Leads not just solos?

[slimpickins]

Hey everyone, it's been a while since visiting here but thought I'd see what your thoughts are on this subject. From what I've read/searched most of the people here that ask about lead playing are mostly concerned with solos. That being said I'm looking for some tips on lead playing(country). Early on in my guitar adventures I was into rock/blues/metal... In a nutshell I only used minor pentatonics and played riffs along with the rest of my friends. Well I guess either I'm growing up or have gotten bored with that stuff and I'd like to learn to be a well rounded country player, so the main question is can you give me some advice?

[HC]

Hmm...your post was a bit confusing, what is it you want advice about? Country lead playing that is not soloing?
Most country guitar is based in the major scale/mixolydian mode/major pentatonic. And country players are more liker jazzers than bluesers/rockers in that we move with the chords more. That means it is also a good idea to familiarize yourself with where you find the chord tones for a given progression.
Search this forum and Youtube and you will find a wealth of info. Good Luck!

[greggorypeccary]

Sounds like you need to learn more about music so you can play what you want.

(sorry I don't have a "silver bullet" answer for you...)

[jbmando]

Think in terms of being a "Guitar Player," not a lead player, and play whatever makes the song sound better. If it's a call and response with the vocals, do that; if it's fills during the vocals, do that. If it's a signature lick for a turnaround or an intro, do that. The more you worry about what scale you are using, the less you will be free to create and enhance your playing.

[rokdog49]

try this:
http://moderncountryguitar.com/

Excellent in breaking it down and a lot of free help

[H. Mac]

I'm not sure what you're asking, but you mentioned the minor pentatonics.

If you know the minor pentatonic patterns really well, then you automatically know the patterns for the major pentatonics because the patterns are movable.

If you take the A minor pentatonic pattern that goes from the 5th fret to the 8th fret, and move it down 4 frets, so that goes from the 2nd fret, to the 5th fret, the same pattern becomes an A major pentatonic, etc. Also, an A minor pentatonic is also a C major pentatonic.

After you have the major/minor pentatonics down, it's pretty easy to learn the complete major and minor scale patterns, which just add 3 notes (or actually 2 notes and the key octave) to each pentatonic pattern.

After that, it's not hard to learn modes. If you improvise using C major scales while the band is playing in D major, you're improvising in the Dorian mode. If you improvise using a C scale while everyone else is playing in G, you're using the Mixolydian mode.

[greggorypeccary]

Why do so many guitarists seem to know nothing but the "minor pentatonic pattern"? Isn't the major scale one of the first things you learn when you start playing music? I mean there's even a song about it.

[boneyguy]

Your question seems to be based on what you see as a difference 'leads' and 'solos'. So can you explain what is the difference between those two things for you. That would make it easier to answer your question.

[slimpickins]

Maybe I can clear up my mess here lol to me if your playing the role of a lead guitarist you play something other than straight chords. A solo is what ya play when the guy singin ain't singin. I guess the better question would have been where do you start when making your own leads? And the reason everyone knows minor pentatonics is because that's what most music that I can think of uses, it's simple, and sounds ok until you realize there is much more out there. He reason I did is because it's what was in a book I had as a kid, I could afford lessons so I mainly play by ear. I just like to keep all the technical mumbo jumbo in my pocket jic.

[Budda]

I think that, along with Texture, Timbre and Tone, that having a really solid Musically Logical Line is paramount.

Instead of flourishes of disconnected Licks, playing something akin to a mini-composition is what is being asked about.

Following the Chord Changes is a good start.
And really learning the Vocal Melody to every single tune you play.

Once you know how to play the Vocal Melody all the way through, in 3 places on the Fretboard, you will have a wealth of Material from which to draw. It will help with learning more about the Structural aspects of the Vocal Line as well as the Harmony involved.

So, start learning every single Vocal Melody you can find. Learn it in 3 Places on the Fretboard.
Then learn how to play the CHords to the entire Tune in 3 Places on the Fretboard.
Then, learn how to play a non-stop 1/8 Note Line using strictly the Arpeggios of the Chords as they appear in the tune.
These things will also force you to learn much about Voice Leading and Chord Function.

HTH!

[greggorypeccary]

"Where do you start when making your own leads?"

Knowing notes, chords, scales and how they fit together.

Sorry, but there really aren't any shortcuts. If you want to play music better, you need to learn music. I know that line of thought doesn't go over well with guitar players, but lest we forget, the guitar is a musical instrument.

Budda's suggestions are great, but if you don't know the fundamentals, you'll be spending a lot of time floundering around, (and not playing in good bands).

[slimpickins]

Thanks for all the responses, I'm gonna work on plying song melody more. It would also be helpful to pick up some cool licks along the way. I'm getting a grasp on the caged system(I think) and I'm looking into double stops. I feel like I'm making progress even in a short amount of time. On a thread somewhere I read something about relative minors or something like that, I think it mentioned playing Emin over a G chord... Kinda confusing but I'm gonna look into that more as well.