Study Guides

Unit Summary

No unit description is available for this selection yet.

Lesson Summary

You have created a virtuosic guitar solo incorporating idiomatic guitar techniques.

Key Notes

• In the 1980s rock continued to be hugely commercially successful.
• Artists drew influence from other styles and often used developing technology in their music.
• A common feature of many rock styles is the virtuosic guitar solo.
• These are normally based on the blues or pentatonic scale, and are played above the riff or chords.
• Guitarists often used specific techniques such as note bending, hammer-ons, tapping, and harmonics.

Vocabulary To Learn

• virtuosic: playing in a virtuosic style means to play in a way that shows off technical and musical ability
• note bending: note bending is when a musician 'bends' the pitch of a note
• hammer-on: a hammer-on is a technique where the guitarist presses their finger into a fret to play a note, rather than plucking the string
• tapping: tapping is a guitar technique in which both hands 'tap' the frets, allowing very fast patterns to be played
• harmonic: a harmonic is a very high-pitched sound that guitarists often play to add excitement to solos

Common Mistakes To Avoid

• A solo should just use as many fast notes as possible.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

More Lessons In This Unit

• Fundamentals of rock Study Guide
• The development of rock in the 1970s Study Guide
• The origins of rock: blues into rock 'n' roll Study Guide
• The origins of rock: rock 'n' roll Study Guide