Extreme frustation of Tele as a solo instrument....

boo radley · July 21st, 2008, 12:20 PM

...when you suck?

I have a bit of a rambling question. I've started my 3rd go-round with the guitar. I'm in my early 40's. In truth I'm not a naturally 'musical' person; my ear is poor (it's hit or miss that I can tune accurately w/out an electronic tuner), sense of rhythm is questionable, and I really, really can't sing.

That said, in the past I spent some time with flat-picking, and videos, and an acoustic, and managed to learn a couple of complete songs -- 'Arkansas Traveler', 'Whiskey Before Breakfast', etc. These were satisfying, because...they were rich enough to sound like music, even with one guitar, and at mediocre tempo. And I have at least some investment in having learned some moderate picking skills, chord changes, etc.

The guitar bug has bitten again, and I recently bought a used Tele (I've had one in the past), and remember again why I quit guitar in frustration. I wander down the path of endless half-learned "riffs", and 'styles', and don't progress anywhere....I don't play with other people (probably should -- it's a matter of schedule and desire, and not having the chops, I guess), so the few songs I try to learn sound disjointed. "Oh here's the solo part....here's the verse...." It's not a coherent musical statement.

But I know it's possible to take a song and play it as a solo artist, 'cause I've seen it done. :) Just seems impossible, and again, there is literally so much instructional material out there, it's overwhelming.

How would y'all approach the challenge of being able to work up a couple songs that can be played on the electric guitar w/out accompaniment? I've been trying to learn my triad shapes and positions on the neck for major and minor chords, and that's paid some dividends already, so I think there's a lot of promise in this area....Thx

mrmanley · July 21st, 2008, 12:37 PM

I'm in almost exactly the same position you are (early 40's, started on acoustic, etc.). I got a Tele because it is the simplest electric guitar, and it's flexible enough to fit pretty much any musical style I care to try.

My advice is this: start slowly. When I was a kid I too wanted to go right out of the gate playing SRV licks, and it burned me out. You have to walk before you run. That means learning all your major, minor, and seventh chords. It also means learning to play rhythm. If you can't play rhythm, you can't play, period. Without rhythm, there is no song! Even if you're a bad singer (as I am), you need to sing along with the rhythm -- I've found that if you can't hum or sing a tune, you can't play it on the guitar. Rhythm is everything.

I'm trying to mix in the A Major and A Minor pentatonic scales in my practice sessions as well. For one thing, it's good finger-strengthening exercise. For another, it helps to explain how barre chords work. And lastly, it paves the way for good soloing down the road: rather than just copying "licks", you're learning how the fretboard works. I want to sound like myself, not just another SRV clone.

emu! · July 21st, 2008, 12:54 PM

My opinion:

If you are trying to play the tele without accompaniment, you've got to be REALLY good...like Chet Adkins good...like Roy Clark good...like Merle Travis good. Out of the 100s of guitar players I know, maybe 1 or 2 could pull it off. Because, when the solo or melody needs to be played, the rythm is going to lack. And most listeners WANT the rythm to be there...steady...and not missing. In other words, you're expecting too much. Why not just learn chords, then make a backing track to play the solos and melodies over?

jjh37854 · July 21st, 2008, 12:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emu!

My opinion:

If you are trying to play the tele without accompaniment, you've got to be REALLY good...like Chet Adkins good...like Roy Clark good...like Merle Travis good. Out of the 100s of guitar players I know, maybe 1 or 2 could pull it off. Because, when the solo or melody needs to be played, the rythm is going to lack. And most listeners WANT the rythm to be there...steady...and not missing. In other words, you're expecting too much. Why not just learn chords, then make a backing track to play the solos and melodies over?

exactly!

a looper pedal can be a good help too.

Mojohand40 · July 21st, 2008, 01:03 PM

It can be done.

or:

(man

I got to post some new videos..these ones is a 'lil old)

Besides, playing this style, try playing along with some of the TONS of music minus one stuff out there. I mean, I got one that's all CCR tunes, and one that's Pink Floyds Dark side of The Moon..Everything is there except for the lead guitar parts.
Not only fun, but makes you learn the whole song, front ot back.

