Do you ever get bored playing your guitar to an electronic beep? Although playing to a metronome is one of the most beneficial things you can do for your playing (in more ways than you can imagine) it can sometimes feel a little unreal and more often than not, uninspiring. When learning how to play guitar solos you usually have something to play to, maybe playing over a CD or jamming your favorite song with a friend, but what happens if you're just practicing techniques, improvisation or composing something new? There is a solution that I have used for years and it has helped me in so many ways, creatively as well as with timing and technique. It is the use of backing tracks and real instruments to play along to.

Backing Tracks are just what Karaoke is to the singing world; a real band track with one instrument taken out so you can play along as if playing with a full band. You can approach these in two ways - buy pre existing backing tracks or what I did, make your own. It's easy to make your own but I will warn you now, it can cost a little to set yourself up to be able to record these. Here are some things to consider when choosing either way:

Buying Existing Tracks

Does the music inspire you? There are so many tracks available and not all are created equal. Choose ones that are in your genre and that make you want to pick up the guitar and play along!

Can they be used in multiple ways? Some songs are easier to solo to than others and you want to make your money stretch as far as possible. Try to choose tracks that give you multiple ideas and that allow you to open up notes all over the neck.

How's the quality of the sound? It's no use playing to something that sounds like it was recorded in a cave during a hail storm! Choose something that sounds well produced and professional after all, the better it sounds the better you will play to it.

Making your own Backing Tracks

What do you really need in order to do this? Drum Machine and some form of recording device - that's it! You can always get a lot more stuff than this to make professional recordings but that all depends on your budget, so work out what you really need before going to the guitar shop and you won't get swept up in the moment (speaking from experience here, going in for picks and coming out with a new guitar!).

Drum Machine - There are some free ones online that will give you a decent sound to play along with and depending on what you want to achieve these may be good enough for you. Next step up is the cheap paid versions such as Quickbeats, these are a good alternative and certainly cheap enough. I personally use a program called Fruityloops and add my own sampled drum sounds in which gives the result I'm after, and that's what it's about.

Guitar Recording - There are also a lot of ways to record guitar, starting from cheap programs you can download to physical recording devices, but it all depends on what you want to spend. There are programs that you can buy that have a basic plug-and-play guitar recording unit, and that come with a built in drum machine, which are great for the guitarist wanting it easy, and you can get some great sounds that will inspire you for years to come.

At the end of the day you can spend unlimited amounts on recording equipment that you don't necessarily need, but choose what suits your needs. And if you're just learning how to play guitar solos from your favourite band and you don't want to pay anything, find a free drum program (even a trial version) and create a few beats you can play along with and this will enhance your creativity which in turn will improve all aspects of your playing.

Have you ever wondered how to play guitar solos with the 'slipperiness' and ease that a lot of the pro guitarists do? There are a couple of tricks that don't get talked about that much and are things that you can do immediately to enhance your speed and playing ability on any guitar neck.

First of all, let's look at the natural things on a guitar that can make it a faster neck to play on, so if you're in the market for a new one you can make the best choice for what you need at the time. The things to consider on a guitar neck when you're looking for ease of use and speed for solos and fast riffs in general are neck width, coating, wood choice on both fret board and the neck back, and action (These are just the main neck considerations apart from other things to look for, but that for another time).

Neck Width - There are a few different choices when it comes to the width of the neck, from fatter necks that apparently give you more control over the notes but for some can hinder their speed, and the thin wide necks that are more aimed at speed and free movement. Regardless of which one feels comfortable to you, they are both personal choices as with the rest of these points and should both be played to get a feel for what's out there and how it plays. I personally find a thin neck much easier to play, but that's just the choice I have made.

Coating - This is quite often overlooked and can be a key factor in what you can do at high speed. Coating refers to the finish on the wood, so whether it's a high gloss or more of a matt finish it can affect the way your hand slides across the neck. Some people stick to a gloss finish and find it hard to slide effectively, while others love the feel of it...once again, personal preference.

Wood Choice - You may not feel or hear the difference in the wood choice in the neck and that's ok, but when learning how to play guitar solos the choice of woods on the fret board you'll want to pay attention to. There are a few different choices available here from Rosewood, Ebony, and Maple etc...I have played most and found Rosewood was the one for me in terms of having the control over the notes I chose as well as being able to effortlessly slide across the neck, but I know guys that swear by Ebony fret boards. Try a few and look for the one that suits.

