A lead guitar is said to be the guitar part that plays the melody, creates instrumental fill passages and guitar solos within a song.  Though it is often associated with heavy metal music, it is also present in jazz, blues, pop and some other musical genres.

Guitar players, mostly beginners, at some point take on some sort of a lead guitar lesson.  This mostly focuses on the essential roles that the lead guitarist takes on.  One of which is to play the melody lines of the song (melodic playing) and at the same time adorn it as melodic playing enabling the guitarist to play more smoothly as compared to linear playing.

Oftentimes lead guitar and rhythm guitar are easily confused with each other -especially when the lead guitarist starts to add in chords and double-stops to their riffs. It is best to remember that lead guitar focuses mainly on giving the melody, the lead guitarist incorporating more single-string playing and soloing, while the rhythm guitar is characterized mostly by playing chords in patterns.

Some important techniques found in lead guitar lessons are bending, vibrato and slides. These provide the basic means of emphasizing notes, and allow for greater expression in the melody.

Bending happens when the guitarist bends the guitar string to the side by pushing it towards the sixth string, or by pulling it towards the first string. The first three strings are normally pushed while the others are normally pulled. Whether the string is pushed or pulled, the note will be raised in pitch.

Vibrato adds feeling and emotion to the notes.  It can be done by either rapidly bending the guitar’s string back and forth or by applying pressure parallel to the string towards the guitar’s neck then towards the bridge repeatedly.  One helpful lead guitar lesson or tip for the vibrato is that the action should come from the wrist not from the fingers.

Slides (or sliding) are one of the simplest but most effective guitar techniques in creating a wailing sound on the guitar.  There are two kinds of slides, the legato slides and the shift slides. Legato (connected tones) slides are done by plucking the first note and sliding up or down to the second note. In the shift side, a note is fretted then the fretting fingers slide up or down to a different fret.

Another useful lead guitar lesson revolves around creating lead guitar lines.  This is done by using scales, modes, arpeggios, licks, riffs, and fills.  It is best to use these together with a variety of other techniques.  Learn the blues scale then the pentatonic scales as this provide a good foundation for creating solos—a classic element for the lead guitar player.  Arpeggios add depth, and the progression of the solo often mirrors the underlying rhythm guitar part.  Licks give short improvised solos and while the solo puts the guitarist in the spotlight for a minute or two, riffs and fills supply a series of notes for improvised backing.

With all the scales, chords, combinations, and variations available, there are thousands of ways to improve one’s lead guitar skills.  Imagination plus creativity combined can create a wonder, that’s a lead guitar lesson everyone should learn.

Yes!  It’s possible.  You can take easy guitar lessons without ever spending a dime. Following you will find four easy lessons to aid you in learning how to play the guitar.

Easy Guitar Lessons Number 1: How to hold a guitar.

Normally, you play the guitar on the leg. You’ll be strumming using your dominant hand so the guitar goes to the side of your dominant hand as well. Keep the guitar nice and straight, nice and close. Sometimes the guitar slides off your leg while playing because you bend your back to look at the placement of your fingers on the frets. This is quite normal for guitar players. But, it is important to stay away from bad habits while you’re just starting. So again, keep the guitar nice and straight, nice and close.

Easy Guitar Lessons Number 2: Getting to know the chord chart.

For the six chords you will be learning today, you will be focusing on the four first frets of the guitar. Frets, by the way, are the spaces between the metal vertical lines on the guitar. As there are six strings on the guitar, there will be 6 horizontal lines as well on the diagram representing the strings. Your fingers will be numbered 1-3 starting from the index finger.

Easy Guitar Lesson Number 3: The three basic chords.

The first chord you will need to study is the D chord. Finger #1 and #2 will be positioned on the second fret. Finger #1 will be on the third string while finger #2 will be on the first string. Finger #3 will be positioned on the third fret on the second string.

The second chord to study is the E chord which is one of the ideal chords for beginners to learn. Finger #1 is positioned on the first fret on the third string. Finger #2 and #3 will be on the second fret. Finger #2 will be positioned on the fifth string while finger#3 will be on the fourth string. Follow the diagram below.

The A chord is also one of the easiest chords to master. This chord can be played in more than one way but this is the basic method. All Fingers #1, #2, #3 are all positioned on the second fret. Finger #1 goes to the fourth string, finger #2 goes to the third string and Finger #3 is positioned on the second string. Refer below.

Easy Guitar Lesson Number 4: Strumming and changing chords.

The first three chords will now enable you to play some tunes with one additional step which is the strumming. Strumming your guitar is a fundamental skill to be learned. It is done by moving your dominant hand up and down on the strings. Always keep your hands moving. Don’t rush. Start slowly till you have strumming perfected. Start off slow then build up your speed gradually. The chords should ring out with no buzzing and only play the strings of that chord shown on the chord chart.  On changing chords, master the basic cords. Set the beat. Change to the different chord before starting the next beat. To learn how to change chords and strum more effectively, practice on your favorite song with a slow beat.

These easy guitar lessons were designed to be a self-help tool for you. Enjoy playing guitar!