No one can say that a harmonized guitar solo is one of the coolest sounds on the planet. Well, they could, but hey, it’s a free country and you’re allowed to be wrong.

Not only are they incredible to listen to, but learning them can reveal a lot about your guitar playing. Whether you record the two tracks or grab your buddy to play it together live, it can show you just how good your sense of rhythm and timing is, revealing even the smallest inconsistencies.

It’s a great learning tool to test your tightness and consistency, and another excuse to learn new sounds and techniques. We’ve rounded up a few songs that players of all different skill levels can learn from.

Here are 5 incredible dual-guitar solos you should learn.

Racer X – Scarified

Those of you familiar with everyone’s favorite personality/part-time shred legend Paul Gilbert are likely also aware of his former band Racer X. The 1980’s shred-metal band pushed the limits of speed and aggression and Scarified is the personification of this approach.

Not only does the song feature an incredible amount of pure fretboard wizardry, but it doesn’t compromise flash for substance. The chorus riff is one of the grooviest to ever be forged by human hands – I dare you to listen and not get it stuck in your head, I dare you!

There are flashes of harmony throughout the main riffing, but the transitional sections include string-skipped arpeggio harmonies that take a strong amount of both legato and alternate picking skill to land.

If you’ve only used arpeggios in the form of sweep picking, this song is a great study in string-skipped chord shapes to start experimenting in.

Metallica – Master of Puppets

By far the most iconic harmony on our list, this emotional, soulful section of the legendary song is a brief break from the onslaught of aggression.

The slower tempo focuses more on melody than fretwork and comes seemingly out of nowhere following the punishing riffs that open the song.

 

This solo shows another side of Metallica that many who are unfamiliar with their work will often overlook. They’re not just creators of heavy riffing, they’re craftsmen of memorable songwriting with inspiring melodies too.

As a more beginner-friendly option, you don’t have to be a guitar god to pull this one off, but man does it sound great!

Avenged Sevenfold – Bat Country

Avenged Sevenfold is a fairly polarizing band, but you’d have to be insane to deny that their work contains spots of absolutely insane guitar playing.

“Bat Country” – one of their hit singles off of the album City of Evil – has a bending, shapeshifting, blistering solo that caps off with a gorgeous harmonized guitar section that uses eclectic chord changes to create the icing on the solo cake.

The use of a chromatic scale during the final run is impressive, but harmonizing using the chromatic scale is quite an interesting idea that fits the song’s twisting sonic rollercoaster to the letter.

The solo itself takes a fair bit of chops to pull off, but the dueling guitar section lends itself more to less experienced players.

Racer X – Viking Kong

Yes, these gentlemen deserve two entries on this list.

Viking Kong is the result of Paul Gilbert’s desire to write and perform a “heavy metal duet” with Swedish shredmaster Yngwie Malmsteen. Despite the names attached to this composition, it’s a much easier song to play than many of Malmsteen or Gilbert’s other more intimidating works.

Most of this song can be played by beginner to intermediate level guitarists, as well as the vast majority of the harmonized sections being very approachable with a slight challenge on a couple of very short runs.

In all honesty, this is worth learning purely to see how Paul Gilbert channels Yngwie, it’s pretty cool.

Final Thoughts

Harmonized solos are a fantastic way to test your sense of rhythm and your consistency. You’ll be surprised how often you make up little inflections on the spot like slides, or how your vibrato may not be at the same speed each time. A few minutes spent on these solos will inevitably make you a better player.