Fixing 97% of His Soloing Problems in 27 Minutes

Ajouté : 2026-05-15

[00:00:00]93% of guitarist soloing problems come down to just a few repeating mistakes.

[00:00:06]So, in this video, I'm going to show you how to fix all of them live by helping one of my students, Lance, improve his playing in just a few minutes so that you can follow along and do the same for your guitar playing, too. All right, everybody. Welcome to my YouTube channel. Uh we are featuring the awesome Lance today who is actually uh one of my inner circle students and a wonderful pleasure uh to work with and Lance has been working through a bit of creative solo system and which is really awesome.

[00:00:38]He's really digging into those lessons and he's made it to what I believe is um track 10 which is the two chord vamps D to G progression. So, he's gonna do a little bit of playing today on this D to G progression. And what we're going to do uh together here is unpack some things that he can work on. And uh yeah, here we go.

[00:01:45]All right. So, Lance, first of all, man, your playing has gotten so much better, which is great. And you came in and you sounded nice, right? But now you're playing kind of an exceptional level, which it's funny. I really enjoy, you know, dealing with you as a student, you know, working with you as a student, and so I wanted to get you. But it's so funny because you're making it challenging me for me to give you feedback because it's sounding so good.

[00:02:09]So, >> thank you. Thank you.

[00:02:11]>> Prop props to that, man. Uh pretty awesome. Okay. Right away, and this is something um that I think we've been working on and I think that uh you know, it's just going to continue to need some work. The reality is, and so many of us are guilty on this, is that when we are landing on a note, we want to do something with it, right? And I'm like 100% a fan of doing something with it, but we have to watch out for the default thing that we're going to do with it, which is kind of like maybe what we would call like a halfcocked vibr, right? And it's something I know I've been coaching you on. I I probably even know. Was it somewhere down here that I kind of yanked on a note a little bit?

[00:02:56]Not a vibrto.

[00:02:58]>> There were a couple of them. And and the thing is, man, it's like it's such a nuanced thing because you're playing like your your connectivity, the the ideas and stuff, they're just like so much more fluid than they used to be.

[00:03:10]And you're like, you know, I'll I'll mention a lot more things that you're doing great, but like this is one of those things that just it takes so long to train out of us. And it's interesting because I'm not sure when you started doing that, but it was probably a long time ago in your guitar playing. And it's just incredibly common. And so it's kind of like two two different worlds.

[00:03:30]Okay. I was actually in the opposite world.

[00:03:33]>> So I came from classical and jazz guitar where you don't vibrto. I mean classical guitar vibr you kind of like move the string from left to right, but it's an entirely different string. And if you're doing that on this electric guitar, you're just not moving the pitch at all.

[00:03:48]And then jazz guitar, you don't vibrto, not at least in straight ahead jazz guitar, which I was studying, right? So I was in the no sauce land, >> right?

[00:03:57]>> At least you're living in the sauce land, right? So it's good. You're like trying to put some sauce on, but it's just your default sauce is like, oh, right. So I think that one of the things that I've I've tried to mention to you and I think that is a continued great thought is when you play a phrase seeing to the end of that phrase. Okay? So playing through and landing and when you land instead of bending the note slightly out of tune try to say oh I plan to land I am going to move that string intentionally and release it.

[00:04:33]Right? And for for those of out those of you out there in YouTube land, you know what I'm talking about is basically many many of us as guitar players, we end up coming to the end of a phrase and we take a note and we bend it and it is bent out of tune first before we start vibrtoing. If we do that, what you've done is you've taken this solid pitch, especially the root note here at the seventh fret of the the G, which is prime location in our classic box, right? which you're using really great.

[00:05:04]But that one, if you bend the root note out of tune, you have bent the most solid and stable note out of tune and all of a sudden you're kind of flow and you're landing just like it's like they took the rug right out from under you, right?

[00:05:20]And so my challenge to you, and I know that you're working on this is going to be continued thing, but how do I make that note by default just be clean and landed?

