how do you play a lead?

[lyghtningod]

I play a lot of bluegrass, and one thing I find helpful is to figure out what the first note of the melody is and let your ear guide you from there, but that assumes you know scales and such.

But basically, learn to play the melody and the chords. If you learn one without the other, you haven't quite gotten there. Next would be to figure out what scale is being used, then learn to play that scale all over the fret board.

I ran into a friend of mine today. SHe was coming out of her lesson as I was heading in to mine. Last week I had told her to try ear training for five minutes at a time. She told me today that it had been a great help. It didn't feel like work, there was no pressure, and she felt she had made a lot of progress.

Good luck

[Tom Banjo]

well i dunno if this is the "correct" way to do it but i usually just look at the chords of the song and follow those but play leads. it's hard to explain but just use the single notes within the chords to make up the leads, i dunno if this makes any sense at all but it seems to work for me. if i'm jamming with somebody though usually i'll use a scale in the key of the jam to free things up a little bit.

[nicolasalk]

this fucking questin has been asked so many times

[Shaggy]

this fucking questin has been asked so many times

So whats the answer wise guy!?

[Currtwuzheere]

well i dunno if this is the "correct" way to do it but i usually just look at the chords of the song and follow those but play leads. it's hard to explain but just use the single notes within the chords to make up the leads, i dunno if this makes any sense at all but it seems to work for me. if i'm jamming with somebody though usually i'll use a scale in the key of the jam to free things up a little bit.

thats what i do, with a few changes added in

[gratephulphish123]

Now rock tunes, I struggle....

rock tunes are the easiest man, pentatonics all the way. listen to kieth richards sympathy for the devil solo. it's the quintissential "rock" solo imo.

[razmablues]

well i dunno if this is the "correct" way to do it but i usually just look at the chords of the song and follow those but play leads. it's hard to explain but just use the single notes within the chords to make up the leads, i dunno if this makes any sense at all but it seems to work for me.

the term is arpeggiating? if that's a word anyway...

if you're doing your leads by just hitting notes in the chord you're using arpeggios. they are great, and something i struggle with.

my goal is to be able to outline the chords with the arpeggios, while using well chosen passing tones to go from chord to chord, or even note to note within a chord.

[mrMix]

Know the chords of the tune
Arpeggios for the chords
Pick a scale and go!
Play what you feel
No wrong notes...just passing tones

[nicolasalk]

this fucking questin has been asked so many times

So whats the answer wise guy!?

don't know

[jjbankhead]

I dont want to hijack this thread but when it comes to arpeggios i assume you dont just mean strumming up and down through the bar chord or open chord.

is this built off finding different places on the neck where you can find the triad and pick thru the notes?

i saw a guitar world video with John from the chili peppers doing these arpeggios from the bar cords (the kind JIMI and JERRY USE where you only play the high four strings) then he does these cool hammer ons from the arpeggio. i only saw this video once while it was on on-demand and never quite got the hang of/ feel for it.

he was referencing one of his songs that he developed from learning little wing

so my question i guess is: are there more specifics you gurus can lend toward the arpeggios/ arpeggiating?

so far in know my major/minor/ penatonics/ blues/ mixolydian/ minor harmonic scales pretty well.

i need to learn how to develop better licks and melodies from these scales.

so far all i do is run thru the scale as i jam along with the closing of winter land or something

[old man down]

Humming. Never have liked that approach. More of a distraction than an aid, but most likely a personal problem with me. There is no way I could hum most of the Garcia licks I'd like to play. They're too far out.

Isn't humming like reading with your lips?

For my leads:

1) Learn the chords of the song.
2) Determine the major scale associated with the song and familiarize yourself with its template relative to the chords.
3) Listen to someone elses lead played to those chords to get your starting notes for each specific lead.
4) Keep learning more of the lead as you recognize how each note belongs to the major scale.
5) Settle on a version of the lead and stick with it for the short term.
6) Keep the lead in your repetoire so that you don't forget it.
7) Around a year later you will find that you do it your own way, and most likely with incredible bravado at times. At that point you own it. You then have the license to play it anyway you want.

[Pete B.]

A good example of a Jerry G arpegio solo is the studio track of Touch of Grey solo.
I'd say ~80% or more of that solo is direct ascending/descending arpegios, based mostly on the top 3-4 strings.

[old man down]

Another good example of Garcia doing arps, from much earlier in his career, hence he's a little stiffer, more like us most likely, is the studio cut of Sugaree, when he starts moving up the neck from the low E chord to the F#m, C#m, A, E, B, C#m, gaining altitude here with the barre chords, A, E.

[shakedown_04092]

How do you play a lead????

You kick over a fucking amp, down some booze, throw your head back, and rock out with you cock out!!!!


THAT'S how you play a lead!!!


This message was brought to you in part by the 80's Big Hair days, and Viewers Like You

[tigerstrat]

How do you play a lead????

Underage at a funky bar:

1. Step outside
2. Smoke yourself a J.
3. Go back in the room.
4. Everything just seems to move.
5. Turn that amp up loud.
6. Begin to play->
->
IF It's late in the evening
THEN Blow that room away.
ELSE Do NOT blow that room away