Your ideas on : lead playing improvement

[Allamricn]

What are some ideas you guys can throw out about improving your lead guitar playing ?? I've played Acoustic for years now, and just purchased a HDT Classic. My first electric since ....well, a long time.. I'm starting with some basic scale work--with a metronome, some licks from a instructional book, and a few other basic practice routines. How did you improve your playing ?? Any tips you can offer ?? Looking for some ways to get up & down the board outside of playing chords !!
Any and all suggestions welcome....

[guitarzan]

1. play with a metronome every time you play (whether just screwing around or actually practicing)

2. learn the names of the notes all over the fretboard and what their sonic relationship is (i.e. a root against a #5). This will help you from getting stuck in visual patterns and it'll teach your ear.


good luck!

[tom]

i used to play along with records, those big flat black plastic things. i used to like the long jam songs cause i could stay in one key forever. long live wheels of fire.

[Allamricn]

i used to play along with records, those big flat black plastic things. i used to like the long jam songs cause i could stay in one key forever. long live wheels of fire.

Yeah but I think most of my records got thrown away with my 8 tracks !! :mad:

[tom]

bummer, 8 tracks would never end, just play over and over.(until they self distructed.)

[ryman150]

Aside from the media format that happens to be around today ;) , Tom mentioned one of the best ways: play along with records. My bag was country music, so back home when I started out, I would just crank the stereo in the basement and play along with my fav. songs. I'd try and learn the lead solos, etc.

I would also highly recommend the Line 6 Guitar Port as a wonderful practicing tool.

[Casper]

I struggle with this as all guitar players do. Lately, I have found that if I build from the melody, its a good starting place. I always seem to think of a lead line while I'm driving or in a place where I can't play..by the time I get to my guitar, I usually have forgotten it....
Shaun

[olectric]

Something I think guitar players struggle with is getting in a rut of playing the exact same patterns. Something that helps me get out of this is playing the same line (or lick) in a different place on the fretboard. For example, say you have some short line you really like on the G and B strings in fifth position. Move that to the same notes in tenth position on the D and G strings. You have to play it slightly differently because of the difference in tuning between G-B and D-G.

I've been treating everything new that I learn in this way. Move it around or play the whole thing on one string so that you're forced to really hear what it is rather than relying on motor skill memorization.

Here is something good for chords. Pick a note: How about Eb on the G string. Come up with at least two different ways to play Eb, Ebm, Eb dim, EbM7, Eb7, Ebm7. Then treat Eb as the 3rd. Play CbM, Cm, CbM7, Cm7, ect. Then, treat Eb as the 5th, 7th, 9th and so on in chord tones. You'll really work a lot on your ear. If you have down what Guitarzan mentioned about knowing note relationships across the fretboard and you know how chords are constructed, this will be a good exercise.

[ryman150]

That's a great point also. Try and sing out a tune of the solo you want to play. Then attemp to figure out what you sang - and add your own voicings with bends, vibrato, etc...

Does anybody have any good web resources for good practice material?

[guitarzan]

something else that helps me is to learn licks from players that are better than me (such a long list for me).

I downloaded an application called Transcribe! off the net and it allows the user to slow a song down from 99-1% speed but still be at normal pitch. It also allows you to change the pitch if that helps you. (For instance, I'm playing this arrangement of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" at a Christmas Concert next week and I have a pretty large solo in the second half of the song. I found version of Dan Huff doing the tune but his is a full step higher. I culd've jst as easily transcribed the licks that I plan to emulate and then played them a step lower, but I was able to just detune his version by a step and learn the solos and licks.)

I've found that when I get into the rut that Olectric talked about, it helps me to learn some of the licks from somebody else. What's cool is that someone's else's rut is your brand new material and vise versa.

[bud]

A lot of great ideas here.

One other I heard Lee Ritenour mention, was to practice soloing without a pick. That way you get away from some of the muscle memory traps that we have a tendency to fall into.

[thecaleb]

thanks to all of you for the great suggestions. as a fellow lead-learner this is great stuff

[Allamricn]

Guys thanks alot ! Some very good ideas here--it's great. I've ALWAYS been just a rhythm-chord player, and that's all I know how to do. It's been kinda cool to learn some scales and see that many lead parts are based from these. I did get a tab for Cliffs of Dover---OK stop laughing--- that I'm working on parts of but I think we need to really stretch our abilities to improve. That is given me some focus in my practice and also getting me up and down the board. Thanks for all the advice--keep it coming !!

[guitarzan]

Guys thanks alot ! Some very good ideas here--it's great. I've ALWAYS been just a rhythm-chord player, and that's all I know how to do. It's been kinda cool to learn some scales and see that many lead parts are based from these. I did get a tab for Cliffs of Dover---OK stop laughing--- that I'm working on parts of but I think we need to really stretch our abilities to improve. That is given me some focus in my practice and also getting me up and down the board. Thanks for all the advice--keep it coming !!

I don't think it's funny at all. I still watch the Eric Johnson Inst. Video about every six months and try to learn something new from it. Cliffs Of Dover is a burnin' song (and a great goal to set). And there's no shame in Eric Johnson. There IS, however, great shame to be felt in my guilty pleasure of Europe's "Out Of This World". I've learned those solos note for note and still can't get enough. It's a regular listen on my iPod.

[olectric]

I don't think it's funny at all. I still watch the Eric Johnson Inst. Video about every six months and try to learn something new from it. Cliffs Of Dover is a burnin' song (and a great goal to set). And there's no shame in Eric Johnson. There IS, however, great shame to be felt in my guilty pleasure of Europe's "Out Of This World". I've learned those solos note for note and still can't get enough. It's a regular listen on my iPod.

Oh wow. You've exhumed Europe again. Who's the guitar player?

[Stys]

I think John Norum is (was) the guitar player in Europe.

[guitarzan]

Oh wow. You've exhumed Europe again. Who's the guitar player?

This disc is with Kee Marcello. Liquid tone and very very melodic.


I think John Norum is (was) the guitar player in Europe.

John Norum did the ones before this one (with The Final Countdown and Cherokee) and then he did another last attempt with them before they broke up. Kee Marcello did Out Of This World and one after that called "Seventh Sign" or something like that. He was the same player but his tone changed pretty dramatically between OOTW ('86) and the next one in 1991.

[olectric]

You sent me a track from that album, right?

[guitarzan]

dude. don't tell people that. my reputation hangs in the balance enough as it is.

At this time, I neither confirm nor deny any tracks sent from that disc, specifically not #'s 1 and 4.

[olectric]

You sent me a track from that album, right?


Who said that?! Someone's using my account!

Sorry Corey!

[guitarzan]

:d :d :d

[guitarzan]

those are supposed to be large-teethed grins.

You see, Justin?!? ONE stinkin' admission that I listen to Europe and now the emoticons have cut ties with me.

[olectric]

:d :d :d


Huh? Is that supposed to be a smiley?

[olectric]

those are supposed to be large-teethed grins.

You see, Justin?!? ONE stinkin' admission that I listen to Europe and now the emoticons have cut ties with me.


they ARE an elite and skittish group (the emoticons, that is)...