Stackabones · July 21st, 2008, 01:04 PM

Look into learning or arranging chord-melody solos. It is, imo, one of the most satisfying ways to play guitar without a band, and it is endlessly fascinating and challenging. Start with simple songs (even nursery rhymes) and then build up your repertoire. In the beginning, every song offers new challenges.

The learning the "whole song" as recorded isn't a very satisfying way to go for a guitarist who doesn't have a band or doesn't have enough playing time with a band.

btw I've attached a chord-melody of Amazing Grace for you to try out. In the first time through, you're just playing the melody. The second time through you'll add some cowboy chords and a bit of a bass. The third time through has barre chords and a nifty ending (or two).

Hope that helps!

getbent · July 21st, 2008, 01:09 PM

Gotta get that right hand happenin' to do chord melody stuff...

http://www.chordmelody.com/

is a good site... learn to travis pick and solo playing is right there... it is hard hard work... but you can see from the videos above it sounds cool.

mrmanley · July 21st, 2008, 01:37 PM

The chord-melody stuff has been a staple of acoustic flatpicking for years; Doc Watson's stuff is probably the gold standard. (Although Norman Blake is a master at it as well.) I don't hear much of it on the electric side, at least in terms of old-timey/country stuff. Not to say it can't be done (obviously) but the sound is pretty different. For example: alternating-bass strums just don't sound as good on an electric as they do on an acoustic. You're almost better off going with power chords or palm-muted partial chords.

On the other hand, barre chords are a lot (a lot) easier to play on an electric, and you can get some pretty nifty voicings outside the basic cowboy chords you might be used to playing on an acoustic.

12-bar blues is probably the easiest solo style to pick up, and there are tons of turnarounds and intro/outro licks to work out.

getbent · July 21st, 2008, 01:42 PM

oh, I dunno... Lindsey Buckingham had some success with it... Tuck Andress has had a nice career... I know Merle Travis is kinda corny to some, but his electric playing is pretty amazing... if you are gonna play solo (alone) and want a full sound... banging out some power chords and barre chords with some pentatonic notes is gonna sound kinda thin... not that they don't have their place...

listen to some solo guitarists and guitarists who play chord melody in a band context and it may when you over.

mrmanley · July 21st, 2008, 01:48 PM

getbent:

Oh, there are some great Tele soloists out there, no doubt. One of my faves is Jim Weider -- if you like country blues on an electric, no one does it better. Reverend Horton Heat also does some pretty mean stuff on his Gretsch. It can be done, but it takes very talented fingers.

Stackabones · July 21st, 2008, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmanley

alternating-bass strums just don't sound as good on an electric as they do on an acoustic. You're almost better off going with power chords or palm-muted partial chords.

I think that's a very personal preference, but I can't say I agree with it at all.

Walking bass lines, boom-chick strums, chord-melody solos can be used on electric or acoustic. The sheer number of electric players who do this stuff is amazing ... Joe Pass, Chet Atkins, Brian Setzer, Tal Farlow, and on and on and on. To claim that power chords are the way to go on electric is to ignore a huge hunk of guitar playing history.

Mojohand40 · July 21st, 2008, 01:56 PM

First: what music interests you?
I'm a Travis picker, because that's the tunes I like.
I like Country Blues a lot, sooo I learned that.

Not into Blues or Travis picking?
how about any of the Song Xpress series?:
http://www.amazon.com/SongXpress-Cla...6666321&sr=8-1

I've a few of these.
They are really nice!
The instructer teaches a simplified version (but not TOO simple!) of the song SOLO, nothing but guitar and vocals...and pulls them off quite well, IMO. There are lot to choose from, and will benifit beginers to seasoned vets. A great way to add a few songs to your set list, or just quickly learn a popular song to play around the house.

Lots of options.

Mojohand40 · July 21st, 2008, 02:01 PM

Oh yeah!
Another great way to play a Tele solo, that I'm surprised no one has mentioned..

slide! Tune up to Open D, get a dead thumb rythmn going on the six string and play some slide melody on your bottom two strings...(okay, there's more to it than that..)

Seriously, slide playing is a great way to play a solo electric guitar. I've done it plenty of times.

boo radley · July 21st, 2008, 02:35 PM

Thx all -- some great suggestions, and good playing in the videos!

