Well....it's been said over and over again in guitar magazines and on the internet: all the talk about gear and stuff doesn't mean anything unless you are capable of controlling the guitar in a proper way. You shouldn't have to hide behind ultra high gain or lots of effects. Having a lot of passion for your guitar, practice in an efficient way and playing in many bands as possible certainly helps...

How do you do it...

Often, the lack of skills in guitar playing is compensated by choosing other guitars, pick-up's and gear. There is nothing wrong with buying good stuff and trying out different gear, but it will never dramatically change your way of playing or how you perform. How you are going to sound will depend largely upon the first period you start learning to play the guitar. You will get used to the way you hit the strings, the place where you pick and the way you finger your strings. A good teacher can help, but listen to yourself critically.

Record your rehearsals on tape/hard disc and play along with a drum computer at home as this will improve your timing and feel for rhythm. Practice when you feel like it and don't force yourself when you are not in the mood. This will just push you away from the guitar. Also start with simple licks playing in slow motion. Once you master the lick in slow tempo then try to speed it up. In general, you could say there are a few items you should pay attention to all the time:

Of course there are more things you should consider, but here are just mentioned the main items. With the "ask and answer" kind of playing is meant that the solo parts should "talk" with each other. You can achieve this by playing up and down the neck and from bottom to the top and vice versa. The listener should hear a certain melodic tension in the way you choose your notes and when the licks can logically be followed by the listener, you are on the right track. This also avoids freaking and playing like a chicken without a head.... Once you are able to play a nice melody, you really put the ice on the cake with vibrato. Sometimes you can use your whammy bar if you have one, but in general the finger vibrato (always try 1 note wide) is the one to use.

Copycat?

At last, listening to your guitar heroes is fun and you learn a lot from them the way they did from their heroes. Try to incorporate tricks and licks in your playing style and don't just copy. In our band "Arrowhead" we play covers and some of the solos should be played like the original. But sometimes, I adjust the solos a little to suit my playing style, which is better then just wrestling with the pure original that is typical for that guitar player.

Articles...

On the page Soloing Stuff you will find a selection with articles and lessons for your lead guitar playing.

Rhandy and his biography

 
Frank Zappa quotes

 
Eddies sound?Click photo