-
Now, finally, to the video. Sounds really great. Dig the playing. I'm stealing the little bit at :35
Originally Posted by digger
Last edited by fep; 11-05-2021 at 12:26 PM.
-
11-05-2021 11:57 AM
-
Thanks Joe Originally Posted by losaltosjoe
, yes just a light upstroke on damped strings after staccato 2 and 4. Helps to change the angle of the pick a bit on the upstroke
-
Good playing, Derek. You are clearly comfortable with the minor blues scale, so much so it unfortunately emphasises those things you are not so comfortable with. But, really, it’s only a matter of time and application until you know it all equally. So keep at it, as good things lie ahead!
I’ve had a busy week, but hopefully I’ll be able to try something this weekend.
-
Just after breakfast...
I'm following the chords of the last sequence in F from page 18, using scales and arpeggios. I find it impossible to play scales all the time, when an arpeggio is just a scale with bits missed out, often the boring bits
I chose to play without the backing track, as I'd like you to hear the chord changes in the solo.
You know what it's like when you are improvising a solo and you suddenly play a bit that sounds cool? We go over it again and again, thinking, "I must remember that". And then later you do another cool bit, and practise that. After a while, despite you thinking you are improvising, you end up arranging the cool bits, and hopefully they will form a pleasant whole. That kind of happened here. I had a couple of hours last night where this solo started forming itself. I think that's OK, and have heard pro players play pretty much the same solo more than once, maybe with slight changes here and there. Well, I woke at 4.45am with this bloody solo going through my head! And I just couldn't get to sleep. At 6am I got up, had breakfast, then sat down with the guitar...and it was all there.
There's one bit I'm particularly pleased with (and many other bits that could be improved!). It's the start of the second chorus - at 22 seconds - where I'm thinking of an A note on top of the F chord, going to Bb note for the Bb7 chord, then a B natural note for the Bdim7, and finally a C note for the F chord. That's a chromatic line: A, Bb, B, C. So I created a three-note chromatic climb up to each note. I think it worked out rather well. It's a small thing in the grand scheme of things, but little moments like that can give us the impetus to keep going. So when you do something that sounds cool, don't hesitate to drill it into your fingers, and analyse what makes it work.
-
Amazing, really nice playing Rob, thanks for posting. I've always wanted to be able to play solo's that convey chord changes and never figured out how to do it, always distracted by noodling about with a blues scale. Takes time, application and thought I guess. Plus a good breakfast
-
Playing the changes is important in jazz, but not always. It’s a subjective area.
But if you want to outline the chords, the easiest way is to play arpeggios - you’ll be learning about that later in Volume 1.
You can outline the changes with scales by being aware of your start and finish notes. It helps if those two notes are chord tones, as I do a few times here.
Those two techniques can help outline the changes, but some prefer a key-centred approach where you play the scale of the key, keeping in mind the key can be changing throughout a piece. You also need to to really listen to what effect the note you are playing has against the prevailing chord. Good ears are required for this approach. No doodling allowed!
Ultimately we will use all the techniques at our disposal. But as I found here, once you’ve learned the arpeggio method, it’s hard to let it go.
-
Right now, my work with this course is two-fold: comping with the various chord progressions (trying to control my strokes so that I don't hit that darn second string) and improvisation using my favorite contrast of using F Major Blues over certain measures, and alternating that with F minor on others. I have my band in a box set at 60 bpm so I don't want to record yet. Once I get it up to a more enjoyable speed, then it will be eligible for recording. Originally Posted by digger
I have also experimented with using the corresponding scale or arpeggio to match the roots of the chords as they come an go. I have to confess that being a Texan, I am used to Blues being more somber or angry, and in minor tonalities. When I hear too much Major Blues Scale or Major Pentatonic, I am reminded of old black-and-white footage of people in the early turn of the century, with that stride piano, and that sound does not appeal to me as much. I hope I don't offend anyone that prefers this types of Blues.
-
Also, as the result of experimenting with Richie Zellon's course, I have come to like the sound of Mixolydian modes over these Blues Chord Progressions, so I hope to be able to stick it in as well here and there.
-
You‘ll have plenty of opportunity to Mixo it up, and with bebop scales as well. Originally Posted by AlsoRan
And don’t worry about the old fashioned major blues, it won’t last long. Think of fellow Texan/Oklahoman Charlie Christian.
-
Thanks, Don. Originally Posted by Donplaysguitar
I will.
-
I’ve just had a look at chapter 3: lots of fun to be had there! Wherever you are in the book, keep at it, as it’s all good useable stuff.
