Get Ready To Learn How To Make Your Own Guitar Solos

And have a blast on your guitar!

If you weren’t having fun in your guitar journey already, you’re about to now. :)

You’ve been working hard on scales and picking, now let’s put it to good use and have some fun making up your solos. Improvising is super exciting, and it helps you to unleash your skills as a musician. You’re moving on up in your guitar journey, so be proud of that.

In this lesson, you'll learn how to make up your guitar solos through major scale improvisation!

Improvisation With The C Major Scale

You've learned the C major scale, and it'll be perfect to start improvisation. For now, don't worry about the alternate picking. If you can do it - go for it! If you're not there yet, use all down picks.

Within any key, some chords belong to it, meaning the chords are composed of the notes found in the key. For the key of C, the chords are:

C, Dm, Em, F, G, and Am

The C major scale is your home base for now! If a song is in the key of C, all the notes in the C major scale will sound good. So you can play them over any of the chords in the same key.

Of course, loads of exceptions exist! But for now, stick with songs that stay in one key. It'll make more sense when you're learning how to improvise on the guitar.

7 Tips For Guitar Solos Improvisation

Improvising on the guitar can be intimidating! You’re breaking free of any protections on your ego and stepping out on your own. You’re transitioning from someone who can sort of play the guitar - to a real musician. How awesome does that sound? :)

So let yourself be vulnerable and put your feelings aside. You’ll do great! Follow these 7 tips to help you improvise guitar solos.

Tip 1 - Use The Thinnest strings

To start, only use the thinnest three strings for your guitar solo. Do this instead of using the whole scale at once!

You can also start with the notes on the thinnest string. Then, add in one string at a time. It'll give you a chance to understand the music theory you learned and put it into practice. :)

Listen to how each note rings out over the chords. Identify which combination of sounds you enjoy. Finally, pay attention to the emotion you convey as you play.

Tip 2 - Improvise with a few notes

For now - don’t worry about playing MORE stuff. I know it's tempting, but don’t use too many notes yet!

Not all guitar solos are about shredding! Think of some of your favorite guitar solos and note how they use time. It’s not always about speed.

Some of the best solos are slow and deliberate. Soloing is your chance to sing with your guitar, and there’s plenty to explore there!

Tip 3 - Use repetitions

Less is more at this stage. Take your time and use repetitions.

If there's a little riff that you like playing, try repeating it a few times as the chords beneath it change. Repetitions change the whole feel and sound of the riff!

Repeating chord sequences in your guitar solos will also make more sense to your listener!

Tip 4 - Let your riff breathe

Speaking of timing, don’t underestimate the impact of a rest. Leave some space here and there. Let your riff breathe!

The gaps in the melody are almost as important as the notes when it comes to phrasing.

Think of rest like a comma or period in a sentence. The placement will make a difference in the message and tone.

Or, think of it like a person who talks non-stop without even taking a moment to breathe! If they paused - it would make their message much more clear!

Tip 5 - Leave gaps in the melody

Leaving gaps in the melody is a useful way to let notes from the previous phrase ring out. And - it gives you a moment to think about your next move! Think about the direction you want the melody, and try to execute your idea.

Finally, don’t be afraid of your gaps. While it may feel like you’ve been resting for a long time, it doesn’t feel as long to the listener.

Tip 6 - Record yourself

A good way to know what listeners are hearing is to record yourself. I encourage you to do this!

It'll help put your playing into perspective. Do this with audio or video to step outside of yourself and hear things you may not be hearing!

If you’re using video, you can see your positioning. It'll help you adjust your posture and playing!

Tip 7 - Sing over the backing track

The last tip I’ve got for you is to sing over the backing track. Singing will help you understand natural, melodic, and interesting lines of phrasing. Doing this will do a few things for you:

It will help you hear the notes in the key.
It'll give you a bit more freedom to experiment with different sounds. And without fear of hitting a wrong note.
It'll force you to breathe.

So now is the time for exploration! Grab your guitar and have fun improvising your guitar solos!

Improvising With A Backing Track Or Jam Buddy

Now that you know the theory behind it, time to let loose! Experiment with different sounds, and find something that you love. You’re developing your songwriting skills - and allowing your creativity to grow!

Log in to your account and access the backing track through My Practice Assistant. The mp3 download is also available in the tab above.

Let the JustinGuitar Community know how it goes in the discussion section. You can also share a video of yourself trying this out. Have fun experimenting! :)

Next lesson - let's take a look at a strumming technique to make your playing more exciting! See you there :)