I guess I'm thinking less of a formal chord-melody approach (though I intend to try the Amazing Grace attachment) than....

Have you ever been at a restaurant, bar, whatever, where there's someone playing guitar, and you're half-listening, and all of a sudden a melody and familiar song is recognized, and you say, "AH! He's playing 'Hey Joe'," (or whatever). And it's rich and complex and interesting. *That*'s what I'd like to do someday.

The thing is, it's all I can do to play a 12-bar groove, and substitute a single note passage for a bar or two, and have it be fluid, as an example.

bradpdx · July 21st, 2008, 02:39 PM

Boo, you've set your bar kinda high. Relax.

When I used to teach guitar, I'd always ask students what they wanted to play, in their own words. It was very illuminating; most had no idea that guitar is used in many fundamentally different ways and could not tell that a recording they loved in fact had 5 guitar tracks on it - so, which one do you want to learn first? Don't forget, those great leads don't make a lot of sense once the backing tracks are removed! Let's start with the backing tracks...

I started as a fingerpicker. In high school I didn't have any friends who played, but I heard guys like Kottke and Reverend Gary Davis who could do so much with one guitar. It was a practical approach, because I could work on material that was meant to sound good on one guitar from the get-go; I didn't need anyone to back me up. Once that foundation was laid, I used records as my backing track to practice lead guitar and flatpicking.

Solo and band playing are two really different beasts. In a solo setting, you are trying to establish the entire musical framework - rhythm, bass, chords, melody, etc. The most common way to approach this is the classic fingerstyle method, which works very well in acoustic settings and some electric settings. The Tele is a fine guitar for this, but so are many others played clean.

In group settings, you can and in fact should play much, much less. All that busy work required for solo playing just clutters the sound in a group unless everything is specifically organized for that style. Note how a master like Chet Atkins can provide full solo accompaniment for himself, but plays only single note lines in a band setting. Note that Leo Kottke isn't a lead guitarist for anyone, despite his considerable chops as a soloist. Note that Roy Buchanan did not release any albums of him playing by himself - his lead work would make no sense outside of a band context.

I have played both ways extensively for 35 years, and I keep them in separate parts of my brain. Much of the work I do in band settings wouldn't be much fun or make much sense if played solo, and my solo work would sound cluttered and noisy in a band. When I practice, I have to decide what I am working on: stuff that needs to sound complete now, or stuff that works only in band context.

Back to playing solo, since that is really where you are at.

The barriers to sounding good solo are indeed higher for many. While it is great to have players like Kottke, Blake or Atkins as heroes, it isn't realistic to hope for that level of skill in a short period of time. Get there like they did, on step at a time.

I would recommend that you stick with fingerstyle electric guitar covering tunes that actually make sense played that way. Don't expect any arbitrary song to work well, but choose simpler songs that can deliver satisfaction with a reasonable amount of effort. That way, you can get to the point of playing whole pieces that are fun and sound "right" with one guitar.

BTW, I don't care for solo flatpicking on electric guitar - that whole "chord melody" approach that Norman Blake and Doc Watson employ so well just doesn't translate gracefully, especially for a beginner. I'd stick with the acoustic for that.

Whew! Too long.

mrmanley · July 21st, 2008, 02:39 PM

How are those Song XPress videos, anyway? I ordered a couple of them awhile back, but I haven't had a chance to watch them yet.

getbent · July 21st, 2008, 02:41 PM

Oh, why didn't you say so! You need a full dose of Curt Mitchell!

You can pick up this DVD for peanuts and he'll teach you those parts to like a zillion songs (okay maybe like 40) but it is perfect for having your friends over (when they are over for a bbq) and you can fire up your guitar and amp and play the signature parts of a ton of songs...

And the teacher is a stitch! I used to use them when I was teaching kids and I would just roar at Curt... he is a classic! worth it just for the entertainment value.. and decent instruction too.

garytelecastor · July 21st, 2008, 02:56 PM

Welcome to the Forum, Boo-Can't really add anything to that which has already been said, but I really dig your moniker.

klasaine · July 21st, 2008, 03:09 PM

http://www.amazon.com/Effortless-Mas..._tdp_sv_edpp_i
Really!!!

