Wet Sand (The Solo)!

Learn how to play the solo of "Wet Sand" by Red Hot Chili Peppers!

Wet Sand is an incredible solo by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This solo is played by John Frusciante, a guitar genius. He plays a few notes - but really puts his heart and soul into it! And that passion delivers.

There's nothing too technically difficult with this solo. Getting the right notes and putting some yourself is going to be the challenge here!

You'll need plenty of skills and techniques to make it sound right - but it's not too tricky to get started on. This solo is excellent for intermediate-level guitar players who want to put their learning into practice.

How To Play Wet Sand Solo

The many string bending is what shines in this solo. You're playing big bends without vibratos, so you really have to make sure your string bends are spot on! This is what's going to give that incredible sound and depth to this solo. 

The best way to do this is to play along with the original recording. Listen to it and play along to really learn this solo. Focus on getting the string bending and notes right. Don't worry too much about the pick directions!

And remember, don't expect to get it all straight away! These kinds of solos take effort and time to learn. And they're usually the most reward. You'll practice loads of skills in the process, and it'll help you with loads of more complex songs. Just focus on keeping the strings tidy & bending the strings in tune with the original recording. 

Wet Sand Solo Guitar Tips

Like all great guitar solos, they're best learned by listening to them. Listen to the original recording and try to play along. If you can't play it up to speed right away, it's a good idea to use software to slow down the recording.

In the transcribing section of my website, I put in some links for software that does this. When learning a solo, I like to slow down the original recording by 70 percent to really try and get the feel of notes. This will make sure you get the bends in tune, and it'll help you aim for that same sound.

If you want to learn the whole song, follow these links for Part 1 and Part 2 of the lesson on how to play Wet Sand.