Learn How To Improve Your Lead Guitar Sustain (Without Active Pick Ups Or Special Pedals)
Want to play guitar with sustain that lasts as long as you want?
This is definitely possible.
You don’t need special gear either.
You only need:
-Your hands
-A heavy pick that doesn’t bend
-An amp with the gain turned to max
Ready?
Great!
Watch this video to learn what to do next:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d5aZRSYNuFQ
After your sustain gets better, use these tips to make your overall lead guitar playing sound amazing:
Lead Guitar Solo Tip # 1: Amplify Your String Bends
What’s the absolute most powerful part of a string bend?
Think about it for a second.
Give up?
It’s the release of the bend.
You stretch out the release of your bend when you have better sustain.
Do this by using more pre-bends in your guitar solos (where all you hear is the release of the bend) …
… and by decelerating the release of regular bends.
Check out this video to see what I mean:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynah7OVMa9I&feature=emb_title.
Additional Idea: when you bend strings, wrap your fretting hand thumb over the back of the neck of the guitar.
And keep the finger doing the bend right next to the fret wire.
This is one of those little guitar skill tips that makes a big difference.
Lead Guitar Solo Tip # 2: Make Your Notes Like A Singer’s Voice — Here Is How:
The trick to making notes sing is … vibrato.
Put simply: the better your vibrato is, the better your notes sustain.
Here are the absolute most crucial vibrato playing tips:
1. Stay clear of using fast and narrow vibrato. This resembles a mosquito buzzing around … and it makes your entire guitar playing sound anxious.
2. Keep your vibrato in tune at all times. This means: release the string all the way down to its original pitch in between the vibrato bends.
Watch this video to see how to perform it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohOBetjb4jY&feature=emb_title
Lead Guitar Solo Tip # 3: Sound Notes Without Actually Picking Them
To me, the greatest part of playing electric guitar are all choices you have for articulating notes.
And one of the best ways to articulate notes is …
… to slide into them with legato technique.
And I don’t mean simply doing a boring ascending slide (from a lower note to a higher note ) or a descending slide (to a lower note).
I mean doing something way more unique, called: “backslides”.
Watch this video to see how to do backslides:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v_yjzco8Bw&feature=emb_title
Lead Guitar Solo Tip # 4: Modulating Pitch Function
Ok, now time for the (in my opinion) coolest topic in this article.
Changing pitch function means staying on a single note as chords change under it.
As this changes, the function (emotion) of the note also changes (modulates ).
So, what is the result?
Your “one note” suddenly expresses a whole world of emotions!
Study this video to see and hear what I mean:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyTDwsDCGCY&feature=emb_title
Now that you recognize how to make your lead guitar playing better — it’s time to upgrade the rest of your lead guitar technique too.
And I have a simple way for you to do just that. Download my (free) lead guitar mastery cheat sheet to quickly troubleshoot any guitar technique challenge and make your playing feel a whole lot easier than it does right now.
About The Author:
Tom Hess is a professional guitarist, composer, and an online guitar teacher. He is a trainer and mentor to guitar players from around the world in his guitar lessons online. Follow Tom Hess on Twitter for free guitar playing tips, guitar playing resources and more guitar playing articles.
