quick tricks
How to make your solos shine
Try out a rhythmic delay
A dotted eighth note delay can transform simple melodic ideas as the repeated notes interact with the notes you play to produce lush cascading lines, U2 style. The trick is to play an eighth note melody with a dotted eighth note delay rhythm. For example, if your backing track is played at 120bpm, the dotted delay time is 375ms. If you want to play at half speed with a quarter-note melody, simply double the delay time.
Expanding scale ideas
Once you know some basic pentatonic scales, try to memorise a handful of ‘landmark’ notes around the shapes you know. This is a good way to bust out of a pentatonic rut and employ some more colourful notes without having to learn a whole bunch of new shapes. Here we’re looking at the A minor pentatonic scale with some useful extra notes shown in green.
Record and evaluate your playing
Recording yourself playing is one of the most valuable things you can do, helping you identify technical errors as well as capturing moments of inspiration. You may be surprised by what you hear. For instance, it can feel great to add fierce vibrato, but how often do you need to do it? Or what felt like a shaky moment may sound surprisingly inventive on playback – ‘wrong’ notes often work.
Choosing the right scale
Choosing scales can be tough, so we recommend starting with a pentatonic scale – they are simpler and less harmonically complex than seven-note alternatives. The minor pentatonic scale is a good start for minor key chord progressions and over ‘dominant’ style 7 chords in a blues progression – E minor pentatonic over E7-A7-B7 for example. Use the major pentatonic scale over major key progressions. It’s a versatile scale, good for any style of music.
Rhythm isn’t just for rhythm guitar
An oft-neglected element of soloing is rhythm. Put simply, solos aren’t just about the notes you play; rhythm ideas are vital too. For an improvisation challenge, try limiting yourself to just one or two notes. This lets you think more about creative ways to time the notes you play. Try everything from constant rhythms to broken up syncopated lines. As your rhythmic ideas take shape try introducing one or two more notes.