Unleashing Your Lead Player (Help, I’m Strapped Part II)

In my previous blog geared toward guitar players, I wrote about what you can do to be more interesting on stage.  I covered some excuses you may have for not moving, then gave you some solutions for that, plus gave you some basics in regards to movement.  Check out the article here.

Here in Part II, I want to focus on lead guitar players. It’s important for YOU guys (men and women collectively…. In the Midwest where I was raised, everyone is ‘you guys’) to know your role in the band. 

In most cases YOU are the proverbial rock star, so it’s imperative you know how and when to ‘bring it’!

In addition to the things I pointed out in Part I, a lead player needs to know how and where to best deliver a solo. Keep in mind that you need to SHOW the audience where that solo is coming from.

Depending on the length and intensity of the solo, you should move forward a few steps, move to  center stage, or go to the furthest point from your ‘home base’ on the far side of the stage.

By this I mean, if you are doing several leads during the set, be sure to change up where you go on the stage each time, to change up what the audience sees.

If it’s a shorter or less dramatic solo, you may just take a few steps up toward the audience. If it’s longer, moving to center stage works well and draws attention to it/you. 

For a monster epic solo, going to the extreme left or right side of the stage creates an even more dynamic visual to match.

So, as you begin your solo, start walking*. It looks the most natural if you start moving AS YOU START PLAYING THE LEAD – not AFTER you get to a new place on stage. That will look very canned and even hokey. 

It’s our ‘first note, first step’ rule; take your first steps as you begin to play – it looks much more natural that way.

Now, you know you need to draw attention to yourself when you have a solo, but what do you do when you’re not soloing? 

Well, part of your job is to draw attention to what the audience needs to pay attention to…ie; the drum solo, the singer, the keyboard player’s solo…whoever should have the spotlight at that moment. 

Not saying you have to stare at them the whole time, but throw a glance toward, or turn your body, to face the person who’s in the limelight at that moment. 

In other words, if you keep walking to the front of the stage throughout the song, you are misdirecting the audience’s attention.  Know when to stay back and not (in the words of one of my Southern friends) ‘Bogart’ the stage.

Something else the audience wants?  Some swagger.  Develop a style and at the very least, let your face and body show what you’re feeling INSIDE!  In other words BRANG IT!

The audience is BEGGING you to put on a show and have fun with it.  Nobody goes to a show to see you play it safe. Trust me!

We want to see you ‘bend with bends’ and ‘groove with the grooves’.  Let your face and body show what’s happening in your playing so we really SEE the music.

Hope this makes sense! We’d LOVE to see some videos of you lead players ‘brangin’ it’. Comment on this blog and tell us where to find you on social media.

[*As you know already, we talk about the 4 ways to move onstage; walking, walk with authority, skipping and running. Ideally you want to match the way you move with the energy of the song.

HOWEVER, I realize playing a solo and skipping/running maybe difficult.

At least learn to walk to another place on stage while playing a solo. You may need to woodshed that before you get to rehearsal, but the payoff is huge.]