Mojohand40 · July 21st, 2008, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmanley

How are those Song XPress videos, anyway? I ordered a couple of them awhile back, but I haven't had a chance to watch them yet.

They aren't bad. They do not teach the "recorded version", they do teach a version that is playable solo and recognizable by the listener. Really fun and quick. Some good bonus lessons on them to.

The big plus is they teach an intro, verse, chorus and ending (no solo) so the player learns the whole song, not just the signature riffs. (though, those are there too).

One of the big mistakes of would be guit players is that they learn the riffs and not the songs.

The song express stuff give you a quick simple version of a song that's easily identifiable, easy to share with others in a jam situation and fun to play.

Man, I haven't used mine in awhile...I'll have to dig them out this weekend.

tjalla · July 21st, 2008, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by klasaine

http://www.amazon.com/Effortless-Mas..._tdp_sv_edpp_i
Really!!!

I've been hearing about this book from different sources... ken's approval just tipped it over the edge for me. Will pick up a copy this week.

StankyUncleJ · July 21st, 2008, 04:32 PM

A good friend of mine named Andy Mckee is a good source for solo guitar. Check him out on Youtube. One night a few years back we went to a popular club in Lawrence Kansas for an open mic night. The owner reconized Andy and mentioned that the other band members had note shown up yet. He then asked him to play his music for everyone until the arrived. We both planned on just jamming with the house band so all we had was my telecaster. Andy took it up to the stage and played his songs on it (funky tunings and all). To my suprise it was awsome, I was thinking it would work only on acoustic. Unfortunatly for most of us Andy is no mortal and could make anything sound good. Try everything on everything and find what you like, it may just sound good to others as well.

I would say you need a greater sense of control on the electric if you are going to play solo though.

boo radley · July 24th, 2008, 10:38 AM

Much to consider....

Thinking about this, it wasn't so much a technique question, as more of trying to find some direction out of this morass I seem to be in, of ego, 1/2-learned licks and styles, goals and desires.

I guess I have to distill things a little more. I still don't have a clue in hell what I want to play, beyond "something" just to prove I deserve to own a guitar, or have it sitting on a stand in my living room.

For sure, I would like to make a complete musical statement, for lack of a better term -- both for an internal gratification, and maybe more shallow reasons of insecure ego.

I see the point about needing to learn a finger-style approach to the electric....But if I'm going to do that, I'd probably just stick to the acoustic.

Immediate plan is to:
1) Dedicate daily practice time to theory and fundamentals. I've started this already.
2) Learn rhythm and chord changes playing against CD's, instructional materials, etc. GOT to get my timing in shape.
3) Work up a couple of songs that at least are "thick" enough to be pleasing to my ears, w/out singing. I've heard people chunking away on some swampy blues tunes that have interesting bits stuck in amongst the rhythm. That would be ideal.

July 21st, 2008, 12:20 PM	#1 (permalink)
boo radley TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: NC Posts: 21	Extreme frustation of Tele as a solo instrument.... ...when you suck? I have a bit of a rambling question. I've started my 3rd go-round with the guitar. I'm in my early 40's. In truth I'm not a naturally 'musical' person; my ear is poor (it's hit or miss that I can tune accurately w/out an electronic tuner), sense of rhythm is questionable, and I really, really can't sing. That said, in the past I spent some time with flat-picking, and videos, and an acoustic, and managed to learn a couple of complete songs -- 'Arkansas Traveler', 'Whiskey Before Breakfast', etc. These were satisfying, because...they were rich enough to sound like music, even with one guitar, and at mediocre tempo. And I have at least some investment in having learned some moderate picking skills, chord changes, etc. The guitar bug has bitten again, and I recently bought a used Tele (I've had one in the past), and remember again why I quit guitar in frustration. I wander down the path of endless half-learned "riffs", and 'styles', and don't progress anywhere....I don't play with other people (probably should -- it's a matter of schedule and desire, and not having the chops, I guess), so the few songs I try to learn sound disjointed. "Oh here's the solo part....here's the verse...." It's not a coherent musical statement. But I know it's possible to take a song and play it as a solo artist, 'cause I've seen it done. :) Just seems impossible, and again, there is literally so much instructional material out there, it's overwhelming. How would y'all approach the challenge of being able to work up a couple songs that can be played on the electric guitar w/out accompaniment? I've been trying to learn my triad shapes and positions on the neck for major and minor chords, and that's paid some dividends already, so I think there's a lot of promise in this area....Thx

