Virtuoso Guitar Player Reveals Guitar Solo Writing Secrets

    CARY, IL, May 09, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Tom Hess, online guitar instructor and virtuoso guitarist for power metal band Rhapsody Of Fire has announced the long awaited release of his online guitar resource about helping guitar players master the process of writing their own lead guitar solos. In this resource, Hess explains a unique process for creating guitar solos with the help of metal vocalist Fabio Lione.

Hess discusses the approach of most guitarists: "It is common for guitar players to struggle with creative lead guitar playing due to a basic misunderstanding of various musical concepts. The truth is that a lot of guitarists spend extra time to improve their technical playing, and as a result, feel a need to utilize their skills during guitar solos. Unfortunately, since the player is focused so heavily on 'technique', he/she ends up with guitar solos that are highly technical, but ultimately mediocre due to lack of melody."

Hess's resource shows guitarists unique guitar soloing methods that Hess himself crafted after years of practice: "Most guitar players listen to how great lead guitarists make solos and try to imitate it in their own playing. I have certainly learned a lot through this process as well. In addition to this more conventional approach, I have benefited greatly from observing how my favorite singers sing their melodies. Singers approach melodies much differently than guitarists, and I believe this alternate approach holds the key to creating enhanced guitar solos."
He continues: "For example, think about how a regular guitar solo sounds when compared to a singer's lines during the chorus of a song. For the singer, there is much more focus on using fewer notes to make a great melody, while the guitarist generally plays more notes (using a more technical style). By comparison, the singer's parts will almost always have a stronger melody. Singers have to make each note a good one, because they are in charge of making each lyric in the song sound great. Guitar players usually approach the notes in their guitar solos in a more carefree manner."

The majority of guitarists attempt to learn how to play guitar solos through sources such as YouTube or online guitar tablature. Hess recommends that guitar players not use these sources when learning lead guitar: "Almost every online tablature or video is made by an amateur guitar player who really has no clue how to teach guitar. If you are trying to learn how to write great guitar solos, you will not learn this by merely watching someone play a few cool guitar licks. This happens all the time...and this is why most guitarists can't play lead guitar melodies very well." He goes on: "It is very important that you understand how to apply the guitar techniques you know in any musical context in order to create strong melodies. You won't learn this from any YouTube video! This is the reason why it is so beneficial to learn guitar soloing with a singer. Singers are masters of melody and can teach you how to create awesome guitar solos without even knowing a single guitar technique. By learning this way, you get the best of both worlds as you start playing better melodies while still using guitar-related techniques."

Hess's resource about writing guitar solos is available on his website http://www.tomhess.net.

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