How To Write a METAL Solo
My stratgies for composing, not improvising, a killer shreddy metal solo that would make Kirk Hammet proud.
By Jake Lizzio · Signals Music Studio · 700,000+ subscribers on YouTube
Download the full track here: Red Lined - Jake Lizzio
Listen to the whole song:
This kind of solo would have blown my mind when I was younger, but after learning lots of Metallica, Megadeth, and Dream Theater solos, you start to pick up on some useful strategies and structures for making a solo.
What You'll Learn
- Strategies and structures for composing metal solos
- Using Pentatonic Minor, Blues, and Minor scales
- Rhythmic concepts for metal lead playing
- How to plan and write solos to maximize your skills
Compose by Feel, Execute with Theory
Although I don't have the same shredding skills as the legends, I can still utilize the skills I DO have and get the most out of them by planning and writing.
I mainly compose by feel — then I consult my theory to help me execute what I'm feeling if it isn't happening naturally. The theory used here includes knowledge of several scales, rhythmic concepts, and overall solo structure.