[00:05:33]And then when I'm ready, intention to bend and release it. Now, how much you bend and release it, not that big of a deal. It depends on the song, right? I think when you were doing it, the amount was good, right? It's just those like, "Oo, I'm slightly out from that neutral place." And then when I release it, I'm not releasing it 100%. It's just that kind of like you're thinking about other things. Look, we're putting you on the spot. This is >> this is the place that all kind of like your things that you've been working on are going to come out and be presented to the world, you know, which is great.

[00:06:08]>> So good. So, >> even without the track here for a second, can you play me a couple of little lines and I want you to stop on a note and just leave it be. Do not vibrto it at all.

[00:06:23]>> So, intentionally plan on a phrase, end on a and stop. Let it sing.

[00:06:28]>> Okay.

[00:06:34]>> Yeah. Yeah. Let's Let's do that again.

[00:06:36]That same lick.

[00:06:39]I'm I'm vibrtoing already. Uh I know it's funny. Did you see that?

[00:06:43]>> I did see a little >> Yeah, I I started. All right. Um >> wait, >> yeah, it's very difficult to stop the vibrto. My hand wants to do it because I've I've done it a thousand times that way and I'm landing right on. It's just a a simple >> Yeah. Awesome. Can you take that lick just for fun? Take that exact same lick and move it one string thicker, right?

[00:07:12]It's the same pentatonic.

[00:07:15]>> Yeah. Good. Cool. Very good. Yeah.

[00:07:17]Again, did the first one and the second one. No vibrto.

[00:07:28]So I actually um think we haven't I haven't prescribed this particular idea but I think that would be a good few moments of your practices a vibrtofree zone.

[00:07:42]>> I I love it. I love it. You know I mean again it wasn't until you pointed it out that you're like here just play this without vibr. My finger immediately wanted to vibr like immediately. So uh great tip that would be awesome. So it's not I think what we're learning here is it's not just uh right vibr and wrong vibr. It's that we are in a a a world of default vibr. And this is one thing that I think is really important for all of us if we're trying to sculpt our voice on the guitar, be creative, and have some flexibility. We don't want to do anything by default. Everything needs to have intention behind it. I'm I'm really digging your tone. uh you're on the neck pickup, which I think the sweet sound uh fits this track kind of perfectly. What's your thoughts on that? What What are you kind of going with?

[00:08:35]>> Yeah. Yeah, this is um a great setup. I I kind of um I I I'll chat a lot. I use chat GPT and I plugged it in and I went for a Warren sound and that's that's what I asked for with my um my Wampler Tumness pedal and um my Vibro my Fender uh Vibro Champ the the small bedroom one which has got a pretty pretty decent sound to it. It you know if it's coming through cool that's that's what I did and it just gave me some settings to move it to. So >> yeah, nice. I think um that's one of the things and I think you're doing a great job of this is just like every track kind of requires a little bit of a different um kind of tonal approach in my opinion, right? And I think that a track like this, this D major to G major, that's the one to the four, right? And uh maybe I'll share this track uh with the YouTube audience in the description below. You can download it. But um at one to the four, it's really kind of fits in the major sound.

[00:09:37]Now something interesting that you did and applied. You are playing this note, right? So you're you're kind of inserting a different sound. What is that sound?

[00:09:52]>> Flat seven. So I'm I'm getting a little uh mixo in there. Mixelyian.

[00:09:58]>> And um but yeah, that's uh definitely some of my um Grateful Dead and and Jam Band kind of stuff. I think it's such a sweet sound.

[00:10:08]>> Cool. Absolutely. And I And I think it's working great. And I think it's neat because the progression lends itself to go either direction, which is awesome.

[00:10:16]Right. You could go for the sweet C sharp sound, the major sound, or I do also, and I think that at this point with what you're working on, it's awesome that you're already inserting those kind of tones because it gives us a little bit of extra stuff besides kind of the salt and the pepper. Right. You're I think you're doing a great job of sprinking sprinkling in those extra notes.

