Now I have a lesson for you all about how to take a great guitar solo.

I’m teaching a blues scale with an electric guitar, but you can use this tutorial for ANY kind of music and with any kind of guitar. Just switch the scale you use… and switch the guitar. Enjoy!

Here is the ‘A minor blues scale’ pattern I am playing:

e______________________________5_8_______________ (thinnest string)
B__________________________5_8___________________
G___________________5_7_8________________________
D______________5_8_______________________________
A_______5_6_7____________________________________
E__5_8___________________________________________ (thickest string)

A guitar solo is when the lead guitar player improvises a melody (on the spot) over the rhythm section of a band.

(Carlos Santana, George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Hendrix, etc.)

Yup, the lead guitarist makes it up as they play it!

You are probably thinking to yourself… Hmmm, will I ever be able to do that?

Make up a solo on the spot?! The answer is YES, you can.

There are “tricks of the trade” for guitar soloing just as there are for any specialty or profession.

I am going to guide you right to the point here.

No fluff, No BS. We’€™ll discuss ONLY what you need to know to take a freakin’€™ guitar solo!

Hopefully You have a good idea about how to hold a guitar and play a note. You do not have to know what note you are playing! (ex. A, C, G, etc)

All you have to know, is how to play a note. That is pressing afinger down on a fret and strumming or picking the strings with the other hand.

Also, you will need to know how to read Guitar TAB. There are tab lessons in the first download package I sent you… here is the download link to that again:

Guitar Learning Package

Now that we got that out of the way…let’€™s learn!

I have some jam tracks for you to solo over to download:

Jam Tracks Download

Click above to download them, and read the lesson below to take your first step into being creative with your guitar and taking some awesome solos.

You will really surprise yourself when you first start to get this, I know I did. So I strongly encourage you read the lesson below!

——————————

So here is the challenge – to help train your fingers and your ears.

First to pick a scale to play along with the music. Click below to search in google images for a scale map. This link searches for the “minor pentatonic scale”, a scale commonly used in rock solos. This means that the solos would consist of these notes, which all sound good together. The key of this minor pentatonic scale is A minor.

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&q=A+minor+pentatonic+scale

You can also search for ‘pentatonic scale’ or ‘minor pentatonic scale’ to get other scales.

First make sure your guitar is in standard tuning (EADGBe from thickest string to lightest). NOTE: You can search for eg. ‘A# minor pentatonic scale’ to get a scale map in a specific key.

Notes played within a given scale give the music a certain ‘feel’… for example, if you play a pentatonic blues scale (look it up, and play along with the ‘Bluesy Day’ song) it distinctly sounds like a very bluesy collection of notes, even to untrained ears. You can use this link to search for a “blues scale”.

http://images.google.com/images?um=1&q=blues+scale+fretboard

Here is a map of one of the positions in this AMAZING pattern again:

______________________________5_8_______________
__________________________5_8___________________
___________________5_7_8________________________
______________5_8_______________________________
_______5_6_7____________________________________
__5_8___________________________________________

A minor blues pentatonic scale Position 1.

Practice going up and down the scale with these notes to develop your dexterity!

After you have played some of these notes without the music and take note of how they sound, try and play it with background music. If it doesn’t sound right (almost out of tune), chances are the music is in a different KEY than the scale you’re playing is. All you have to do to change the key of the scale is move the scale PATTERN up and down the fretboard. Cool huh!

The scale pattern you have searched for should show you the ROOT NOTE of the scale in several different positions. The root note tells you what key the scale is being played in.

So if you are playing a ‘minor pentatonic scale’ and the root note position is on the A note (5th fret in standard tuning on the E string), you are playing an A minor pentatonic scale. If you move it up one fret, you are now playing in the A# (A sharp) minor pentatonic scale!

Just move the pattern up and down and keep playing notes till the notes you’re playing sound like they are in the same key as the song! Be patient and you’ll get it, and over time you’ll be able to get into key really quickly.

Once you do this try to play around with it and be creative. Use hammer-ons and pull-off, bend the strings (remember, bending a string gives a higher note, so make sure that that note is also in the scale or it might not sound right!) and try to have fun with it.

The song Bluesy Day can be played with an A minor blues pentatonic scale (search ‘A minor blues scale’ – it is like an A minor pentatonic scale with the D#/Eb note added)) and it sounds pretty good! Give it a shot.

You’ll get it soon enough! Work on your dexterity and try to play chords within the scale (more than 1 note at a time) while playing and mix it up. Scales are the basis of soloing, and all music really, so commit all kinds of em to memory!

You can also search for more backing tracks that people make at home in places like youtube. You can find backing tracks to ANY type of music there.

Let me know if you have any questions and I’ll try to get back to you! Hope this was helpful for you.

