How to write a Guitar solo?

[thesilentdrummer]

Allright, so my guitar playing friend finally got his act together and looked at the song I wrote. HE was playing through the chords and stuff (and doing pretty good for sight reading it) when he got to the part I labeled "Guitar Break". He asked me what this was and I told him that I needed him to write a guitar solo for that part. It was only then when I realized that he couldn't write a guitar solo. And since I'm a drummer, we're stuck.

So I ask you, the great guitar gurus, is there a process you have for writing a guitar solo. My song is a rock song, any help is greatly appreciated.

[Charlie_M]

no process I can speak of...in fact I am no guru but if you'd post an mp3 of the groove you want him to jam over I can at least suggest some licks/ideas via return mp3.

Sounds like your buddy just needs some ideas to get things under way. probably once he gets rolling he'd want to do his own thing.

That's the best I can offer... can't really verbalize how it works (or doesn't...) for me.

[siski]

Hi,

There are no hard and fast rules to solos and each player has there own ideas. It sounds like your guitarist does not know scales because if he did he probably would be able to come up with something (not the end result but something). If I were him then I would learn the pentatonic scales, this is a standard in blues and rock. All the greats know/knew pentatonics from Page to Hendricks. This would allow him to come up with something instantly for most rock songs (maybe not the end result but some ideas). Also he should check out other artist solos he likes and copy/modify their licks. Because I know pentatonics I can here a solo by Clapton for example and know roughly where on the neck he is playing it. Of course there are many scales but in my oppinion the pentatonic is where he should start. If he has to learn this you could be waiting for your solo fo a while.

Simon.

[thesilentdrummer]

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't have an mp3 yet, so I can't post it. And siski, He claims that he knows scales, so I will make sure that he brushes up on that. I will pass all this along to him, but I am still open to more suggestions/tricks/hints/whatever.

[brandondrury]

Well, to me knowledge of scales is not that much different than knowledge of how to setup a computer recording rig. Without creativity, both are totally useless.

I'm not sure that scales are the solution here. I've seen so many guitar players that thought that a guitar solo meant the randoming jumping around of 5 notes.

I don't see much difference between making a solo and writing a vocal melody to the song. They both use the same side of their brain.

Of course, it depends on the music. A Zeppelin song is way different than a Van Halen song which is way different than a Counting Crows song.

I'd tell the guitar player to relax. He's clearly thinking way too much and probably not having as much fun as he should be. At worst, have him hum a melody.

Personally, I hate coming up with melodies on guitar. It's too easy for me to fall into ruts that are deeply ingrained. I find that switching to a piano or just humming opens up a whole new section in my brain.

Brandon

[siski]

Something I've found usefull and only since recording is to just have a muck around on the bit of the song that the solos gonna be on and record it.

Just let the track loop. Then after a few tracks are laid down you can sit down and choose the bits you like.

You can move these bits around repeat them if you wish, glue 'em etc..

I've found that when there is no pressure to perform perfectly you can make some great mistakes, also if you find one of the guitarist noodles he likes, it can inspire him to put something else around it.

It can be a very useful writing tool this recording mlarky.

Simon.

[voodootrips]

if he is soloing over chord changes that is usually sung over in other parts of the song (like the verse or chorus), a good place to start would be to play the vocal melody as the solo while making small "guitar-esque" changes (bends, slides, hammer-ons, etc) to spice it up. (this is going back a ways, but check out Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" to see a perfect example of this. i'm sure other bands do it too).

or he could "quote" the vocal melody verbatim and then write a new ending to it. these 2 ideas only work of course if hes playing over the verse/chorus/pre.

if all else fails, he could mess around with the pentatonic scale till he finds something he likes.

and copping licks from favorite guitar players is also a good place to start.

good luck

[thesilentdrummer]

Thanks again for more suggestions. As always, my mind is always open in case you have more to say (but I leave town for a week tomorrow morning).

[DT Chris]

The way I see it, if you're inspired by the song, there will be no problem coming up with a part - for guitar, for bass, for drums, for keyboard or whatever instrument you play. It doesn't mean the song is bad, it's just that the person may just not be feeling it at one point, and needs some time to figure stuff out.

I find just listening to the track over and over, perhaps in the car, or while walking, working, etc., then suddenly something will pop into my head.

The creative process is not to snap your fingers and say "OK, come up with something NOW!" Sometimes it takes 2 minutes, other times 2 years - or never.

The singlemost thing that would piss me off more in a band is if someone clapped their hands and said "Come on, sing! Think of something cool!" as if I was some kind of trained monkey.

[voodootrips]

what kind of music is it?? and has he ever written a solo before?? (i think you said he hadnt)