Kosmic Lessons, Tips, Tricks & Ideas...

LESSONS: LEAD GUITAR

So you wanna be the lead guitarist!?!

Lead guitar can be so much fun when you really get to wail!
Hit that cool vibrato or squeal that harmonic! Not to mention tapping...
Yes...you CAN be a hero!

There is a fair amount of work learning Lead guitar, and you must practice wisely to achieve good results! I have a lot of ideas that may help you with your solo playing, and it is not just about tabs!
It is important to hone your whole mental approach to what you are doing!
We will cover the brains department a bit later...

Here's where to start! The Amazing Blues Scale...aka "Pentatonic" scale.
This scale is the root of all rock & blues soloing!
This scale is played at the 5th fret. The same rule for power chords and bar chords applies, eg: Play the scale at the 7th fret and it is a B blues scale. Note: the green lines show you the notes you can add together to do hammer on's and pull offs.

To toughen the left hand:
Try hammering on with the little finger at the 8th fret on the high E and pulling it off to the 5th fret, same string.
Play repeatedly without picking, pretty soon you will be auditioning for KISS!
Do it on all strings, using only the left hand! Cool!
Important note: Try raising your right hand in the air a la Angus Young or vintage Jeff Beck, it is sure to raise the roof at gigs!
In time it will build up super strength in your left hand.

Speed picking:
To build up picking speed, pretend you are a bouzouki player on steroids,
picking up and down as fast as you can! Play thru the blues scale in this fashion, you will soon be playing along with Slayer songs at warp speed!
Make sure that you use alternate up and down strokes, start off slow and get progressively faster, until you can rattle off a string of notes with no obvious gaps! Once you are used to it you will be able to shred at will without breaking a sweat! apply the exercise to all scales and modes, all over the neck! Try playing chords in this fashion, picking out each individual note seamlessly, creating huge sweeps and waves of chordal shredness! Hmmm....we are getting ahead of ourselves again!

Back to the Blues!
Here is a classic blues lick for you to grapple with! There are so many blues licks to show you! We will get to as many as we can!
When bending, get all your fingers behind the string and heave it up!

Here is a favourite party piece to get you out of trouble, it always works!

Repeat this lick as fast as possible, reaching super Ace Frehley proportions! It can be ballistic in the right context!

Be prepared, you might be the next great guitar hero!
History tells us that rock goes in cycles, and surely the next wave will come soon!
In the '60's it was Hendrix, Clapton, Page and Beck.
Their influence is still very much felt today.
In the '70's and early '80's it was Van Halen, Rhoads, Malmsteen and co. In the late '80's and early '90's it was Vai and Satriani.
Not forgetting also Gary Moore, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Michael Schenker and many more!
What better reason for you to believe in the power of the guitar and get practicing?
(Ed note: Since the original article was written we have seen a massive explosion of Power Metal in Europe, and these bands can really play!
Check out Hammerfall, Strativarius, Rhapsody and more...)