Question: My name is Dani, I'm 17. I've been playing guitar for roughly 3 or 4 years now. My preferred genres are metal and hardcore of course. I can't seem to create my own guitar solos. I've tried learning different scales and everything but it feels like there’s something else blocking me from creating a solo of my own. I'd really appreciate any help you can give on the topic of how to make your own guitar solos. Thanks so much.

Tom Hess's Answer: Learning scales and techniques on guitar is important; however, these things alone will not give you the ability to create guitar solos that sound really good. Making your own guitar solos requires that you focus much more on guitar phrasing. This means working to understand ‘how’ to play notes guitar rather than ‘what’ you play on guitar. Learn more about guitar phrasing in this guitar solo lesson video. Additionally, it is important to work on ear training so that you can ‘hear’ what the notes will sound like BEFORE you actually play them. Improve your ear training by reading this article on aural skills.

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