How to write your own guitar solo (a guide)?

Writing Your Own Guitar Solo

Writing your own guitar solo has its pitfalls. On the one hand, it’s very difficult to write anything at all in the beginning. And as soon as you finish writing, you play better than before and can start all over again.

Why not just improvise a guitar solo?

Sure. What many actually do is simply improvise something over it. However, in order to improvise a good guitar solo, you need certain improv skills.

Another factor you absolutely must consider is that if you play a completely different solo live than you did on your recording, some fans might be disappointed.

I’ll use the example of the popular “Hotel California” solo. Imagine you’re watching live and waiting for the solo. But something completely different comes?

Therefore, it is of course possible to improvise a guitar solo initially, but then perhaps to think about rehearsing it exactly the same way again, in order to be able to play it exactly (or more or less) the same way live.

I’m not creative

We all have this problem. Someone once told me that our brain needs about 15 minutes to “become” creative. Since creativity is rather unsuitable for normal life and our brain tries to remain objective as much as possible, we sometimes have to sit around for a very long time until creativity comes.

Imagine you have to write an essay and are sitting in front of a blank sheet of paper. At first, nothing comes out except a little scribbling. And suddenly you’re writing like crazy?

Or you have to cook something because the guests are coming in 30 minutes, but you have nothing in the kitchen. The initially helpless situation becomes quite easy to manage after a few intense minutes of thinking, because your creative “self” is there and gives you absurd food for thought.

The exact same thing applies to the guitar solo.

Sometimes I sit there, write on one bar for an hour and then simply cross it out again and start all over. But at some point it works and then no more breaks or distractions are allowed!

I’m too creative

I know this problem all too well.

The trick with too much creativity could be a restriction. For example, you tell yourself you have two chords. That’s it. You now have to write a solo over these two chords. In addition to individual notes, you may also play a few great voicings from time to time and not just eighth notes rhythmically.

This was my restriction for this solo. It was a challenge for myself. I simply took the chords F and C and had to write a solo over them WITHOUT background music.

As soon as you leave out the background music (backing track), you also have to work a little with chords, otherwise the listener might lose track.

Writing a guitar solo

To overcome some obstacles, here are a few tips:

• What is the key of the song/part/whatever you have to write your solo over?
• Apply your Lick Fragments. (Adjust the key beforehand!).
• Leave out bars 1+2 and start with another bar (this way you can take care of the beginning later and know where you have to go).
• Sing your idea, record it and then try to transcribe it.
• Restrict yourself. Don’t leave every possibility open to you (e.g. only use certain notes or rhythms).
• Rhythmic patterns (don’t just play eighth notes).
• Pauses. Just as important as notes are pauses.
• Use chords. You don’t just have to play individual notes. It is also allowed to play several notes simultaneously in a solo.
• If it should be harmonically too boring, use a few Upper Structure ideas.

And here is an important note when you write your own solo: Try to use an arpeggio note on the first beat of the bar. This way you can firstly restrict yourself a little and secondly it’s not so bad if you should play a wrong note before/after!