Action - This is where it gets fun and this is also the stage you have the most control over. The Action on a guitar simply refers to the height of the strings off the neck and the playability caused as a result. If a guitar has a fast action it means the strings are low to the neck and overall it's a smooth easy play. Regardless of the previous 3 points, whatever guitar you own you should be able to do something with to improve the action, whether that's filing down the bridge or nut, to lowering your tremolo system. To get detailed explanation of how to lower your action click here.

There is another trick you can do to make your guitar slippery to play, and that is oiling the fret board. It sounds a little weird and to be honest when I first heard about this I was sceptical, but it works! I'm not talking throwing engine oil over it, but what's known in Australia as WD-40. Any form of spray lubricant from the hardware store will do nicely (you can also buy a specialized guitar spray from the guitar shop but it costs a bit more and does exactly the same thing). I've also heard of people using lemon oil, but I haven't personally tried that so there's not much I can say on it.

Just be warned, your fingers will get a bit oily and feel weird at first, but as it soaks into the neck you won't notice it. I also get a dusting cloth or any smooth cloth and wipe the excess spray into the fret board, just to get an even coverage and less oil on my fingers.

If you oil the neck and make the string action as low as you can without causing any fret buzz, you'll notice an almost instant improvement in your playing ability!

Are you one of those people that likes to just pick up a guitar and get straight into it? Do you wonder why you can't always play everything you normally play until a few minutes into it? The reason is simple and it's all because of something that the majority of guitarists don't do (I've been guilty of it myself) - finger stretches and warm ups.

Think about it like this, if you go to the gym and get straight into the heavy weights without a proper warm up you run the risk of injury, so why is guitar any different? When you look at the amount of stress that is being placed on your fingers and hands it's not surprising that things like R.S.I. (repetitive strain injury) are so common amongst guitarists. It doesn't need to be this way, and you can confront this head by learning how to play guitar solos with the least amount of pain and stress...let's take a look at 3 ways we can do this:

Stretching/ Workouts/ Exercises

Stretching

What stretching does in its basic form is elongate the muscle and keep elasticity, with the result of more control, flexibility and range of motion, which is great for guitarists to remember. Focus on both the hands and the fingers as they both work in guitar playing, and you can do a variety of exercises. The aim is to loosen and warm up both the hands and fingers before playing to prevent injury, and to give you more control over what you do on the fret board. For a few examples check out these Hand Stretching Exercises.

Workouts

It may sound funny to some to do hand workouts, but you know how important finger strength is for holding barre chords, bending notes, and the list goes on and on, you'll know what I'm on about...so why do so few people work on strengthening their hands and fingers? Whether or not you do any form of exercise for the rest of your body is a topic for another site, but here the importance of strengthening your hands is all we're concerned about. Have I mentioned that hand strength is important yet? J Well...it is. If you work out already then you'll know that just doing weights for the rest of your body strengthens your hands as well, but if you don't then try this little tip - Gripmaster. This is a great tool for guitarists and can work on individual finger strength, but you can also use an alternative that I used when starting out and that is standard Hand Grips from a sports/ gym store. Keep it in your car, bag, locker at work and use it when you get a free moment, it'll really pay off in a short space of time!

Exercises

I'm not talking about hand strength now, but a series of patterns on the guitar that challenge right from the start. There a lot of different ways to do this from odd shaped chords to massive stretches all over the neck, but my favourite even though it sounds a bit dull (but this is all about finger warm up here and not sound) is chromatics. Practice playing them up and down like scales, try alternating the fingering and challenging yourself as you go and then get into you're playing. A great way to do it is to start with all fingers together in the natural chromatic progression, and then gradually increase the spacing. If you play on frets 12,13,14,15 with fingers 1,2,3,4 then simply play frets 12,13,14,16 with the same fingers to get a stretch. The next time around you might play 12,13,15,16 and move the 3^rd finger up one and continue in this pattern and then back down until you're back at the starting position. This is just one example but a good starting place. If you want an extreme warm up tab exercise click here. Also, here is a video with a great demonstration warm up to stretch you out...enjoy!

If you take the time to do this for even a few minutes a day, it will make your practice time more efficient and as a result your playing will improve at a faster rate than it would have before - well worth it if you ask me!

Have you ever been disheartened when you see a great guitar player pulling off a massive solo and thinking 'I could never do that'? This so often happens to less experienced players when they are practicing how to play guitar solos and a lot of the time, they end up giving up because of it which is a tragedy.

