It’s hard to think of something that oozes as much cool as a lead guitarist burning through a fast-paced, melodic and expressive solo in front of a crowd of adoring fans. Players such as Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Eddie Van Halen utilize certain techniques to create memorable melodies and impressive solos. Mastery of these techniques is the first step towards becoming a guitar god. This collection of online guitar lessons aims to start you on your path towards that goal.
The first lesson focuses on guitar scales. This is stereotypically considered a boring topic, but in reality it is absolutely integral to lead guitar. Regardless of how they make it seem, your heroes use scales. It isn’t cool, but it is massively useful. Learning some common scales gives you a good starting point for creating your own lead parts.
Picking methods are the topic of the second lesson. If you don’t use things like alternate and economy picking, increasing your soloing speed is very difficult. This lesson outlines these styles of picking and provides exercises so you can practice them.
The third lesson looks at hammer-ons and pull-offs, two legato techniques used frequently in all types of lead guitar. They enable a faster and smoother transition between notes, which can increase your overall speed. Both techniques are described in detail with examples so you can practice.
Slides are the topic of the fourth lesson. These are basically like hammer-ons and pull-offs, except that you slide a single finger down to the other note instead of using two to change quickly. These produce a more relaxed sound, good for laid back solos.
String bending is explained in the fifth lesson. This is a vital tool for expressive playing and it can help you develop your musical ear. Vibrato is also described in this lesson, which makes notes you let ring out sound more interesting.
The final lesson focuses on two-handed tapping. This is like hammer-ons and pull-offs, except that your picking hand gets in on the action too. This creates a veritable flurry of notes and makes it easier to play at blistering pace.