Solo of the Month (SotM) #32

Barney

The first part for me was minor blues based with a diminished run part way in ...the chorus part more of a harmony melody type of thing

Second part I used some 7b5 ideas to create a bit of tension .. then into E and Bb triad sounds similar to what @Brad was doing I think .. I didn't really have any thought process though when doing it apart from the chorus part and I tried to come with something melodic... listened to all the takes so far ..some great playing we can all learn from each other this way..

stratman3142

Thanks for the posts describing how you approached the solo.

It's interesting how people might label things differently in terms of scales but get to a similar end result.

Many seem to be thinking in terms of an E major/Eminor pentatonic based approach. 

@Barney can I check what you said in an earlier post where you mentioned B Dorian and I made the (bad) joke that your B Dorian is my E Mixolydian because obviously they contain exactly the same notes. But in a later post you say you use a minor blues based approach, so I wondered whether you meant to say E Dorian instead of B Dorian.

@Brad it's interesting where you mention G Lydian and F Lydian for the change. In my description I think in terms of G major pentatonic (with the option of adding C# and F#) and F pentatonic (with the option of adding B or E), so we end up with the same notes from a slightly different thought process. We depart a bit on the A(add2), where you think C#m pentatonic, but I think of A major pentatonic with the option of adding D or G (which creates A Mixolydian). Or if I took the key of E as a reference point, that would be E Dorian on the G and A chords and E Phrygian on the F chord. 

It's sounds a bit complicated written down but I'm really just thinking of simple pentatonic patterns with added notes.

I have to confess at getting a bit lost on some of the (what I'd call) 'outside stuff', which sounds great. Something for me to learn there. 

Barney

stratman3142 said:7

Thanks for the posts describing how you approached the solo.

It's interesting how people might label things differently in terms of scales but get to a similar end result.

Many seem to be thinking in terms of an E major/Eminor pentatonic based approach. 

@Barney can I check what you said in an earlier post where you mentioned B Dorian and I made the (bad) joke that your B Dorian is my E Mixolydian because obviously they contain exactly the same notes. But in a later post you say you use a minor blues based approach, so I wondered whether you meant to say E Dorian instead of B Dorian.

@Brad it's interesting where you mention G Lydian and F Lydian for the change. In my description I think in terms of G major pentatonic (with the option of adding C# and F#) and F pentatonic (with the option of adding B or E), so we end up with the same notes from a slightly different thought process. We depart a bit on the A(add2), where you think C#m pentatonic, but I think of A major pentatonic with the option of adding D or G (which creates A Mixolydian). Or if I took the key of E as a reference point, that would be E Dorian on the G and A chords and E Phrygian on the F chord. 

It's sounds a bit complicated written down but I'm really just thinking of simple pentatonic patterns with added notes.

I have to confess at getting a bit lost on some of the (what I'd call) 'outside stuff', which sounds great. Something for me to learn there. 

Soz...your right B dorian not E

Rowby1

I don’t really work that way so I didn’t construct this solo with any regard to scales and modes. To write it down in those terms I’d have to go back and analyse what I played.

What I recall is the A section has a repeated phrase every 2 bars. It was a nice hook but came along too often so I chose to emphasise it every 4 bars with some double stops.

The opening of each of the 4 bars of the A section also needed a hook so I used a lick with semitone slides (it sounds like a myxolidian sort of vibe I guess). The gap I then filled with some E major/E major pentatonic lines.

I can’t really explain what I did with the B section apart from targeting chord tones landing on the changes. I played a few versions and settled on the ones that felt smoothest and least contrived.

I was aiming for a Larry Carlton feel but I think I’ve ended up a bit more 80s US sitcom  

flying_pie

This is a reveal of my working:

I had a beer and recorded an evenings noodling. I'd never listened to Steeley Dan and didn't want to. I thought it better to see what I would come up with rather than shoehorn in licks I'd just listened to. I had listened to the backing track in the car a lot and sang along some ideas then worked them out and messed around with it. 

I went with an early take. I don't know about anyone else but I tend to overthink and make lots more mistakes the longer I record. If anyone has tips to prevent that happening then I'd be grateful for them. 

I then reread the brief, listened to some Steeley Dan and laughed. 


I've listened to all the solos a few times and have to say there's some great stuff in every single one. 

stratman3142

Last weekend for entries. Submission deadline is 11:30pm on Wednesday 24th January 2018.

