Singalong(in your head) when Improvise

[Notyethendrix]

I tend to get carried away in a jam, sometimes feel like I'm just hitting random licks and exercise in a solo, I don't like how I sound.

So recently I try to sing the note in my head when I pluck it, make every note counts rather than just let my fingers flow.

Now I play very very slow, but more melodic and better in 'answering' the song. But if I can't think of anything good, I just do my 'exercise' again...

[bonefish]

had a sound guy get cheezed at me once 'cuz he couldn't figure out where the weird spikes were coming from when i played fills while i was singing-turns out my vocal mic was picking up my singing along to my leaads-lesson learned, back off of the mic if your gonna do that!

[elicross]

Or do it on purpose and be the next George Benson.

[NeoFauve]

When playing quietly, I actually noticed that I sometimes groan while I play.

It's not in key, has nothing harmonically in common with what I'm playing. It's more like how you might absent mindedly go, "Hmmm," looking something up in a book.

Because they're right near live mics, I've heard pianists do this.
Monk, Chucho Valdes, Eddie Palmieri.

[Don]

When playing quietly, I actually noticed that I sometimes groan while I play.

It's not in key, has nothing harmonically in common with what I'm playing. It's more like how you might absent mindedly go, "Hmmm," looking something up in a book.

Because they're right near live mics, I've heard pianists do this.
Monk, Chucho Valdes, Eddie Palmieri.

I was just going to mention that I do this. It's not uncommon.

It's not a matter of singing though, It's involuntary, like a temporary loss of a bodily function.

I've drooled while playing, too, though I've never wet myself.

Funny thing is that I don't do it with a band. I never manage to get that deep into my playing when I'm with other people.

[NeoFauve]

Bodily function?

I may or may not do it at higher volumes.
It could be that because you pay attention to the rest of the band, maybe you just can't drift away as you may when just noodling/improvising unaccompanied.

It's really audible on Valdes' and esp Palmieri's solo performances.
You can hear Monk, even with a band. It sometimes sounded like he was acknowledging what he playing.

[refin]

Because they're right near live mics, I've heard pianists do this.
Monk, Chucho Valdes, Eddie Palmieri.

Not unlike Oscar Peterson too!

I tell my students to sing along with the scales that they learn (simple major/minor).This gives them an idea of what the notes sound like before they are hit.Next,I try to get them to rearrange the notes in a short melodic order (maybe 4 notes) and see if they can sing them.
They don't usually sing in front of me....but I will hit a root note and say"now I'm going to sing the 6th" and they get the idea (even if I'm a little "off" ).

[Mesotech]

For my (few) jamzone offerings, I don't actually sing while I'm playing, but before I pick up the guitar for the first time. I'll sit listening to the backing over and over until I come up with some melody line by making up words that sound right, even though they have no logical meaning to them. Of course, then I pick up the guitar and try to play what I sang to myself, and it all flys out the window (at least most times it does). But I DO try....

[DanTheBluesMan]

I've drooled while playing, too, though I've never wet myself.

Funny thing is that I don't do it with a band. I never manage to get that deep into my playing when I'm with other people.

I've been deep into playing and suddenly realized I was about to slobber on the guitar. Guess I ain't the only one.

[pauln]

I've been asked a few times why I lift my left foot an inch off the ground and balance on my right foot during some of my solos. I was not aware I was doing that. Now that I know, upon reflection I think it serves as a physical distration that helps me focus on the execution of the hard parts of the solo. I'm not sure why it makes sense, but unconsciously giving myself a physical task to run in the background seems to offload any residual execution anxiety and seems to help me focus more intently on playing the solo. At least I have not fallen down during a concert, yet...
Anyone else ever notice that you do anything like this "in the background" to help you play?

[refin]

I think we all suffer from different stages of "guitar face".

http://blog.wfmu.org/photos/guitar_face/face05.html

http://blog.wfmu.org/photos/guitar_face/gf06.html

http://blog.wfmu.org/photos/guitar_face/gf31.html

[ES350]

When I'm working, I'll whistle along to changes...when I get the guitar, I'll try to play it. I remember this from an old Ron Carter interview where he said if you can hear it, you're a week away from playing it.

[Notyethendrix]

I think we all suffer from different stages of "guitar face".

http://blog.wfmu.org/photos/guitar_face/face05.html

http://blog.wfmu.org/photos/guitar_face/gf06.html

http://blog.wfmu.org/photos/guitar_face/gf31.html

oooh crap, I look 90% like this when I play....

[Notyethendrix]

I think we all suffer from different stages of "guitar face".

http://blog.wfmu.org/photos/guitar_face/face05.html

http://blog.wfmu.org/photos/guitar_face/gf06.html

http://blog.wfmu.org/photos/guitar_face/gf31.html

oooh crap, I look 90% like this when I play....

http://blog.wfmu.org/photos/guitar_face/gf31.jpg