If all you do is shred on guitar then you’re only going to be playing for other guitar players. On top of that, you’re prone to the fiery judgment of those musicians saying you played too fast or not fast enough or not enough feeling, and so forth.
Why not instead write a guitar solo that’s memorable? While most rock and metal music lovers may appreciate the fast notes, what they remember is the melody. So why not do both? Because that’s where the magic happens; knowing what and when to play.
In this post, we’re going cover:
- Does every metal song really need a guitar solo?
- Understanding the basics of lead guitar
- Finding your inspiration
- Speed VS melody
- Guitar Solo Formula
- Structuring and composing your solo
- Recording your solo
- Getting honest feedback
IMPORTANT: I’m not telling you how you should or shouldn’t write a guitar solo. The beauty of creating your own music is throwing out any and all perceived rules. My goal is to help bring out the creativity that’s already within you to write authentic and original solos that will get stuck in your listener’s heads.
Does Every Metal Song Need A Solo?

First, assess the song and ask yourself if it really calls for a guitar solo. Of course, as a lead guitarist this is not something you want to hear.
This doesn’t mean that you’re going to ditch guitar solos altogether. It may just mean that there’s one song on the 10-12 song album that sounds better without any solos.
Here are some metal songs without guitar solos:
- ‘Storytime’ – Nightwish
- ‘End of the Line’ – Devildriver
- ‘Rose of Sharyn’ – Killswitch Engage
- ‘Nymphetamine’ – Cradle of Filth
- ‘Drop Dead Cynical’ – Amaranthe
- ‘Du hast’ – Rammstein
- ‘Mourning Place’ – Dimmu Borgir
- ‘Sensorium’ Epica
- ‘We Are the Others’ – Delain
- ‘Ashen Rain’ – Orden Ogan
- ‘Crimson King’ – Demons & Wizards
- ‘Inis Mona’ – Eluveitie
- ‘St. Anger’ (the entire album) – Metallica
As you listen to these songs, notice the section where you would normally hear a guitar solo, typically after a bridge or chorus. You may notice more of a rhythmic guitar pattern in place of the solo
You may also hear plenty of melodies throughout the song as part of the core rhythms. Some of these parts that are played with higher notes could be perceived as guitar solos but they’re serving as part of rhythm and foundation of the song. Amon Amarth and In Flames are great examples of this.
So the question is this: would these songs be better with guitar solos? Probably not. In fact, adding anything more may take away from the essence of the song. This brings me to the point to encourage you to do what’s best for the song, solo or not.
Understanding Lead Guitar Basics
The next question what’s the difference between a guitar solo and the rhythm parts of a song? Lead guitar is more than just playing higher notes. As we just learned above, some songs have rhythm parts played with higher notes.
A guitar solo stands out from the rest of the instrumentation for that moment. The best way to explain a solo is it replaces what you may expect the vocal melody to do but with some added characteristics.
Here are some of the techniques used in playing lead guitar:
- Vibrato
- String-bending
- Hammer-ons, pull offs
- Finger tapping
- Speed picking
- Squeals (pinch harmonics)
- Sweep picking/sweep arpeggios
You may use some or all of the lead guitar methods in your solos. The most notable guitarists are known for having mastered specific techniques:
- Eddie Van Halen is known for finger tapping.
- Yngwie Malmsteen is known for fast sweep arpeggios.
- Joe Satriani is known for his melodies.
This doesn’t mean you have to pick a specific technique to master. But something that you may want to consider is what you have a tendency to naturally gravitate towards.
Finding Your Inspiration