July 21st, 2008, 01:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
getbent Moderator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Benito County, California Age: 48 Posts: 9,437 37 Photos	Gotta get that right hand happenin' to do chord melody stuff... http://www.chordmelody.com/ is a good site... learn to travis pick and solo playing is right there... it is hard hard work... but you can see from the videos above it sounds cool. __________________

July 21st, 2008, 01:42 PM	#9 (permalink)
getbent Moderator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Benito County, California Age: 48 Posts: 9,437 37 Photos	oh, I dunno... Lindsey Buckingham had some success with it... Tuck Andress has had a nice career... I know Merle Travis is kinda corny to some, but his electric playing is pretty amazing... if you are gonna play solo (alone) and want a full sound... banging out some power chords and barre chords with some pentatonic notes is gonna sound kinda thin... not that they don't have their place... listen to some solo guitarists and guitarists who play chord melody in a band context and it may when you over. __________________

July 21st, 2008, 02:39 PM	#15 (permalink)
bradpdx Tele-Holic Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Portland, OR Age: 50 Posts: 747	Boo, you've set your bar kinda high. Relax. When I used to teach guitar, I'd always ask students what they wanted to play, in their own words. It was very illuminating; most had no idea that guitar is used in many fundamentally different ways and could not tell that a recording they loved in fact had 5 guitar tracks on it - so, which one do you want to learn first? Don't forget, those great leads don't make a lot of sense once the backing tracks are removed! Let's start with the backing tracks... I started as a fingerpicker. In high school I didn't have any friends who played, but I heard guys like Kottke and Reverend Gary Davis who could do so much with one guitar. It was a practical approach, because I could work on material that was meant to sound good on one guitar from the get-go; I didn't need anyone to back me up. Once that foundation was laid, I used records as my backing track to practice lead guitar and flatpicking. Solo and band playing are two really different beasts. In a solo setting, you are trying to establish the entire musical framework - rhythm, bass, chords, melody, etc. The most common way to approach this is the classic fingerstyle method, which works very well in acoustic settings and some electric settings. The Tele is a fine guitar for this, but so are many others played clean. In group settings, you can and in fact should play much, much less. All that busy work required for solo playing just clutters the sound in a group unless everything is specifically organized for that style. Note how a master like Chet Atkins can provide full solo accompaniment for himself, but plays only single note lines in a band setting. Note that Leo Kottke isn't a lead guitarist for anyone, despite his considerable chops as a soloist. Note that Roy Buchanan did not release any albums of him playing by himself - his lead work would make no sense outside of a band context. I have played both ways extensively for 35 years, and I keep them in separate parts of my brain. Much of the work I do in band settings wouldn't be much fun or make much sense if played solo, and my solo work would sound cluttered and noisy in a band. When I practice, I have to decide what I am working on: stuff that needs to sound complete now, or stuff that works only in band context. Back to playing solo, since that is really where you are at. The barriers to sounding good solo are indeed higher for many. While it is great to have players like Kottke, Blake or Atkins as heroes, it isn't realistic to hope for that level of skill in a short period of time. Get there like they did, on step at a time. I would recommend that you stick with fingerstyle electric guitar covering tunes that actually make sense played that way. Don't expect any arbitrary song to work well, but choose simpler songs that can deliver satisfaction with a reasonable amount of effort. That way, you can get to the point of playing whole pieces that are fun and sound "right" with one guitar. BTW, I don't care for solo flatpicking on electric guitar - that whole "chord melody" approach that Norman Blake and Doc Watson employ so well just doesn't translate gracefully, especially for a beginner. I'd stick with the acoustic for that. Whew! Too long. __________________ ---------- Tech Geek and Sensitive Artiste String bender ordinare!

