When we, as guitarists, play with other musicians, we learn an immense amount. When we’re playing rhythm, we get the chance to hear other soloists and pick up on their styles. In turn, when you get to solo, you get the chance to try out some of the techniques you’ve picked up, and mix them with your own preferences for playing lead.
In his course, Trading Solos: Americana, Jason Loughlin will give you tone and technique tips to get you feeling confident in your soloing. Then, you and Jason will trade off comping and soloing each other over five different Americana grooves.
Here are five video Americana guitar soloing lessons from the course. For the full course, check out Jason Loughlin’s Trading Solos: Americana on TrueFire!
Americana Guitar Lesson – Track 2: Songwriter: Track Overview
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This track in D is meant tap into more of folk or americana songwiter progression and feel. The track is in 4/4 and the progression is I-I-I-I-vi-vi-vi-vi-I-I-I-I-vi-vi-vi-vi-IV-IV-V-V-I-V-I-I. This track makes me think of cruisin’ down an open road. So I want all of my solo and rhythm ideas to help support that space. Low, twany, lyrical melodies…
Americana Guitar Lesson – Track 2: Songwriter: Comping Approaches Demo
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My first instinct for rhythm is to go low. I want low and twangy voicings that sound a little like a baritone guitar. Within these voicings I’m making a simple melody with some call-and-response phrasing. I’m also adding some color notes to these chords like sus4s and sus2s. My second part is going for the opposite of my first idea. I’m going high and instead of being melodic I’m going for a constant arpeggio pattern with little change in the notes so it sinks back into the progression.
Americana Guitar Lesson – Track 2: Songwriter: Three Solo Ideas Demo
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The first solo concept is targeting a single chord tone. Seems simple but it’s a very effective way to make a solo sound organic and connected. Try being consistent about what you target. In this example I’m only targeting the roots. The next concept is to play double stops within the pentatonic scale. Nothing too complicated here. Pick two notes on strings next to each other and embellish with a pentatonic note above on either string. You can hammer on, pick or bend to it. Try as many variations as you can think of. The last soloing idea is great for tighten up your phrasing. We are gonna to be using call and response phrasing with octaves. We do this by playing a short phrase and then repeating it an octave above or below with little variation. This can help give this illusion of two voices or instruments playing off of each other.
Americana Guitar Lesson – Track 2: Songwriter: Playalong Preview
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In this playalong preview I’m using all of our concepts. See if you can pick out the ideas repeated in different octaves, landing on the roots and how my double stops line up with the pentatonic scales.
Americana Guitar Lesson – Track 2: Songwriter: Track 2 Playalong
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Now let”s trade some solos. I’ll bring up the track and take the first solo. You’ll play rhythm for me and then we’ll trade. I’m around the progression once before jumping to rhythm and giving you a chance to dig in.
Digging these free video Americana guitar soloing lessons? Check out Jason Loughlin’s full course, Trading Solos: Americana.