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Solo Factory: Heavy Rock

Learn How to Connect Licks to Produce Compelling Heavy Rock Solos

Marty FriedmanTommy EmmanuelSteve VaiEric GalesEric Johnson

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Solo Factory: Heavy Rock
Alex Skolnick

Alex Skolnick

Educator

rock, modern rock, hard rock

Genres

About this course

Whether you’re composing a solo or improvising one, you’re connecting a series of musical ideas to express yourself.  Developing a vocabulary of licks is the first step. Learning how to connect them is the next and that’s the primary focus of Alex Skolnick’s Heavy Rock edition of Solo Factory.

"I’ll perform 5 full-length solos across a variety of heavy rock feels, tempos, and keys. I’ll then extract what I consider to be 5 key licks from each of the solos and break them down for you. I’ll show you how to play them, explain their harmonic make-up and you’ll get a sense for they help connect the preceding and subsequent sections of the solo. Everything is tabbed and notated, so feel free to pick out any of the other licks or in the solo.”

Alex will perform a solo over each of the backing tracks and then break down 5 licks from each performance emphasizing the techniques required to perform them and explaining how they connect to each other within the solo. He will explain and demonstrate all of the key concepts and approaches along the way. You’ll get standard notation and tabs for each of the performances. Plus, you’ll be able to use TrueFire’s learning tool to sync the tab to the video.

Alex also includes all of the backing tracks for you to work with on your own. You’ll be able to loop or slow down any of the videos so that you can work with the lessons at your own pace.

Grab your guitar and let’s get heavy with Alex Skolnick!

What you'll learn

  • Execute whole-step bends on second and third strings with accurate pitch
  • Apply interval knowledge to bending technique
  • Apply classic rock lick vocabulary in playing
  • Descend smoothly through pentatonic scale patterns after bends
  • Approach target notes using scale tones
Release date: 06/24/2019 • 1h 28m runtime
intermediatelate intermediateguitarelectric guitarsoloingimprovisation
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Sample lessons
Track 2: First Listen
Track 2: First Listen
Analysis & Approach
Track 2: Full Solo Study
Track 2: Full Solo Study
Performance
Track 2: Lick 1
Track 2: Lick 1
Demonstration
Track 2: Lick 2
Track 2: Lick 2
Demonstration

What's included

37 lessons • 30 charts • 30 Jam Tracks

Solo Factory: Heavy Rock
Hi, I'm Alex Skolnick. Welcome to my Heavy Rock edition of Solo Factory!

Whether you're composing a solo or improvising one, you're connecting a series of musical ideas to express yourself.

Developing a vocabulary of licks is the first step. Learning how to connect them is the next and that's the primary focus of this course.

I'll perform 5 full-length solos across a variety of heavy rock feels, tempos and keys. I'll then extract what I consider to be 5 key licks from each of the solos and break them down for you.

I'll show you how to play them, explain their harmonic make-up and you'll get a sense for they help connect the preceding and subsequent sections of the solo.

Everything is tabbed and notated, so feel free to pick out any of the other licks or in the solo.

I've included all of the backing tracks so that you can compose or improvise your own solos using any of the licks you'll learn in this course and connect them with any of your own.

You can loop or slow down the videos so you can work with the lessons at your own pace.

Ready to start? Grab your guitar and let's hit it!
Track 1: First Listen
Here's a run down of our first rhythm track and how I approach the solo. The track itself is a "jam rock" riff designed for open improvisation. This includes basic "meat & potatoes" approaches (i.e. blues based pentatonic licks), as well as more expanded views, such as modal, jazzy chromatic lines and more.
Track 1: Full Solo Study
Now let's take a look at a full improvised solo over this "jam rock" riff based track. Notice how I make use of both blues based pentatonic licks, as well as more expanded approaches to playing over this track. There are sliding licks, ascending and descending licks, Jimmy Page inspired "overbends", and two-handed tapping licks for us to practice.
Track 1: Lick 1
This lick involves the "sliding scale" concept which is covered in detail in my previous TrueFire course, Unbound Guitar. Using only the notes of the pentatonic in only two octaves, it's still effective, mainly because it fits with the backing track, doesn't rely on repetition and is helped by a "Gibbons-esque" pinched harmonic.
Track 1: Lick 2
We begin with a simple ascent & descent of the first four scale notes, then ascend higher, with slight variations throughout. Most notable is blending of shapes which outline A minor – which is the tonic (or foundational note/key center) – and E minor, which is a relative shape. Each "shape" can also be thought of with its more technical term "minor seven arpeggio."
Track 1: Lick 3
Inspired by Jimmy Page, this "overbend" involves a note that is normally bent up one whole step but in this case is pushed higher (Note: listen to the classic work of Eddie Van Halen and David Gilmour for more great examples of overbending). The bend morphs into a triplet based blues lick. Notice that the second finger is used for the bend in the context of this improvised solo, while the third finger – which is more common (and recommended to start) – is used in the explanation. Learn to play it both ways.
Track 1: Lick 4
A brief primer on two-handed tapping. While not a "main technique" of mine, it does find its way into some of my solos, with special care to avoid the classic, triadic hammer-ons popularized by Eddie Van Halen (although EVH is a tremendous influence in this area, along with Allan Holdsworth). One way to do this is to view a scale on one string, pentatonic or modal, and find patterns that work their way through the scale.

+ 30 more lessons

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Reviews

13 results

liamdmurphy

Verified buyer

04/22/26

Alex is amazing, but. . .

I love Alex's lessons, and he're really challenging me to be a better player. Just fantastic. However, I would really appreciate being able to slow down the speed of his lesson videos (not just the jam tracks). I don't see a way to do this, but perhaps I'm mistaken? That would make these lessons all but perfect for me. . . without the ability to see/hear his playing and finger placement at a slower speed, it becomes somewhat frustrating. Tablature is helpful (sort of), but I'd rather just slow things down.

singletonmark55

Verified buyer

12/20/25

How to solo

Alex is very articulate and thorough in the instructional video.

BKirby1966

Verified buyer

11/15/25

Alex Skolnick Rocks

What I like about Alex's teaching style is that it's just right, not beginner and not speed demon but that sweet spot in the middle. Challenging but not impossible. I own all of his Truefire courses!

Mehmethar

Verified buyer

12/13/23

PERFECT...

Veronica

10/15/21

Amazing solos

Amazing guitar solos, Alex does a great job, the technique, speed and cleanliness are worthy of admiration, the explanation of the key concepts is understandable, although being able to master these techniques, besides the speed are difficult things and need practice and dedication, the result you can get motivates you to continue, all this along with the quality material you have in the lessons serves you well to improve and learn new things, making these videos are advisable.

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