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I'm slowly getting the itch to start participating in jams. However, I don't know the first thing about how to improvise or construct any songs and solos. Any tips or resources that have helped you all? Mainly interested in rock and blues but some basic jazz would be cool too.
One thing I will add to the above post is... Get out and do it it's a blast and you will learn a lot more than studying a book or vid's on you tube..
Thanks for the links melody! I hope to get out and start jamming at some point this year after things settle down after the baby arrives in March. I might have to get creative though. There's not a whole lot here in Statesboro.
Pick some tunes you like by people who improvise and learn them. Note for note if you can. You will get some insight into how they do it.
I just thought about something we that might help. Hum to a tune, record it, then play to my humming. I'm wondering if that might be a good way to use "training wheels" to help get me started?
The Humanity!
HEY TUG! To bad we ain't closer!!!
I can ONLY improvise. You could teach me to follow music I could teach you to ---go nutz-- lol
My problem is I can sit for hours and play an endless stream of stuff.....I call it noodling......but 5 minutes later I can't play the same stuff again ---even when I hit on something I or others LIKE ---- :(
Someone said to video myself....then play it back to the part you like and practice replaying that.......but that just seems creepy....and a lot like work. :(
First and foremost....... LEARN TO PLAY RHYTHM!!!!
I don't know why so many people are so focused on soloing when 95% of guitar playing is rhythm!
The better your rhythm chops, the better your solos will be.
I feel bad for all the people who learn the pentatonic minor rock scale and then try to force it to fit over any set of chord changes that comes their way.
When I teach, I won't even allow my students to solo until they know what chords they're playing over, can play the rhythm effectively, and then understand what they should be playing as a melody over the chord changes.
This might sound tough to some, but the people I teach can really solo when it comes time to! And everyone loves to play with them because they have such a good sense of rhythm.
I've spent years unlearning that! It has it's place but there's so much more fun to be had than that!Quote:
Originally Posted by Telenator
Don, if I recall, you're quite an accomplished player. I agree. There's a whole world of sonic texture beyond those basic scales.
As I'm getting older, I'm finding myself using scales way less than I used to. I'm now using "ideas" and placing them wherever appropriate on the fret board. Very liberating.
I second telenators suggestion of learning rhythm inside out once you know the song so good you can play it without even thinking the solo's will flow like wine...