How To Play Intense Lead Guitar Licks Using Double Stop With Vibrato
Love playing blues and rock guitar and want to make your licks sound better?
Using double stops is essential. But even better than that — using double stops with vibrato.
Many guitarists never use this combination, but it is very expressive and worthwhile to learn how to do this. Using double stops with vibrato makes them sound very intense and awesome.
Learn how to use double stops with vibrato by checking out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VrUgAt5krhU
Now that you know how to play cool double stops on guitar using vibrato, learn how to play better lead guitar solos and ideas by not making the mistakes that make other guitarists’ playing sound boring.
Here are 3 of the biggest mistakes guitar players make that make their guitar solos sound boring (and what to do instead):
Mistake # 1. Not Improving The Quality With Which Notes Are Played
It’s a (usual) mistake to believe that playing great lead guitar licks is just about memorizing a bunch of licks, using licks from solos, memorizing new arpeggios or practicing technique all the time.
These things mostly focus on what notes to play, but terrific guitar solos require understanding how to play notes expressively.
This basic concept is called phrasing.
When you improve your guitar phrasing, your licks sound more like music instead of just arbitrary licks glued together, scale patterns or lifeless exercises.
Start improving your phrasing by improvising a short lick over a backing track.
Try to think of 25 unique ways you can play the phrase without changing the original pitch of the notes (such as using vibrato, bends, legato, etc.).
Mistake #2. Only Focusing On “What” Notes To Play Instead Of “How” To Play The Notes
It’s a false myth that playing awesome guitar solos requires memorizing a bunch of licks or only improving guitar technique.
Doing these things gets you to focus mostly on what notes to play… but playing killer guitar solos requires knowing how to play notes. This is referred to as guitar phrasing.
When you develop guitar phrasing skills, your solos start to sound musical rather than sounding like just a bunch of strung together licks or robotic scale patterns/exercises.
Begin developing better phrasing by thinking of a short phrase and playing it over at backing track.
Try to come up with 20 separate ways to play the phrase without altering the original pitch of the notes (by using techniques like vibrato, bending, slides, etc.)
Mistake #3. Vibrato Is Used Not Enough Or Not At All
Vibrato technique is absolutely crucial for adding tons of emotion and expression into your guitar playing.
When it is not used enough or at all, your guitar solos feel dull and lifeless.
The following are some tips to help you develop better vibrato technique and use it to make your guitar solos more expressive:
*Keep your vibrato in tune by bending up to the specific pitch you want to match (for example: matching the pitch of the adjacent fret = ½ step) and releasing the bend down to the pitch you began on.
*Control your vibrato better by practicing to the beat of a metronome. Bend the string up on the first beat and release it on the next beat. Repeat this pattern to ensure that your vibrato is consistent (not fast sometimes/slow other times or any combination of the two that feels out of control).
*While soloing, focus on using different kinds of vibrato such as wide/fast or narrow/slow. Some vibrato feels more intense (such as wide/fast) — use it during the climax of your guitar solo.
Want to learn more ways to make your guitar playing more expressive? Learn them today by downloading this free emotional guitar playing resource.
About The Author:
Tom Hess is a successful professional guitar player and composer. He trains musicians to reach their guitar playing goals in his rock guitar lessons online. Visit his website, tomhess.net to read more articles about guitar playing, get free guitar tips and guitar playing resources. Learn more by reading the Tom Hess Musician Wikipedia Page.
