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When it comes to actually playing, or working out a pre-planned solo, I find the theory gets in the way. I don't have time or mental capacity to think about it. Instead I'm looking for melody, or putting in a flurry of notes between harmonic resolution points. Neil Sedaka used to talk about 'drop dead' notes. He said that if you hit the right note in the right place then you could drop dead immediately afterwards and no one would notice because the tune had carried them away. The blues is very like that: lots of rhythmic and melodic ways to build tension, and a few key points where you have to resolve, and a limited number of notes which you can resolve to.
Even in well known solos, and I'll cite Alright Now as an example, there are notes or phrases you have to hit and space for fills. Listen to Neal Schon do it.
So when soloing I normally know how I'm going to start the first bar. I know the key phrases or notes I need to place. The rest is listening to my tone, paying attention to the rest of the band, responding to any audience reaction, and keeping my conscious brain from interfering in what I'm playing.
Tempo is 200bpm, but give it a go at 130bpm and see.
I worked this up to over 200 a few years ago, it took a few weeks of consistent work about 2-3 hours a day.
This is just the head.
Trying to solo through it at that tempo is no joke.
Often just the key of Ab is enough to screw over many a rock guitarist.
What is typical is that people don't attempt much outside their comfort zone.
Now maybe you are happy where you are at, or maybe not- I can't say- but the way to rapidly progress is to pretty much stop playing the stuff you can already play comfortably and consistently work on stuff
Give it a go and see what you reckon.
It is hard and it can take years and years even with a good approach.
It takes a lot longer without one.
This is why players really need a mentor- not many people can crack it without one.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
Both, I guess- but standard notation and ear training should be written into your practice, I think.
I'm not being snarky here- just highlighting that the goal is to be able to communicate musically- ignoring one area in favour of another means you won't be well rounded.
That might not matter to you- it does to me.
You can learn to speak English really well and never need to be able to read or write it right up until the point where it is necessary and then you are trouble.
So- whatever you can do to learn music in its entirety is a good thing.
I don't like recommending tab, because it makes guitarists lazy.
The only reason the above chart has TAB at all is I was trying to work out placement on the guitar (which is what TAB is great for).
But being able to read dots is more important- ideally in bass clef as well as treble.
So I would prioritise playing and ear training over reading and reading dots over tab- and when I teach this is how I proceed.
A lot of folk say they play by ear and yet they don't have very good ears either.
Really what they are saying is 'I can't read music'- which is no great crime if you have an amazing ear.
More often they are just lazy- they can't read, they can't hear and they can't play very well either.
It does down to what sort of musician do you want to be.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
I've just started working through a practice regime now which is more focussed around arpeggios, chord tones and bashing my head against the wall with arps and the encapsulation approach.
Sometimes it feels a bit mechanical and that I'm not really getting anywhere with it in terms of it soaking into my playing - is this just a case of accepting that it takes a lot of time and practice before it starts to make sense and become integrated into my improvs?
If we're talking Karate Kid, is this like painting the fence?
So, no not really- because you are practicing things that are in the same discipline as the thing you are trying to do and are essentially the same things that you will be employing.
But it is a new approach for you and it is hard- so give yourself a break.
It will be challenging.
Try to chunk it- don't take on too much new stuff at once.
I suggest working on no more than two new things a week- so assuming you are just starting this then try to get two arpeggios under the fingers.
Then try to incorporate them into your soloing.
I'd concentrate on the dominant arpeggios to begin with- because they are the 'money shot' when it comes to tension and release in the turnaround.
Try to get a V -> I line down.
Something like this would be good:
-------------------4-7-5-------------
--------------6-5--------------------
-------- 4-7--------------------------
------6-------------------------------
---7----------------------------------
---------------------------------------
I use this line with students for a blues in A.
It is an E7 -> A line that uses an E7 arpeggio and some other notes.
If this was a lesson I'd give you 3 coloured highlighters and get you to tell me which bits are the notes of E7, which notes are part of A and which notes are passing notes.
Feel free to do this in your reply and I will comment.
Often, when people try to do this themselves, they rush.
Speed is a byproduct of accuracy- when you are practicing these lines for the first few times play them SLOOOOOOWLY.
Like quarter notes at 60bpm slow.
There is plenty of time to speed up later.
People know I am studying drums right now, don't they?
When I'm playing new techniques I go super slow, one hit per second the first few times, until I have the movements in my head.
It is slow and deliberate work.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
The first four notes sweeping from the bass strings look like the E7 arpeggio, the F on the 6th fret b string is a passing note, then the last four notes E, G#, B, A I'd guess would from the A chord. But the B on the high E string would make more sense at the fifth in E rather than the second in A?
I had to write those two scales out as well, I don't know them off the top of my head. Work to do!
So basically all E7 with a passing note apart from the last note that is a resolution to A
Notes in order:
E G# B D F E G# B A
Chord progression:
E7 A
You could also express/extend that progression to be
E7alt Amaj7 (or even maj9)
Note analysis:
E: Root of E7
G#: 3rd of E7
B: 5th of E7
D; b7 of E7
F: passing note- actually the b9 of E7b9
E: Root of E7 / 5th of A- provides a semitone descend to get into the A chord territory. From here on notes are relative to the A chord, because that is the chord of the progression.
G#: Major7th of A
B: major 9th of A
A: nice tonic ending.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
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Sucks, doesn't it?
This is where encapsulation really works well- situations where you want to outline a chord progression but you don't want to sound too much like you are outlining a chord progression.
As a general rule it helps to use the semitone below, tone above when going to major 7th chords and tone below and semitone above on dominant 7 (and sometimes minor 7) chords.
If it isn't obvious why then ask and I can explain it.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com
I think the semitone below vs. tone below thing is to hit the appropriate 7th isn't it, i.e. semitone below for maj7 and tone below for b7?
@lebarque yeah that's my current approach but i've gotten stuck in a rut with it.
As I've only just started with this it feels tough. How do improvisers grok this? Scale maps? Arpeggios? Do they visualise it or hear it?
It's probably all of the above after a shed load of practice...which I don't mind. @octatonic is right in that I've been trying to bite off too much and go too quickly given the amount of practice time I have. A couple of drills a week is plenty for me...
In Octa's example, if you imagine the notes as triplets, the encapsulation (the 7th and 8th notes of the sequence) lands on the tonic bar; if you think of them as semiquavers, you're still in the dominant bar.
Yes, these rules can seem mechanical to the player, especially if overused, but they probably sound quite natural to the listener - it probably just sounds like part of the tune! (which it is).
Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
The rest of the band is on the V chord and Robben has already moved on, or indeed sometimes lagging behind.
It creates a really nice tension/resolution event when done well and sounds like you don't know what the fuck you are doing when done less brilliantly.
I know you probably already know this- I'm really stating it for the benefit of others.
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
Music: https://www.euclideancircuits.com
Me: https://www.jamesrichmond.com