How To Write Solos That SHRED!

Writing shredding and fast lead lines is tough business. Too many notes and it gets repetitive and robotic — too few and the kids won't think you're cool.

By combining simple melodic techniques with fast scale passages and arpeggios, plus sufficient practice, you can compose an impressive technical solo on any instrument.

What You'll Learn

• Balancing melody with technical passages
• Using scale runs effectively without overdoing it
• Incorporating arpeggios into your solos
• Building tension and release in shred playing

Related Techniques

To get the most out of this lesson, you may want to explore:

• The Lydian mode
• Maj7 arpeggios
• Economy picking
• Sextuplets and 3-notes-per-string patterns
• Sweep picking

Note: Throughout the video, the chords are referred to as A and B. The B chord is played as B/A, so the bass remains on A throughout.