useful soloing tips, tricks, and tools

Tip No. 1: Microtonal bends

These aren't as complicated as they sound. It simply means that you bend certain notes in a mode/scale slightly out of tune with you finger(s) so that it sounds good. The easiest way to understand this is to hear it, so have a go at the tab underneath this text.

Tab key:-

--4-- = pluck the string shown while fretting the string on the fret numbered

--h6- = hammer-on your finger onto the string on the fret numbered, doesn't require the string to be plucked

--p2- = pull-off you finger from the string shown to sound a note while fretting the string on the fret numbered

-8b9- = luck the string shown while fretting the string on the fret numbered, then bend the string until the note sounded becomes the same as the note sounded on the fret shown to the right of the b. E.g., 8b9 means pluck the string while fretting the string on the 8th fret, then bend the string one semitone/one fret higher in pitch.

-8b9r8- = same a regular bend but allow string to return to regular position on fret numbered; think of b as meaning bend, and r as meaning relax

--t12- = tap on the fret numbered firmly with one of the fingers in your plucking hand

-t9r5- = tap on the fret numbered firmly with one of the fingers in your plucking hand then release your finger from the string either by simply pulling it off or twanging it, but fret the string on the fret numbered to sound that note after the finger tapping the string has been removed

-mb7- = bend the string slightly after plucking the string number shown, but don't bend it so that raises the note in pitch by a fret.

/ = Slide finger(s)up the fretboard to the fret shown

\ = Slide finger(s)down the fretboard to the fret shown

--9v- = use vibrato by wavering the string up and down by bending it to get a sort of wavy sound


E||------------------|------------------||-12-p10---------------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||---------12-p10-/12-12------------|
G||------------------|-mb7--9--mb12--9--||--------------------14b16-mb12--9v|
D||----------5-h7--9-|------------------||----------------------------------|
A||-5h7-mb10---------|------------------||----------------------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|

This is a typical blues run in minor pentatonic in E. I put in the microtonal bends in the parts that I felt sounded the best, but there are other places for them. Some better than others. You'll notice the the microtonal bends are on the 3rd and 7th notes in the scale if you were using natural minor. They also appear on the 5th note from time to time, but you can bend that note even further. This is how to use that 5th to get a blues flavour in a solo.

E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||-------7-h9-------7-h9-p7---------|
D||--------7b9r7-5---|--5--7b8r7-/12-14-||-7h8h9------7h8h9---------9p7-----|
A||--7--10---------7-|------------------||-----------------------------10p7-|
E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|

You'll probably find that this is much more noticeable than microtonal bends. Whether this is desirable or not is up to you, and you can use either or both. The point is that you can slip both into you solos if you're using the right mode/scale, for example dorian and aolien/natural minor would both be capable of having these tricks added to them. Happier scales will need the notes moving about to the corresponding notes in those scales. E.g., a major scale has a major third so the major third will be slightly bent as opposed to the minor third slightly bend in the minor scale. A major third is one fret higher than a minor third.

Tip No. 2: southern bending

This is simply what I call this technique and it isn't a technical name for it, but it comes up in southern rock like ZZ-top quite a bit.


E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
B||-12------7--------|-8-----10----5----||----------------------------------|
G||-14b16---9b12-----|-10b12-12b14-7b9--||--/mb12---9v----------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|

This should give you a sort of echoey sound, as the strings being bent to the degree that they are both sounding the same note. This can be done in any mode or scale, but because of the way the strings are tuned, it's much harder to do on any of the other strings in pairs as the notes are further apart on the fretboard. This is good way to break up a solo when you've been using single notes for a while but don't want use a full chord just yet.
Typically featured in blues music, it is also a pretty widespread trick amongst rock guitarists.


Tip 3: Two handed tapping

Made famous by Eddie van Halen and widely mist-understood and overused by guitarists ever since, is has been in use far longer, with Jeff Beck being amongst the earliest tappers. Tapping essentially gets your guitar to leap to notes much higher than one hand alone would be able to accomplish, as well as making solos sound much more outside the box, even though it has now become a clique. The theory behind tapping is that you follow a scale or mode, and literally tap the note you want to hear from the guitar next. This often allows previously inaccessible notes to be exploited, but remember that you have to follow a mode when using it just like regular playing, tapping isn't an excuse for bad theory.


E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||------------------9-h12-t16r12p9--|
D||------------------|---7-h10-t14r10p7-||--9-h12-t16r12p9------------------|
A||---7-h10-t14r10p7-|------------------||----------------------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
Tip 4: The control dials on your guitar

By plucking a note when your volume dial is at zero, then turning it slowly up, you are able to emulate a violin. This is generally what a volume pedal is used for by professionals, but for all of us with less then 17 digits on our pay checks this trick does the job just as well but requires the use of your hand rather than your foot.

Turning the volume up to maximum makes harmonics and all the other notes or your guitar must distinct, and allows all the gain in your amp to be put to use, so rock and metal players will prefer to do this. Turning you volume down gets a more throaty and less sharp sound, sort of Hendrix/Bolin sound or sweet child o mine sort of thing, but generally switching to the rhythm pickup can do this as well. Remember, less volume on the guitar means less gain. Tone is also similar. Turning it up to full is preferable is you want to hear you notes clearly, as turning it down will add a little bit of mud into the sound generally. It depends on what you want from your instrument.

Tip No. 5: ask for help!

ask people what you want to know. I've covered what I think most guitarists will want to know, but if there are any tricks you want me to teach you then let me know. I can't make the perfect lesson for everyone, but you can help me make the best lesson I can for you.

