How to Learn Guitar Solos by Ear
Transcribing someone else's solo by ear is harder than figuring out a melody (see [[how-to-play-melody-by-ear:the article on figuring out melody by ear]]) for one specific reason: you need to identify not just the notes, but the technique each one was played with - a plain pick strike, a slide, a hammer-on, or a bend.
Slow the recording down, don't try to keep up at full tempo
Most solos are transcribed noticeably slower than the real tempo - slow the recording down (most players and apps can do this while keeping the pitch the same) and work through one short phrase at a time, not the whole solo in one pass.
Notes first, techniques second
Find the phrase's notes on your own guitar the same way you would for a melody (see the article on figuring out melody by ear), without worrying yet about exactly how they were played. Only once the notes are right, go back and work out which technique produced that specific sound of the transition between them.
Recognizing techniques by their characteristic sound
A smooth transition between two neighboring notes with no second pick strike is a hammer-on or pull-off (see the article on hammer-ons and pull-offs); a continuous pitch 'glide' between two notes with no discrete steps is a slide (see the article on sliding); a pitch that smoothly rises into a note and back is a bend (see the article on bends). The difference by ear mostly comes down to whether the transition is stepped or continuous.
Rhythm matters more than exact note lengths
Early on, don't try to notate each note's exact duration precisely - where each note lands relative to the beats matters far more. Count out loud to a metronome while working through the phrase - rhythmic inaccuracy is much more noticeable to a listener than a small inaccuracy in the notes themselves.
A transcribed solo is a ready-made source of licks
A fully transcribed phrase isn't just an ear-training exercise - it's ready material for your own playing (see the article on turning licks into your own improvisation), a far more concrete source of ideas than trying to invent something from scratch.
Try it in practice
Open exercises