I often get advice from other guitar players that if you want to learn to play better, learn a guitar solo from a cover song, note for note. I disagree. I’ve always believed that if you want to become a better lead guitar soloist, don’t touch any other solos from anybody else at all. You’re just gonna get their style, and you want your own. This is why I never touched other guitar solos from my other heroes. I’m never going to play “Stairway” or any Led Zep solos note for note, ’cause I don’t want to rip off Jimmy Page.

So when I do cover songs in a band, I’m not going to copy the solo off the song, I’m going to give it my own solo. You want to have your own style of lead guitar playing, so that when the listener is listening to your playing, he/she will immediately know the lead guitar player is you.

When somebody tells me to try playing this solo, note for note on a cover song, I’m going to refuse. Don’t get me wrong. I actually tried to play other guitar solos from other songs note for note, I could never do it.

I never understood why other musicians and bands try to copy solos note for note on a song. I never understood why musicians and bands play the same exact solo at every damn show, whether on a cover song or an original.

When I get a band and start playing live gigs with them, I’m certainly not going to play solos the same way every show. I’m going to want to improvise it and wing it out every time. That’s how you become a better guitar player. You don’t ever want to sound like your heroes, ever.

While, I admire Jimmy Page so much, I’m never going to copy his sounds although, I do borrow a little bit from him here and there. You want to sound like you, nobody else.

Kev

Ya know, I always keep saying that I’m going try to make my songs short like maybe 2 or 4 minutes long, but I have a feeling that I’m never going to be able to. Here’s why.

I know people would want to see me write a short few minute songs, but it’s something I’ll never be able to do ’cause I’m used to writing long songs. Plus, I’ve been listening to so much music that has long guitar solos in them for so long. Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Clapton, Grateful Dead, Phish, etc. They’re all my inspirations for that.

With that full band song, “Secret Hidden“, gives you a little hint of what I’m about to do with full band music. While that song does have a pretty long guitar solo, but if I play that song in a band at a gig, I’ll probably end up playing the solo to that song even longer.

I’m not sure if you’ll call me jam band music, people can call it whatever they want to, but I’ll always consider myself rock n’ roll. I’ve always wanted to be a rock n’ roll musician for years and I feel it’s time it finally needs to happen. That’s why I’m doing my best to improve my timing & rhythm, improvisation/ear training, scales/modes, etc.

I want to play like I’m on fire and melt some faces, man. Play like my heroes. When these famous legends jam live they don’t even sing that much in songs and just jam throughout most of it. That’s what I plan to do. If you’ve noticed in that song, “Secret Hidden”, there aren’t much lyrics in that tune, I just wrote it quickly.

I love guitar solos. It’s my favorite part of music. I’ve been trying to improve my lead soloing ever since I picked up the guitar. It’s a hard thing to master but you’ll get better at it as years go along and if you’ll keep it up. You don’t become a great guitarist over night. Takes years of hard work. You just need to not rush it and not get too far ahead of yourself.

I do want to become a great guitar player and doing all I can to get there.

Kev