Learning to play the lead guitar comes in the advanced stage of guitar mastery. If you are able to learn some of the tricks of guitar improvisation then you are able to play a solo with ease. Any rock or metal band normally has a lead guitarist and a rhythm guitarist but oftentimes, it is the lead guitarist who takes the center stage.



Over the years, lead guitarists like Van Halen, Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Jeff Beck, Peter Frampton, Frank Zappa, Ritchie Blackmore, Eric Johnson, John Petrucci, David Gilmour, John Frusciante, Jimmy Page and Brian May have rendered some of the most beautiful solo compositions.

According to the Rolling stone magazine, the top 5 lead guitarists in the world include Eric Claption, Stevie Ray Vaughan, John Mayer, Jordan Rivers and Eric Johnson. The lead guitar has the greatestl impact especially when competent guitarists takes the center stage. Two of the famous solo numbers that are practiced the world over on a lead guitar includes: Eruption by Van Halen This is considered as one of the greatest lead guitar compositions of all time and was performed by Eddie Van Halen. Here are some excerpts of the lead guitar tabs for Eruption:

----------------------------------------------------------|------------------- -11-1h4--8-1h4--8-1h4--8-1h4--8-1h4--8-1h4--8-1h4--8-1h4--|--9-1h4--9-1h4----- ----------------------------------------------------------|------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------|------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------|------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------|------------------- t t t t t t t t t t

-------------------------------------------|---------------------------------- -9-1h4--9-1h4--9-1h4--9-1h4--9-1h4--9-1h4--|--9-3h6--9-3h6--9-3h6--9-3h6------ -------------------------------------------|---------------------------------- -------------------------------------------|---------------------------------- -------------------------------------------|---------------------------------- -------------------------------------------|---------------------------------- t t t t t t t t t t

Eddie Van Halen also used MXR Phase 90 and the Univox EC-80 echo box for the lead guitar solo.Sweet Child O' Mine by Slashis also another one of the most popular rock ballads of all time and has been featured in the debut album of Guns N' Roses called Appetite For Destruction.Hotel California by Joe Walsh & Don Felderis another one of the more renowned numbers by Eagles, The lead solos played by Don Felder and Joe Walsh have charmed the hearts and souls of many generations. This is probably one of the easiest solos to practice on lead guitar. This is the hotel California intro tab:

E||-7--------7------7--------7--------6------6------9---6--- B||-------7----7---------7-----------------7---7------------ G||----7---------7-----------7-----------6-------6---------- D||-9--------------------9------------8--------------------- A||--------------------------------------------------------- E||---------------------------------------------------------

If you are trying to play the lead on a 12-string acoustic then this is how it will look

e-----------0-----------2-----------0-----------------0-----------0------- B---0---0-------------0---2-4-----3-----3---------0-----------1-----------| G-----0---0---0-2---2-----------2-----2---2-----0---0-------0-----------0-| D-----------------1-----------0---------------2-----------2-----2---0h2---| A-------------------------------------------4-----------3-----------------| E-0-----------------------------------------------------------------------/

The other easy mode3rn compositions that will help you to master your lead guitar includes Spies by Coldplay where the lead guitar intro starts with E-Bow and slide and goes on to the next loop with distortion, volume swells and tremolo. Finally, you can try Gary Moore's Parisienne Walkways lead guitar intro, which starts like this:

E--12--10----------------------12--10-- B----------13--12--10------------------ G----------------------12--10---------- D-------------------------------------- A-------------------------------------- E--------------------------------------