1. Approach the target note by a 1/2 step above or below. This works best with the approach note on the off beat (in between beats) followed by the target note on the down beat.

2. Incorporate chords into your solo’s. This can really fill out your sound and add emphasis.

3. Mix and match effects together using stand alone pedals or an effects processor. Blending effects, such as a Phaser, Delay, and Overdrive, can create unique sounds that add contrast to the song.

4. Combine effects with playing techniques. Try mimicking a “talking” sound using a slide or your whammy bar in conjunction with a wah-wah pedal.

5. Experiment with alternate tunings to get note combinations and intervals that are impossible with standard tuning. This can create very interesting sounds especially when fingerpicking and using open strings together with fretted notes.

6. Use musical quotes. Play phrases from famous melodies and embelish or riff on them. Draw from all types of music, especially classical and movie scores. Be careful that you aren’t violating any copyrights if you plan on playing someone else’s melodies on your recordings.

7. Try playing on a different type of guitar. Just the feel of a different body style or fingerboard wood can get you to play differently. Also, a different tremolo set up like a Floyd Rose, or a B bender configuration can add a new facet to your solo’s.

8. Create space. Incorporate silence into your solo’s. Constant playing can become boring for you and the listener!

9. Learn a new exotic scale or mode, such as a Japanese scale, and work it into your playing.

10. Try to emulate the sounds from other instruments like a flute or saxophone. The phrasing from these instruments is based on breathing, so there is a natural flow to them.