question regarding sax/guitar duo

[spencer096]

not sure where this belonged, figured this was the best place...

ive been doing duo gigs with a sax player...they've been going great, great chemistry, when im comping for him it's legit killing, but...

...when i go to solo, it feels like the bottom completely drops out. any ideas how to get thru this?

i do a ton of solo gigs, and don't lack in that department...but it just feels so deflating when that roaring sax and deep groove with the guitar is gone. last gig we did, instead of even trying to solo, i just did a chours of what i called "comping+" and it was aight. but still not really happy with that elevator shaft it feels like i fall into.

[MarkL]

A few suggestions:
1. Try self-comping when you solo (call and response single note phrases and comps). Think of it as solo guitar. You may need to woodshed a while to get this where you want it if you aren't used to playing that way.
2. Try chord soloing, double stops, octaves. Listening to Wes is a good place to start with this.
3. Have the sax player play guide tones under your solo.

[spencer096]

next time we play, ill have him try #3.

ive been listening to a duo album w joe and zoot sims since the gig...he's doing stuff similar to what im doing but still feels like there's something there even when he's playing single notes.

[MarkL]

That brings up a really good point, which is to listen to whatever you can get hold of in that configuration, figure out what works and why, and then practice it.

Soloing without another rhythm instrument is hard. Solid rhythm/timing is key, imo.

[garybaldy]

It's easier with a bass player

[MarkL]

It's easier with a bass player

Sure, but you can't have ham & eggs without ham...

[RLetson]

Bucky Pizzarelli and Zoot Sims often operated as a duo, and later Bucky and Scott Hamilton did a tribute to those gigs--The Red Door--that has some examples of Bucky's chord soloing. There's one about five minutes into this track:

It probably helps to be playing a seven-string on this kind of comping and soloing , but I'm not hearing that low string on that track.

There's also a near-complete album of Bucky and Zoot on YouTube. Really really nice playing.