How to seriously improve your soloing in just six minutes

No matter what kind of guitar player you are, when the moment comes for us to take a solo, we all want to stand out from the crowd – and the good folks at Positive Grid not only want to help make you a better player, but are also giving you the chance to win over $3,300 of prizes to help you along the way in the amazing Jam At Home Giveaway, including the fantastic new Spark amp.

It’s so easy to get stuck in a rut of the same old tired licks, phrases and shapes we’ve been stringing together for years. How do we break the mould and show our audience something original, expressive and reflective of who we are as a guitar player? If you’ve been struggling with that question, don’t fret because the “world’s most sought-after guitar instructor”, Steve Stine, has teamed up with Positive Grid to create the above video, which offers some unmissable advice that can totally transform your soloing in six minutes – that’s right, six minutes!

How on earth can Steve show you how to break through barriers that might have left you stuck in the soloing doldrums for months, if not years, in less time than it takes to hard-boil an egg? Well, it all comes down to focusing on the following specific areas:

Fretboard knowledge – in essence, how important it is to move outside of the boxes and shapes in which you feel comfortable and explore the whole fretboard. There’s gold above the 12th fret, trust us!

• Vocal elements – you’ll have heard plenty of rock star guitarists tell you that the secret to great solos is to make them sound ‘vocal’, but how do you do that? Steve will show you how through the use of slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs and more you can add a vocal element to your solos that sounds more musical.
• Dynamic contrast – nobody wants to hear the same thing over and over again, do they? Steve will show you how changing the way you’re playing, the speed, the intensity, even the position on the neck can add interest to your solos and keep the audience engaged.
• Adding new notes – stuck in a box of pentatonic shapes? Steve will show you how adding the right notes from outside of these hugely useful scales can spice up your soloing by ear, even if you aren’t sure of the theory behind it.
• Finding the right tone – changing up the effects and amp that you’re using can be a fantastic shortcut to break you out of the funk your playing is in, and this is where the Positive Grid Spark comes into its own:

With access to a huge library of effects and amps onboard plus the ability to download 10,000 guitar and bass amp-and-effects programs from famous guitarists, session players, studio engineers and producers from around the world – including the tones Steve Stine used in the video. Thanks to Positive Grid’s ToneCloud community, you’ve got a cornucopia of inspiring new sounds at your disposal in a tiny desktop amp that’s revolutionising the way that thousands of guitarists from all over the world jam and practise at home.

But don’t just take it from us, watch the video above and see the man himself show you exactly how to transform your soloing, and if you want to upgrade your at-home jamming with the aid of Spark, it’s your lucky day. Positive Grid is offering you the chance to seriously deck out your at-home practice, jamming and recording setup with the Positive Grid Jam at Home Giveaway.

Simply sign up here, and one lucky winner will receive over $3,300 in prizes, including a Positive Grid Spark guitar amp and BIAS software pack, plus amazing items from ESP, PreSonus, Dunlop and more. Entries close on 11/30/2020, so don’t delay!

To enter the giveaway click here.

Positive Grid’s Spark amp is a revolutionary new smart 40-watt combo guitar amp that utilises intelligent technology to offer real-time Smart Jam accompaniment, Auto Chord detection and intuitive practice features for players of all abilities, including a full amp and effects modelling engine powered by Positive Grid’s award-winning Bias tone engine. Find out more about the Positive Grid Spark amp here.