Lead guitar is the blues...

I have been playing guitar for ~10 years, I suppose. During that time, somehow, I never learned to play lead. So, just this night, just now, I decided to rechercher the internet, hoping beyond hopes, with the intent to glean from its seemingly infinite wisdom a secret...or two. My resources include: The Introduction To Lead, Cyberfret.com, and Benn the guitar Hurricane, of course!

It is interesting to note, that while RHYTHM guitar is hailed as important to a song's structure, overall creation, basis for lead, and infectuous groove, the Ultimate-Guitar article only features video clips of LEAD guitarists.
This article basically explains the difference, and apparent disparity, between rhythm and lead. As mentioned before, it has a few neato videos to watch...um, hello, YouTube. Here's a link to YouTube (as if you needed one.)

As with anything, it seems to me that "good" lead guitar is demonstrated in the tiny, little intricicies (which is not a word...the word is intricacies.) In the business, we call intricacies phrasing. ... Apparently, confidence has a lot to do with playing a ripping solo (paraphrasing Benn)- that and Arrogance (and, paraphrasing myself.)

A google search for "playing lead guitar" quickly shows, Nick Layton, to be a bad-ass. At least, he fancies writing a whole lot of how to's on the subject. The cyberfret.com article talks a whole lot about phrasing, what it is, blah-blah, and it features a test of some sort. I didn't bother f*ing with the test. I'm not sure how much music theory has to do with hellacious and/or death-defying solos.
Anywho, Nick Layton blathers on about how good lead guitar is mainly unconscious. His analogy between lead being like speaking was interesting.

"I use inflections, dynamics, and pauses to make my points clear. The goal is to fully express what I want to say to the listener."

With regard to speaking, I study languages like it's my job (currently, I'm studying Mandarin if anybody wants to pin-pal it up.) Mr. Layton's metaphor makes some weird sense to me; the idea that a simple pentatonic blues scale (or just a couple notes of it) can be said in various ways.
Even in the digital world, a painfully wonderful place, rife with misconceptions arising because of a lacking of volume and tone, not to mention body language, people have managed to make due with ASCII and somehow manifest voice in order to get their point across.
I find it amazing that ALL CAPS CAN, AND WILL, "SOUND" LOUD AND BECOME LIKEWISE ANNOYING TO PEOPLE READING IT. All caps are a big no-no in my book.

Back on track: Mr. Layton continues his lesson, and his speech metaphor (this is of course after a very tiring interlude about brass instruments),

"Try pausing more often as you would if you are speaking. Think about how you can use your instrument to make the notes sound like you are speaking (ie: use inflections, dynamics/volume, vibrato, bending, legato, staccato, etc.)"

The guy makes some good points. I'd say he's full of sound advice. He does lose a few points by me for instructing aspiring guitar player to keep playing and a variant of practice makes perfect. Well, I say, "F that." Ooh, also, I think his guy with an electric guitar sitting on some white block thing-pose is ridiculous.

All this research sort of makes me wish I hadn't learned out to play in church camp. *sigh. Alas, at least I can rock the hell out of some chunk-a-chunk!

Oh, and btw, Benn has told me ALL of this information countless times before. Might I suggest finding a good lead player and either 1)black-mailing them for guitar lessons, or 2)...well, just go with no. 1. :)

-bill bunkum

Kurt Cobain Fights Like A Rock-Star