10 Fun and Easy Guitar Solos!
The guitar can be used in several different ways, although guitarists are mostly known for their epic guitar solos. Most guitarists find solos quite intimidating, but this certainly doesn’t have to be the case. There are of course hard solos, as nobody starts with solos from Jeff Healey, Prince, Santana, or van Halen, but this is definitely not the norm. Many guitarists also assume that the beginning steps of learning how to solo are quite boring. However, because music is a creative field the first steps thus can be made fun as well. This article contains 10 popular solos that are relatively simple and fun to learn!
Wake Me Up When September Ends - Green Day
This beautiful and popular song from Green Day actually has a really easy guitar solo. The entire song is actually relatively easy to play, although this article will solely focus on the solo. The tragically sad song has a recognisable and melancholic solo. The solo consists of only six different notes and eleven bars. All the notes are also within the same position, so you don’t have to move the position of your hand on the neck. The solo relies on well-timed repetitions which do not only result in that beautifully melancholic sound but it also means you don’t have to move the position of your fingers often. It is however advisable to play the solo with an up-and-down strumming movement, so you’ll be able to play the song faster and will make sure the transition between the notes will be seamless. If you haven’t yet mastered this technique, this is the ideal solo to practice it with! Billie Joe Armstrong is known for his off-brand HSS Stratocaster. As such, there is a variety of great alternatives available, like the Squier Affinity Stratocaster HSS or the Contemporary Stratocaster HSS, but also more versatile models such as the Michael Kelly Custom Collection 60 or the Godin Session HT.
Fix You – Coldplay
Fix You is one of the most popular songs from the 2000s, and with good reason. The song has a beautifully melancholic and dynamic progression that ends with a guitar solo. This solo is the central point of the song because it indicates an important change within the song. However, this solo is actually really easy as it only contains three separate notes that are constantly repeated until the end of the song. These three notes can be played on the same string or within the same hand position, depending on what you prefer. Repetition is vital, which means it’s advisable to use the up-and-down plectrum technique. Jonny Buckland mostly uses a Telecaster Thinline or a Jazzmaster. Telecaster Thinlines are amazing but not readily available, whereas great Jazzmasters are, such as the Fender Noventa Jazzmaster or the Squier Classic Vibe '60s!
Comfortably Numb – Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd is known for their beautiful and intricate songs. David Gilmour is also the king of ambient guitar solos. Although these solos are usually hard to make, they don’t necessarily have to be hard to play. The first solo from Comfortably Numb is very recognisable and relatively easy to play. Comfortably Numb has two solos, of which the second is quite hard to play, the first solo on the contrary is quite simple. The solo only has eleven bars and two different neck positions. The solos is relatively slow as well. This results in that beautiful ambient sound Comfortably Numb is known for, making the solo great for guitarists struggling with tempo. However, this also means that the solo contains long drawn-out notes and bends. This means it’s very important to make sure the notes are clear and well-timed. This solo is thus ideal for musicians that want to practice proper articulation and bends! David Gilmour's signature guitar is the ‘Black Strat’ with which he uses the standard SSS configuration. This means there are many similar guitars available that can produce that typical Pink Floyd sound. This could be a Fender guitar, like the Fender Vintera ‘50s, or the Squier Classic Vibe ’70 that acts as a great replica.
Always Where I Need to be – The Kooks
Would you prefer a more modern song? No problem! The Kooks is a British indie rock band that produces fun and quick songs. These songs are thus amazing to play with friends considering they’re relatively easy and joyful. Always Where I Need to be is one of the most popular tracks from The Kooks. The song also contains fun and easy riffs and power chords. The solo is also relatively easy with only nine bars and three different neck positions. The solo does have a decent tempo, but it definitely isn’t unattainably fast. This song is thus great to practice tempo or to play with your friends! The guitarist of the band, Hugh Harris, usually uses a hollow-body electric guitar. As such, you can choose a very authentic model, like the Eastman T49D/v, or a starter model like the Stagg A300.
Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd
This popular song has a relatively easy and recognisable guitar solo. The song is generally quite fun to play, although the intro riff is a little harder than the solo. The solo is only four bars long and has an anacrusis. Although the solo is relatively fast, all notes fall within two hand positions which means they are easy to reach. Furthermore, the solo is quite short which means it’s easy to practice and retain. Like many guitarists, Ed King also swears by a Fender Stratocaster. His favourite model is from the ’70s, of which many alternatives are available, such as the Squier Classic Vibe '70s, Fender's 75th anniversary Stratocaster, or Michael Kelly's Mod Shop 1967!
