Lead · Intermediate
Lead Guitar 101
One box shape is behind nearly every rock solo. Learn it, steal some licks, finish with a solo of your own.
What you'll know at the end
- A minor pentatonic Box 1, cold
- Three licks under your fingers
- Free improvisation in the scale
- An eight-bar solo, start to finish
Skips · Bends and vibrato · Other positions · Sweep, legato, tapping · Timing grading
The Box
The shape every solo is built from.
The Box, Going Up
The A minor pentatonic box — the shape every rock solo is built from. Climb it.
Up and Back
Up the box, then back down — one fluid gesture. Descending is its own skill.
Name That Box Note
The box, out of order: a note is called, you find it and play it.
By the end · The box — up, down, any note on demand.
Licks
Turn the scale into phrases.
The Falling Lick
Your first real lick — falls down the box, lands on the root. Not a scale, music.
Question and Answer
A rising question, a falling answer. Phrasing makes a lead line sing.
The Rip
Rip up the box to the high root — the run every soloist reaches for.
By the end · Three licks. Real phrases, not just the scale.
Improvise & Solo
Improvise, then play a full solo.
Noodle in the Box
No tab — improvise in the box. No wrong notes, only off-scale ones.
Eight-Bar Solo
Box, licks, phrasing — one complete solo. Your first real lead break.
By the end · An eight-bar solo. You're soloing.
Next: Lead 102, or put chords under your lead in Zero to Hero.