July 21st, 2008, 02:41 PM	#17 (permalink)
getbent Moderator Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Benito County, California Age: 48 Posts: 9,437 37 Photos	Oh, why didn't you say so! You need a full dose of Curt Mitchell! You can pick up this DVD for peanuts and he'll teach you those parts to like a zillion songs (okay maybe like 40) but it is perfect for having your friends over (when they are over for a bbq) and you can fire up your guitar and amp and play the signature parts of a ton of songs... And the teacher is a stitch! I used to use them when I was teaching kids and I would just roar at Curt... he is a classic! worth it just for the entertainment value.. and decent instruction too. __________________

July 21st, 2008, 12:37 PM	#2 (permalink)
mrmanley Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Rochester, MN (USA) Age: 41 Posts: 101 1 Photos	I'm in almost exactly the same position you are (early 40's, started on acoustic, etc.). I got a Tele because it is the simplest electric guitar, and it's flexible enough to fit pretty much any musical style I care to try. My advice is this: start slowly. When I was a kid I too wanted to go right out of the gate playing SRV licks, and it burned me out. You have to walk before you run. That means learning all your major, minor, and seventh chords. It also means learning to play rhythm. If you can't play rhythm, you can't play, period. Without rhythm, there is no song! Even if you're a bad singer (as I am), you need to sing along with the rhythm -- I've found that if you can't hum or sing a tune, you can't play it on the guitar. Rhythm is everything. I'm trying to mix in the A Major and A Minor pentatonic scales in my practice sessions as well. For one thing, it's good finger-strengthening exercise. For another, it helps to explain how barre chords work. And lastly, it paves the way for good soloing down the road: rather than just copying "licks", you're learning how the fretboard works. I want to sound like myself, not just another SRV clone.

July 21st, 2008, 12:54 PM	#3 (permalink)
emu! Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Location Location Posts: 1,016	My opinion: If you are trying to play the tele without accompaniment, you've got to be REALLY good...like Chet Adkins good...like Roy Clark good...like Merle Travis good. Out of the 100s of guitar players I know, maybe 1 or 2 could pull it off. Because, when the solo or melody needs to be played, the rythm is going to lack. And most listeners WANT the rythm to be there...steady...and not missing. In other words, you're expecting too much. Why not just learn chords, then make a backing track to play the solos and melodies over?

July 21st, 2008, 01:03 PM	#5 (permalink)
Mojohand40 Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 494	It can be done. or: (man I got to post some new videos..these ones is a 'lil old) Besides, playing this style, try playing along with some of the TONS of music minus one stuff out there. I mean, I got one that's all CCR tunes, and one that's Pink Floyds Dark side of The Moon..Everything is there except for the lead guitar parts. Not only fun, but makes you learn the whole song, front ot back.

July 21st, 2008, 01:37 PM	#8 (permalink)
mrmanley Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Rochester, MN (USA) Age: 41 Posts: 101 1 Photos	The chord-melody stuff has been a staple of acoustic flatpicking for years; Doc Watson's stuff is probably the gold standard. (Although Norman Blake is a master at it as well.) I don't hear much of it on the electric side, at least in terms of old-timey/country stuff. Not to say it can't be done (obviously) but the sound is pretty different. For example: alternating-bass strums just don't sound as good on an electric as they do on an acoustic. You're almost better off going with power chords or palm-muted partial chords. On the other hand, barre chords are a lot (a lot) easier to play on an electric, and you can get some pretty nifty voicings outside the basic cowboy chords you might be used to playing on an acoustic. 12-bar blues is probably the easiest solo style to pick up, and there are tons of turnarounds and intro/outro licks to work out.

July 21st, 2008, 01:48 PM	#10 (permalink)
mrmanley Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Rochester, MN (USA) Age: 41 Posts: 101 1 Photos	getbent: Oh, there are some great Tele soloists out there, no doubt. One of my faves is Jim Weider -- if you like country blues on an electric, no one does it better. Reverend Horton Heat also does some pretty mean stuff on his Gretsch. It can be done, but it takes very talented fingers.

July 21st, 2008, 01:56 PM	#12 (permalink)
Mojohand40 Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 494	First: what music interests you? I'm a Travis picker, because that's the tunes I like. I like Country Blues a lot, sooo I learned that. Not into Blues or Travis picking? how about any of the Song Xpress series?: http://www.amazon.com/SongXpress-Cla...6666321&sr=8-1 I've a few of these. They are really nice! The instructer teaches a simplified version (but not TOO simple!) of the song SOLO, nothing but guitar and vocals...and pulls them off quite well, IMO. There are lot to choose from, and will benifit beginers to seasoned vets. A great way to add a few songs to your set list, or just quickly learn a popular song to play around the house. Lots of options.

