Also look to discover 'harmonic fills'. Little patterns of notes that echo the song's main melody but you repeat them in different positions according to the chord at that part of the song.

Ben

Joe

I'm starting to learn lead at my guitar lessons now, and all i have to do is basically learn these blue licks, and one good idea is to play a song, on a cd player or something, and just play any note in the rythem of the song, who cares what you play, go crazy. I have found it a lot better to muck around playing to the rythem of the song.

Cheers  <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_smile.gif" border=0 alt="Smile">

Give up on the idea it is going

to happen without taking the time

to learn the modes and the triads

up and down the neck.

My contribution the discussion:

learn to play melodies, or tunes.

Even the heaviest of metal songs

follows a tune. The 9 - 12 frets

are a good place to work out the

tunes. Don't go up and down the neck

until you have the tune down, even

to the point of recognizing the

key changes and the notes, especially

the first note of the change, like G/d

means change to G scale but nail the Dmaj

on the change. Write all that stuff down

(unless you can afford to buy sheet

music for all your songs.)

Now you know the tune and the key

changes, start to break the melody

apart by changing fret and inversion

as it flows. When you can do this,

you are ready to start playing lead,

which is really your own interpretation

of a melody. Even Hendrix stayed on

the basic melodic line ...I can hear

the blues players moaning as they read

this.

Ask yourself some questions, like what makes it hard for me to play lead? Am I practicing the basics over a few times here and there for a refresher? Am I trying TOO HARD?

Another thing is to just mess around with your guitar, sit down and throw some basic blues scales together, after a while just mix them up and play what sounds good to you. When I hit that point about a year ago, I went back to playing the songs I learned when I was a beginner, and I learned the lead parts to them, and also improvised over the ones I knew by heart.

Also, don't forget the most important elements to expanding yourself musically, #1:PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE, #2: HAVE FUN! <img src="images/smiley_icons/icon_lol.gif" border=0 alt="Laughing">

Also, bring up what you have told us to your music teacher(s), let them know what you think.

These are just a few suggestions that worked for me, hopefully they will work for you.

scales

read music

chord patterns

modes

common blues licks

learn how to relate theory to the peice your playing

like find out the key and scales used

then you already know what notes to play

Thanks

Joe