PRESENCE - Volume 10
Inspiration For Guitarists
Welcome to my newsletter, Presence! My aim is simple: to share insights and techniques that have helped me grow as a musician, offering something valuable for players at every stage of their journey.
The Key to Better Solos? Keep Up with the Chords
One of the biggest breakthroughs in my playing happened when I realized something simple but powerful: I needed to keep up with the chords when I soloed.
For years, I did what most players do—I learned a scale, tried to make melodies from it, and hoped for the best. I could hear the chords in the background, but I wasn’t reacting to them. Even if I had just played those chords when playing rhythm guitar in the same song, my solos were still disconnected from what was actually happening harmonically.
The Blues Changed Everything
It wasn’t until I started really learning how to play blues that I saw the hole in my playing. I was just noodling around with the minor blues scale, letting my ear guide me. And while that approach can work, I wasn’t fully engaged with the chord changes—not in my playing, and not even in my head.
Then I had a lightbulb moment: My favorite players weren’t just playing scales—they were playing specific notes over specific chords.
That changed everything.
Playing the Changes
I spent months drilling 12-bar blues progressions, making sure I reacted to each chord as it passed. That’s when I realized something:
What jazz players call “playing the changes” isn’t just for jazz—it’s the key to making any solo more melodic and expressive.
🎸 Wes Montgomery played the changes—but so did David Gilmour.
🎸 Pat Metheny played the changes—but so did Mark Knopfler and Jimmy Page.
It’s what makes solos feel intentional instead of random.
Try This in Your Playing
If you’re not yet tracking the chord changes while soloing, that’s okay—you can still make great music. But I’d encourage you to start.
Next time you solo, try to keep up with the chords in your mind as they are going by. Even if you aren’t playing anything differently the first step is awareness of the chords as you are soloing. Then you can try to start targeting notes from each chord as it goes by. Even just landing on the root or third of each chord can make a massive difference. The more you do this, the more your solos will start to “breathe” with the music.
Give it a shot and let me know how it goes! - Dustin
P.S. What’s been your biggest soloing breakthrough? Hit reply and let me know—I’d love to hear!
Click below to book a personalized one-on-one session to work on this or anything that you would like to explore.