You probably started playing guitar because you were inspired by a band or guitarist. For me, it was a mix of Metallica (Puppets and Justice were my first albums), Joe Satriani, and 80s bands like the Scorpions, Whitesnake, Guns n Roses, and some of the hair metal bands.
Think about why you picked up guitar in the first place and how excited you were. Go back to the first few metal songs that you learned and recapture that feeling.
Now, pick out three of your favorite guitar solos and start to analyze them to figure out the parts that speak to you the most.
- How are those solos structured?
- Are they pure shred guitar solos or mostly melodies?
- Or are they a mix of both?
This doesn’t mean you should copy what they’re doing. You’re only recalling the initial emotion so that you can pour that into writing your own solos.
The most important thing you can do as a lead guitar player is develop your own signature style and sound. In other words, you want your listeners to know it’s you playing within the first few notes.
Shred VS Melody
As you get better and faster at playing solos you may have a tendency to shred the majority of the time. I’ll be the last person to say that you should or should not do that.
Just remember two things:
- Who are you writing music for? Just for other musicians to appreciate or a broader audience?
- Are you doing what’s best for the song?
This may lead to you playing shred guitar all of the time. Or it may encourage you to back off and make the solo have more of an impact with a memorable melody.
There’s no reason why you can’t play both melodic and fast soloing. You may also find that certain songs may call for all-out shredding while other songs would be better served with more melodies or anthem-style solos.
Remember, there are no rules in music. But there is an impact that your guitar solos will have. I personally love playing fast solos but prefer more melodies. The magic happens when you do both, and know when to do both.
***WE HAVE A MELODIC LEAD GUITAR COURSE COMING SOON
In the meantime, checkout these two courses:
4-Part Guitar Solo Formula
The below guitar solo formula is by no means gospel. It’s a template that can help you write better, more creative solos. It’s meant to bring out the amazing lead guitarist that’s already within you.
Also, this formula can be rearranged to your liking. For example, you may want to start the solo with part 3, and play part 2 next. Again, it’s just a template and something to consider.
Solo Part | Purpose | Strategy |
Part 1 | Story telling | Intro with a melody; prepare the listener |
Part 2 | Captivate | Surprise them with some technical playing |
Part 3 | The journey | Flow into a memorable melody (intro, or a new melody) |
Part 4 | Climax | Shred, show off your technique, but also be memorable in the sense that your solo flows well into the next part of the song |
Remember, you’re not required to follow this formula. You may rearrange these parts or you may only use some parts. Especially if it’s a shorter solo. You may decide to integrate parts 1 and 4 from this formula.
There’s no right or wrong answer. There’s only what serves the song best and what brings out your true authenticity as a lead guitarist.
Composing and Structuring Your Solo
Now it’s time to apply your guitar solo formula to your song. Of course, how the song is structured could impact what you feel is best regarding the formula and what you play.
Here are a few elements about the to consider so that can write a guitar solo that compliments the song:
- Intended emotion of the song (ex: sadness, anger, fear, aggression, anthem-like)
- Style is the song (ex: thrash metal, ballad, melodic death metal, black metal, classic heavy metal, hard rock)
- Key of the song and if there are any key changes within the song (especially within the solo part)
Assessing the song in depth will help you add emotional depth to your guitars solo. From a technical standpoint, being familiar with playing in the key of the song will give you more freedom and possibilities in creating the solo.
If you need help with determining the notes that fit in certain keys, see our post on Easy Way to Understand the Circle of Fifths.
Practice and Experimentation
One of the best ways to write your guitar solos is to play along with the rhythms over and over. There are a few ways you can approach this:
- Play along with your rhythm guitar player
- Play along with your full band
- Record the rhythm tracks in your DAW and play along
- Listen to the rhythm over and over without playing and see if you start to create a melody in your head
If you’re struggling to come up with a melody (or shred patterns), you can start by playing the basic scale based on the key the song is in. You can also practices modes and other techniques.
However, be careful with this. The last thing you want is for your solo to sound like you’re practicing scales and modes.
What I often do is just listen to the rhythm part several times and I’ll star to hear a melody in my head as I listen. Then I start to play that melody on guitar.
Recording Your Solo

How many times have you come up with an awesome solo only to forget it the next day? As you are writing your guitar solo you’ll want to start recording yourself.
Like most of us, you probably have a small home studio with a computer, audio interface, and DAW. This makes it easy to record music so you don’t forget what you wrote.
Even if you don’t have this setup, you can simply record yourself with your phone. Anything to capture what you’re playing. This may sound like a no-brainer but I’ll ask again: how many times have you written a killer solo or riff only to forget it later?
What about professionally recording your solo? Of course, this is on a different level. And this is after you’ve written your solo.
Many modern musicians will record their guitar parts in their own home studios. However, some prefer to record in a professional studio.
Either way, this is where you decide how you want to record your guitar solo:
- Record with a live, miked amplifier
- Record direct using an effects processor (ex: Kemper, Axe Fx, Helix, Quad Cortex)
- Record with software using plugins (ex: Amplitube, Positive Grid, Guitar Rig)
- Do a mix such as using a real amp but using impulse responses
Much of this decision may come down to what’s feasible and available. My recommendation is don’t let the lack of expensive gear hold you back.
Another crucial thing to consider is use what you feel is going to grant you the best performance. Obviously knowing your solo is going to be top priority. But gear can make a difference, too.
For example, you may prefer using plugins and an sims. Or you may get a better performance if you mic up a tube amp. Some even perform best in the studio playing along with their live band.
Getting Feedback and Refining
If you have access to a professional musician you trust and will be honest with you, it’s not a bad idea to get their feedback. This is not a must-do. But it could be helpful and could also spark some ideas that you didn’t think about before.
You may also want to share your solo with a couple of friends that aren’t musicians but love the same genre you do. That’s a true listener’s perspective and could give you more insight.
You could also not let anyone hear and just go with your instinct. There’s no right or wrong way. And some of the best rock and metal guitarists had that ‘screw it, I don’t care what anyone thinks’ attitude when it came to their music.
It’s Time to Write Your Metal Solo
I hope this has given you some creative ideas for your metal guitar solos. More than anything, I hope that you feel encouraged after reading this.
Remember, you have your own unique ability and message that you want to say through your lead playing. There are no rules. There’s only what’s true and authentic coming from your hands, and from your heart. Let that be the thing that shines through your guitar solos.
Additional Resources
- Easy Way to Understand the Circle of Fifths
- Metal Music Theory: The Code of Complexity
- Process Workflow Guide for Metal Songwriting
***WE HAVE A MELODIC LEAD GUITAR COURSE COMING SOON
In the meantime, checkout these two courses:
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