Have you ever dreamt of being a great lead guitarist who can play impressive guitar solos in front of a screaming audience? What if I tell you it is definitely possible to play guitar solos using the entire fretboard in a fluid and impressive way, would you want to know how to?

Before I do that, I have to emphasise that there are no shortcuts to becoming a great lead guitarist. It will take a lot of effort and practise, but if you are determined, then you can definitely achieve your dream.

There are many theories and techniques you have to master to become a great lead or solo guitarist. However, the main thing you have to master perfectly is your scales. If you do just that, you will be way ahead of a lot of guitarists because most guitarists do not master scales at all and that is why their range of solo notes are so limited and they are always playing the same boring rifts. I am sure you have seen these mediocre guitarists in action, haven’t you?

Playing the guitar well is a matter finger muscle memory and of course this takes a lot of practise to achieve. As in playing any musical instrument except maybe percussions, to be a good guitar soloist, you need to master the guitar scales.

Yes, practising your scales takes a lot of time and effort, but this habit will be your best investment if you want to play impressive jaw dropping guitar rifts and solos.

Furthermore, you must also understand that scales can be played in several shapes or fingerings all over the guitar fretboard. Mastering all of these finger shapes is critical to be able to play good guitar solos.

So, if you are really intending to be a great lead guitarist, you definitely have to know your scales all over the entire fretboard. This is the secret of all successful great lead guitarist and that is why they can play their guitars so well.

If you can master the scales on your guitar fretboard, the potential of what you can play is limitless. Every solo out there is made up of one or several scales in combination. Therefore, all great lead and solo guitarists are masters of scales.

Yes, of course there are many scales to learn, so which scales should you master. Well, if possible, all of them! You want to be the best, don’t you? Then there are no two ways about it. Period.

Here are some of the more important scales you need to master if you aspire to be a guitar god someday. They are the major scale sometimes called the diatonic scale, the minor scale sometimes known as the aeolian scale, the pentatonic major and minor scales which are very useful for playing jazz, the harmonic, melodic, augmented and diminished scales.

There are many more, but by just mastering those above will put you streets ahead of most guitarists. Ok, stop reading and pick up your guitar to start practising now!

Author Bio: Chris Chew is the resident author at Play Lead Guitar Lessons and Good Guitar Lessons

Category: Entertainment
Keywords: lead guitar, guitar fret, good guitarists, scales