Guys I have begun to do my own solos these days, mostly by improvising very slowly (I'm beginner at these stuff, remember?), using either downpicking or slow alternate picking. The music patterns and ideas come to me on the fly, right from my brain, and as it's obvious, sometimes I mess up, hit a totally unmatching note or the wrong note, and everything just goes to hell!
I read some solo patterns stuff and such related beginner topics on this site as well as on ultimate-guitar.com, and overall, I am still learning new things. Like, only today I read on UG that knowing the "key" of the solo and the scale are the 2 important things, so that we can improvise upon those patterns and not hit wrong notes. Any more things I should know as a beginner to solos? Trust me, Those 2 are the only things I know about solos, still at the beginner stage argghh!! Should I jump right into learning patterns and scales? Fretboard notes? I'm a lead guitarist, or at least, hope to be... Any help would be much appreciated!   

Of everything you mentioned zu, i think you hit it when you said 'unmatching note'. I'm a beginner too of course and i'm finding that for improv, knowing the intervals is key. I'm relying more and more on instinct that's based on memorizing scales and patterns. Less sour notes are happening the more notes on the fretboard i know. That seems to be getting easier as i go along. I'm not in a hurry and i don't have the need for speed, but i'm also noticing that if i like a solo, and once i learn it, i can keep going faster to a degree.

I guess time and practice are the best tips i could offer since it sounds like you're doing everything else. Oh, and of course you're spending a lot of time with hammer ons and pull offs, slides and bends, right? Those are speed builders. Double pulls offs are cool too. I'll learn triples next i think.

Cheers,

GuitarZen

Thanks GZ. Ok, I will see where I can learn intervals from, and I already know websites for scales and patterns. The sad thing is, my computers damaged so I am using the wireless Internet on the iPod these days, although there's an awesome free metronome software here (iTick).
Let me know anything else which might help in solos. I have noticed that a particular tutorial on solos (at UG), refers to the "major" and "major pentatonic" scales as being the same thing, which has me confused!! Are they the same??!

By the way, anyone had problems with posting on this site? Sometimes an error comes up, and although the reply can be seen once u go into topic, from the outside it shows that no new replies had been made! Weird...

How'd you like to learn everything you always wanted to know about music intervals right here in chordbook Zu?

Not had any trouble posting really. It might be a regional problem due to all the increased internet traffic of late, not sure though.

To start you off on intervals, consider intervals as the 'distance' between any two notes as expressed in semitones or half steps and on
the guitar a semitone or half step would be moving tonally up the neck from any note by one fret. So for example, at fret 5 on the low E 6th
string, (A note) moving up (tonally, towards the bridge) one fret to fret 6(half step or semitone) on the low E 6th string would make an A# note. One more fret (another semitone or half step) to the 7th fret would make the B note. Since we've moved up two frets and arrived at the B note from the A note, we moved up the neck a whole tone. I'll leave intervals right here for you in case you have questions Zu and of course good idea looking around and studying all you can find about 'intervals'.

The major and major pentatonic scale question. If you look at scales here in chordbook, look at the A major second example and the A major pentatonic first example you'll see the similarity but some notes aren't shown for the A major pent scale. I'd have to say the two scales are different in that the A major scale uses 7 different...(important word there) notes while the A major pent scale uses 5 different notes. If you want some home work, chart out the notes and show them here for each of the two scales so everyone can see what we're talking about Zu. Ask questions if you need to. Also, please everyone, if i'm messin' something up, yell at me !

Cheers,

GuitarZen

zuhairreza wrote:

Thanks GZ. Ok, I will see where I can learn intervals from, and I already know websites for scales and patterns. The sad thing is, my computers damaged so I am using the wireless Internet on the iPod these days, although there's an awesome free metronome software here (iTick).
Let me know anything else which might help in solos. I have noticed that a particular tutorial on solos (at UG), refers to the "major" and "major pentatonic" scales as being the same thing, which has me confused!! Are they the same??!

Thanks so much GZ, that cleared up the intervals question. Sorry I cannot show the scales here, on my iPod which does not have advanced features like a computer!! I would have if I could. Can only see webpages and edit/post...
Will ask more things if something else comes up...

Ok and if you like you can revisit this post if you want and when you're able to show the scales zu. Yep, ask anythinng...someone knows the answer.

Cheers,

GuitarZen

zuhairreza wrote:

Let me know anything else which might help in solos. I have noticed that a particular tutorial on solos (at UG), refers to the "major" and "major pentatonic" scales as being the same thing, which has me confused!! Are they the same??!

if you are refering to what i think you are then you are talking about relative minor, which is the same principle as modes. I will not explain modes right now, unless you want (its somewhat complicated) but major minor is easy.

basically, a major pent scale uses the same notes as a different minor pent scale.

for instance, the E minor pent scale uses the notes E,G,A,B,D,E
                        G major pent scale uses the notes G,A,B,D,E,G

so if you notice, both pent scales include the same notes just in a different order(different tonal centers) which does switch the Intervals around.

a minor pent scale is root, Minor third(3frets/notes), whole step(2 frets/notes), Whole step, minor third, whole step to root.
a major pent scale is root, whole step, whole step, minor third, whole step, minor third to root.

oh and you said to let you know anything else to help with solos. well from what i have discerned here are a few pointers.

something that helps, at least with more melody based solos, wheter they be shred or not, is to end on a note in the chord behind it.
depending on the amount of "chord theory" you understand, can be kinda complex.

basically to keep it simple, if you are playing lead over a progression in E minor that goes E5(power chord), A5, B5, E5, start on an E note, play basically any notes you want in scale(for now, later you can use chromaticism, but that is a different lesson lol) between the notes, and then end your run on an A note when the A chord begins. then play any in scale notes but end on a B when the B chord begins. then play any run in scale and land on an E note over the final E chord.

this is pretty basic to start, i dont know where you are in your in your lead guitar journey lol, but that is a basic rule to help fit in a solo melodically with a chord progression. so more for just leads than solos really, but anyways.

Im also not sure what your genre preferences are, but there are certain scales that work better in certain genres too. obviously major key metal wouldnt really be heavy. knowing your genre i could probably suggest some scales for it that are useful.

also, one last thing, thinking of pent scales diaganally can help you escape the boxes and move a little more freely around the neck.
just using the numbers at the left for fret reference, if you want think of it as e minor/G major(same notes, remember above))

minor roots in blue, the next note after that is the major root. sorry about the crudeness of it

  E  A  D  G  B  E
0X  X  X  X  X  X
1
2    X  X  X
3X              X  X
4



you can also use this "diaganal" shape


    E  A  D  G  B  E
0 X
1
2
3 X
4
5 X  X  X
6
7 X  X  X  X
8                 X
9         X  X
10                X  X
11
12                X  X

edit: if any of this doesnt make sense please say so and me or someone elsp will do our best to explain

find a lead guitarist like metal zach and just strum the heck out
of the rhythm section

Thanks a lot man!