Tips on writing Guitar Solos?

[Coaltergeist]

I'm working on a piece for a submission (which still has a long way to go), and I am in need of a guitar solo. I was always planning on having a real person perform the lead guitar part, but I at least wanted to compose a guideline for the solo. Knowing this, I am having a difficult time getting a solid result; I have decent ideas, but they never seem to translate to the page very well. Do any guitar players/composers have any insight? Anything is appreciated, thanks!

[Garrett Williamson]

I love when I get my guitarist to just wing it and we do plenty of different takes and I end up picking one of the (or maybe combine many) takes.

If you want the guitarist to go nuts (but obviously not playing anything that's not in the key or something that doesn't sound right), I'd just let him go all out. Let him improvise.

On the other hand, when writing more of a catchy hook which is often labeled as the guitar solo, you, of course, want to make sure it's a really catchy solo. Often something that kind of repeats (but not something that sounds repetitive) but is a catchy melody... if done correctly that can be pretty awesome.

If you check out my most recent album The Beat Demon (which can be heard on Spotify or on Bandcamp for free), there is a guitar "solo" (hook) at about 3:16. Basically my attempt was to create kind of a different guitar sound that was sort of low and dirty, but I wanted a catchy hook as well. If you're listening, the melody almost repeats itself but it in a slightly different way every time. Does that make sense? I'm not the best at explaining. I'm just giving an example there. Don't take anything I'm saying as a "line reading". Come up with something completely new and different.

Uniqueness and catchiness always help. That's what I have to say about it, but my advice is more creative-based rather than music-based, so let another guy tell you more about the technical side of it.

[Jonathan!]

I can't claim to have *the* way to write guitar solos but hopefully my tips will help you out. Not all are applicable to every solo but you might be able to glean some ideas.

- Listen to lots of solos that are similar to the style to which you want to write. Try to work out what elements of the solos appeal to you - guitar solos are very personal things.

- Think about much more than the notes. Slides, bends, mutes, double stops and, in my opinion, especially vibrato are key components in a guitar solo. Also have a think about how it might be played on a real guitar as this often has a strong influence on how a solo is written (whether the guitarist is conscious of it or not).

- Don't overlook the fact that your solo is essentially a mini piece in itself. Therefore, it should normally have some degree of structure and direction and shouldn't be just a random jumble of notes.

- On the subject of random jumbles of notes: unless the genre requires otherwise, don't be afraid to put slower, more melodic passages in. Guitar solos don't need 100 notes a second to be good. Equally, remember that rhythm is a powerful tool when shaping your solos.

- A recent technique I have started to use is making multiple takes of my (improvised) solos and then editing the best bits together. This probably isn't applicable in your case unless you are improvising on another instrument.

- Be prepared to spend a lot of time on your solo. Sometimes I will improvise the solo that I want in a take or two but in other cases I will spend multiple hours refining each part of the solo to make it exactly how I want.

I hope that somewhat helps. None of the rules are hard and fast so feel free to not observe all of them - as I mentioned at the start, guitar solos are very personal things.

[Final Kingdom]

I don't know if you have a little knowledge of guitar or music theory but if so, use scales. Most, if not all, solos come from scales except there's obvious variation. If you don't know much theory, I would suggest that you at least get to know scales so that you can explore making solos. Eventually you'll end up something that works for the song you're working on.

I definitely agree with Jonathon. You'll find loads of inspiration listening to solos you like. Imitating your favorite artists will help you find your own style for creating solos (and your overall music style).

[Coaltergeist]

I play french horn, so I am knowledgeable about scales and solos, but writing them myself seems to be my downfall.

[WillRock]

So... you have knowledge of scales and you have good ideas apparently. Thats good. So... structuring is your problem?

If so, I suggest you treat your solo like a story. It has a beginning middle and end. I find the best solos tend to tell a story and follow a structure. They might start out with a bang, they might start out small, but it needs to be dynamically in tune with what you want to create.

