We should start a solo-ing workshop...... maybe that can be the focus point for the next gathering....... we rent a studio somewhere and start properly discussing solo theory....... what works for you....... what doesn't......

led zep, I really dig the 2 first albums too... there is something in there that totally appeal to my teenager rebel side ! That, and the fact that I got a rib broken during the first seconds of their gig in Paris. Physical pain helps bounding to the music.

yes u have and uve given me some positive critism.

erm, anyone has any ideas where to learn scales n stuff?? online source...
constructing solos with no musical knowledge is really hard right?

sean, pm me on msn messenger and i'll send u an ebook on scales. i havent really read through it but only browse through quickly. should be good enough. i gave led zep one copy too.

scales will only give u a rough direction where to go. to solo, u need creativity to tell your 'story'. learning all the scales is like memorising all the words in a dictionary, it wont guarantee u write better lyrics but it does help.

i'm going nut then...

Yeah I remember, but Pix is old lar... cut him some slack. I remember him saying he dug the bass drum lol.

I think it's just a list of scales and doesn't explain much on how to use them in a song context. Great stuff though.

but ive never really read an article teaching how to use a scale in a song context.

Guitar Techniques.. i strongly recomment you subscribe for one full year to it, and then you'll have all basics of harmony and scales covered in the end... and you can spend your rest of your life going through all of the 12-months subscription's exercises

sigh...... just came back from class and realized how crappy a solo-er I am..... Take away my Pentatonics, and I can't solo for crap!!!!

Relying on Minor, Major and the Arpeggios while doing chord changes...... urgh...... somehow..... I just kept going back to the pentatonics......

I REALLY need some new inspiration WITHOUT relying on the pentas..... any recommendations???

Like Pix said, Guitar Techniques. Some lessons break down the structure of the chords and explains what note would work over them. But those are more advanced lessons, haven't really got around them.

When i first started electric guitar, learning scales and all, I really wanted to know how to utilize them. Up to this day, Im still looking for the answer... To be as melodic as my heroes. My teacher said I think too much.

Anyways, Guitar Techniques is good. Bought an issue a few months ago. Dont know whether I can afford to get a year's subscription though. Saving up for gear is already a hard thing for me to do >.<

soloing in my opinion is easy. Once you plan everything and practice your solo until you remember every note it's easy. That's probably why copying other peoples licks are easier. I just found out today that improvising is 100 times harder. And that i suck at it. Big time.... Not in a sense that you can't do it of course. But the key is to do it without getting boring or repetetive. That i believe is a skill that even many pros do not have.

?
pentatonics obviously 5 notes rite.
full minor/major scale 7 notes, so just learn which notes are missing from the relative major/minor pentatonic and fill them in.
those notes normally do not work anyway which is why no one uses it much in a pop/rock setting.
ie. in a major pentatonic - the 4th and 7th are taken out of the major scale.
for minor the 2nd and 6th.

anyway, back to topic.
solos are useless if the songs are crap.
you can do a great solo and if your song sux, no one will care, ie. malmsteen.
so the main point is you still need a good song, and the solo is just to complement it.
even guys who do instrumentals construct their solos like songs.
with a verse, bridge, chorus hook etc.
good example is eric johnson's cliffs of dover.

This post has been edited by Everdying: Sep 10 2006, 10:01 PM

1. like everdying said, add more notes in to play the full scale.
2. dont get stuck in one position, move around the neck (thats if u're playing just the box shaped pentatonics).
3. slow down...hang on to one note. with ur mxr overdrive pedal the note would sustain quite a while.
4. techniques. use techniques to make ur notes 'shine' more. dont overuse a technique, use a few and sparingly. u dont have to alternate pick every single note.
5. if all fails, whack the whammy bar or do some whammy bar tricks and pose. too bad my les paul doesnt have a whammy bar. oh ya, this trick wont work without the 'rockstar pose' to cover up that u ran out of ideas to solo. jk

Thanks for the tips, Hopefully, when holiday starts, I can REALLY settle down and practise.....

And for the Whammy trick........ why do you think I'm buying a Dimebag guitar?? FOR THE WHAMMY OF COURSE!!!!!

I LOL'd when I saw that... Anyway Malmsteen does have some good songs, Far Beyond The Sun is bloody amazing, but most of his other stuff are basically extension of that, sad to say.
What came into my mind was... Michael Angelo Batio. Solo without a song.

Any song by Eric Johnson is a great example to illustrate your point.

That itself is an expertise.

those who requested for the ebook on scales, check ur emails!

anyway guys,when is the next gathering?i need inspiration from people to start playing again.i've been not playng for long!

Well, my holidays are in October.... if anyone wants to rent out a studio and jam..... I'm all open for suggestions.