First things first, what notes do you play? Obviously, not every note on the fretboard fits or will sound good with the song. The notes that fit with a song or set of chords infers a scale. There are dozens of different scales with differing and complex relationships between the notes. For that first solo, we'll focus on one of the easiest scales, the pentatonic.

The pentatonic scale is a five (penta) note scale based in part on the traditional 8-note scale. The traditional 8-note scale in the key of G is:

The pentatonic scale uses only 5 notes from the scale: G, A, B, D and E. Or, the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th note of the traditional 8-note scale. This scale is especially useful in blues, country, or rock styles.

Here is the G pentatonic scale in tab:

The first note is the G (at the third fret on the sixth string), followed by playing the open A (5th string), the B (at the second fret of the fifth string), etc. Playing these notes in succession from the the low G to the high G on the 1st string is two complete octaves of the G pentatonic scale.

So, your first assignment is to get used to the notes in the scale and their position on the neck. Try to play the scale ascending, then descending. Try to play the notes in differing orders. Find combinations of notes, known as phrases, that sound like a melody when played together.

Now, think of a simple 3-chord song in the key of G. Think of the notes that make up each of the chords. For instance, if the chords are G, C, and D, try to emphasize the notes that make up each of those chords as you hear the song in your head (or use a recording if you have one available).

Note: the notes in a G chord are G, B, and D; a C chord is C, E, and G; a D chord is D, F#, and an A. Notice that the F# is not part of the pentatonic scale, but is part of the traditional 8-note scale.

OK, now that you've got a feel for the pentatonic scale in the open position, let's complicate it a bit. This scale can move up and down the neck to match the key that you need to play in. For instance, if you want to play in the key of A, the scale would look like this:

The open string notes are now replaced with notes at the second fret. Try the same practice techniques you used before with the scale in the new position. Be sure you know what key you're in based on your starting position!

Now, apply what you've learned to add new notes to the scale to add interest and appeal to your playing. Hint: Remember that F# from the D chord we mentioned above?

Using what you've learned and with a little practice that first jam session should go just fine.