Say you've got 8 bars in a song to melt people's faces off. 8 bars is not a long time to develop ideas or get into the zone. Are there any typical formulas for structuring a short improvised solo for maximum face melting potential?
I am vaguely aware that you should start low register and end in a high one. I guess a widdly but would go in somewhere
I appreciate that there are no hard and fast rules but I'm wondering if there are any shortcuts. I am crap at it although my technique is quite good. Instead of saying "YES!" my solos tend to go "hmm..."
Comments
Overall: Fast? Slow? Does it have two episodes or just one thing? It could conceivably have 4 sections.
Arc: Does it have an overall theme? A leitmotiv that is repeated? Does it have a journey from bottom to top for example?
Style: all bluesy? Or jazzy? Or starting standard then jazzing up a bit
Those are all structural questions. Now you go to the notes:
Mood: are you trying to be morose, or exciting, or what? Will you have soaring suspended notes or will it all be 16ths?
Primarily melodic or chord-tone based? Melodic is “better” IMO! But more creative and difficult. Even though it may sound simpler.
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
Nil Satis Nisi Optimum
Bars 1&2. Play the melody.
Bars 3&4. Play the melody with a variation, for example ending on a note which leads into ...
Bars 5&6. The interesting bit. It could be a counter melody, or some bends or fast flurries of notes, possibly played further up the the fretboard.
Bars 7&8. Coming back down to earth. Some people like to keep building the tension, and end with a crescendo. This can work if the solo is followed by a quiet bit, or an á cappella section. However if it’s going straight back into a verse then you need to wind things down and give the singer space.
When solo'ing target the 3rd and 5th scale notes of any given chord in the chord sequence
There's many, many tricks with what notes to play over what chord but here's a sure fire winner that's easy to work out on the fly. Target the third or fifth of the next chord as it changes. So if your on an F#m chord for example and you know it's gonna change to Amaj for example target the third of Amaj as the change occurs .... so at that point bend up a B note to C# .... chord change goes to Emaj, then target the B note.
Basically the third of a chord is the most important because it's almost all the flavour of a chord .... in as much as you can use just the root and third to imply all the changes generally. The 5th note doesn't have the full impact of the 3rd but it will always generally fit and sound cool
That's generally what I do, I realized that's what a lot of players like Gilmour, Clapton and Knopler were doing and basically copied it
From there, I figure out some good starting points on the fretboard. Largely, if it's going to start with "fast" then it'll be above the 12th fret, and if "slow" it'll be below the 12th fret.
There are only a few ways to meaningfully start a solo - bend, chord/double-stop, slide, or jump right in with a fast noodly bit. At least, that holds if you're not going to count studio tricks with fading/panning/etc.
So, to recap - you know where you're starting, you know which bits are going to be fast and slow, and you know where your target notes appear. From there, it's pretty much filling in the blanks with whatever you think's appropriate.
And then, if you're me, spending a few weeks learning to play it without getting cramps.
is the solo to:
- make the music climax
generally a final musical statement that the song ends with or a high point within a song
I'd make sure the solo ends high with the flashier licks towards the end
pitch wise it'd have a general ascent as it works towards that final statement
- build from a lower dynamic level up to a higher one [like approaching a final chorus]
same as previous.. I'd also tend to start melodic and gradually introduce the flashier bits so the note density increases too
- spill-off energy
gradually reduce note densities and general pitch.. maybe end with a melodic statement too
basically the reverse of the above
- compliment existing material
create a "theme and variations" based upon existing melodic material
like a snazzed up version of the chorus melody for example
a few other thoughts:
pitch can be used to create energy when rising and likewise spill it off in descent..
ascending lines add excitement and make me think of things like joy / hope / triumph / celebration
descending lines subtract energy and make me think of sadness / mourning / falling
low note densities open out the music and provide a sense of space.. also the notes are around long enough to exploit dissonance and resolution for a sense of tension and release..
they also make high notes soar. I use them for emphasis especially with bends as this adds the same pitch centric vibes stated above..
high note densities add energy, intensity and determination.. I also use them if I want to exploit rhythmic phrasing.. a sort of 'tuned percussion'.. so the 'percussive accent' effectively appears where the lick changes direction or has a note that is a 'leap' within a stepwise phrase.. on occasion I'll also disregard tempo and play free / non-sync'd like a revving engine to create a sense of ebb and flow with intensity..
in general though [where there's no specific context for guidance so "it's just a guitar solo"] I prefer to start with a theme or melodic line to make the solo memorable.. and then start turning up the wick..
and
Go apeshit in E minor.
Done.
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If that turns out to be shit, I'll then structure it and plan it out in sections. I've just done a short one for a mates project which starts with a bit of melody and then descends into shred (it's what he wanted and goes with the music!) with an ascending picking run matching the chord changes and then bends at the end mirroring the drum fill that finishes the section.
I've done similar with one for the band that took a lot longer, really trying to match the feel of the music and play more melodically though. I also used a different guitar to normal as I was completely uninspired initially - different guitar, different tone and loads of ideas came out.
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It has to fit and it can't be a tune the audience would rather hear at length than what you're already playing. A quick burst of Happy Birthday in the middle of a face melting rock choon is a sure fire winner.