For this article a few short ideas how you improve and develop your melodic idea.
Most beginner students of the guitar will start off with open chords. Chords form the basis of many songs, and playing chords gives people the idea they made the start with playing a song. Why not try playing some simple single, string solos?
The problem most people will have in the very beginning: Where are the notes I want to play on the fretboard?
A simple and enjoyable way to overcome this problem is: Sing a simple melody, try to find the first note anywhere on the fretboard and work the rest of your melody around this note. Most of the time you will find that you can play the whole melody in the same place as where you found that single note which starts off your melody.
If you make a routine out of doing the above you will develop a natural instinct of where to play your melodies.
Singing notes is all very fine, but what about if you do not really sing? Anything you can do? You could play the vocal melodies of the songs you listen to. Find a good melodic song, try to hum the melody back. Once you can hum the melody, try to find the first note anywhere on the fretboard, and work the rest of the melody around this note.
Often vocal melodies will contain ideas you may be able to use for simple solo ideas. Use these ideas next to your scale practise to improve your solos.
Next to vocal melodies you could look at basslines. Go for melodic basslines, try to sing (or hum) the bassline first, find the first note of the bassline anywhere on the fretboard and play rest of the bassline in the area around the first note.
Basslines will often be played on the low E and A string, but there is no reason why you could not take those basslines up a few ocataves and play them right at the 12th position. The idea will probably not sound like the original bassline, but it may still work as a melodic idea for a solo.
Working out proper solos is the next idea you may want to look at. Sometimes people are put off by working out solos as they may feel this is far too advanced for them, hence my idea of playing basslines and vocal ideas as solos. The simpler the idea the better. A melody which is humable is better than one which is not as it is more melodic and easier to remember.
Once you start to see where to look for your melodies and solos you will find there is no end: Melodies are anywhere and you can use anything for your solos.
Solos do not have to be melodic, they could also be made up of pure noise with some effects.
Some people may think making solos out of noise is easy, that is until you try it. Anything creative you will try on the guitar is an artform in itself and it takes dedication, skill and motivation to get better at any of this.
Hope to catch you soon again,
Eddie