Great points to highlight. For #6 and # 7: Double-stops/intervals; Dynamics (switching pickups, tone settings, how hard or soft you pick, combining fingers and pick attack (likely a topic on its own)
Surely the most important questions are "WHY a solo ???". " Is there actually any need for, or point to a solo ???". "Will a solo positively enhance performance of a song / instrumental, or merely bore an audience ???".. Back in my youth in the late 1970s Punk Rock emerged to challenge the dominant musical convention of extended egotistical soloing for the sake of it. Few guitarists will ever be creatively good enough to capture an audience's attention and patience for more than a few minutes of soloing. Noodling in a bedroom for practice is one thing, but inflicting it on an audience is entirely unacceptable. This is why one of the most important skills intermediate to advanced guitarists playing in bands must master is "self restraint/self discipline". Yes, the greatest guitarists can solo for 10 minutes and longer, transfixing an audience, making them beg for more. But most of us can not, or ever will. To illustrate this point, I remember a stadium event concert in the 1990s, sitting through one of my all time favourite Heavy Rock guitar virtuoso's solos which literally put me to sleep. Despite the 'EXTREME'ly LOUD volume of the PA speakers. I don't know how much of that solo I missed by the time I woke up. But even the finest lead guitarists can over do it, playing solos that well over stay their welcome...
I am 100% self taught. Yes, I have reinvented the wheel over and over again, but I get by. I’ve been playing for 60 years and only in the last three years have I really been listening and thinking what is it that I want to say. There are many guitarists who say so much with a minimum of notes and know how to achieve a nice tone. Dave Mason of Traffic is one of these. Great video…..important stuff!
This is really helpful! I’m an intermediate player who flashes good stuff. My mind is an encyclopedia of classic rock licks and I’ve gotten a lot better at listening and targeting notes. My biggest problem is phrasing and connecting phrases. I feel that when I play a fast run (which I can physically do) I sometimes hit a wall and get stuck. I think I demonstrate mistake 3 all the time!
Great lesson...I just wanted to add that all the things we learn scales techniques, licks, our tones and not last but not least touch..are things we can use to make a statement...if you have something to say....in the context of a song or groove ...then you need to practice in using what you have in your vocabulary to make that exact statement....over time you will learn how to enhance your playing and grow your capability to express yourself ...and evolve your own musicality....on the other hand if got nothing to say...well then you can just copy stuff and maybe just show off your chops...the good players have something musical to say and stand out ..
This was extremely helpful and instructive for me as a sort of intermediate guitarist whose fingers are only just beginning to obey his creative brain. I wish i'd found this video ages ago. Thanks Dan!!!
I have a question. How do you sound musical while shredding really fast? Because every time I try to shred a scale fragment by itself or mix those scale fragments with chords, it still sounds like a scale or like cheesy sounding poorly played classical music.
I would say almost 100% that it’s loose in regards to the rhythm. Rhythm will make that stuff sound less cheesy and more in the pocket. Lifting the whole band
Want all the scale shapes and arpeggios I use to solo across the neck? Grab my free toolkit and get practicing. www.SoloOnGuitar.com
Great points to highlight. For #6 and # 7: Double-stops/intervals; Dynamics (switching pickups, tone settings, how hard or soft you pick, combining fingers and pick attack (likely a topic on its own)
Yep! Good points
Surely the most important questions are "WHY a solo ???". " Is there actually any need for, or point to a solo ???". "Will a solo positively enhance performance of a song / instrumental, or merely bore an audience ???".. Back in my youth in the late 1970s Punk Rock emerged to challenge the dominant musical convention of extended egotistical soloing for the sake of it. Few guitarists will ever be creatively good enough to capture an audience's attention and patience for more than a few minutes of soloing. Noodling in a bedroom for practice is one thing, but inflicting it on an audience is entirely unacceptable. This is why one of the most important skills intermediate to advanced guitarists playing in bands must master is "self restraint/self discipline". Yes, the greatest guitarists can solo for 10 minutes and longer, transfixing an audience, making them beg for more. But most of us can not, or ever will. To illustrate this point, I remember a stadium event concert in the 1990s, sitting through one of my all time favourite Heavy Rock guitar virtuoso's solos which literally put me to sleep. Despite the 'EXTREME'ly LOUD volume of the PA speakers. I don't know how much of that solo I missed by the time I woke up. But even the finest lead guitarists can over do it, playing solos that well over stay their welcome...
Interesting comment
I am 100% self taught. Yes, I have reinvented the wheel over and over again, but I get by. I’ve been playing for 60 years and only in the last three years have I really been listening and thinking what is it that I want to say. There are many guitarists who say so much with a minimum of notes and know how to achieve a nice tone. Dave Mason of Traffic is one of these. Great video…..important stuff!
Thank you for being here!
This is really helpful! I’m an intermediate player who flashes good stuff. My mind is an encyclopedia of classic rock licks and I’ve gotten a lot better at listening and targeting notes. My biggest problem is phrasing and connecting phrases. I feel that when I play a fast run (which I can physically do) I sometimes hit a wall and get stuck. I think I demonstrate mistake 3 all the time!
Really glad you enjoyed it and hope the mindset shift helps!
Great lesson...I just wanted to add that all the things we learn scales techniques, licks, our tones and not last but not least touch..are things we can use to make a statement...if you have something to say....in the context of a song or groove ...then you need to practice in using what you have in your vocabulary to make that exact statement....over time you will learn how to enhance your playing and grow your capability to express yourself ...and evolve your own musicality....on the other hand if got nothing to say...well then you can just copy stuff and maybe just show off your chops...the good players have something musical to say and stand out ..
Nice comment for sure
This was extremely helpful and instructive for me as a sort of intermediate guitarist whose fingers are only just beginning to obey his creative brain. I wish i'd found this video ages ago. Thanks Dan!!!
Excellent! So glad to have you here.
Great lessons ! the last part was really funny and so true 😂
Hahaha. It really does sound like that! Thanks for watching.
I have a question. How do you sound musical while shredding really fast? Because every time I try to shred a scale fragment by itself or mix those scale fragments with chords, it still sounds like a scale or like cheesy sounding poorly played classical music.
I would say almost 100% that it’s loose in regards to the rhythm. Rhythm will make that stuff sound less cheesy and more in the pocket. Lifting the whole band
I'm the best
Nice