The truth is the majority of people who listen to music want something they can connect with, so if you are in the above category and feel like giving up this may put your mind at ease.

Instead of looking at what you can't play, focus on what you can and do it well!

When learning how to play guitar solos the most important thing is playing every note well, with great technique and emotion. If you can't play the flashiest solos yet don't worry about it - it will happen in time with the right practice. There are certain things to concentrate on when practicing that will make you sound like a better player while playing very few notes, so try these out and forget what everyone else is doing - this is about you.

Practicing with single notes:

If every note has to be spot on it makes sense to practice notes on their own as well as in scale runs. Try practicing notes like this and see how it feels:

• Pick a scale, let's use the C major scale (C Ionian) as a starting position


• Play through all the notes in the scale slowly with a metronome, and with the most important thing, total control of every note. Make sure you watch your fingering as well, and move your hand as little as possible by placing a different finger on each fret (1^st finger - 3^rd fret/ 2^nd finger - 5^th fret/ 4th finger - 7^th fret etc).


• When you can play it through with each note sounding smooth and it feels easy, put the metronome to half the time of what it is now.


• Play each note again in half time and practice a steady vibrato on each note, and make sure the vibrato is in time with the metronome as well (it's not enough that the note is played on the beat, the vibrato should be practiced in time as well).


• When this feels easy, practice sliding up from the previous note in the scale, so in this case slide up from the B note before the root note of the scale. The aim is to pick the note in the same scale previous to the one you're playing and slide from it.


• Combine the two by sliding up to the note and then adding vibrato.


• When this all feels comfortable, try adding a downward slide as your coming down the scale to add a new element.


• When this is done and you feel good about it, turn the metronome back to the speed it originally was and play through the scale again normally, and you should find it a little easier and you'll have more control over the notes. Keep speeding it up as you start feeling comfortable with it, and when you get to the stage when you start making mistakes, start over with the next scale up the neck (try playing all the scales of the notes in the C major scale, C D E F G A B C - so the next one here is the standard D scale).


• Repeat for all scales until you get back to C further up the neck.

It sounds a little basic but you may be surprised how challenging it can be, and this way of practicing alone can give a huge control over the notes you play and at the same time, set you up for both knowing the fret board and learning modes (both will really help you with composition).

Good luck with it and remember to take it slow and get that control over the notes before you move on to other techniques or speed, and your playing will improve tenfold!

Learning how to play guitar solos is easy when you know how, but becoming a master at any specific technique is another level. There are a few techniques that are considered more advanced because of their level of difficulty, and Artificial Harmonics for a lot of guitarists fall into this category.

Natural Harmonics are produced by lightly tapping a string in set places along the neck, resulting in a bell like sound. These can be sounded at multiple positions, such as 5^th, 7^th and 12^th frets, and can be played with very little effort.

Artificial Harmonics on the other hand require a specific technique, and although are a little harder to play, they can be played on any note or position on the neck. There are a few ways to play these Artificial Harmonics such as playing a note first and then lightly touching the same string at an interval equivalent to a natural harmonic i.e. if you play a note on the second fret, you can move the natural harmonics that are usually in 5^th, 7^th and 12^th fret positions up two frets to result in the same harmonic but two semi tones higher. This is very similar to a natural harmonic and is self explanatory once you know what a natural harmonic is, only moved up by the note you choose to play beforehand.

The main way I choose to use artificial harmonics when learning how to play guitar solos is through the use of Pinch Harmonics.

Pinch Harmonics are simply 'pinching' the string with your playing hand as opposed to your fretting hand resulting in a harmonic squealing sound. To do this, all I do is rest my thumb and the edge of the pick on the string at the same time. When I strike the note with both the thumb and pick it results in a Pinch harmonic and you should be able to hear the difference straight away, however mastering this can take a little time so be patient and keep working on it.

The reason I prefer this in general (and this is only a personal preference) is because it frees my left hand to continue with whatever other technique I want to use with the harmonic. You can use this while simply bending a note, adding it as an accent in a fast scale run, or any other variation including with dives and other more savage techniques.

If you have trouble getting the sound smooth, try moving your picking hand position to get either more pick than thumb or vice versa, or even to cut more through the strings in a downward motion. Play around and use what feels comfortable to you.

Here's a great video for getting a pinch harmonic sound, regardless of your level of expertise - enjoy!