[00:10:52]>> Let's talk about another one that you sprinkled in that I thought was really excellent. So, tell me, what do I call this?

[00:11:03]>> The dicky bet note.

[00:11:05]>> Yeah. Yeah.

[00:11:06]>> Pick up the floor.

[00:11:08]>> Yeah. Totally. So, and it works. It works in other places, but let's be clear. This is why we can't talk too much junk about the classic box because it that's where he played it, right?

[00:11:18]>> Yeah.

[00:11:19]>> Many times, right? So, you're adding in you're playing pentatonic, but you're adding in uh the fourth, which is it sounded really good to me. So, one thing, and I might have missed it, but I think I didn't hear it is instantly uh more we might hear a little bit of it, but more major pentatonic blue note. So, tell me what what is the major pentatonics blue note? Uh the major is a flatted third.

[00:11:44]>> Yeah. Exactly. Right. And so I think that for me to get into that soulful sound um now are you intentionally using a a touch?

[00:12:02]>> Uh a touch? What do you mean?

[00:12:04]>> Are you using it a little bit?

[00:12:05]>> Oh yeah. Yeah. I use it uh probably um So really uh you usually I'm going uh flat third to two. Right.

[00:12:17]>> Cool.

[00:12:17]>> Uh sometimes I did it I think one time in that piece I went >> yeah more and more of that flat three when I'm playing on a track like this. I just try and almost not do it all the time but like a lot. So let me kind of uh share with you how I might approach it.

[00:12:37]So, one of the big things for me is that use of the flat three. I would just that would be another improv exercise, you know.

[00:12:54]So, the different ways that you touch it, right? So, you're hitting it flat 33.

[00:13:00]Now, we don't want to go unless you're trying to make a statement, but you can go right. So, you're using as embellishment or even one of those classic ones you hear everybody do, right? So, I I think I'd love to see you integrate more of it into just like this is part of my vocabulary, right? So, I think you're doing a great job with the but there's just so much more uh kind of that's one that I do I do play a lot in the course that's up to the four four flat 3 to three flat 3 to sorry yeah flat three to two one I stole that straight from Derek Truck sorry and then just to kind of augment ment that a little bit since you're using that flat 7 I kind of like will operate with the flat 7 in a similar way. So this guy is really nice and since you're already throwing it in it's it becomes kind of like a difference of how you're visualizing it and hearing it right and how you want to use it.

[00:14:24]>> What what do you mean by that?

[00:14:27]Um, so right now you're using it as this descending line where you're like you're hitting it kind of straight on, but to me in a soulful one to four that you're kind of evoking some of the sounds of that mixelyian, uh, you can start to use it more like you would literally use the flat three.

[00:14:46]Anything that you can do kind of like that's me 2 flat 3 2 1, you could do on the flat 7.

[00:14:58]Now your diagonal pentatonic, right? So if you were thinking about it like that, like this, all of those you have your flat three.

[00:15:13]Do the exact same thing from the sixth, which gives you the flat 7.

[00:15:23]>> So cool. Soul central, right? Just like so. Nice. And this is one that I do want you to work on is two flat 32.

[00:15:34]That's a slide, slide, slide up, slide down, pull off, one pick.

[00:15:42]So good. Let's do one more play through with you.

[00:15:46]>> And look, I want you to I want you to try that. Yeah. Can you try that with your ring finger?

[00:15:55]Yes. Beautiful. Try it on the starting on the sixth now, which is the B at the ninth fret of the D string.

[00:16:00]>> Did Did you notice that? That like I vibrtoled right away. Did you Did you I don't know if you saw that. And now like now I'm self-conscious, but um uh >> that's good. That So look, like I can I can teach you all day, right?

[00:16:13]>> I can I can respond to your videos every week. I can't be there controlling your fingers for you, right? So, it has to be a top of mind from from your your place.