Modellista

Submitted.  At first I thought this was impossible but with a fair bit of thought I ended up with something I was fairly happy with.  It's all about making sense of what at first glance appeared to be quite an obscure chord progression.

In fact if you treat the G like an Em and the F like a Dm it starts to make a bit more sense when it resolves to A.  And the verse part lends itself very well to both E major and minor so you can play around hinting at both.

stratman3142

OK, all entries so far can be heard in the playlist in the original post in this thread.

One more day to go for any late entries.

markv

Aaargh!

Much as I like it, I'm not getting on with this at all. One last try though ...

stratman3142

markv said:

Aaargh!

Much as I like it, I'm not getting on with this at all. One last try though ...

Go for it. You can discuss it, if you want any thoughts, or PM me.

markv

Thanks! Nothing like a looming deadline for clarifying things though - I've got a take down. I'll listen to it again tomorrow with fresher ears and then send it in.

My approach: I do try and think of something unusual because there's plenty of people who can play better than me, but maybe if I can do something different then it will stand out. Unfortunately this time the backing is too closely tied in my mind to a particular style, so I wasn't able to come up with a good idea. So I was playing over it to see if my fingers could find anything. I don't know much theory but I can usually hear what notes fit and what don't. Most scales exist in my head as additions to the basic pentatonic, so that's where I start.

markv

Sent

stratman3142

All entries so far can be heard in the playlist in the original post in this thread.

Not much time left. Submission deadline is tonight at 11:30pm (Wednesday 24th January 2018).
Then I'll start a new thread for the voting to start tomorrow.

flying_pie

markv said:

My approach: I do try and think of something unusual because there's plenty of people who can play better than me

(Sorry in advance for going a bit Yoda)

I often feel that way to and remind myself of one of the best pieces of advice I ever heard:

Never put yourself down by comparing your playing to others who may have more technical ability or theoretical knowledge. By all means strive to improve in order to widen your musical vocabulary, but most of all recognise your strengths and concentrate on playing to them. 

Modellista

flying_pie said:

markv said:

My approach: I do try and think of something unusual because there's plenty of people who can play better than me

(Sorry in advance for going a bit Yoda)

I often feel that way to and remind myself of one of the best pieces of advice I ever heard:

Never put yourself down by comparing your playing to others who may have more technical ability or theoretical knowledge. By all means strive to improve in order to widen your musical vocabulary, but most of all recognise your strengths and concentrate on playing to them. 

Quite right.  Or in other words, you're always going to be the best at being you.

stratman3142

modellista said:

flying_pie said:

markv said:

My approach: I do try and think of something unusual because there's plenty of people who can play better than me

(Sorry in advance for going a bit Yoda)

I often feel that way to and remind myself of one of the best pieces of advice I ever heard:

Never put yourself down by comparing your playing to others who may have more technical ability or theoretical knowledge. By all means strive to improve in order to widen your musical vocabulary, but most of all recognise your strengths and concentrate on playing to them. 

Quite right.  Or in other words, you're always going to be the best at being you.

Quite, quite right   It's not a competition (as it says in my sig. below). Well I suppose it is sort of as there's voting. But the voting is just to encourage discussion and feedback really. What people like will vary depending on personal taste.

markv

modellista said:

flying_pie said:

markv said:

My approach: I do try and think of something unusual because there's plenty of people who can play better than me

(Sorry in advance for going a bit Yoda)

I often feel that way to and remind myself of one of the best pieces of advice I ever heard:

Never put yourself down by comparing your playing to others who may have more technical ability or theoretical knowledge. By all means strive to improve in order to widen your musical vocabulary, but most of all recognise your strengths and concentrate on playing to them. 

Quite right.  Or in other words, you're always going to be the best at being you.

You're right, and thanks for the words of encouragement!

Actually, that's kind of what I was trying to say. My strengths are - I believe - an ability to think of something different (although not so much in this case). I don't have the technical capability of some, not least because I don't spend enough time playing to achieve it, which is a conscious decision on my part about where I choose to spend my limited free time. But maybe I can do something that no-one else is doing and be the best at that.

I don't see it as a competition - I've done 25 of the SotMs now and never won (I did have to look that up, I wasn't counting!), but I still enjoy taking part when I can. It's enough if someone says something nice.

stratman3142

Entry closed.

Loads of entries for this one.

Thanks to all that participated and shared their thoughts. I'll start a separate thread for the voting tomorrow and include a link back to this thread, so we can continue our discussion.