed and the depth of your vibrato.
If you always play with fast vibrato with less than a half step of depth – you're basically re-creating the sound of a fly buzzing around the room.
Make it slow and very wide and it sounds more like a bend.
Here is how to make your vibrato sound great:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99fdscYeUkg
Question: “Tom Hess, how exactly should I play vibrato like shown in the video?”
Answer: Use the webbing between your thumb and index finger as a pivot point. Then use your forearm to create rotation..
With this in mind, pay attention to the sound of your vibrato. Your ears let you know if it sounds good or not. If you focus only on your hands’ motions first, you might not notice what really matters – how your technique sounds.
Bonus advice: if you have a vibrato bar on your guitar, check out this creative guitar soloing video with cool vibrato bar tips that improve your solos.
Guitar Soloing Technique #2: Dramatic String Bends
You probably know how to bend the strings, right?
You might not know how to bend the string in different ways to get varying expressive results though.
What is the best part?
This can be learned very quickly (today).
Watch this video to learn several of my favorite string bending methods and how to use them while soloing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynah7OVMa9I&feature=emb_title
Guitar Soloing Technique #3: Legato Sliding
Slides add passion to any guitar lick you play (and you don't even need to play more than one note).
Sounds impossible, right?
Watch this video that shows a simple way slides can help you develop cool guitar licks:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v_yjzco8Bw&feature=emb_title
Guitar Soloing Technique #4: Screaming Pinch Harmonics
Have you ever met a guitarist who doesn’t like how pinch harmonics sound?
Yeah, me either!
Pinch harmonics have the power to make anything you play sound awesome – plus they are really fun.
Fact is, most guitarists have a very hard time playing pinch harmonics, because they don't know the right way to practice them.
Check out this video to learn how to practice them for yourself:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4er5J8akUQ&feature=emb_title
Looking for more ways to play badass guitar solos and lead guitar licks?
I have you covered!
Study the tips in this free guitar soloing resource and learn the secret to adding fire and emotion to any guitar lick (even if you can’t play guitar fast yet).
About The Author:
Tom Hess is a highly successful guitar teacher, recording artist and composer. He teaches guitar players from all over the world in his online guitar lessons. Learn more on the Tom Hess Wikipedia page.