-
Funny, isn't it, how we're all different? I'm exactly the opposite. The minor pentatonic does little for me, but I love the sound of the major pentatonic. I love those 2nd and 6ths (although they're probably 9th and 13ths, but I know what I mean). I've been transcribing some Charlie Christian and some Lester Young and it's a sound I love. That said, I've also been working out the solo to Chitlins Con Carne and the minor pentatonic sounds good in Kenny Burrell's hands! I guess when played with jazz sensibility I actually quite like it. Originally Posted by AlsoRan
In terms of progress, I'm happy with the chord shapes and the blues sequences in chapter one. I shall spend some time on chapter two, a page at a time, and see where it leads. There's a balance to be had between spending enough time on something without staying there for ever looking to perfect it.
Part of me is starting to prefer the chords, the sequences, the harmony, and that whole world over lead playing.
Derek
-
Coming up with a lick practice method:
1. Use the lick as a motif over the blues progression
2. Play it in various positions on the neck
3. Spontaneously come up with variations of the lick (didn't do that on this video)
-
I'm taking the same approach, riff/motif based with the Major Blues Scale.
-
There are some tasty licks in the book, which should help with one's progress.
What has been helpful for me with improvising is soloing using the fingering charts, but only using the top 2 or three strings at first, and only in one position. I then branch out and add more positions and eventually add the third string and then the fourth. This really helped with make my playing more horizontal.
-
I can appreciate your taste. Everyone has their own favorite styles. Originally Posted by digger
By the way, here is link to an old thread, in which many of the forum members weighed in on improvisation over Jazz Blues progressions. They make some great points that you might want to consider, if you have not already, going forward.
Thoughts on Improvising Over Jazz Blues, Anyone?
-
Chapter 1: Variation 4: The #IVdim7 Chord (Page 16)
Not much new here except I spent most of the day trying to figure out how to record a video using Reaper (a digital audio app).
For me it was a challenge to 1. Create a backing track, 2. Record the guitar in a second track, 3. Record and add the video to a third track, and finally 4. Sync everything up.
Musically, I transposed Exercise 6 to the key of G. In the second chorus I tried to incorporate Rob's suggestion about not just sticking with four to the bar.
Next I will be reviewing Chapter 1 (see page 18) and then moving on to Chapter 2!
-
Hi Rob, Thanks for taking the time to explain your thought process as you were developing your solo to Example 6. It is very helpful to see that even talented and experienced players have to work at it. Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
-
Cheers, Joe. I play too many styles to be totally comfortable with all of them all the time, so I do have to work at things, but I don’t know a professional who doesn’t have to put in the work continuously. It’s not like you reach a level and then everything flows perfectly all the time. Plus, as a teacher myself, I’m interested in how other teachers teach, and this course has been well put together, but as with any book it won’t be the perfect method for every player. I also like to reinforce the basics every now and then, never thinking anything is beneath me. I also like to help others if I can.
Regarding your latest video above, it was great when you started playing the Charleston rhythm at the start of the second chorus, though I expected that to continue through the whole chorus, then maybe breaking things up more in a third chorus. But very good playing, though, and it’s good to see you making progress and experimenting!
-
Thanks Rob! Funny you should mention it. I did a few takes with exactly that, 3 choruses with the first in FTTB, the second with the Charleston, and the third just winging it. But I was frustrated with the sound I was getting from just mic'ing the amp (guitar and backing track). So down I went into the rat hole of digital recording. Even the final cut's master volume was too low but it was getting late, so I declared victory, posted the video, and went to bed. Now I can get back to playing the guitar. Cheers. Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
Is that expecting too much? Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
-
More of the same, sticking to the minor blues as that's where I'm at in the book...
Based on Lick 3 page 26
-
Sounds great and congrats on figuring that technical stuff out. Originally Posted by losaltosjoe
-
Now that is one way to keep a lick in your head and fingers! Originally Posted by fep
-
Trying out recording a backing track with a looper pedal to practice chapter 1 chords and using the chapter 2 licks. I can tell there's a need to sit down and think more carefully about the chord changes and relevant scales. Much work to do, but all in good time
. Apologies for very average sound quality; amp and ipad.
-
Well done, Jona. Don’t worry about the tone - I have the worst sound here - these are not performances.
I can tell you are a blues jammer in a non-jazz context because of your phrasing and articulation. But having a regular blues background is a Good Thing. What you need above all (if I may be so bold) is a diet of active listening to the jazz greats. Try to hum along to their solos, mimicking their phrasing and articulation. Go to bed with the sound of it in your head. Think of it when you wake up.
I need to work on that too.
I’m convinced that if we get the sound, accent, articulation right, the note choices won’t matter so much.
Reply With Quote
New Painting
Yesterday, 10:46 PM in Everything Else