Transcribing & Learning Your Favorite Solos, Licks, or Riffs

For the serious student of music—and especially the guitar—transcribing and studying classic, solos and/or simply solos that resonate with you (and not just guitar solos), is one of the most powerful learning tools available. Whether you are working directly from a recording or learning from a well-made transcription, this process connects the ear, the hands, and the musical imagination in a way that exercises and theory alone never fully can. Whenever a student asks me, “what is the fastest way to overall improvement as a player?”, or “I have to stop taking lessons for a while, what should I practice?, my first answer is, “transcribe, transcribe, transcribe and learn tunes!” You will get the most overall improvements across all areas of your playing in the least amount of time.

For rock guitarist studying the solos of players such as Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Jimmy Page, B.B. King, Albert King, and David Gilmour, as well as more advanced players like Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and Steve Vai, exposes the guitarist to the full spectrum of musical expression. I have also learned the solos of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Michael Brecker to name a few. These musicians represent not just great playing, but fully formed musical statements shaped by their unique, tone, technique, time-feel, and personality.

Don’t think for a second I am saying you should only learn solos of the giants of rock, blues, or jazz, I have also learned many solos and riffs from pop songs or one hit wonder rock bands and I never knew the names of the players, I just dug the riffs. As one small example, there is a killer guitar solo on the 1977 pop hit “ I Wouldn’t Want to Be Like You” by the Alan Parson’s Project. To this day, I still don’t know who that guitar player was. I do know it had great phrasing, tone, and I loved the licks, so I learned it.

A Long-Standing Musical Tradition

Transcribing is not a modern idea, nor is it a shortcut—it is the way this music has always been learned. Jazz and blues were passed down primarily through listening, copying, and direct musical interaction, often from older players to younger players. Long before tablature books, transcription collections, online forums, or software like Guitar Pro existed, musicians learned by wearing out records, going to shows, standing close to the bandstand, and absorbing what they heard and saw.

Many of the great bluesmen, early jazz musicians, and classic rock players learned almost entirely by ear. Few, if any, could read music fluently, and there was certainly no internet where nearly every song could be found tabbed out within minutes. Players like Clapton, Hendrix, Page, and countless others developed their vocabulary by listening deeply to albums, watching other musicians, and copying what resonated with them. Transcription, in this sense, is not just a practice tool—it is participation in a lineage that stretches back generations.

Technique in Context

Technique becomes meaningful when it lives inside real music.

(check out my YouTube channel for a full breakdown of the solos I mention here)

Want to learn about using space and getting the most out of a few notes? Check out any BB King solo. One of my faves is the “The Thrill is Gone” from the Live at Cook County Jail album, check out the opening phrases. Notice the note repetition, Space between notes, and the simplicity of the rhythms, yet when you listen, it says a lot.

Make sure you listen to the recordings! You have to hear the notes in context of the groove!

Need to get some juicy blues-rock licks in your vocab? Check Clapton with Cream. His solo on the live version of “Crossroads” is a master class in everything that is essential. Any of the Cream era Clapton solos are full of masterful blues rock licks. Notice in this example how Clapton kicks off the solo with A major pentatonic and smoothly transitions into tasty A minor pentatonic phrases.

Want to get some swing in your playing?  Nothing better than Kenny Burrell’s F blues licks from his great jazz-blues tune “Midnight Blue”. Any of his solos from his album of the same name, Midnight Blue, will give you plenty of bang for your buck.

Want to coming burning right out of the gate? You need to check out Jimmy Page’s opening salvo in “Good Times Bad Times” from Led Zeppelin 1. Pure high intensity rock energy!

 Transcribing and learning solos shows how technical devices are actually used: how bends are approached and released, how ideas are connected, how legato phrasing creates flow, and how space can be as powerful as speed. A B.B. King solo may use fewer notes than a Jimmy Page lick, but the control, precision, and intent behind each note can be just as demanding. Kenny Burrell and Eric Clapton are using the same pentatonic notes and the but what separates the licks is the time-feel. These differences are what makes transcribing and learning solos valuable at every level. Beginners learn how fundamentals are applied musically, intermediate players gain control and consistency, and advanced players refine nuance, articulation, and touch.

Absorption, Not Imitation

The ultimate goal of transcription is not to permanently copy solos note for note in your own improvising or performances, although doing so can be enjoyable and musically rewarding. The deeper purpose is absorption—internalizing phrasing, technique, time-feel, and tone so that they naturally emerge in your own playing.

As influences accumulate, they blend into something personal. A guitarist who loves Van Halen and David Gilmour will develop a different musical voice than one drawn to Eric Clapton and Steve Vai. Each combination of influences creates a unique amalgamation shaped by individual taste, experience, and touch.

Transcription as Voice Development

Transcribing iconic guitar solos is ultimately an exercise in learning the language of music. It strengthens the connection between ear and instrument, builds expressive vocabulary, and helps the guitarist develop a personal voice grounded in tradition but not limited by it. By studying the masters deeply, the serious student gains the tools to speak authentically and creatively through the guitar.

How to Transcribe: A Practical Approach

Transcription does not need to be overwhelming, nor does it require playing everything perfectly or immediately. The goal is deep listening first, accuracy second, and understanding always.

Step 1: Listen Without the GuitarBefore touching the instrument, listen repeatedly to the solo. Absorb the overall contour, emotional arc, and phrasing. Ask yourself: Where does the solo build? Where does it breathe? Where does the player leave space?

Listening Checkpoints:

• Can you sing or hum large sections of the solo?

• Do you hear where phrases begin and end?

• Can you identify moments of tension and release?

Step 2: Phrase-by-Phrase LearningWork in small musical sentences rather than full solos. One or two measures at a time is ideal. Focus on accuracy of pitch, rhythm, articulation, and feel. I am a big fan of the app “ The Amazing Slow Downer (ASD)”. You can easily section off any part of a song, slow it down incremently and loop it endlessly. I use it every day for teaching and in my own practice. I find it an indespensible tool.

Listening Checkpoints:

• Are bends landing in tune and at the correct speed?

• Does the phrasing sit the same way against the beat?

• Are notes connected smoothly, or meant to be separated?

Step 3: Tone, Attack, and DynamicsMatch the character of the sound as closely as possible. This does not mean owning identical gear, but understanding how pickup choice, pick attack, vibrato, and volume contribute to the phrase.

Listening Checkpoints:

• Is the note attacked aggressively or softly?

• Does the note bloom, decay quickly, or sustain?

• How much vibrato is used, and when does it start?

Step 4: Internalize and TransformOnce learned, take fragments of the solo and move them to other keys, tempos, or musical contexts. This is where transcription becomes vocabulary rather than memorization. I will take a Jimmy Page lick, say the opening of “Good Times Bad Times” and try to play it over “All Along the Watchtower” by Hendrix and then vice-versa. It is a fun experiment and will also show you how licks feel is also dependent on what is happening behind them.

Listening Checkpoints:

• Can you adapt the phrase without losing its character?

• Does it still feel musical outside the original song?

Approaching transcription with these focused goals helps the guitarist avoid passive copying and instead extract specific, transferable musical skills that directly shape their own evolving voice.

Transcribing iconic solos is one of the most direct ways to grow as a guitarist because it develops your ear, your technique, your phrasing, and your overall musical instinct all at once. More than simply copying great players, it helps you absorb the language, feel, and expressive details that eventually become part of your own voice. For any serious student who wants to improve in a real, lasting wa, studying the masters remains one of the strongest paths forward.