List of Soloing Techniques
Article Tags: solo technique
i've been working on a 'book' about soloing. When learning scales, a common use is the solo with them. But, many times players don't know what to 'say' musically with the scales. I compiled this list of techniques to help. The idea is to rely on what you can do with a guitar and pick/fingers. No external effects or whammy bars. I'm sure this list is not complete but it gives a very good picture.


  • Accent: Accent is adding volume or emphasis to a note.

  • Arpeggio: An arpeggio is a series of notes that skips some scale notes.

  • Bend: Play a note and bend the string. You can bend and hold, bend and release, bend repeatedly, etc.

  • Cadence: Three notes that ascend or descend and end on the middle note, like 1-2-3-2.

  • Double Stop: Play two notes on two strings next to each other like the E and B.

  • Hammer-On (slur): Pick a note and hammer-on a higher note.

  • Melody: This can be a variation on the melody of the song or something new. Creating a melody and moving it around and adding flair (ornaments, in musical terms).

  • Mordent: A quick pull-off then hammer-on, like a single trill. Inverted mordent are hammer-on then pull-off.

  • Pull-Off (slur): Similar to hammer-ons, pull-offs can be rhythmic or accent.

  • Run: A run is a series of scale notes.

  • Slide: Slide from one note to another. Depending on the speed of the slide, you can achieve a portamento effect.

  • Tapping: Related to trills, tapping uses the pick hand to fret notes.

  • Tremolo: Tremolo is picking the same note rapidly.

  • Trill: Trills are often performed by a quick slur (hammer-on and pull-off). In a guitar solo a trill is a good transition to tapping.

  • Vibrato: Vibrato is fluctuating the pitch of a note.



In the 'book' I working on explanations and examples for each ending with solo analysis and how to use the techniques together. The project is in the editing phase so I hope to have it finished soon.


AddThis Feed Button         Bookmark and Share

Added on: 2009 10 18
 
Search Notes
Amazon Music
Random Note
The Belgian Jazz guitar site has part 2 of the last lesson about minor blues for jazz. The lesson i...
Tuner
Tab/Chord Search
The Teacher
Kyle Walz is the guitar teacher. Kyle has been playing guitar since age four. His styles include classical, rock, blues, and jazz. By combining over ten years of teaching experience, his lessons are well suited for a wide range of students.
© 2008 HMD Change Technology LLC   "If I ever die of a heart attack, I hope it will be from playing the stereo too loud." ~Anonymous