Do lead guitarists improvise or memorize?

Question: Do lead guitarists improvise or memorize!?

I'm wondering what exactly does the lead guitarist do in a song, I believe that usually the rythym guitarist will play chords/riffs!. And the lead guitarist will play the melody, but do they just make it up or do they memorize it before handWww@QuestionHome@Com

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:

Some things work better within the framework of a song than others - so right off the bat there is a certain limitation to how much one can improvise!. It depends on the style of music, of course - a cover band won't improvise on a well-known song, but a jazz band would improvise as much as possible, within the framework of their song!.

If you improvise the melody too much you begin to lose the original feeling of the song - and you want your melody to come through, presuming that you spent any amount of time writing it and perfecting it, of course!. =)

Some artists improvise extensively!. Herman Li of Dragonforce improvises a great deal of his lead and solos - it's absolutely incredible to witness someone improvising his way through an hour of music, when some 90% of it is two-hand tapping!. I've seen some amazing jazz players improvise around a set melody (a well-known standard) and do incredible things with that!.

On the other hand, you get a band like Metallica, and they aren't going to improvise at all!. Kirk Hammett mentioned once in an interview I read about how he couldn't screw up the solo, because the fans were singing along to it! When you've written something memorable, you don't mess with it!. That said, there's a lot of wiggle room in many types of music!. Few artists want to play the same song the same way time after time - so often a few changes and improvs creep in!.!.!. sometimes subtle, sometimes overt!.

Basically, if you know how to write good music, you spend your hours and your weeks making the song as good as possible!. Then you go onstage and play it!. After a while, you'll dink around with it, and some parts may change on a performance-to-performance basis!.

Aside from solos, it is very rare that whole sections of music will be improvised on a regular basis, except in the genres of music where that's expected (jam bands, progressive, blues, jazz, etc)!.

SaulWww@QuestionHome@Com

Both!.

In pushing the melody line, the lead guitarist stays within the chords of the predominant key, running both the melody, and improvising in harmony with the predominant key!. Both skills feed each other!. It's the improvisation, and the occasional designed-in dissonance, that makes the lead "strike a chord" with his/her listener!. The ability to "feel" the music comes more and more with practice, and adhering to some understood "rules" of the particular type of beat/rhythm/parameters inherent in that style of music (meaning whether rock, blues, rock-a-billy, boogie-woogie, etc!. - they all have their own "substructure" that seasoned musicians "build on"!. Even raw jazz fusion requires the bass to set the beat, the lead (guitar, horn, sax, piano) to lead the melody line, with a high degree of improvisation once the key is determined and the fist note sounds!.

The greater the lead (Eddie Van Halen comes to mind), the greater the variability of the melody line "variance" while still maintaining the general direction of the song (Jerry Lee Lewis comes to mind)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

Depends on the music!. Rock probably not, Jazz it based on improvisation!. But the major guitarist Like Jimmy Page and Halen!. Do both just depends on the show they have the idea of what there solo needs to sound like but occasionally they slip a few notes and arpeggios in between, on the same scales!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I've been playing 4 25yrs, and put as much if not more effort and time into it as say!.!.!.Eddie Van Halen himself, I'm prettygood I guess, but not like those guy's!!! So really "I Dont know"!!, It must truly B a natural thing I guess, because Iv'e tried everthing possible known 2 human-being's & still not like those guy's-even though I can play All thier songs!!! So mabey you'll get lucky and B a natural, but that does'nt mean U won't B good! Don't give -up!!!Www@QuestionHome@Com

For the most part in a song, they write their part before hand or play chords, then for solos a good guitarist improvises most of it, however, some solos sound good so they memorize those to play like that later!. For leads though it's usually memorized!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

They memorize the main lead guitar riffs, then during a song they will improvise alot!. Not every band will do that, only the good ones!. So to answer your question, both if you wanna be good!.

jimmy hendrix babayWww@QuestionHome@Com

Well it depends!. If its during a solo they will do a little bit of both!.If the solo is noticeable by everyone they start to memorize it!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

both - the best example of lead/ rhythm work is the rolling stones

talented musicians improvise!.!.!.!.musician try-hards have to memorizeWww@QuestionHome@Com

They have to know the notes beforehand, but once they know, a good guitarist should be able to improvise!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It depends on the guitarist!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

before hand!Www@QuestionHome@Com

probably a bit of bothWww@QuestionHome@Com