In some rock or metal bands with two guitarists, the two performers may perform as a guitar tandem, and trade off the lead guitar and rhythm guitar roles.
Heavy metal lead guitar lines often employ alternate picking, sweep picking, economy picking and left-handed techniques (e.g., hammer ons, pull offs, and tapping) are used to maximize the speed of their solos or riffs. In a blues context, lead guitar lines are created using call and response-style riffs that are embellished with string bending, vibrato and slides.
Other effects used to embellish lead guitar tone include the whammy bar and univibe effects.
Source: Wikipedia > Lead Guitar
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