[00:16:25]>> Yeah. Funny, man. I think I think our our our new direction is actually no vibrto for a minute. I'm not trying >> No, it's >> I'm not trying your mojo away. you know, it uh if I'm being completely honest, it's it's all of the um trying to add those accents in on all of the consistent rhythms, you know, whether I'm doing a hammer on pulloff or or just vibr um and um you'll do it so much when I play with you that I'm again trying to emulate like how you're playing and I'm just like, man, I' I've got to get I've got to get there. But then um yeah, that's what's >> Yeah, >> I think we want to program it and we want it to become part of your voice, but like in an intentional way.

[00:17:16]>> Great. I I think it's great to swing the pendulum hard the other way. Nothing at all. And then we'll reintroduce it back in with intention.

[00:17:25]>> Yeah. Yeah. And like and I think none at all for just a few minutes a day, right?

[00:17:31]I think so much of this stuff we can do in small chunks, right? And and that's where kind of the science of it comes in. A lot of us, we think, oh, we'll have to play it like that a hundred times in a row or whatever. It's like, no, no, you have to be mindful, do it a few times, do something else, come back, remind yourself to do it again. Right.

[00:17:50]>> Cool. We have this funny conception in our I don't know if it's in our culture just in the world, but like uh you know that we're just supposed to get it right and then we're just supposed to do it every time. And I think that unfortunately a lot of teaching and I I know you're you know you're you're a teacher yourself.

[00:18:09]>> A lot of teaching comes from like the place where you start mindless but that's the place that you get after you've done the mindful practice.

[00:18:18]>> Yes. Yes.

[00:18:19]>> Right. So when you're when you're working on techniques, you have to be mindful about them. And only after you're mindful about them do they translate to the deeper parts of your brain.

[00:18:30]>> Yes. To to get to that flow state, you've got to be very mindful for a long time.

[00:18:35]>> I want you to mindfully approach take take some time and let's be real mindful about vibr or no vibr for a moment.

[00:18:45]>> Start off real basic.

[00:18:55]Nice.

[00:19:07]Okay.

[00:19:09]Very good. All right. So, here's what I want to give you props on.

[00:19:13]You did walk a little higher than I was hoping, but you did it and it was good.

[00:19:18]So, you walked up to this A note at the 10th fret of the B. And for me, one thing that I think about which I think is valuable for you is how do we walk into that and then kind of like you're expanding, right? If we're trying to shift gears and tell a story, you want to slowly expand. Now, this time you went all the way up to the high D. I might have saved that because the high root note is such a special note to hit, right? the only other one that you have is way up here. So, you would only hit that at the very end of your solo, right?

[00:19:47]>> So, just kind of like uh framing that.

[00:19:49]So, start again and think about maybe getting up to the A note at the 10th fret of the B string.

[00:19:54]>> Okay?

[00:19:54]>> And walking down a little bit after that because you did walk down. I just feel like you maybe went a little too high.

[00:19:59]You're kind of showing your cards a little early.

[00:20:19]Nice. Now build a little bit.

[00:20:23]Transition into the higher frets and don't come back down.

[00:20:34]You got that flat seven. You could throw a little taste though.

[00:20:44]>> That's a flat three. That's good. What about that flat 7? It's right above B.

[00:20:50]Hey Keep working. Back up. Back up.

[00:21:12]Shifting gears.

[00:21:14]Yes.

[00:21:18]Repeat that. That was awesome.

[00:21:25]Live there for a moment.

[00:21:32]Yes.

[00:21:45]Yeah, there you go. You got it.

[00:21:55]Good. Kind of work now back down. Unless you got more. You got more gas.

[00:22:09]Woo!

[00:22:18]All right, get ready to dismount kind of Um, I'm vibring again. So, I started to vibrate.

[00:22:35]>> That's okay. That's okay. Yeah. No worries.

