# new recording of soloing, need advice!



## Macank (Mar 19, 2006)

http://media.putfile.com/songriffsolo

this is a song i made the other day, the solo is at the end, and before theres little fills i made. I been told my soloing is boring and doesnt have good enough rhythems and doesnt have really a flow. I been told my soloing was too dependent inside the scale. I want to get my soloing more melodic and flowing and goes somewhere. I was thinking outside of the box for my guitar abit today, wondering if i could combind minor pentatonic and the melodic minor scales together, would it work? would it stay in key? would it work well together? BTW i only use pentatonic minor scale, and i know how to conneect it all over the fretboard so i can go every where. Im really into type of soloing that hendrix,angus young,slash,red hot chili peppers, eddie van halen does , so please help!!


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## walden (Feb 5, 2006)

youre thinking too much, whats a scale? hahaha... just kidding.


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## bryanjetboy (Feb 18, 2006)

some vibrato would certainly help


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## Macank (Mar 19, 2006)

walden said:


> youre thinking too much, whats a scale? hahaha... just kidding.


you idiot, i asked for advice, as in, oh you can do this to this part, or change that to this note, not "your thinking too much" wtf is that? honestly that was no help at all

edit: heres the second versio(just with different solo)
http://media.putfile.com/improved-song1-abit


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## keefsdad (Feb 7, 2006)

Macank said:


> you idiot, i asked for advice, as in, oh you can do this to this part, or change that to this note, not "your thinking too much" wtf is that? honestly that was no help at all
> 
> edit: heres the second versio(just with different solo)
> http://media.putfile.com/improved-song1-abit


Tell us how you really feel!
Your soloing is on a par with your manners.


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## Macank (Mar 19, 2006)

how i really feel? well really mad when every time my solos sound the same, and i cant really go over that hill when everything will be more easier to solo in different ways, i need new ideas to say


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## TheTallCoolOne (May 15, 2006)

I'm no pro and I wouldn't be able to tell you to use such and such scale or mode.
Listening to the take you posted makes think you lack experience and fretboard knowledge.
You may be stuck in one pattern that you simply repeat all over the neck.
You need to learn different scales, i.e. phrygian, myxolidian, etc...

Generate your experience by listening to other style of music.
I understand that metal is what you like and want to play but if you read about most of your preffered players you will find out they all know how to play other styles too.
Then they take what they learn in those other styles and apply that to the style they want to play.

I'm not a metal fan but from what I have listen to, I find that a lot of classical patterns are being used by metal players. Take out the distorted sound and electric guitar and you could play all that on a nylon acoustic, and it will sound good.

You definitely have some chops, no question about it.
All you need now is to broaden your knowledge and you'll be playing solos that will make people go WOW!


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## zao_89 (Feb 17, 2006)

Macank said:


> how i really feel? well really mad when every time my solos sound the same, and i cant really go over that hill when everything will be more easier to solo in different ways, i need new ideas to say


That summarizes my soloing as well...


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## Macank (Mar 19, 2006)

well i learnt a new technique called the hopstock pentatonic scale, where i connect all the dotes together in one key, so i have more depth to go to, more of a hallway , then just a walkway. I solo more like prince now, so im better than before. Now i just need to learn the other keys with this techinque, its hard because i never have to time to play guitar during school days with football practicee ,always during summer i would play guitar 6 hours a day or more, and i love that, any more advice?


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## SCREEM (Feb 2, 2006)

sounds good, use a tad less gain. It will force you to play with more feel and control...:rockon2:


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## Macank (Mar 19, 2006)

i really want to get a thrash metal soloing sound. Im learning a technique to get my triplets down, so that will help i guess, what else guys?


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## cohenj (Feb 7, 2006)

*your song and soloing*

Well, I do have some constructive criticism and suggestions for you, though I hope that you don't react the way you have reacted to the others (hey guys, ain't that the pot calling the kettle black!).

Your solos are limited to the narrow parameters of the pentatonic scale, probably for a couple of reasons. The first is the idiom. Your song is in the classic rock or hard rock motif, with a chord progression that lends itself to pentatonic noodling. Of course, with some knowledge of modes you could expand that vocabulary somewhat and with better technique you could stretch those boundries by using more chromatic passing notes and so on.

The question then becomes; how are you going to get those skills? My immediate suggestion would be to find a good jazz guitar instructor and take lessons. Its the the study of jazz that you'll start to have a broader understanding of modal scales, chord progressions and the relationships therein.

You asked us how you might keep your solos from being boring. Like any language, the broader your vocabulary, the more interesting the conversation. 

