# Guitarists - How do you Approach Your Solos?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-how-do-you-approach-your-solos/443152>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 29, 2008, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-how-do-you-approach-your-solos/443152 "2008-03-29T07:29:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Shot\_Clock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Shot\_Clock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_Clock)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2008, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guitarists-how-do-you-approach-your-solos/443152/21 "2008-03-31T20:55:14Z")

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I am a bass player who has been pressed into service as a rhythm/lead/rhythm-lead guitarist for various projects, usually when the drummer and guitarist I usually work with are in one of their periodic snits of not talking to one another. I liken my solos to the arsenal of a junkball pitcher in baseball-- whatever keeps me out of trouble is good enough.

Knowing my limitations, I generally follow what I learned in the Pete Townsend/ Peter Buck School of Guitar Survival. I use lots of chord-based solos, deploying plenty of bends, blends and fragments to hide my lack of inner-Yngwie. I do have a weird little move that I call Bavarian Octave Drop, wherein I’m working in the high range and do a quick transistion to the lower registers. The key to this technique is the transistion itself, which must have some half-hearted attempt at subtlety, if at all possible.

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