Help

[FLHX]

I've been trying to practice my soloing (improvising) for a long time now and to be honest, it hasn't gotten any better. I'll record a chord progression and try to solo over it. I'ts so bad the dog runs into a corner and shakes. It's very frustrating not making any progress.

I've been practicing the minor pentatonic scales, major scales and modes up and down the fretboard. I've tried taking lessons from a number of different instructors in my area and haven't found one that is not interested in dragging things out. I'll leave a lesson with no more knowledge than when I went in. It's like going to a resterant and leaving hungry.

I guess my question is, is there any advise or a good video out there that can help me brake through this wall that I am hitting? Or should I be content with being a rhythem guitarist.

Thanks for listening to me vent.

[ted s]

Maybe get yourself a copy of "blues you can use" by John Gnapes I believe. Helped me tons. You will get rhythms, fills and a cd.

[cherokee747]

+1 on BYCU. Great approach to the instrument and blues- blues rock style. Work at your own pace and level. Won't disappoint.:AOK: Mike

[Ch0jin]

Does the dog really do that when you play? I used to live with a dog and 3 cats and I'm proud to say I never made any of them run into the corner shaking! (Although the cats used to LOVE the inside of a guitar case. If I didn't keep them closed it'd be full of cats in a second)

[FLHX]

Thanks for the reply. I'll check that book out. And no the dog doesn't run in the corner and shake but I would if I heard someone solo like I do.

[Rocket]

Or should I be content with being a rhythem guitarist.
What's exactly is wrong with being a rhythm guitarist, (other than you misspelled it)? Good ones are sought after and highly paid.
Not everybody wants to be an Onaat.

[FLHX]

After I posted my help add, I reread it and noticed I misspelled rhythm. Sorry. There is nothing wrong with playing rhythm guitar. I'm just trying to be a more rounded player.

[Spudman]

Try scat singing. Sing short melodic phrases over those recorded backers you mention. It you can sing it you can probably play it. Keep it simple and don't try to be fast or flashy. Close your eyes and try to hear a somewhat melodic version of what you are attempting to play over those backers. Let your ears be your guide.

[ZMAN]

FLHX: Send me your email. I see you have yours blocked. I will send you a copy of the Outside diagonal form, and the inside diagonal scales. They are the scales that all of the top guitarists use, they have helped me immensely.
I also have Blues You Can Use and another one by Dave Collantano called Essential Blues guitar. In that one he plays the solo over the rhythm track then just the rhythm track so you can play the solo over it. He gives you the tablature for the notes so you can see what notes he is playing over the rhythm. Both books come with a CD and good instructions. Of course you didn't say what type of music you play, but these are a good start.

[ZMAN]

I sent you those 4 pages one at a time. Let me know if you received them.

[TS808]

Keep in mind that it takes time, patience, and practice. I've been playing for 39 years and still don't have the chops of alot of guitar players I've heard.

For me, it's important to keep it fun, and keep it real. I don't try to be Hendrix or Satch....I just don't have that level of talent. I work with what I have and within my abilities.

That being said...I listen to some stuff I recorded a year ago for example and then I listen to stuff I recorded this year...BIG difference. Each time we play or experiment a little bit, we pick up something different and learn something new.

I do alot of improvising along with backing tracks to learn and improve. One guitarist told me, don't be afraid to make mistakes and take some risks...the only one who hears them are me :D

[Fretcruiser]

Or should I be content with being a rhythem guitarist.
Thanks for listening to me vent.
Bite your tongue, man! Never be content with anything when it comes to your playing, especially if you're going to settle for just playing rhythm.
A couple things.

1. Focus on hitting the notes that are in the triad of the chord that you're currently playing.. for example, in a I, IV, V in c major, you have C, F, and G chords. So over the C chord you want to try to land on C, E, or G notes, over the F chord, you want to land on the F, A, or C, notes, and over the G chord, you want to land on the G, B, D notes. It's not a rule that's set in stone, but it's a good tool to use in improvising.

2. Learn modes.

3. Open up your mind and just play sounds that you've never heard before.

[FLHX]

Sorry I didn't mean to say I have to be content being a rhythm guitarist. I was a little frustrated when I wrote the post. :thwap: Thank you all for the info you gave me. And ZMAN I did get your 4 emails.

