learning electric/lead technique

[dmb spook]

When i initially decided to learn a new instrument, being a drummer first and foremost, i picked up an electric guitar, found i new nothing about guitar and playing punk rock was boring..... I then picked up the acoustic and after teaching myself and learning a great deal about playing guitar thanks to DMB and THIS SITE!!!!! i have been playing guitar well for about 3 years now... Except now when i pick up an electric the only thing i can do is play Dave and Mayer acoustic songs on an electric (which with certain effects can be a really fun way to play his songs but thats beside the point)

Does anyone have any advice i.e. music books or magazines, or just certain players to emulate to help build some more electric lead chops.... The styles of play are so different and when i try to play lead guitar its like i dont even know what a guitar is anymore....

[Cor]

To learn other styles of lead playing, first you have to listen to that kind of music. A professor once told me that you can't expect to learn one style of music while listening to another. What kind of soloing do you want to do? bluesy, shredding, funky?

But if you don't know them already, learn your major and minor scales, as well as your major and minor pentatonics. That's a good start.

[dmb spook]

anything classic rock or blues.... basically.... but yeah i suppose i will have to learn those scales (the drummer in me has always fought that0... thanks!!!

[Cor]

The guys that I liked when I started playing classic rock were the typical greats, but the best o learn from- Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, etc.

But the scales will definitely help. Once you have those under your fingers you can really start playing your own solo lines. Good luck!

[gunnar1104]

Yeah start with some easier riffs from typical classic rock and work your way in to harder stuff. Black Dog, Hey Joe, Comfortably Numb, etc.

[mlb1399]

I would submerse yourself in different styles. Learn blues scales, jazz, major scales(relative minor scales), learn arpeggios and arpcycling. Remember soloing is like talking or phrasing. Don't talk to much, enunciate certain words, emphasize certain words, throw out a phrase and repeat. Mess around with scales to your favorite songs that have fairly simple chord progressions. Some good Dave songs to solo to are #41, Lover Lay Down, Crush, etc. Remember that once you learn 1 scale and you can move over 1 fret and the same spacial relationship applies to the new key 1/2 step higher. Learn where the same note is all over the fretboard.

You are going to have to learn some theory. Some people can do without but I think it really helps. If you understand intervals at all, stick the 1st, 3rds, 5ths and 7ths as your sticking points and use 2nd, 4ths, 4ths to add flavor. A lot of lead guitar players out there will mess around the 3rds and 5ths. Each chord change reprsents a new scale to play around with.

If you're playing in C major, you focus on the C, E, G and B. If your next chord change is F then focus on F, A, C and E. If you finish with a G or G7 then focus on G, B, D and F. You can use the other notes in each of those scales to add flavor. Use bends, slides, trills, hammer offs, hammer ons and vibratos to add texture or really emphasize an idea that you have.

Hope that helps.

[NonSequitur]

That was a really good succint post - nice one!

[dmb spook]

wow... perfect.. thanks for the help .. extra thanks to mlb1399 for going above and beyond... i do understand what your saying (thank god i attempted to learn theory before) and that now makes a lot of sense to me

[Oregon41]

I've been having a technique problem now that I've been bending more:

When I bend a string, and it moves up next to other strings, I release and the other string vibrates and gives me an off-key note. How do I prevent this from happening?

[taparoo]

I've been having a technique problem now that I've been bending more:

When I bend a string, and it moves up next to other strings, I release and the other string vibrates and gives me an off-key note. How do I prevent this from happening?

I usually mute the two/three strings above the note I'm bending by hanging my index finger over them (when not bending with my index finger).