Lead Guitar 2 – playing solos
I heard of an electric guitarist playing in church for a service. The worship leader played a ‘50s rock’n’roll style song. He turned and gave the electric guitarist a nod to take a guitar solo. The guitarist panicked – he had no idea what to play or how to solo in that style.
Lead guitar 2 is all about being able to play a guitar solo in various styles.
We examine:
• The layout and significance of the pentatonic scale.
• The blues form – 12-bar accompaniment patterns.
• Swing and straight eighths
• The blues scale in theory and practise.
• Intervals
• The major and natural minor scales in improvisation
• Arpeggios
We will also introduce some common techniques on the guitar – the mechanics of right hand motion, alternate picking, economy and sweep picking, legato and tapping.
By the end of the course the student should feel confident that they have a more thorough knowledge of the fretboard layout, and a hands-on knowledge of guitar techniques. The student should be able to play a guitar solo in various musical styles and genres.
Being a practical course the various aspects will be illustrated by examining songs.
