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Guitar solo using melody

3,515 views · Published 9 December 2016 · 7:47 · Indexed 29 October 2026

Channel: New Secret Guitar Teacher · 2016 · Music

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Using melody as the basis for a guitar solo. Solo using melody to improvise with. Improvising with a melody. Melodic soloing on guitar. A sample lesson from the Secret Guitar Teacher Site: http://secretguitarteacher.com/youtube/ssb.php?lp_id=1853

Video script: 
Continuing our examination of how to play a great guitar solo, let's take a look at how you can use the melody of a song in a solo.

There are several ways to work the melody into a solo. Ranging from simply playing the melody straight, to just throwing in the odd oblique reference to a single phrase from the melody.

I quite like to start my solo as if I am going to play the melody and then use it to launch into something completely different.

Or you can play the melody in a stylized way. Building licks and fills around each phrase.

It can also be fun to take a few rhythmic  liberties with the melody. Here I'm using a bit of palm muting to produce a nice contrasting sound to the second part of the verse.

Another approach is to find a counter melody that holds a sort of conversation with the main melody. This works particularly well when there is plenty of space between the lines of the main melody.

Notice me stealing a phrase there from the string part of the original version 
I like to think of that as an homage to the arranger of the original!

Another idea is to have the phrasing of the melody in mind, but play a different melody more or lessin the same rhythmic space - maybe something like this.

That is a bit of a trick to pull off! You want to be careful that it doesn't come across simply as someone trying to play the melody, but getting it horribly wrong! The opposite approach to starting the solo with the melody is to end with it instead. So I might just focus on playing blues licks over the first part but lead back into the melody at the end of the verse. 

This has the added benefit of giving the vocalist a nice solid cue that you are handing back the lead to them. So that is something I have found myself doing as a way of supporting inexperienced vocalists singing at one of their first gigs for example.

So there are a few ideas you might like to work with to do with how you can use the melody of a tune to help make a great guitar solo

In the next lesson we'll look at some elements of how you might deliberately interract with other members of your band whilst you are soloing.

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