[ZMAN]

Sorry I didn't mean to say I have to be content being a rhythm guitarist. I was a little frustrated when I wrote the post. :thwap: Thank you all for the info you gave me. And ZMAN I did get your 4 emails.
I am glad and I hope they help.

[Fab4]

Learning scales and patterns is great, but what a lot of people do is just run them up and down in a row, trying to learn to run them fast. That's useful, but it's often not very musical. Try skipping notes, skipping strings, playing on different strings across one fret. Do big interval jumps and see how they sound. Vary your rhythms, too.

Also, find the third in your patterns for all the chords in your progression, both major and minor. So, C# and C for an A chord, F# and F for a D, and G# and G for an E. Then focus on and play with them as you solo.

I once saw a clip of Eric Clapton demonstrating his Fool-painted SG and he did a little bend from a minor to a major third at the end of a lick (the 1st finger on the third string in a blues box pattern) and a light went on for me: "Ah ha! THAT's where the blues lives!" A key insight for me.

Learn one lick from one song that catches your attention and then try to incorporate it as you improvise on your own. It only takes a couple of Eureka moments to break out of that frustration and feel like you're making progress. Look for inspiration where you can and keep at it...you'll get there!

[FLHX]

That is part of my problem. I'll run the scales up and down to see how fast I can do it. I need to break them up.

[Fab4]

Another trick is to do a theme and variations:

Play a short lick.
Then do the same thing an octave higher.
Then do it in the key of the next chord.
Then vary it for the next chord.
Then do something different but related for the turnaround.

That way, it sounds like you're playing a melody. You can also repeat just the rhythm, but use different notes each time.

And at every point, look for opportunities to add what Eric Johnson calls "sass" - a little bend at the end of a phrase, a big vibrato, a bend to a note or a hammer on, a slide down to a different position, a big leap up to a higher position. Robben Ford never ever just "plays" a note. There's something to it that makes it sing or bite or soothe. BB King made whole a career out of hitting a single high-octave half note and slamming it with hummingbird vibrato. Add that sass to your improvisation and you can play simple stuff and make a big impact on your audience.

There a million tricks to steal from everybody, so listen to the people you like and figure out what they're doing that goes beyond scales. The fact that you're asking these questions in your post shows that you've got the spark and the jones to be good at this stuff.

[CTROCK]

I've been trying to practice my soloing (improvising) for a long time now and to be honest, it hasn't gotten any better. I'll record a chord progression and try to solo over it. I'ts so bad the dog runs into a corner and shakes. It's very frustrating not making any progress.

I've been practicing the minor pentatonic scales, major scales and modes up and down the fretboard. I've tried taking lessons from a number of different instructors in my area and haven't found one that is not interested in dragging things out. I'll leave a lesson with no more knowledge than when I went in. It's like going to a resterant and leaving hungry.

I guess my question is, is there any advise or a good video out there that can help me brake through this wall that I am hitting? Or should I be content with being a rhythem guitarist.

Thanks for listening to me vent. You got it or u dont!

[Fab4]

You got it or u dont!

So...there's no hope for any of us? Unless we play like guitar gods the second we pick up the instrument, we'll never "get it." Sorry, but I disagree. Everyone who picks up a guitar and takes it seriously becomes a lifelong student. How much you eventually "got" depends less on what you have and more on what you're capable of learning.

[FLHX]

CTROCK.... Thanks for your inspiring words of wisdom. Please let the forum know when your solo CD goes platinum. So the next time you ask a question. OH ....I'm sorry, I forgot you won't ask any questions because YOU GOT IT.

[birv2]

I like Blues You Can Use as well. And I've done the same thing you've done -- played those scales up and down, getting faster, etc.

While I agree with all the technical suggestions, and I think they're important, I"m going to go out on a limb and say try something different:

Close your eyes and play. Or sit in a completely dark room. You might want to play along with a song or backing track. Or just do some slow blues. Play what's in your head (and heart).

While the scales, positions, triads, etc. help, the blues is mainly about a feeling. And if you can get in touch with that, all the other stuff will really start to leap out.

:dude:

Bob