How to Play Guitar Solos for Newbies!

by Glenn Bird
Filed in Newbies

So you're only new to the guitar, maybe haven't even played before but you're thinking about it...where do you start? Most people will tell you that starting with a few chords and a series of scales is all you need and I will agree with that in part, but without the passion behind it and having fun while you're playing you won't stick with it. What I'm going to suggest is learning in 3 parts at the same time, and by using parts that all fit together to make a strong guitar foundation, and yes - you will be playing guitar solos from the start so buckle up! ...and get ready for the groundwork.

What are the 3 parts? The first two you have probably guessed already but the third is usually reserved for the more experienced players, but why wait?

Chords / Scales / Improvisation & Solo practice.

This may sound scary to someone new because when you think of solos you think of insane speed and massive technical skill, but it all starts somewhere and you're not going to jump straight in the deep end but just test the water at the edge first. This will also be planned and not just a handful of chords that you just pick out of a book and strum; this will set you up for a lifetime of ease and when learning how to play guitar solos in the future, you'll find it so much easier.

We'll start from the C major scale which consists of 7 notes and then the final C. The notes are: C D E F G A B and then C. Think of this scale as being the pivot point from where you go next either up or down, and just know that a lot of your learning later on will also start from this scale and these notes.

Step 1 - Chords

Learn How to play each chord in this scale in its original major form. Work on playing them smoothly and concentrate on finger strength so you can hold each note in the chord cleanly. When you can play each chord practice them together and get used to playing from one to another with a smooth change.

Step 2 - Scales
You guessed it, now it's time to learn the scales that derive from the notes in the C major scale. Start with the C scale and work your way through until you're back at C again. Practice playing each note with control and focus on playing evenly between them - they should all flow effortlessly from one to the other and have the same consistency, and I know that's hard at the start but you need something to aim for. Take it slow and work with a metronome to get your timing right.

To check out the Major scales Click Here

Step 3 - Improvisation & Solo Practice
Here's where the fun begins and you will actually start to make music, not just play a series of notes. This step is quite often left out when people are teaching, but if you learn how to play guitar solos from the start then all your guitar practice will improve together as a whole, and you won't find yourself being great at one thing but need to go back to the start to learn another.
The way to start in this area is to form a chord progression, just a series of chords played together to form a rhythm section to play over. Choose chords from the ones you just learned, and there you'll have some starting notes to go from. A little tip, when playing a major chord the name of it is the note it starts from or the 'root' note, so playing a C major chord will give you a C note to start off, and that is a note you can use to either start a solo over that chord or use somewhere over it and it will fit. When playing around with improvisation, keep it very simple at these early stages. The main thing is to have fun with it and get in the habit of creating your own music.

Here's an example to get you started. I chose the Chords G C and D, in this order - G C D G and just repeat it. This is the chord progression you'll be playing over, so maybe play it a few times to get it in your head or if you can get someone else to play along with you - great! Because I'm using the Chords G C D, I can use the same scales to use over the top, and because I'm using the same scale as the chord I know that the start note of the scale is the root note, and that fits perfectly over the top of the chord. Simply play the root note of each scale that you choose at the start of that chord, followed by any of the notes in the same scale in any order you wish to play them, and you're on your way to learning how to play guitar solos! You can see how this with a few techniques learned after can make a very effective solo.

One extra side note, playing major chords all the time can get a bit boring. When you have learned them learn the minor versions of the same chords as well as the matching scales, and you'll find yourself being able to play a lot of things easily from that moment on...

Once you have learned a few things check out the free guitar tabs online for your favourite songs, or if you want to learn your guitar faster and easier there are resources at the side of this page to help - either way, keep learning and have fun with it!

Discussion

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