Melodic Intention

Soloing over chords in a musical way

- BY CORY WONG

CRAFTING AN APPEALING guitar solo for a song is always a creative challenge. There are many different approaches one can take: Do I follow the chord changes so that the notes line up perfectly with the progression? Or should I simply strive to "be melodic," like a singer, even if the notes are a little less "anchored" to each chord? For me, the best approach is usually to follow the "song within a song" compositional concept, while also being aware of what each chord in the progression affords me as a soloist.

A good example of this can be heard in the track "Meditation," from my 2020 album Elevated Music for an Elevated Mood. It's a song that I play at most of my shows, and I know there are certain things that will always work, but I don't want to always lean on those things; sometimes I just want to explore and see where the music will go.