Still learning!

Well, Ive been playing guitar for about 2 years now, I can say I'm "ok".
I can pick up a song pretty fast, a quick glance at the tabs, or by ear.
but my soloing SUCKS!
pentatonic scale solos only, and there all the same...
I'm wondering If anyone has tips on learning to do some wicked solos, learning more guitar, what should I go about doing to advance.
Ive got a guitar teacher... though we do jack shit... same songs over and over, and most of them I'm not real fond of... (I'm leaving him, trying to find someone better...)

Anyone with some tips, advice, thoughts, Id really like to hear them, I'm dieing to learn some more and really get to be able to play with my buddies who have bands, show them I'm able to jam as well, ya know =).

[dolivas]

Originally Posted by Creamlistner11092

Well, Ive been playing guitar for about 2 years now, I can say I'm "ok".
I can pick up a song pretty fast, a quick glance at the tabs, or by ear.
but my soloing SUCKS!
pentatonic scale solos only, and there all the same...
I'm wondering If anyone has tips on learning to do some wicked solos, learning more guitar, what should I go about doing to advance.
Ive got a guitar teacher... though we do jack shit... same songs over and over, and most of them I'm not real fond of... (I'm leaving him, trying to find someone better...)

Anyone with some tips, advice, thoughts, Id really like to hear them, I'm dieing to learn some more and really get to be able to play with my buddies who have bands, show them I'm able to jam as well, ya know =).

Something I tend to do a good bit just for getting my solo chops up is to play along to breaks in songs by guitarists I dig. By matter of conjecture, I pickup the same rhythm and tempo someone like and Edgar Froese or a Phil Manzanera are using in that song but in my own attempts to match what I would think their solo would be in that song's break, I do my own thing. Although it owes a lot to the recorded guitarist's sound it's still my own unique solo since I just improved off the break. Later on what you've done you can bring up by memory and try to incorporate it through your own songs or with a band.

Some other people might have different techniques though that's my own way of doing that. Learning alternative scales would do the trick I would say as well. I'm more of acoustic/keyboard player though so keep that in mind.

I'm planning on learning this summer too.

Well, I just recently bought a Scale and Chord deck. Shows most of the scales and Chords, the more popular ones among guitar players. I hope to look over these and maybe get some new stuff work'd In.
I'm also planning on enrolling Into a Classical Guitar School close to where I live. They teach stuff like Bach, you know, classical.
I think Itd be good, get the fast movement learned, a better understanding of where the notes are, yada yada.
Then I transfer It to rock and roll!
(come up with something that sounds like Yes eh?) lol
Anyways, thanks for the advice!

You should learn how to solo from scales but that isnt everything. If you play around you figure out little licks you like. And what notes sound good together. Its a matter of time and practice too. Also try to perfect your bends, pull-offs,slides, and pinch harmonics, things like that.

You could try some jazz standards. There is a lot of soloing there and playing in the band with others. It is good to learn jazz harmony, even if you don't like jazz, just to learn some other possibilities for solos other than pentatonic scale. Everytime you plazz jazz standard, you can play it different in terms of solos, etc. Maybe there are jazz schools in your neighbourhood.

I joined such school not liking jazz at first place. Just wanted to play punk rock. I explored jazz a lot there, learning harmony, and it is really helpfull. I really recommend for your personal development.

My old practice routine while in college was to take a jazz standard and play the chord changes to a metronome. Id record myself doing this onto a tape deck filling up an entire side of a 90 min tape. Then i would rewind it and practice some improv.

One word: Transcribe. Nothing will boost your harmonic vocabulary and chops like transcribing a good solo. Although scale patterns and stock licks are a good place to start, improvising is about translating the ideas you have in your head to your instrument. Transcribing will help train your ear, so when hear a lick in your head, you can instantly play it in an improvisatory environment. Start off small. The Miles Davis "Kind of Blue" album is a good place to start. Actually, any Miles Davis recording would be good to transcribe from (except maybe some of recordings in the 80s. "Time After Time" anyone?). Wes Montgomery and Jim Hall are definitely good guitarists to "borrow" from.

On the rockier/fusion-ier side of things, check out Scott Henderson, Pat Metheny, John Scofield, Mike Stern, Frank Gambale, and Allan Holdsworth.

To help you out with the transcribing process, I recommend Transcribe! by seventh string (www.seventhstring.com). With this software you can slow down, transpose, and loop phrases. You can download a free demo.

I hope this helps!