Soloing, part 9-1: Launchpads

Ever feel like you're stuck in your solos, or have trouble getting a good start?  One solution for both of these problems is the Launchpad.

A launchpad is a set pattern (with or without movement) that you set ahead of time to play at the start of a solo.  Why would you want this?

1. Sure-fire start.  When you're new to soling in a song, having a launchpad gives you something you can rely on.  It's a solid opening that can give you enough momentum to keep going to the end.
2. Change it up.  If it's a familiar song where you're used to doing the same solo every time, it can be hard to do something different.  Making yourself play a new beginning (even if it's really short) can set you off on a totally new direction.

Is it going to work 100% of the time?  Nope.  Even a completely scripted solo can fail here and there.  But by using the launchpad when it's needed, you now have access to a dual-purpose tool that can help you when things are new and kick you when you need something different.

The counterpart to this is the Ending, but that's for the next post in this series!