Creating your own leads is obviously a skill all guitarists aspire to do. It is one of the latter things that is usually taught during my online guitar lessons. If you are a beginner, the question is usually asked what type of music you listen to. Why? Because it gives your teacher an idea if you have listened to songs that even have solos or lead lines in it. This makes a difference because when if you were a kid in the 70's, you would have listened to all the classic guitarists of the day, Jimmy Page, Randy Rhodes, Ted Nugent, etc. Even in the 80's, you had a multitude of big-time talented lead players. A person will get used to hearing certain staple riffs, and understand how a lead is supposed to flow, even before playing your first solo.
On the other hand, if you are a younger student, chances are you haven't listened to a lot of those guys, and chances are you've been listening to more modern rock and pop music which contains very little if any lead guitar. I still wonder why that is, why today's rock music is almost void of solos. The opinion of the masses is that today's popular guitar players just don't know how.
So what's the best way to learn?
Well, you will need to have a basic knowledge of scales. Formal online guitar lessons that feature a live instructor or in-person guitar lessons are highly recommended. Trying to learn this art on the fly can be very frustrating. Starting with the pentatonic minor scale would be the best way and most recommended avenue to start. This scale is used most frequently in blues and modern music. One thing that is good to do is to learn a handful of signature licks, cliche licks as they're called. Then practice the pentatonic mode by playing along with a song, randomly adding in your signature licks from time to time. As you go along, you will need to learn other scales and their applications, including the family of modes.
The bottom line is that you want to start listening to songs that have lead structure built-in to them so that you can understand the dynamics involved. Again, I can't emphasize enough how much formal instruction, and live online or in-person guitar lessons will help you. Playing guitar is a life-long joy, and playing it along with somebody that shares your passion, is even more enjoyable. Learning how to solo and play lead lines will enhance that experience, and set you above the rest of the pack.
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