Have a good jam!
-Steve

How To Take A Rockin’ Guitar Solo is a post from: Beginners Guitar Lessons

Music therapy has been around for many years. It is recognized as a tool for helping patients with emotional and behavioral problems like depression and ADHD. While the usual instruments used are the drums, cymbals, and other instruments that do not need too much instructions, the guitar is now being introduced as an option to consider. Learning to play guitar requires some finger dexterity, and this comes with limitations as to who can learn to play guitar. Nevertheless, allowing disabled children to handle the guitar is a start towards giving them new hope and opportunities.

One of the uses of easy guitar lessons for disabled children and senior citizens is as a motivational tool. For children with ADHD, they develop the drive to sit down for at least half an hour to strum a guitar. It gives them a chance to learn how to focus on making sounds, and eventually playing simple songs.

Senior citizens are also open to learning to play guitar, mainly because it is reminiscent of days when the guitar was a popular.

The beauty of learning to play a guitar is that by learning a few chords, you can create music. After learning the basics, which includes how to care for the guitar, there is a lot of freedom to play anything. Even just strumming the guitar can relax children and senior citizens easily.

Music appreciation through easy guitar lessons can also help children with autism or learning disabilities, as well as speech and emotional problems. Furthermore, by learning to play the guitar, the children and senior citizens have a unique opportunity to enhance their social skills.

In Manhattan, an innovative approach by the Terence Cardinal Cooke Health Care Center uses music as a means for getting patients to release tension and anger. They believe that music can heal the spirit, just as medicines can heal the body. With music, they can connect with the rest of the world and the people around them.

With easy guitar lessons, children are taught how to follow schedules, and the need for practice. They also get a lot of free time to just play the instrument of their choice. Learning to play guitar is just one of the ways to draw out a child or a senior citizen, and make them feel important.

Here are some guidelines you can use in helping a child learning to play guitar:

1.    Keep the pace slow and repetitious. While you may find it boring and redundant, they won’t.
2.    Give prices or tokens as a reward system
3.    Insist on practice
4.    Give them a choice of songs to learn, making sure that the songs are appropriate for their level of playing
5.    Start a band with drums, guitars, and any other instruments you can think of
6.    Give them a chance to vocalize how they feel about the easy guitar lessons, and if they want to pursue the lessons or not
7.    Inject fun into every lesson

These are just a few of the things you can try if you have a disabled child or a child who has gone through emotional distress in his life recently. Music has a gentle way of healing broken spirits.

Easy Guitar Lessons For Disabled Children and Senior Citizens is a post from: Beginners Guitar Lessons

Like the classic guitar, the acoustic guitar is played without any electric amplification. When getting your first guitar, you must choose between steel or nylon strings. Naturally, you will need to get a guitar that was made specifically for nylon (classic guitar) or acoustic (acoustic guitar) strings. The difference between the two strings would be the sound that you make, as well as the effect on your fingers.

Acoustic guitar lessons for beginners must start with selecting your strings. Steel strings, being a tougher string, can make deep marks on your fingers, and if you are not used to this, it could hamper your lessons.  Nylon strings use less tension and so are not as tough to play with.

The reason you should never use nylon strings on a steel acoustic guitar is because the nut that holds down the strings at the end of the guitar are narrower and will not be able to hold the wider nylon strings. Furthermore, the angle of the guitar saddle is different for steel acoustic guitars.

Overall, this means that if you want to have a guitar that plays in perfect tune, you must never switch strings.

An important factor in acoustic guitar lessons for beginners is care for the guitar. After playing on your guitar or after each session, make sure to gently wipe the guitar strings to remove the dirt and oil. If left without proper care, your guitar strings will not last as long, and could produce flat sounds in the process.

It is possible to buy an acoustic guitar designed for nylon strings but you will not be able to get the sharp acoustic sound common to steel acoustic guitars. However, for comfort and for beginners, nylon strings might be the better alternative, especially for young teens.

Beginning guitar lessons must be conducted with care. Choosing your tutor or guitar teacher is very important especially for young children and teenagers. This is because an impatient and rough tutor would not be able to sustain the interest of the student long enough for him to learn even just the basics.

Assuming you have found a good teacher, beginning guitar lessons should start with familiarity with the instrument, the music sheets and how to read the notes, and then the basic chords. It is also important to focus on strengthening the fingers as well as stretching them to reach the right notes.

For acoustic guitar lessons for beginners, the tutor must be able to emphasis the different strokes and the sounds they create. The tendency for many young learners is to strum the strings hard. However, acoustic sound is gentle and tender, not just strong and loud.

As with learning anything new, beginning guitar lessons can get tedious because of the scales and repetition. If you are the tutor, why not spike up the lessons with a short tune they can learn after each lesson. As for the student, acoustic guitar lessons for beginners is very tempting to rush through. Except without the strong foundation of being able to blend chords and strum or pluck the strings, you will never be able to strike out on your own. You could try experimenting every time you learn a new chord, and creating short tunes. This will provide you with some creative leeway, and keep you interested in learning how to play the instrument.

