i've been playing guitar for about 2 years now, im decent at metal rhythm but i can't really play lead worth a shit... and I dont know exactly where to begin. How would i approach this? which scale should i start with? i already know blues/minor pentatonic but i dont know if that will cut it and if it will... how can i use blues or minor pentatonic in metal lead? i really like the sound of triviums lead work and im not just saying that cause im at the trivium site... but id like to have the same kinda vibe in my playing eventually. anyways, a scale to start with and be able to make up decent metal leads with would be quite helpful, i'm getting a band going and i'd love to play metal, but for now... we'll be leadless until i get going or we find a lead guitar player.

u need to get into dorian and locrain modes for metal
lots of scale practices and technique

get some lessons to get ur technique up and running, and ur fast picking

listen to other players and stuff for your phrasing ideas

then get many dvds for licks and stuff, and just learn as many solos and lead parts as possible

Practice with a click; always.

yeah i have a metrenome. and i take lessons... but its all rock and blues... i dont think he can teach me metal. does anyone have a link that shows the difference between modes and scales? or coudl someone tell me?

advice:
its not all about lead & shred...
not saying you shouldnt learn, but just saying you shouldnt rush into it after playing a few nirvana songs like many people want to do. not saying you are, just making a point... oh yes, scales help a LOT on leads...

QUOTE(Learymann)advice:
its not all about lead & shred...
not saying you shouldnt learn, but just saying you shouldnt rush into it after playing a few nirvana songs like many people want to do. not saying you are, just making a point... oh yes, scales help a LOT on leads...

I can play alot more than nirvana and im not rushing, it's been about two years. and its not like im gonan go grab a tab of a gnarly solo right now and try learning it, I just wanan know where to start. I also know its not about lead and shred... but id liek to be able to shred. I know its based on scales too, i play bluesy lead so i know about theory and that shit just... not for metal, but i need to move on and step it up.
I'm sorry if i sound angry haha, im just clearing shit up

dude, bluesy lead is kick ass. its the only lead i play anymore, because metal leads are beginning to sounds o monotonous & i don't exactly have time to make my own shit...
anyways... you don't need to know theory all the well, because guess what... i don't know my theory shit & i can certainly play leads. im no petrucci, but i can most definately hold my own... i know very few scales as well... some majors & minors...
even though scales & theory DEFINATELY help a lot, you don't necessarily need to know them. its 99% practice man...
practice practice practice & train your ear...

i have no problem with practicing but WHAT do I practice?

Heres things I do (Prepare for long psot)
CODE:A:                                                        
     
E||----------------------------------------|------------------------|
B||----------------------------------------|------------------------|
G||----------------------------------------|------------------------|
D||------------------------------------5---|--5-7-------------------|
A||------------------5---5-7-5-7-8-7-8---8-|------------------------|
E||--5-------7-8-7-8---8-------------------|------------------------|

                                                               

--12------10-8-10-8----8-------------------------|-------------------------|
--------------------12---12-10-12-10-8-10-8----8-|-------------------------|
--------------------------------------------11---|--11-9-------------------|
-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------|-------------------------|

:B:

----------------------------------|-------------------------7--------|
----------------------------------|------------6---8-6-10-8---10-----|
--------------------------------5-|----7-5-9-7---9-------------------|
--------------------5---7-5-9-7---|--9-------------------------------|
--------5---7-5-8-7---8-----------|----------------------------------|
--5-8-7---8-----------------------|----------------------------------|


 
------------------------|
------------------------|
------------------------|
------------------------|
------------------------|
------------------------|


:C:                                                                  
 
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------------12-14-16-12-14-
-----------------------------------------------12-14-16-12-14-16----------------
-----------------------------12-14-15-12-14-15----------------------------------
--12----------14-15-12-14-15----------------------------------------------------


  |--3--|  |--3--|  |--3--|                                  
  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  S  E  H           W                
--------------------14-15-14-12-----------|-------------------|
--13-15-17-13-15-17-----------------------|-------------------|
------------------------------------------|-------------------|
------------------------------------------|-------------------|
------------------------------------------|-------------------|
------------------------------------------|-------------------|


:C(2):                                                                

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------------------------------------13-15
---------------------------------------------------------12-14-16-12-14-16------
---------------------------------------12-14-16-12-14-16------------------------
---------------------12-14-15-12-14-15------------------------------------------
--12-----------14-15------------------------------------------------------------


 
-----------14-15-17----------------|
--13-15-17-------------------------|
-----------------------------------|
-----------------------------------|
-----------------------------------|
-----------------------------------|


:D:                                                                