[00:22:39]>> Nice work. Yeah. So, I mean, overall just really good. Like, and we're trying things and you're in the practice room, right? And you're being coached at the same time. So, it's totally okay to make mistakes and lose yourself a little bit, right? And we just have to make mistakes and you say, "Oo, did that one work or did that one not work?" Right? And you knew exactly like you were never lost.

[00:23:00]>> No, >> you might have hit a little note here or there that maybe you didn't intend, but you were never lost, >> which is the most important thing. And I I used to hit notes here and there, and I still hit that. I used to I still hit notes that was like, oh, that wasn't really the intention. Whoopsies, you know, and you can fix it. One thing that I think is the stupid advice ever is if you make a mistake, do it again and then do it again. People think that's the worst advice ever. That's like, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, don't play it again.

[00:23:31]>> No, I got that advice from another guitar teacher. I I've gotten that before.

[00:23:36]>> I think it's silly advice. I mean, it's an excuse to like not know the fretboard and, you know, like I'm just not willing for people to not know the fretboard if they want to work together, you know? We just It's just an a necessity. It's like not knowing how to say the word 'the'.

[00:23:54]It's just like we can't we just can't get through things if we can't like say essentials, you know, and know where the essentials are. But I think if I could kind of like condense the stuff that I was trying to share with you while you were playing is like a little bit more repetition like you played some sweet lines and I was like, "Whoa, that was awesome. Play it again." Right?

[00:24:13]Elaborate on what you just said and that's going to make them more meaning for the listener. We as the player at the time have the tendency to want to move on, but staying there and saying it again in a different way is going to be the most pivotal thing you can do at that point in the solo for sure. So you did that cool bend that was right. Uh, now that we got that little uh extra note in there that the on the B note you bend up a half step to get to C, right? You could do the same thing.

[00:25:02]>> You got a little theme >> that you can copy and paste across theme across strings, right? Those little nuggets are really beautiful cuz it's >> um I was coaching somebody else. It was Brad. Um, and I was telling him, try to stay on a rhythmic theme longer. Steal your own rhythm from a lick. That's one way to do it.

[00:25:23]Da da da da da da baba bomb. And then the only thing that I would love to hear, and I know you're working on this, and this will continue to progress, is getting in those fifth and sixth gears.

[00:25:34]Yeah. you know, we get up to a little bit of like Okay. Um, right. Something like that. Like something like where All right, cool.

[00:25:49]I've clearly peaked and I'm going to dismount. So, that would be my main thing is like continuing to gauge. All right. Okay. Energyy's going up. Oh, okay. Cool. Cool. Peak. All right. I'm done. Okay.

[00:26:00]>> Come out.

[00:26:01]>> Definitely have to work on the dismount.

[00:26:02]I get a little uh I will it's like on the high wire sometimes. I'm hanging out and I'm like I'm going for it a little bit and I'm like I got to come out of this. And usually when I'm sending in a video I'll uh I'll I'll start to hear that. I'm like how am I getting out of this? Um but you know it's scary up there on that tight wire. Uh >> it is.

[00:26:24]Yeah. Everything gets tight up there.

[00:26:26]Here's one cool dismount. You know it's like you probably haven't thought about this but this is why I have you do things like consistent rhythms, right?

[00:26:32]is like, okay, I'm at a hard kind of like, oh, I walked down the scale with some like I did threes, but you could go D.

[00:26:51]It's like your hand that is in this position is like, oh, I don't know how to get out of this. Just start playing notes multiple times. You still keep the energy up. You're lowering down the pitch and you're cruising down to like an area where you can go >> nice.

[00:27:07]>> Right. That's gonna feel like an end.

[00:27:08]>> I like that. Good.

[00:27:09]>> I like that. A couple of notes on the >> That sounds like blue sky maybe. Like that's definitely some Almond Brothers action going on, right?

[00:27:24]>> Very nice playing, man. Thank you so much for being here and doing this. It was really a treat to have you. Totally cool. My pleasure. Thank you for having me.

[00:27:32]>> Yeah, man. Beautiful work. Keep it up.