Here’s a selection licks and solos across a range of different styles. Come here when you feel the need for some fresh inspiration in your solo playing.
If you want to get up to speed with the basics of guitar soloing then you might like to check out my comprehensive beginner soloing course.
You Ain’t Goin Nowhere Country soloing over the Byrds classic
Bluesy Arpeggios How to use Dominant 7th arpeggios in a blues
Vibrato An in-depth look at an essential expressive technique
Nice Lick 16 a nice polyrhythmic, bluesy phrase
One String Solos A simple yet powerful way to improve your solos.
Improv Session3 Country soloing over Folsom Prison Blues
Nice Lick 13 Some hybrid-licked country twang.
Improv Session 2 Let’s play some blues over an Albert King-inspired track.
Improv Session 1 I’m kicking off a new series with a Neil Young-style soloing lesson.
Nice Lick: Let’s Learn It 11 The Memphis Soul Stew lick by Reggie oYoung/Cornell Dupree
Nice Lick: Let’s Learn It 10 A slide-y, arpeggio based idea.
Nice Lick: Let’s Learn It 9 This one’s a bit jazz…
Make Scales Sound Awesome Learn how to turn scales into compelling solos.
Better Tremolo Picking A pair of lessons in which I examine the essential guitar technique of tremolo picking. Part 1 will introduce you to the basic technique. And in part 2 you will learn an original Surf-style instrumental piece.
Nice Lick: Let’s Learn It 8 Some rockabilly 7th chord fun.
Nice Lick: Let’s Learn It 7 Playing over chord changes using triads.
Nice Lick: Let’s Learn It 6 Country 3rds with Hybrid Picking
Nice Lick: Let’s Learn It 5 Some country bending fun.
Nice Lick: Let’s Learn It 4 A useful E minor pentatonic idea.
Nice Lick: Let’s Learn It 3 A nice V chord blues lick.
Nice Lick: Let’s Learn It 2 A fretboard-spanning pentatonic lick.
Nice Lick: Let’s Learn It 1 Open-string country twang.
Fast but Easy Licks 10 essential speedy phrases.
Rose Room by Charlie Christian Let’s learn one of the all-time great jazz guitar solos.
The Charlie Christian Style An in-depth look at the style of a jazz guitar legend.
A Great Country Solo A look at the magnificent solo from Life’s Greatest Fool by Gene Clark.
The One Essential Country Bending Lick Take your country bending to the next level.
Open-String Country Scales and Licks An essential country guitar technique.
Minor/Major Pentatonic Blues Soloing Take your blues soloing skills to the next level.
Major Pentatonic Soloing A rock solo based around the major pentatonic sound.
How to Chicken Pick Here’s a country solo entirely around the chicken picking’ sound.
A Killer Hybrid Picking Country Lick Wow your friends with this bit of Albert Lee-style flash.
Solo like James Burton, Part 2 A fantastic, not-so-easy-to-play solo from the Telemaster.
Solo like James Burton, Part 1 A fantastic, easy-to-play solo from the Telemaster.
An Angular Modal Lick Try some bit interval skips to add a fresh around to your soloing.
A Diminished Scale Rockabilly Lick Add some diminished sophistication to your rockabilly soloing.
A Fast & Furious Pentatonic Lick
Mixing Rhythm & Lead in a 12 Bar Blues
A Fast and Flashy Country Lick in G A blazing, country-style phrase.
Just Another Blues Lick…But it’s a really nice one.
An Awesome Rockabilly Lick A great Carl Perkins-style lick using open-string pull-offs.
A Complete Blues Solo From One Simple Lick A simple way to give your soloing a bit more direction.
Steve Cropper-Style 6ths How to create groovy, soulful rhythm parts using 6ths.
A Complete Country Solo from One Lick How to go from a lick to developing an entire solo.
An Awesome Open-String Country Lick A tasty country-shred idea.
A Cliché-Busting Pentatonic Lick One of my favourites.
A Must-Know Country Chord Trick A fun idea to spice up your country rhythm or lead playing.
A T-Bone Walker-Style blues/jazz Lick A lovely, simple bit of jazzy Texas blues.
A Charlie Parker-Inspired II V I Jazz Lick If you play jazz, you need to know this one.
A Spectacular Sweep Picking Lick Get your shred on!
A Sensational Stevie Ray Vaughan-Style Blues Lick A ferocious bit of Texas blues.
An Incredible Pedal Steel-Type Country Lick Lots going on in this flashy hot-country idea.
A II V I Lick Every Jazz Guitarist Should Know An easy and very powerful jazz phrase.
A Supercharged Pentatonic Rock Lick Easy and very cool-sounding
A Jimmy Page-Inspired Pentatonic Lick You need to know this classic rock phrase.
A James Burton-Style Country Lick A pedal steel-like bending idea, inspired by the country guitar master.
3 Must-Know Rock Licks Here are a few very common rock phrases. Easy-ish to play, but they sound nice and flashy.
5 Essential Major-Type Jazz Licks A great way to start developing some jazz vocabulary.
5 Essential Minor-Type Jazz Licks More great licks to add to your jazz vocabulary.
Some Albert King-Style Blues Licks 3 awesome big bending ideas from the man also known as “The Velvet Bulldozer”
A Charlie Christian-Style Jazz Lick Simple but brilliant. An essential jazz phrase.
A Rapid-fire Rock Lick Something for you shredders – a blistering mixolydian sequence.
A Speedy, Slidey Country Lick A fun, flashy country lick.
5 Essential Dominant Jazz Licks More useful additions to your jazz vocabulary.