Structure your ideas a certain way, for example start out with the small ideas first and build them up to a crescendo, either from a dynamic or writing perspective, make your writing more complex and intricate the further in the solo you go. One way you could do this is to base your solo from a melody (or even a rhythm) and build up and variate around it. It'll keep your solo in a familiar place while keeping people interested.

I'd also focus on perfecting one section at a time - use it as inspiration for your next section once you've got it down. Detail is key - even if its just a placeholder, if it doesn't sound right to you, then you might not draw from it and create the best solo you can.

Lastly, vary your ideas. No one likes a 1 trick pony. Yngwie Malmsteen is a technical master of the guitar but his guitar solos are boring because all he does is shred. Avoid that.

Vito Bratta is a good example of a guitarist who writes all his solos, he doesn't improvise anything, and he's renouned for making some amazing guitar solos with very well thought out harmonies and note choices. Find what works best for part of your solo and you'll be fine

Edited September 11, 2014 by WillRock

[Tisbarde]

What I like to do is to listen to the backing track over and over again, while singing a solo. I feel like I would get the best ideas and get rid of all the licks that I'd play automatically if I don't have the instrument in my own hands.

You could also try transcribing solos that you like and analyse how they develop. As Jonathan said below, a sense of structure is quite important, it's not only about getting as fast as possible from point A to point B, or putting licks together! Also, that would allow you to actually write something that a guitar player could play! That's an instrument that allows a lot of expression, but which also comes to its limitations at higher speed.

[WillRock]

You could also try transcribing solos that you like and analyse how they develop..

Extra post for emphasis. SO MUCH THIS.

[timaeus222]

Extra post for emphasis. SO MUCH THIS.

And it helps if you have

if you're not much of a learner by ear.

[Coaltergeist]

So... structuring is your problem?

I love playing music, and I'm new to composition (relatively). I also do not play guitar, I'm just trying to look at it from a guitar player's perspective. Part of the problem I'm sure is sample quality; whatever may not sound so good using samples might sound great if someone played it live.

Thank you for all the suggestions! I think I can hammer a decent solo out now!

[timaeus222]

I love playing music, and I'm new to composition (relatively). I also do not play guitar, I'm just trying to look at it from a guitar player's perspective. Part of the problem I'm sure is sample quality; whatever may not sound so good using samples might sound great if someone played it live.

Thank you for all the suggestions! I think I can hammer a decent solo out now!

The hard part about using samples is that you might not yet know what the tendencies of a guitar player could be. So, even if you write a cool solo that seems realistic, it might not feel natural. So you may want to either study the stylistic choice of the soloist as well as the notes themselves, if you want to stick to doing it with samples. Here's an example for violin (I'm just reposting something I used in the past for this request, so that's why the sequenced one actually has reverb):

My sequenced violin (reverbed)

Live violin (dry)

The live recording has a little more flair, it's tighter, and there are less portamentos towards the end.

Edited September 11, 2014 by timaeus222

[Garrett Williamson]

if you're not much of a learner by ear.

that's a trainable thing.

ya gotta kinda train yourself to learn by ear.

if ya can't do it, it's possible to train yourself to.

[AngelCityOutlaw]

A guitar solo is no different from composing any other melody. It's just that you often throw in some more bends, harmonizations, faster runs, maybe tapping, whammy bar dives and other flashy tricks.

Edited September 11, 2014 by AngelCityOutlaw

[Darangen]

As a guitarist, I usually just ask for the melodic idea and any reference material the person wants the solo to emulate.

If you're looking for personal study, then do what everyone else here is saying.

[Garrett Williamson]

As a guitarist, I usually just ask for the melodic idea and any reference material the person wants the solo to emulate.

Yeah again, I think of any solo and my first thought is "improv"

[SnappleMan]

1. Play in key

2. Play out of key

3. Incorporate elements of theme/melody of the song

The key to a good guitar solo is to understand that you do not have to strictly follow the scale of the key that you're playing in. As long as the first and last note of your lick are in the scale you can do whatever you want between them, so when adding tasteful dissonance your guitar solos pop and sound even better.

[Nabeel Ansari]

I think of any solo and my first thought is "improv"

really now