Tip no. 6: Fretboard Mobility

One of the most often repeated mistakes that guitarists can make sometimes happens when they stay in one position on the fretboard too long. You see, each string has different overtones to each note played on it, as the thickness of the strings varies so too does the tone produced. However that is not the main problem being addressed in this tip; it's what happens when you play notes continually over the same group of frets.

It's like choosing your diet. Too much sweet stuff and you'll be sick of it pretty quickly(with no offense to his fans, I'll use Eddie van Halen as an example. Don't get me wrong, 'eruption' was brilliant, but it's been a long silent time since then from him in my opinion), too much blandness and you soon become bored(for example Eric Clapton). The tricky part is finding the right balance. As a guitarist it's important for you not to become stuck in one frame of mind, so looking at guitarists who use a wide variety of techniques is a good starting point(Joe Satriani, Guthrie Govan, Steve Vai, John Petrucci, Paul Gilbert, Steve Morse, and the guitarist's guitarist himself Jeff Beck who plays everything from heavy metal to techno-funk). The whole point of this variation is like choosing a wider pallet of paints to use for a piece of art. You may not use all of them, and you'll almost certainly have some left over at the end of the day, but at least you had all that you needed.

Tab key:-

--4-- = pluck the string shown while fretting the string on the fret numbered

--h6- = hammer-on your finger onto the string on the fret numbered, doesn't require the string to be plucked

--p2- = pull-off you finger from the string shown to sound a note while fretting the string on the fret numbered

-8b9- = luck the string shown while fretting the string on the fret numbered, then bend the string until the note sounded becomes the same as the note sounded on the fret shown to the right of the b. E.g., 8b9 means pluck the string while fretting the string on the 8th fret, then bend the string one semitone/one fret higher in pitch.

-8b9r8- = same a regular bend but allow string to return to regular position on fret numbered; think of b as meaning bend, and r as meaning relax

--t12- = tap on the fret numbered firmly with one of the fingers in your plucking hand

-t9r5- = tap on the fret numbered firmly with one of the fingers in your plucking hand then release your finger from the string either by simply pulling it off or twanging it, but fret the string on the fret numbered to sound that note after the finger tapping the string has been removed

-mb7- = bend the string slightly after plucking the string number shown, but don't bend it so that raises the note in pitch by a fret.

/ = Slide finger(s)up the fretboard to the fret shown

\ = Slide finger(s)down the fretboard to the fret shown

--9v- = use vibrato by wavering the string up and down by bending it to get a sort of wavy sound


E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
G||------------------|---7---9----------||----------------------------------|
D||------------7---9-|----------7/--9v--||---5---h7---p5--------------------|
A||---7---10---------|------------------||----------------/7v---------------|
E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|

This is a very basic lick in minor pentatonic in E. It should sound relatively like a solo but still feel like it's missing something. I'm nowhere near a fantastic guitarist so please bear with me if these licks don't suit your playing style

E||------------------|------------------||-12-p10---------------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||---------12-p10-/12-12------------|
G||------------------|-mb7--9--mb12--9--||--------------------14b16-mb12--9v|
D||----------5-h7--9-|------------------||----------------------------------|
A||-5h7-mb10---------|------------------||----------------------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|

E||--------10-/15-17-|-17b19------------||----------------------------------|
B||-10-/12-----------|-------17-/20-\15-||-p12-\10-h12-p8-------------------|
G||------------------|------------------||----------------9v----------------|
D||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
A||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|

This mini-solo should feel more like a solo as there is more movement along the fretboard. This is kind of what I'm trying to say with this tip. If you want to get the audience's attention with a solo, you need to give them more to be interested in, rather than doing the same thing endlessly. I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to though, and all these tips are tips, not rules.
Tip no. 7: Plucking-hand muting

One of the problems I've seen many players have is that they can't figure out how to mute notes successfully so that they can still hear the note but it's slightly muffled; metal players will recognize this as a sort of 'chug' sound.

Look closely at where your hand is muting the strings. If it's too far away from the bridge(where your strings are sort of nailed onto the body. It will look like a metal bar from most guitars near where you're plucking the strings) you will completely silence the note. Keep your hand on the strings and slowly move it back until you hear the sound you're after. his may be slightly harder for guitars with tremolo systems on them.

Tip no. 8: Octave plucking

This is a technique that is scarcely used but is there for those who want to use it. It's a technique that mimics the effect generated by octave pedals by sounding the same note in two different octaves.


E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
B||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
G||---9---12--16-----|--14---7---9------||----------------------------------|
D||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|
A||---7---10--14-----|--12---5---7------||----------------------------------|
E||------------------|------------------||----------------------------------|

This is an example of this technique in a lick. Keep in mind that this will almost certainly require fingerpicking or hybrid picking to be pulled off correctly. It's definitely good practice for people looking into that style of playing. Breaking up the monotony of a solo with this would be how I would use this, as it's hard to work this technique into a riff, usually.
Tip no. 9: Making Chords Into A Solo

This isn't impossible. Find some chords that you think fit pretty well into a solo, and then see where they should go. This is an excellent way of making a solo sound thicker, and if you want an example of how this is used look into Jimi Hendrix playing All along the watchtower. There's a funk guitar bit right in the middle of the solo, but because of where it is it still fits. Blurring the line between rhythm and lead isn't a bad idea, but it strongly enforces the melody of the song.

What this means is that if you're playing something with a strong melody like 'all along the watchtower', it will sound good. However if you're playing something much more riff-based like 'blackened' or 'the thing that should not be' by Metallica, it probably won't work. It's more reluctant to fit into songs with more notes in their riffs as then all the notes in the chords have to be in the scales or modes that you're playing in. It's a tough theory to crack as it's soloing and chords blurred into one, but look for lessons on it and It is a very good trick to have in your pocket.

Written by LeoKisomma
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/lessons/soloing/tips_for_guitarists_soloing_secrets.html