--------------------------------------------------------14-15-17-17-15-14-------
-----------------------------------------------13-15-17-------------------17-15-
--------------------------------------12-14-16----------------------------------
-----------------------------12-14-16-------------------------------------------
--------------------12-14-15----------------------------------------------------
--12----------14-15-------------------------------------------------------------

                             
               
------------------------------------------------|-------------------|
------------------------------------------------|-------------------|
--16-14-12--------------------------------------|-------------------|
-----------16-14-12-----------------------------|-------------------|
--------------------15-14-12--------------------|-------------------|
-----------------------------15-14-12-12--------|-------------------|
:E:
         
----------2-5-2-----------2-5-2-8------------|
--------3-------3-------3--------------------|
------2-----------2---2----------------------|
----4---------------4------------------------|
--5------------------------------------------|
---------------------------------------------|

     

--5-----------5-8-5---5-8s-12------8------|
----7-------7-------7----------------10---|
------8-5-8-----------------------------9-|
------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------|
------------------------------------------|

---------------------8s-15-12-------------------|
------------------10----------13----------------|
----------------9----------------12-------------|
--10---------10---------------------14----------|
-----12-8-12---------------------------15-10-15-|
------------------------------------------------|


                       

-----------12-15-12-17-14-------------------------|
--------13----------------15----------------------|
-----12----------------------14-------------------|
--14----------------------------16----------------|
-----------------------------------17-12----12-17-|
-----------------------------------------14-------|



-----------14-17-14-19------15----------------------15-|
--------15---------------------17----------------17----|
-----14---------------------------16----------16-------|
--16---------------------------------17-16-17----------|
-------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------|


:F:

--19------15-------17-14-------15-12-------17-14-------|
-------------16----------15----------13----------15----|
----------------14----------14----------12----------14-|
-------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------|
-------------------------------------------------------|

:G:

--19-------------------------------------------------17----------17-19-17-17-15-
--------------------------------------------------------16----16----------------
-----------------------------------------------------------17-------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


 
--15-13----------13-15-13-17-15----------15-17-15-||
--------12----12----------------14----14----------||
-----------13----------------------15-------------||
--------------------------------------------------||
--------------------------------------------------||
--------------------------------------------------||

:A:
So the first thing is scales in groups of three. You go up three notes, go back to the second and go up three from there, then to the second note of that phrase again, and repeat. Pretty simply. HArd to get down cleanly. I recomend Alternate picking. Then the next one is the same thing, in E minor now, but descending.
:B:
The second bit is going up in 3rds. You have to understand your scales to know where the third note is. So you hit the root, and go up to the 3rd, then hit the 2nd degree and go up to the 4th degree, repeat this up. Its in A minor.
:C:
The Third part, is an easy alternate picking thing, alternate pick every phrase of 6 notes per string (groups of 3) D U D U D U and switch strings, keeping the alternate pattern as it is in the first string. ITs ascending E minor.
:C(2):
The fourth part is the same , but changes abit in the rythm in that its a phrase of 3 notes per string, the next phrase starting where the one before it starts off. the picking is still strict alternate picking. looks like:
CODE--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------*-----U-D-U-etc----------------------------------------
-------------*-----U-D-U-D-U-D--------------------------------------------------
-*-----U-D-U-D-U-D--------------------------------------------------------------
-D-U-D--------------------------------------------------------------------------
(the asterisked downstrokes are the begining of each "phrase")
: D :
The next part is sometihng I nicked from romeo, its done using economy picking. You pick on the first string D U D , then instead of going U D U on the next you continue your down motion (dont stop jsut follow through with the motion) to go D U D on the next string, keeping going so the pattern is: D U D D U D D U D etc etc... and when doing the descending part its the reverse U D U U D U U D U etc...
:E:
This is an arpegio excercise I do. Its fairly simple, and I usually embilish it as I move throwing in stranger arpegio positions, trying to move across as much of the fretboard as I can. It starts on Dmaj, switches to a C diminished, to a A minor, a Cmaj, Dmaj, E minor.
:F:
this should actually come before E, but I didn't feel like rearranging the fat part of my post. This is basically simple sweeps, you pick down on the first note, pull off and pick U U on the B and G, and repeat the pattern.
:G:
This thing is a finger fuck. Its a fun one, works dexterity, and coordination.
DISCLAIMER:
I'm no pro, these are jsut some of the practice techniques I used. And the only ones I could be bothered to type out, from here, creat your own basically.

Well there you go. A full explanatory guide.

Have you ever tried playing Thousand years of opression by Amon Amarth?
Really easy lead bit and it can be adapted and switched about alot to make it sound better.