[Brett89]

I wrote some simple riffs in guitar pro, a listened it a few times but I don't have any idea what to solo on it. When I solo on a lesson with my guitarteacher I find it much easyer to play something on a blusy, jazzy stuff then metal...

Any idea why?

[shadowgenesis]

same here. and... "Riffs" in general, unless long and complicated, are usually repeating a somewhat limited harmonic progression in a very short time. This gives you little room to really develop and build ideas sometimes if you don't have a pretty good repertoire of licks and ideas to pull at in the first place. I find that longer, more "moving" chord progressions (such as a lot of jazz songs and bridge sections in Dream Theater songs) lend themselves way better to melody and building on an idea.

i could be wrong that. like i said, i suffer from the same issue.

[distressed_romeo]

There's definitely an art to that sort of soloing. One of the things I really like for creating interesting solos in that style is taking a polymodal approach, where you find the implied tonal centre of the riff, and then experiment with all the different modal subsitutions that can be played over it.

For instance...I've got a death metal riff that pedals on the low E string, but apart from that it's pretty atonal.

What I'd do is play a lot of ideas that move through lots of different modes, in this case the nastier sounding ones (for instance E Locrian, E Altered Dominant, E Dorian b2, E Diminished, E Phrygian Dominant, E Augmented, E Harmonic Minor, or even plain old E Aeolian), always making sure I resolve it to E, or possibly the fifths or flat fifth for variety. I might also use some arpeggio and pentatonic ideas in wierd combinations, for example playing an E Minor blues lick, but then moving it up and down in minor thirds, for an altered sound, or add some unconventional chromatic notes to it, such as a maj7 passing tone.
This sounds complicated, but you don't need to learn tons of scales to play like this (personally I don't really think of specific scales or modes a whole lot when soloing in this way). You can get started just by taking familiar patterns, twisting them up, and seeing how it sounds over your riff. Experimentation is the name of the game here. You could start by taking one of your favourite pentatonic licks, and just moving one note up or down a semitone and seeing how it sounds.

It'll take a bit to get used to, as your hands will want to fall into familiar scale patterns, and your ears will probably take a while to get used to hearing solos in this way, but it's worth it. A great way to practice is to just improvise freely for a few minutes each day, not worrying about keys or tonal centres, just letting your hands and ears explore the guitar. It'll really help your soloing over more 'inside' sounds, as it helps you learn to play by ear rather than by patterns. Joe DiOrio (jazz guitar guru) recommends practicing like this for a little bit each day.

OK...that was a lot of information. Hope it all made some sort of sense.

[thedownside]

same here! i've been getting better, but it's not an easy process. i have found though making a harmony to the riff and then slowly spicing it up does wonders for a lead piece over a metal riff

[Drew]

Are these riffs mostly in the same key, or are you adding a lot of outside stuff? If you can find a key center for the riff, then theoretically it's relatively simple to solo over.

The tough part is making it melodically interesting without chord changes going on below what you're playing that you can sort of lean on. Oddball suggestion? Listen to some jazz players over static grooves, and how they can build melodic ideas over harmony that doesn't go anywhere. Likewise with jam bands. It's all about giving the solo some sort of melodic framework in and of itself.

[distressed_romeo]

Originally Posted by Drew

Are these riffs mostly in the same key, or are you adding a lot of outside stuff? If you can find a key center for the riff, then theoretically it's relatively simple to solo over.

The tough part is making it melodically interesting without chord changes going on below what you're playing that you can sort of lean on. Oddball suggestion? Listen to some jazz players over static grooves, and how they can build melodic ideas over harmony that doesn't go anywhere. Likewise with jam bands. It's all about giving the solo some sort of melodic framework in and of itself.

For jazz guys, check out John Scofield's song 'Protocol', which is basically a jam on a G7 vamp. You could also check out Robert Fripp's solo performances where he improvises over looped backgrounds...

[shadowgenesis]

You guys are awesome. Have i told you that? This actually makes me want to try some improvisational soloing again - something i'd grown to hate doing (it's just not my thing) in the last year or so.

[distressed_romeo]

Originally Posted by shadowgenesis

You guys are awesome. Have i told you that? This actually makes me want to try some improvisational soloing again - something i'd grown to hate doing (it's just not my thing) in the last year or so.

Stick with it dude. It's a life's mission to be a good improvisor (I still consider myself a complete beginner), but the rewards are great.

[Brett89]

The problem is that when I hear the riff I start think about a fast metalsolo, but I can't play fast yet, and a slow melodic solo doesn't sound right for the riff...

[distressed_romeo]

Originally Posted by Brett89

The problem is that when I hear the riff I start think about a fast metalsolo, but I can't play fast yet, and a slow melodic solo doesn't sound right for the riff...

I know the feeling...it's frustrating when your hands can't keep up with your head. The only solution is to keep practicing I'm afraid...