A
lead guitar is a
guitar part which plays
melody lines,
instrumental fill passages, and
guitar solos within a
song structure.
In
rock,
heavy metal,
blues,
jazz and
fusion bands and some
pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar lines are usually supported by a
second guitarist who plays
rhythm guitar, which consists of accompaniment
chords and
riffs, often played with a
distortion effect. In some, with two guitarists the two performers may perform as a
guitar tandem, and trade off the lead guitar and rhythm guitar roles. Alternatively, two or more guitarists can share the lead and rhythm roles throughout the show, or both guitarists can play the same role ("dual lead guitars" or "dual rhythm guitars"). Oftentimes several guitarists playing individual
notes may create chord patterns while mixing these "harmonies" with mixed
unison passages creating unique sound effects with sound altering
electronic special effects such as doublers or a "
chorus" effect that over-pronounce the lead significantly sometimes to cut through to be heard in loud shows or throw its sound aesthetically both acoustically or electronically.
To create lead guitar lines, guitarists use
scales,
modes,
arpeggios,
licks, and
riffs that are performed using a variety of techniques. In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, lead guitar lines often employ
alternate picking,
sweep picking,
economy picking and
legato (e.g.,
hammer ons,
pull offs), which are used to maximize the speed of their solos or riffs. Such "tricks" can employ the picking hand used in the fret area (such as
tapping) and even be augmented and embellished with devices such as bows or separate electronic devices such as an
EBow. Some even like to play with their teeth or feet or other bodily appendages or the like. In a
blues context as well as others, lead guitar lines are created using
call and response-style riffs that are embellished with string
bending,
vibrato and
slides.
In rock, heavy metal, blues, jazz and fusion bands and some pop contexts as well as others, the lead guitar line often involves melodies (as well as
power chords from the rhythm guitars) with a sustained, singing tone. To create this tone on the
electric guitar, guitarists often select certain
pickups and use electronic effects such as
effects pedals and
distortion pedals, or sound
compressors, or
doubler effects for a more sustained tone, and
delay effects or an electronic "chorus" effect as well as electronic
reverb and
echo for a reverberant sound.
To attain this prized sustain effect
tube amplifiers such as
Marshall are often utilized The desired effect, springs basically from where the tubes, when pushed to high volumes reach their peak and no farther which has an effect of attenuating the attack portions of the signal while presenting the trailing portions of the signal (which are normally progressively quieter) at the same volume as that peak output portions mimicking
compressor/
limiter electronic effects. Simultaneous to this, the distortion can actually distort itself in fidelity of its production adding a smooth "creamy" effect to distortion when as well the resolution of the usually gritty distortion sound is compromised and the note will almost return to its original configuration plus the desired "sloping" effects. Hence, the name of the band "
Cream" that utilized these aspects extensively. These are aesthetically pleasing to many guitar players and sometimes
violin and
keyboard players as well.
High volume is also used to induce
audio feedback, which increases sustain dramatically. Sometimes, if done correctly by holding the guitar pickups at precise distances from the amplifier speakers such can present a steady, undecaying sound. Electronic special effects employing
effects loops can artificially reproduce this as well. Other effects used to embellish lead guitar tone and pitch include the
whammy bar which physically streches the strings,
slides used extensively in
country music and
wah-wah and
univibe effects. Also very commonly used are hammer-ons. For example, the intro to
AC/DC's
Thunderstruck consists mostly of hammer-ons.
Famous Lead Guitarists
Famous lead guitarists include
Kirk Hammett of
Metallica,
Eddie Van Halen of
Van Halen,
Slash of
Guns 'N Roses,
Jimmy Page of
Led Zeppelin,
Tom Morello of
Rage Against The Machine and
Audioslave,
Kurt Cobain of
Nirvana,
Dave Murray and
Adrian Smith of
Iron Maiden plus many more. Lead guitarists more often become famous in
rock,
heavy metal, or
metalcore bands.They do not seem to get as famous in other genres such as
pop,
country and
rap because people acknowledge the singer more in such genres rather than the guitarist.
See also
Category:Guitar performance techniquesca:Guitarra solistada:Lead guitarde:Leadgitarristes:Guitarra líderfr:Guitare soloit:Chitarra solistaja:リードギターpl:Gitara prowadzącapt:Guitarra soloru:Соло-гитараsimple:Lead guitarfi:Soolokitaristisv:Sologitarr 
