I'm struggling writing solos

Ché

Also worth nothing, add some reverb to your lead tone, makes it blend a bit better with whatever you're playing along with.

TheInstrumentalist

Hi All,

Lots of interesting comments here. One thing I would suggest is to think about the rhythm of the notes you are playing. Try to create a phrase that has a nice rhythm, then add the notes. For the next phrase, you can use the same rhythm, but change the notes. This tends to give the solo a more structured feel, rather than a load of random licks. A great example of using rhythm to add coherence to a solo is Hammer to Fall by Queen: at the end of each two-bar phrase, Brian May uses the same five note rhythm (my description should make more sense when you listen to it). The exception to this is the third phrase where he doesn't adhere to this rhythmic structure. 

In addition, a common mistake is to end each phrase on the same note (usually the root note), which makes the solo sound mundane. Explore ending phrases on different notes, each of which will give you slightly different effects.

Also,I have recently been learning the solo from 'No More Tears', by Ozzy Osbourne and I have found that trying to make my own solo over the backing track really helps. Not sure how Zakk Wylde plays so brillantly on that track though!

axisus

Thanks all for the comments, plenty to think about!

Marshall_stax

Cirrus said:

Sticky has it bang on. Sometimes you can just let your fingers do the talking and find a part quite naturally, sometimes you can't and you need to figure out what the melody the guitar part you play should be. I once wrote a difficult solo by coming up with a vocal part, words and everything, then playing that melody on guitar.

+1 To the vocal part method. This has got me out of a mess a few times. And the vocals from it have gone on to spawn other songs - It's win win. 

Fuzzdog

There's always the old favourite method of just recording many takes of improvisation, and then cutting the best bits together.

You'd be amazed how many 'classic' solos were put together that way.  Mash it all together and then relearn the result when it sounds good.

guitarfishbay

I'm also a fan of writing solos without the guitar.

Spandex

When I'm being particularly retentive, I usually start by listening to the song and try to get an emotional response to the whole thing. This could be from the lyrics, the tempo, the hook, the melody, the type of instruments and tonal qualities which all come together to resonate with the listener. Is the song angry, frustrated, full of longing, nostalgic, happy (not that usual, the darker emotions are usually the stronger and easier to write). Does the song take the listener on a journey, will the solo be the bridge in that journey?

If you can echo this emotional response in the solo, then you're on to a winner.

As to how you find the right notes, one way that's worked for me is to write out all the bars sequentially, then draw (yes draw) your solo with lines, squiggles, whatever as you're listening to it. You'll find that this form of short hand notation gives you the ebbs and flow of the feelings. Then it's just a matter of working on each section until you find the right runs, the right speed, bends, slides to best fit the freehand scribble. Try it, really, it gives you a fantastic sense of where you're going with it.

Once I've crawled back down from my own backside, I've found this has worked really well in the past for me. I've got a few sketches I could upload if you'd like to see.

This, however, largely depends on whether your singer insists on making every song about his sexual conquests, then just the usually fret jizzery will probably do

axisus

@spandex - I'm really liking the drawing idea! I could see that working in my mind, I'll have to give it a go.