How To Create Unique Solos On Guitar Using Open String Riffs And Runs

By Simon Candy

In this video, I am going to show you how to fingerpick solos with open string riffs and runs on your acoustic guitar. The method I am going to teach you here uses the pentatonic scale and open strings to create amazing sounding riffs and runs culminating in a very unique soloing sound for your acoustic guitar playing.

Outside of the open position, open strings are often overlooked and under utilised in a lot of guitar playing. Fact is, open strings can bring a very cool and unique sound to your acoustic guitar soloing when played in other areas of the fretboard in addition to the open position.

In this lesson, I show you a way of fingerpicking solos on your guitar using 3 things:

1. The Pentatonic Scale
2. Open Strings
3. Banjo Roll Patterns

The result will be anything but your typical pentatonic guitar soloing.

This method is based on a banjo roll pattern that forms the foundation from which to create your open string riffs and runs. You will learn both the forward and backward banjo roll pattern and how to apply these to the pentatonic scale in a way that enables you to create open string riffs and runs all over the fretboard with ease.

This soloing method is not as hard as it may sound for two reasons:

1. You are using the pentatonic scale, the most common pattern used on the guitar, and an easy scale pattern to play

2. Your picking hand is playing the same fingerpicking patterns over and over as you run up and down the fretboard creating open string solo riffs and runs

Check out the video below to learn how to create unique solos on guitar using the pentatonic scale: