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How To Write Lead Guitar Parts For Metal/Metalcore


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Practice soloing constantly. Put on whatever tracks you enjoy jamming to, and just noodle around improvising soloing for as long as your fingers can take it. Just play and play and play, don't even think about what you're trying to do, just play what feels natural. 99% of it will probably be total crap and not fit, but that doesn't matter because that's what practice is all about. At some point, you're going to hear some things that sound really cool and fit well... write it down or whatever you need to do to remember it. Then go back and analyze it. What was happening during the rhythm part at that moment? Write down the rhythm part too and compare it to the good sounding lick. Are there any patterns there you can see that indicate how the two fit together? By just vomiting out a bunch of notes until something sounds good and then taking the time to study what it is that sounded good and try to figure out why it sounded good, will teach you alot in the long run and it will help your ear and hands work out what to do to eventually automatically get what you want.

 

Do you play various scales during your normal practice routine? I recommend that as well. It's especially helpful in modern guitar styles to do some study of the various Modes - their patterns and how they fit in relative to particular chords and whatnot. Getting the patterns learned along with the context of when it sounds best to use what is an invaluable skill for improvising. And experiment with them! Don't just automatically do what some book says - it's much more rewarding to experiment and find your own things.

 

But above all: practice, practice, practice. Once you put the time in, coming up with a good solo will come easily. Every great soloist I can think of discovered his own signature style by noodling around for countless hours until they starting finding things that sounded really cool and turned that into their thing.

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With Metal, you hit the listener with the kitchen sink .... with no mercy.

I've been playing Metal since the early 1980's, I've gone thru the Van Halen, Rhoads, Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani, Speed Metal, Thrash and even Allan Holdsworth ....

This book is mind expanding , it will take you places your mind and fingers, never thought they would go and some .....

 

http://www.amazon.com/Thesaurus-Scal.../dp/082561449X

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Melodic minors' date=' Harmonic minors, mixed with half / Whole tone scales and Whole tone scales mixed with majors adds tension and adds dissonance to chords used being played by the rhythm player or track in the background. Think of solos as mini compositions within a song. [/quote']

 

Problem is just trying to make them sound good and fit the song...

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Hello,

 

As a guitarist, I have trouble coming up with little lead parts for metal music. Every time I try, it never fits and it is starting to bother me. Do you have any tips?

 

It's all about the attitude!

 

And the rhythm.

 

Take the scales suggested here, and milk the shit out of the bits that fit...with attitude and energy.

 

It's not rocket surgery.

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Man, there's some awful advice in this thread.

 

Whenever you're trying to write within a style, you have to have a solid understanding of how the style works. Learn as many lead parts as you can from other songs, but don't just learn the lead parts. Learn the rhythm guitar/bass parts that happen underneath those lead lines and compare them to see how they fit. What key are they in? When the rhythm is playing an Am chord (or implying it with power chords or a riff), which notes does the lead part use? Which notes happen at the beginning of measures or are held out longer? Which ones are just used quickly? Which scale notes are just skipped over entirely? What rhythms are used, and are they repeated? Identically or with variation?

 

This is the process to absorbing ideas from any style and making it your own.

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My intention is not to belittle individuals but to enlighten them. I feel certain genre of music or even questions need to be placed in perspective to be addressed properly. When it comes to metal, I see two types of player. The jock who just likes the rush of the ride or the legit talent/serial killer/??? . How are you supposed to put this in a musical context? I choose to poke fun at the genre. You gotta admit - ok you don't gotta anything, but I tell no lies.

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Singing can be very helpful. Try playing, or listening to a recording of, whatever thing you're trying to write a solo for, and try singing a solo along to it. Chances are good that you'll probably be able to sing something that you think fits really well - this is a natural ability because voice is the one instrument all people are naturally adapted to. Record yourself singing these solos along with the rest of the music, and then figure out how to play it on guitar.

 

In reality, a great deal of music is composed by singing it first. This goes for Metal too... the Gorguts album Obscura was pretty much arranged and rehearsed entirely by singing prior to recording. They would all sit around and sing their parts and the drummer tapped out the rhythms with his hands. Of course, Gorguts are all "serious" conservatory-type musicians...but that's my case in point: they're crazy metal guys who take the "serious music school" approach to creating their music. And it's some of the best metal ever, in my opinion.

Lots of Bartok influence in that album...

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