July 21st, 2008, 02:01 PM	#13 (permalink)
Mojohand40 Tele-Meister Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 494	Oh yeah! Another great way to play a Tele solo, that I'm surprised no one has mentioned.. slide! Tune up to Open D, get a dead thumb rythmn going on the six string and play some slide melody on your bottom two strings...(okay, there's more to it than that..) Seriously, slide playing is a great way to play a solo electric guitar. I've done it plenty of times.

July 21st, 2008, 02:35 PM	#14 (permalink)
boo radley TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: NC Posts: 21	Thx all -- some great suggestions, and good playing in the videos! I guess I'm thinking less of a formal chord-melody approach (though I intend to try the Amazing Grace attachment) than.... Have you ever been at a restaurant, bar, whatever, where there's someone playing guitar, and you're half-listening, and all of a sudden a melody and familiar song is recognized, and you say, "AH! He's playing 'Hey Joe'," (or whatever). And it's rich and complex and interesting. That's what I'd like to do someday. The thing is, it's all I can do to play a 12-bar groove, and substitute a single note passage for a bar or two, and have it be fluid, as an example.

July 21st, 2008, 02:39 PM	#16 (permalink)
mrmanley Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Rochester, MN (USA) Age: 41 Posts: 101 1 Photos	How are those Song XPress videos, anyway? I ordered a couple of them awhile back, but I haven't had a chance to watch them yet.

July 21st, 2008, 02:56 PM	#18 (permalink)
garytelecastor Friend of Leo's Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Minnesota Posts: 3,401 18 Photos	Welcome to the Forum, Boo-Can't really add anything to that which has already been said, but I really dig your moniker. __________________ éí 'aaníígÓÓ 'áhoot'é Would you mind holding this bag while we go through the custom shop????? Redd Volkaert is a Jedi Knight at one with the Force!!!

July 21st, 2008, 03:09 PM	#19 (permalink)
klasaine Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: los angeles, ca Age: 46 Posts: 1,337 6 Photos	http://www.amazon.com/Effortless-Mas..._tdp_sv_edpp_i Really!!!

July 21st, 2008, 04:32 PM	#22 (permalink)
StankyUncleJ TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Kansas Posts: 53	A good friend of mine named Andy Mckee is a good source for solo guitar. Check him out on Youtube. One night a few years back we went to a popular club in Lawrence Kansas for an open mic night. The owner reconized Andy and mentioned that the other band members had note shown up yet. He then asked him to play his music for everyone until the arrived. We both planned on just jamming with the house band so all we had was my telecaster. Andy took it up to the stage and played his songs on it (funky tunings and all). To my suprise it was awsome, I was thinking it would work only on acoustic. Unfortunatly for most of us Andy is no mortal and could make anything sound good. Try everything on everything and find what you like, it may just sound good to others as well. I would say you need a greater sense of control on the electric if you are going to play solo though. __________________ Keep it Stanky! www.jarrodguth.com

July 24th, 2008, 10:38 AM	#23 (permalink)
boo radley TDPRI Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: NC Posts: 21	Much to consider.... Thinking about this, it wasn't so much a technique question, as more of trying to find some direction out of this morass I seem to be in, of ego, 1/2-learned licks and styles, goals and desires. I guess I have to distill things a little more. I still don't have a clue in hell what I want to play, beyond "something" just to prove I deserve to own a guitar, or have it sitting on a stand in my living room. For sure, I would like to make a complete musical statement, for lack of a better term -- both for an internal gratification, and maybe more shallow reasons of insecure ego. I see the point about needing to learn a finger-style approach to the electric....But if I'm going to do that, I'd probably just stick to the acoustic. Immediate plan is to: 1) Dedicate daily practice time to theory and fundamentals. I've started this already. 2) Learn rhythm and chord changes playing against CD's, instructional materials, etc. GOT to get my timing in shape. 3) Work up a couple of songs that at least are "thick" enough to be pleasing to my ears, w/out singing. I've heard people chunking away on some swampy blues tunes that have interesting bits stuck in amongst the rhythm. That would be ideal.
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