All things done properly, like acoustic guitar lessons for beginners, will pay off handsomely in the end. Practice and see.

Beginning Guitar Lessons – Electric/Acoustic Guitar For Beginners is a post from: Beginners Guitar Lessons

If you are intent on finding electric guitar lessons for beginners, you might as well start with classic guitar lessons. The reason for this is it becomes easier to learn guitar techniques and chords on a classic guitar.  However, it is possible to fast track your guitar lessons and go straight to electric guitar lessons for beginners. You just need to avoid getting frustrated, and you will because playing a guitar, electric or classic is a lot of work. You have more things to remember than just chords and playing guitar; you will also need to learn how to use the amplifier and hooking up your guitar properly.

When you see guitarists in bands play, it all looks so easy, but they didn’t get to where they are without tremendous dedication and hard work. Learning their craft takes some time, so be ready to allot at least 15 to 30 minutes a day to learn to play electric guitar.

Once you have been able to hook up your electric guitar, you need to check the strings of your guitar. With electric guitars, loose strings will mean flat or out of tune notes. Give your strings proper attention.

The difference between a classic guitar and an electric guitar is the sounds produced.  To learn to play the electric guitar, you need to be familiar with tone, volume, and sound textures. You can strum your strings, and come up with different sounds, depending on your touch, the amount of pressure you put on the strings and the way you play the chords.

Electric guitar lessons for beginners will always start with the basics. There is just no way you can pick up an electric guitar and start playing tunes. This means learning the guitar chords and scales. If you have heard about playing by ear, it can happen. Some people are gifted with knowing what chord to play to get the sound they want. Just by listening to a song, they can play it on any instrument easily. Unfortunately, not a lot of people can do this.

Thus, assuming you don’t have the gift, then learn to play the electric guitar the traditional method. Practice, practice, and more practice. You will also need to know how to read music sheets. With guitar, it is much simpler than piano music sheets. This is because guitar uses letters as names for chords. Thus, it is important to know what strings, frets to press on with every chord.

The highlight of electric guitar lessons for beginners is learning how to bend strings to get that wonderful vibrato sound. When you are able to bend strings, you can produce a lot of personality to a tune – giving you that amazing rock and roll sound that everyone loves.

For the sake of the people living in the house with you, make sure to find a room that can hold the sound in with solid walls and ceilings – like your garage. This way you can practice and never have to worry about creating so much noise pollution in your neighborhood.

Electric Guitar Lessons For Beginners – Learn To Play Electric Guitar is a post from: Beginners Guitar Lessons

Every parent dreams of his child attaining success, and there are three main areas that a parent would consider while the child is still young. It would either be success in sports, academics, or music. One of the most popular music lessons would be guitar lessons for kids. The reason for its popularity would be because buying a guitar is relatively inexpensive compared to a wind instrument or a piano. In addition, children all seem to like the idea of playing guitar in the hopes of making it to a band one day. And the younger you start, the better.

If the school offers guitar lessons for beginners, it would be a good start. The cost would be minimal and your child would be part of a group, which will help motivate him to keep improving.

However, if the school is not open to guitar lessons for kids, you might have to invest in a guitar teacher. Of course, this can get a little expensive, and for this reason, online lessons, many of them free, are popping up all over the internet.  Should you consider signing up your child for online guitar lessons for beginners?

First of all, can your child work on his own? Will he have the discipline to see the guitar lessons for kids all the way through? Most children have a difficult time working on their own. It’s normal because they are not yet used to self-motivation. Vet few children can handle solo online guitar lessons for kids. Thus, why not get together with some other mothers, and find out whose child would be interested in guitar lessons for beginners? If you get at least 5 kids together, you could all afford to pitch and pay for a real tutor to come over and teach the children once a week.

Second, online guitar lessons for kids can be very impersonal – and for kids this means, boring. One way around this possible problem would be to find an online guitar course that would teach them songs to augment the lesson for the day. This will help reinforce the topic being taught as well as keep the interest high.

Third, why not consider taking the guitar lessons for beginners also? This will help your child when he gets confused with the lesson and diagrams. As an adult, you will be in a better position to figure out exactly what is being taught, and how to understand and apply it.

Finally, if you feel that the interest in waning, you might consider bringing him to some formal lessons. A child might be willing to shift to a regular class if he knows a little bit about the basics. It will give him ample opportunity to show what he has learned thus far, and somehow be ahead of the rest of class – which can be a great confidence booster.

Guitar lessons for kids must be geared for the young minds. If you see that the lessons if getting to complicated and drawn out, it might be better to look for another website. This is because it would be a shame to let it all go down the drain because of a poorly constructed course for guitar lessons for beginners.

Practical Guitar Lessons For Kids – Guitar Lessons For Beginners is a post from: Beginners Guitar Lessons