I guess this is a bit of a rhetorical question but…
I remember when starting that chords were really difficult to learn. Where the fingers go on each fret/string, how much pressure, trying to move from one to another etc. But over time it got (very slightly) easier
Is learning solos etc the same? I know it’s similar in terms of remembering where the fingers go then move to etc so are there comparisons?
I’m trying to learn the solo in Dont Look Back in Anger and it’s painfully slow going
Paul - the short answer is yes.
A question right back at you …
Have you spent time studying from any of Justin’s lessons on scale learning, scale practice, lead guitar, improvisation etc?
Cheers
Answer yes some…
Minor pentatonic etc mainly and comfortable with 3 of the shapes, a bit of CAGED and noodling to some backing tracks but I am guilty of jumping around a bit too. ie I’ll get a thought in my head or read about something then just dive in and have a go rather than following all of the structure from the start ooooops
I’m not a lead player by any means, but have tried my hand at learning a few solos. Two things that were important to me:
Learn some lead guitar basics first (as @Richard_close2u is implicitly suggesting above). Minor pentatonic, played at a decent speed with alternate picking. Learn some common melodic figures, i.e. licks. I did this by following Justin’s Blues Lead modules.
When you are ready to attempt a solo, pick something easy! I did a lot of googling to find suggestions for easy solos. The “solo” from Wonderful Tonight is basically 2 licks. It’s a good starting place. The first “real” solo I learned was the solo from Let it Be (album version). It’s basically C major pentatonic (same shapes as the Am pentatonic that I had practiced a lot) and it’s not too fast or tricky. Plus, it’s an awesome solo.
So, my tl;dr advice would be: get some lead guitar fundamentals down first, and then pick an easy solo to start with.
Thanks very much John
IME, yes, and no.
As you develop finger independence and technique, specific solos get easier.
But, your ambitions tend to increase too.
Cheers,
Keith
I agree with this, “Let it be” is a great first solo. Plenty to learn, but short and not too difficult. Some great licks there as well.
Remember what B.B. King said. “I never worry about playing a solo the same way I did it on the record. I play it the way I feel it at the moment.”
But BB King wasn’t a beginner trying to learn songs in a cover band. People went to listen to BB play they don’t go to hear him screw up covers. Big difference.
Hey Paul,
As your skills and methods improve, yes certainly I think it does get easier in certain ways.
It does depends on the solo of course. If you’re tackling one that requires you also to upskill in alot of areas, then it’s going to be a longer road, and opens up the possibly for frustration to creep in. How much you need to upskill will determine just how much longer; and perhaps the level of frustration.
So I think it’s important to categorise solos just like songs, into the Campfire/Developing/Dreamer structure.
That way one can approach each solo with eyes wide open.
I try to find solos that are at edge of my comfort zone. I think this a good mindset to ‘draw’ your skills up to the next level.
Of course, they have to be somewhat enjoyable to play as well.
I also find shorter solos too are really good for working on particular skills; plus you get a quicker reward.
I’ve only been around a bit over 4 years, but one thing I’m increasingly finding is that it’s not the notes that are the biggest challenge; its the rhythm, the timing, the articulation.
All the best.
Cheers, Shane
This is so frustratingly true! 
A lot of good points! I especially like what @Majik said about constantly aiming higher and higher 
I’m currently studying a book by Martin Miller called “Modern Rock Guitar Soloing”, and it comes with 8 solos to learn - 4 “intermediate” and 4 “advanced”. I’m currently getting my behind handed to me by his so-called “intermediate” stuff. Oh my god, I guess it really depends on where your perspective is… 
But like @sclay was saying, it’s good to work on things that challenges you to take you to the next level.
Now, the good news is that if you do this a lot - and I’ve studied and played a lot of solos in my time - you will eventually get to a point where many, many “real-world” solos becomes quite easy to learn.
By that I mean that at the end of the day, playing like Martin Miller or many of those other super technical people are not necessarily needed to play “ordinary” music, for example in a covers band. Certain styles of music (ex metal) obviously have a very high overall expectation for technical level… but radio rock/pop doesn’t.
I play in a covers band, and for the most part when we want to pick up a new song that contains a solo I really can generally play it pretty much like on the record within 30-60mins. Sometimes even faster. Why? Because by playing lead lines a lot you train your ear, and over time you also discover certain “cliche” pattern or moves that pops up again and again in soloing. Once you can play melodies by ear, picking up many new solos becomes quite easy.
So - keep at it, and enjoy! I personally love lead playing!
Yes it does get easier, but my advice is to not be too ambitious to start with; it’s much better to learn a simple solo and be able to play it well than trying to get something beyond your skill levels and play it poorly.
The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to learn a few riffs from the genre(s) you’re interested in and learn how to put them together and learn what sounds right. Then take a look at your favourite solos and look at them to understand the structure of what’s going on, learn the dynamics (without doing this part it will sound soulless); separate the solo into logical sized bits and work on one at a time until it sounds like the recording, then move on and add another but continue by adding to what you’ve already learned, build it up until you’ve learned the whole thing. This might seem long winded but from experience I know that it works.
Do solos get easier?
I can’t speak to learning solos by rote, it’s just not my thing – I always look to improvise something. We’re talking 4-12 bars to come up with a solo in most songs. How soon can you get there?
That said, my short answer is NO. Solo complexity, challenge levels and finding your own voice on the instrument are proportional to your on-going skill level. Always be ready to level up. 