Angels - Robbie Williams
When discussing guitar solos, this song isn’t one to come up often, although it does have a very easy and recognisable guitar solo everyone secretly knows. The solos is fifteen bars long, but the guitarist repeats the same three bars five times. Those three bars contain three parts that are very similar and all fall within the same hand position. This solo is thus ideal for the musician that struggles with multiple hand positions or for the musician that wants to practice articulation. It is unknown with what guitar the solo was recorded, although the clear sound indicates that it might have been recorded with single-coil pickups. This means there are many guitars suitable for this solo, such as the Fender Lead II, the Squier Affinity Telecaster, or the Fender Player Mustang 90!
Rosanna – Toto
Do you really like the ‘80s? The nostalgic sound of synthesizers and reverb? That means you must like Toto! Rosanna is one of the most popular songs from this amazing band and is very recognisable to most people. This makes Toto songs fun to play with friends or to cover at a gig. The solo is relatively easy, but not the easiest on this list. The solo is only five bars but contains multiple neck positions. The solo is also relatively fast, but the tempo is not too fast which makes it ideal to practice efficient plectrum techniques and to practice articulating short notes without making them sound staccato. Steve Lukather, Toto’s guitarist, uses an altered Music Man HSS guitar. Great alternatives include the Godin Session HT or the Fender Player Plus.
Can't Stop - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Can’t Stop from the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a fun and upbeat song to play together with others. The solo is also really easy and is thus ideal for beginning solo guitarists. The solo itself is only four bars long, although the solo arguably continues for four extra bars in the third verse. The solo consists of long notes and bends, meaning the eight bars only have 21 individual notes. These notes require only two separate hand positions and all notes fall within the same pentatonic scale. This makes the solo very easy and it’s a fun exercise to practice bends. John Frusciante, the guitarist of the band, uses a vintage Fender Stratocaster for almost all his songs. Although he uses modern guitars in the video, he claims that the song was recorded with his vintage Strat. Fortunately, there are many guitars on the market that were inspired by vintage Strats, like the Fender Vintera '50s Stratocaster or the Squier Classic Vibe '50s Stratocaster.
Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
Bohemian Rhapsody is synonymous with the new year in the Netherlands and is globally considered to be one of the best songs ever made. Brian May is also one of the most famous guitarists in the world, partially because of his beautiful curls and handmade guitar and partially because of his incredibly unique and recognisable sound. Bohemian Rhapsody is made up of six different parts in which May’s guitar plays an important role in most parts. Wit the guitar solo we refer to the third part (2:40-3:05). The solo isn’t as hard as many think considering May’s incredible guitar skills. The solo consists of only eight bars excluding the anacrusis and the end note. Furthermore, the solo has five neck positions but they are relatively easy to find as they’re close together and fall within basic pentatonic scales. However, the focus on articulation and tempo makes the solo slightly more complicated. Fortunately, articulation predominantly plays an important part in the slower parts and the faster parts can be played less thoughtfully. As May uses his self-made Red Special guitar and uses a sixpence coin as a plectrum, his sound is very unique and hard to replicate. The closest you will likely come is by purchasing an SSS-configuration guitar with a parallel/series toggle or an HSS or HS guitar, like the Michael Kelly 1954 or the Ibanez GSA60-BKN.
Purple Haze – Jimi Hendrix
One of the most popular guitar songs from one of the most popular guitarists has a relatively easy intro solo, funnily enough. This is likely a similar situation as with Comfortably Numb, where the solo is quite easy to play but was likely really hard to create. The solo is only eight bars long and all notes fall within three separate hand positions. The solo isn’t too fast which means it isn’t very complicated, but it does mean proper articulation is vital. This means the solo isn’t the easiest on this list, but it’s definitely attainable for beginning solo guitarists. Jimi Hendrix was of course known for his Fender Stratocaster (do we see a trend here?) which means there are many guitars on the market with which you can obtain a similar sound, such as the Fender Vintera '60s Stratocaster or the Fender Player Stratocaster.
Have you already learned to play these ten solos? If not, then this is likely a fun list to include in your future plans! These songs will also hopefully make it more fun to practice certain techniques, such as different hand positions, articulation, tempo, up-and-down plectrum technique, bends, etc. These solos definitely aren't equally easy, but they are definitely attainable for beginning solo guitarists! If you've finished this list, maybe it's time to challenge yourself with our list of 10 hard solos!
