Please tell me you are a fan of Slash? He has got to be my favourite guitarist of all time. So I'm going to go on a rant here about Slash, but stay with me, there is a point to all
this.
When we think of innovation and talent in the guitar world, Slash is usually at the top of the list. With many years in the spotlight as the lead guitarist for Guns N' Roses, Slash left the band in
1996 to pursue a solo career after the band had musical disagreements.
Since then, Slash and two other members that left Guns N' Roses with him (Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum) have formed the very successful band, Velvet Revolver. If you want to know the whole story from the man himself than you should grab his biography from here.
Slash hated to replicate any guitarist, rather, he let their style influence his. That's why he wrote so many fresh licks, because he wasn't trying to be anybody but himself.
As far as scales are concerned, he relied many on the minor/major pentatonic scales in addition to some mixolydian and Dorian scales for his solos. This may come as a surprise to some, considering how
overused these scales have become. The trick to keeping your sound and solos original is to use a variety of techniques coupled with your own ideas.
Slash favoured vibrato and using hammer on/ pull off's to create speed. His right picking hand isn't used for speed. Instead, he uses his picking hand to add a percussive feel to his solos.
The more you change the rhythms in your solo, the more unique and intricate it will become. The solo will take on a life of its own. The bottom line is this: put your heart into the solo, add in some
ordinary techniques and cool effects and you have yourself a world class solo.
The key ingredient here is practice. Regardless of what techniques you use, you have to know how to apply them in such a way as to move your audience.
I know exactly what I want to achieve with my guitar playing. I would love to combine the blues rock of players like Slash, Gary Moore, Joe Bonamassa, shred like Zakk Wylde, and have the quirks of
Jack White.
So, what about you?
Why do you play guitar? What makes you tick? What drives you to become a better player? What can help you get there? You need to know what you want before you can get it.
Think about that for a second...
YOU NEED TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANT BEFORE YOU CAN GET IT.
Sure, you want to get better at playing guitar. But what about your playing do you want to improve? You picking hand technique? Your fretting hand? What about a particular style - blues, rock, metal?
You need to sit down and think about that before you start to practice.
When you do know, then you need to find something that can get you there. There are plenty of resources out there that can help you. But don't bother looking till you know exactly what you need.
So before you do anything else. Sit down, relax and really evaluate where you are with your playing, where you want to be, and how you are going to get there. It's a long road, so you may as well start now.
