How To Solo On The Guitar For Beginners

As a beginner guitarist, it is normal to always be in awe whenever you watch other pro guitarists blaze through guitar solos with both ease and intensity. In this article, we’ll be showing you how to solo on the guitar for beginners.

Table of Contents

How To Pick A Scale For Your Solo

Generally, a lot of solos are built with scales, and the scale you decide to use is dependent on the key of the song you are playing.
So, if the song you are playing to is composed on the key C or G major, you should use scales under the key of the song to create your solo. It could be the major scale, a pentatonic scale, or even a blues scale.

How To Play Solos That Fit With The Music

When soloing, you don’t just play any notes or run any scale that you like. Being a beginner who isn’t used to soloing yet, take some time and listen to the music and so you can pick out the prominent notes in the song.
One small tip for this step is to always start with the root note of the song. This would always sound good on your solo, it should also be the most emphasized note in your solo.
So, from your root note, you can then move on to other notes that correspond with the music you are playing to.

How To Play Solos That People Enjoy

The intensity of a solo isn’t only in the notes played but the emotion and attitude put into it. When necessary, make a note last longer, other times, make the note short, at some point, create short breaks between the notes.
All these are what make up a great solo – knowing when to do what. One other thing involved in playing your solo is the timing used in the song you are playing to. Be sure that you are hitting the notes and flowing at the same speed and timing with the track.

One last thing, when you get the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd, resist the temptation to play every little thing you learned in your practice time. If it will not fit into the music being played seamlessly, do not play that solo.

if you follow the steps we have laid down here properly, you can always come up with a new solo right on the spot.

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Conclusion — How To Solo On The Guitar For Beginners

With these few steps and tips, you should be able to create and play a simple solo on your own. However, the secret to getting better at soloing is to practice, the more you practice the better you get.

Practice will help you get used to the sounds of notes that within seconds of hearing a song, you can already come up with 3, 4 or even 5 solo runs.

As an addition to the steps we have laid down in this article, we leave you with a video that has a few hacks for soloing on any key you find yourself playing as a beginner.

How To Solo On Guitar- Frequently Asked Questions

How do I start a guitar solo?

There are a couple of ways to start playing a guitar solo well. To learn to play guitar solos practice the important skills and work at increasing your speed. The major and minor pentatonic scales should be mastered. Learn the basic picking techniques as well. Bending notes and creating vibratos are two of the most popular guitar solo techniques. You’ll also need to pay attention to the base chord progression. You need to know the chord progression throughout the song and then use the scales for those chords to play your guitar solo.

How do you know where to solo guitar in a song?

To play a guitar solo in a song, you need to first know the key of the song. Knowing the key tells you what scale you should play. The best way to play a guitar solo that sounds amazing is to play the root note of a scale. This almost guarantees that your solo will be great. You need to listen to the music to have a feel of it to know when to play your solo and what to play exactly. Always think through before you play as well, a guitar solo should never be rushed.

How long does it take to learn to solo on the guitar?

If you are expecting a defined number of weeks, months or years as an answer to this question, sorry to disappoint you. The length of time it will take you to become proficient in playing solos on your guitar is better quantified in practice hours. To become an intermediate level player, who is able to play a few complex solos competently, you would need to have amassed between 1000 to 2500 hours of practice. This number will further be qualified by your level of dedication and commitment to the learning process.

Why can’t I solo on guitar?

It is a common thing to get frustrated at learning to solo on a guitar. There are a few reasons why this happens to guitarists. One reason is that many players have learnt a handful of riffs and have overplayed them so much so that their creativity apparently becomes blunt. If this is the case, getting out of this rut could just take learning a new riff and following the sound as you play. There are lots of great riffs online that you could lay your hands on to help you out.

What notes to play in a guitar solo?

In playing a guitar solo it is vital that you have a good grasp of the key of the song you intend to play a solo in. Once the key is identified, one of the safest ways to play a banging solo is to play the root note. This almost certainly guarantees a great solo. That said, be wary of playing all the notes in your guitar just because you can. Instead, pick and choose the notes you play. Feel the music also as this will help to give you a direction on what to play.

What scales to learn on guitar?

There are a number of different scales to learn on the guitar. These include the major scale, the minor scale. These are the two pillars of scale theory. The minor scale has different types. These are the natural minor scale (which is the most essential to learn), the harmonic minor scale and the melodic minor scale. The major pentatonic scale is the abridged form of the major scale. Most guitarists play this instead. The same goes for the minor pentatonic scale. The minor pentatonic scale is the best scale to learn for aspiring soloists and lead guitarists.