Tag: melodic

Melodic Guitar Solo (Pop Rock) in D

22/11/2020 Backing Track, Video Tab No Comments

I’ve been playing a lot on the Suhr guitar lately! Over the last weeks, I wrote a new, uplifting, melodic guitar solo in D.  Enjoy!  Update 26-11: I made a few (minor) additions to the tab!

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Melodic Guitar Solo in D major

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About Melodic Guitar Solo

I love playing solo’s in major keys, although it can be a bit of a challenge to keep things interesting. In my experience, it helps to play around with the major third and to search for chord suspensions (sus2 and sus4). I can’t pinpoint a clear artist influence for this melodic guitar solo, although some ‘Joe Satriani’ is going on (e.g., the legato flurries in bars 16 and 17). I aimed for a modern, spacious guitar sound, leaving room for your timed delays to ring through 😉

Gear Used
  • Suhr Modern Pro HH, Ernie Ball strings .010,  captured with Universal Audio Ox
  • Victory V40
  • pedals: Crazy Tube Circuits Black Magic mkII (lead tones)
  • D16 repeater (timed delays):
D16 repeater
D16 Repeater Plugin - get it at plugin boutique
Backing Track
More Melodic Solos

Melodic Pop Rock Solo in G

19/07/2020 Video Tab No Comments

Melodic Rock Guitar solo (with guitar tabs) for the original jam track (‘Modern Country Rock Jam Track’) I posted before. The main elements for this guitar solo are melodic licks, double stops, and modern adaptations of country licks. Enjoy!

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Melodic Pop Rock Solo in G

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About the solo

The intro sets the tone for an uplifting, modern country rock pop groove. After a tasty country guitar lick, the verse starts with the same chords as the intro. In this first part of the melodic rock guitar solo, I focus on chord tones, embellished with slides pull-offs and hammer-ons. I play in the bridge position of my new Fender Vintera 60s Modified LPB. I was quite surprised to learn that this tele bridge pickup is ‘hot’ enough to produce this type of guitar lead tones. 

After the melodic turnaround (bar 26-29), the guitar solo continues with a motif of double stops. The energy continues to build, and in bar 38, I play a melodic pattern with a pedaling open E-string. The inspiration for this part comes from songs like ‘The Chain’ (Fleetwood Mac) or ‘Oh Darkness’ (Admiral Freebee). What follows is the guitar solo’s highest point of energy (bars 41-44), with a few blazing blues licks and a pinch of shredding. Bar 46 is the bridge of this song, but you could look a this as a post-chorus. The guitar solo emphasizes melody and double stops again. Some of the melodic patterns return and – after pickup in bar 53 – the melodic pop rock guitar solo lowers its register. 

Featured lick

The solo ends with a modern country lick in G. This lick is mostly G ionian with a cool legato pattern (bar 60 – see colored box), some hints of the G minor blues scale (bar 61) and chromatic ending. 

Modern Country Lick in G
Modern Country Lick in G
Gear
  •  Fender Telecaster Vintera 60s Modified LPB (solo + rhythm parts)
  • Yamaha Pacifica P90 (slide guitar parts in the background)
  • Martin HD-16R Acoustic (acoustic guitar parts)
  • All guitars played by Maarten
  • Overdrive used: Crazy Tube Circuits: Black Magic MKII
  • Amp: Fractal AX8 Carr Rambler Preset
  • Delays: H910 H949 algorithm from the Eventide H9
  • Bass: Spectrasonics Trilian Drums (programmed by Maarten)
  • Steven Slate 5.5 (programmed by Maarten)
  • Recorded with Logic Pro X, mixed with Steven Slate & Izotope plugins.
Backing track

Modern country rock backing track here.

Intense Melodic Rock Solo in A minor

31/05/2020 Video Tab 2 Comments

Intense Melodic Rock Solo in A minor, that complements my intense rock ballad backing track (Rain Jam). Download the tab here:

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Intense Melodic Solo in Am

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The idea

A few weeks ago, one of my YouTube followers left a comment on my channel about wanting the next solo video to be about a ‘sad ballad.’ My latest video at that time was the Sunset solo, a slow ballad in a major key and with quite an uplifting chorus. I thought it would be a challenge for me (being an optimist) to write an emotional and melodic guitar solo in a minor key. Certain emotions are better transferrable in a minor key. For the occasion, I wrote an intense rock ballad backing track, called ‘Rain Jam’ in A minor.

About the solo

After the publication of the backing track, I started writing this intense melodic rock solo. After a short acoustic intro, the A-section (verse) follows a dreamy chord progression in the key of A minor (with the occasional G-chord).  To translate the emotional element, I focus on the notes of the A Aeolian mode, chord tones (thirds), and the friction of string bends and suspensions (like the 9th). Similar to earlier solos, I balance longer notes (with vibrato) with faster licks. There are a few shred licks in the guitar solo because this also helps to discharge melodic tension. Look at these shred licks as a way of releasing feelings of agitation.

The B-section chorus moves the melody up the octave to intensify the emotional component of this guitar solo. The second chorus brings a new theme to drive this story home. The guitar solo ends with a melody in octaves. 

Featured Lick
Octaves Melody Guitar Solo
Melodic Octaves In A Guitar Solo

Near the end of an intense solo, I like to switch to octaves, because it is one of the few options you have at that point to increase the energy. (Other options are playing double stops or harmonizing). The cool thing about octaves is they created a sustained, but rhythmic wall of sound. In the intense melodic solo video, I follow the steps of the A minor scale, but in bar 34, I move to the G# (the third of E7 or natural seventh of Am). This note is hugely expressive and captures the attention of the listener immediately. Some people might consider this a cliché, but cliches work in the right places, is it not?  😉

Gear used

GEAR: Suhr Guitars / Suhr Modern Pro HH with Floyd Rose (all solos) Martin HD-16R Acoustic (intro)  All guitars played by Maarten Bass: Spectrasonics Trilian Drums: Steven Slate 5.5 Recorded with Logic Pro X

I hope you enjoyed this emotional ballad solo and tab sheet music, 

I dedicate this video to Alepsis Cruz as a thank you for inspiring me,

Cheers, Maarten