There were a number of compositional issues with your "song". Firstly, the drum loop didn't seem to vary throughout (did it vary at all?). Also, the drum loop seemed to push the beat just slightly ahead of what you were playing on guitar.

The song didn't seem to have a begining, middle, chorus, bridge or ending. It also lingered right around the root of the key. There were no vocals, not much in the way of melodic material. In other words, it may have succeeded as a garage band jam session, but not as a "song".

The remedy? When you listen to music, analyse the form and structure as well as the tones and notes. Songs have a beginning, usually marked by some kind of "hook" that hold the song together, a verse, a chorus, possibly a bridge, more versus and choruses, and an ending. The chordal progression of a song helps determine its tension and release, as much as the verses and choruses do. Solos should peak that tension and should be stylistically appropriate to the song (if used at all). There's your short course on song writing.

There are lots of good books at your public library on song writing and musical composition. There's even a "Song Writing for Dummies", which is actually an excellent reference for budding young song writers.

In Conclusion: If you want to improve your solos, you have to start by improving your guitar skills in general. Its a hard slog, but its worth it. If you want to keep your songs from being boring, you need to disect and learn from songs that aren't boring. Study, observe, emulate, create.



Jeff


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## Lester B. Flat (Feb 21, 2006)

"youre thinking too much, whats a scale?" - Walden

"Like any language, the broader your vocabulary, the more interesting the conversation." - Jeff

Those are both excellent peices of advice. You've got to have some accumulated theoretical knowledge, but when the lights come on and it's your turn to solo, you have to forget everything and draw from a completely different source. You don't think about spelling, grammar and syntax if you're telling someone a joke, you just tell it. Stream of conciousness. Inspiration can't be taught or rehearsed, either that light will come on or it won't.


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## Macank (Mar 19, 2006)

jeff, the "song" was more of a jam session i did, but i think i got better at soloing abit, and i read some stuff in filling up the lines in the petantonic scale, putting in chromatic notes in there, to give an extra edge. And i also learned all the notes to the pentatonic scale, matched everything together. I will record 2nd version of me soloing later


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## Magic Twanger (Feb 27, 2006)

From where I sit - I think you have some good ideas in there.

Again, to me - it just seems like your execution is a bit off:
Your picking hand and your fretting hand are out of synch a little bit - which makes your solo sound sloppy and "un-smooth";
Less gain may clean that up a little...and more practice...

Your ideas seem disconnected - there is no fluidity to connect the licks - some of the licks are cool - just find a little slicker way of getting there;
Some of the licks are a little cliche and overdone - which can be ok if done sparingly - but can lend itself to predictability;
As much as it sounds like a broken record - a little bit of theory will do you wonders - learn about chord construction - this will help you to understand why some of your note choices work well and why some don't.

Anyways just my 2 sense worth - keep up the good work.


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## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

MaCank... here is what I can off your Bro. You mentioned your fav players and the style of soloing you want to achieve... Hendrix, Angus Young, etc... 
You soloing at this point, depending on how long you have been playing, is not too bad. Yes it needs improovment but ask anyone if their playing does not need constant improovment...

I suggest that you take a good look at your overall technique, pick out what you feel is coming along well and then pick out what you feel needs the most improvement. List both of them.

I can suggest right off that you keep playing and recording yourself all the time. You will "hear" things better that way. Work on muting, bending, vibrato, hammer ons & pull offs. Learn some of the licks from your fav players... morph them into your style. Once you have conquered blues type soloing techniques then take on the challange of Thrash soloing.

Go here and look over the lessons I give online and take from it what you like... http://themusicianslounge.com/phBB69/viewforum.php?f=39&sid=8b30f24fea9b84e9df43d4b8b7df5f4e

Practice lots and good luck.

KHINGPYNN


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## Lemmy Hangslong (May 11, 2006)

Here is something I recorded that is really just me messsin' around and having fun with the Blues Scale. Sound quality is not the best... I had to use windows sound recorder cuz my software is on the fritz.

I used my 87 Gibson SG with origional Neck PUP and Seymour Duncan 59 in the Bridge. And all the effects and moddelers are from the Boss BR1600CD ( Roland C.O.S.M. ) The patch I used is my tweek on the Soldano SLO modeller.

I've since layed down a Bass track. Origionallly recorded 4 weeks ago the Bass track went on two weeks ago. I'm currently expanding on this track to make it a full lenth instrumental.

http://media.putfile.com/messin-around-96

KHINGPYNN


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