How To Practice?

[metallibeast]

Hi,
What's up?

I am trying to learn how to improvise but I'm not sure if I'm heading in the right directions....

I've been learning my scales and so on but yet when I try to improvise over some simple chord changes it doesn't sound nice.

Any tips, suggestions?

Metallibeast

[EricV]

Hi,


I can understand your frustration. It often isn´t easy to get into a new area like improvisation. It took me quite a while back then, and when I teach these days, there are some students who really need their time to get into it.
Here are a few ideas:
- It´s good that you practise different scales, but first of all, take just one scale ( maybe the pentatonic or major scale ), maybe only ONE PATTERN, and stick with that. Try using only that in the beginning.
You should take your time, start slowly, try to just come up with short melodies that fit to the background music. Try to start and end the phrase on the root of the underlying chord, as an example. Try to figure out what notes sound good over each chord.
It will sure take time, and you should try improvising a lot to get a feel for it.
As I said, stick with only one or two patterns and start to "open up" there, try to come up with little melodies and licks. Later, you can expand, using more patterns or different scales.
It´s also helpful to SING what you wanna play. Like, listen to the chord progression by itself and try to imagine what you wanna play over that, melodies and stuff. Then try to play it.
Next advice: Start with a simple melody, and slowly build up on that. Like, make up a for note melody, then repeat it and alter it... add different phrasing ( legato, slides, bends, harmonics ), but stick with that basic idea. That will not only give you a feel of security ( cuz you have a basic thing that works and that you can expand on ), but will also be easy to adjust to for the listener.

Also, try to mix up improvised melodies and some licks... like, if you i.e. have got a cool little run you can play, include it into your improvisation... start with a melody you make up, play that run and jump right into another melody.
Often, in blues and other styles, improvisation consists of both melodies and licks... make up a vocabulary.

Another idea: make up a concept. Let´s say you know the chord progression. Try to focus on playing some easy, slow arpeggios ( in a melodic context ). Then, try to play i.e. only doublestops. Or scale fragments.

So, to sum this up: in the beginning, use only "vocabulary" you feel comfortable with, like scale fragments or single patterns. Start with simple ideas and build on them. Try different approaches to it. Try to sing or imagine what you wanna play before you attempt to play.
Most important: Try it a lot, and listen to a lot of music... it also helps to listen to other instruments... the saxophone, piano, voice... that might give you new ideas on how to approach a melody or how to use phrasing...
I´ms ure that Guni and a lot of the members / visitors will have more helpful advice.
Hope this helps
Good Luck & warm regards
Eric

[TaikaJim]

1) Use chord tones ( root , 3, 5 ,7) and just try to make some rhythmic stuff using just those notes.

2) Use guide tones ( 3+7) from chords. Make them as your target notes.

3) Tensions are your friends!

[Guni]

Here's an approach I use a lot with my students. Basically it's improvising within a strict setting, which limits the things we have to think about. The result is that you can focus more on what you actually wanna play or practice.

Say a Blues progression in A and it's chords A7 D7 E7. You pretty much know how this progression sounds.

Step 1: Limit your improvisation to 1 note per chord, eg use the note 'A' over A7 and D7 and the note 'B' over E7.

Improvise and focus on the rhythmic phrases you are playing. Add rests - try to build up the solo. Record yourself and examine what you like and what you don't like.

Step 2: Add slides, vibrato, articulation, bends (to the chosen note) .....

Step 3: add a second note per chord which already opens up a lot of choices. Make up little licks and include them in your playing.

add 3 notes etc etc .... I think ya see where this is going to.

The above is a melodic approach starting out from a very limited choice.

Same thing can be performed with rhythm: use only half notes throughout your playing and focus on the melody. Use quarter notes, use eighth notes, use a combination of quarter and eighth notes , etc etc ...

then combine the 2 approaches.......

Hope this helps :-)

Guni

[nickwellings]

When I started to learn to play guitar, it was quite unconventional.

I listened to a band called Magnum. British Heavy metal type thing. Now, the GREAT thing about this was, it was a learning program all in its self.

Why?

Well: Being good old popular metal/rock it made me learn powerchords and developed some rhythm. It had simple solos and catchy songs, that you could analyse and think "why does that work"? It used "Rock Scales" all the time.

But, the crux was it had a great singer. I always copied what the singer sang, on guitar. If there were no solos, I would copy his singing and then add doodles between his words. Its a good way to explore the fretboard. If you get lost, you can sing along. this helps becuase, if you sing what you play, you begin to form musical ideas, strong musical ideas, rather than mindless "wank" or music that lacks structure.

Your inner ear/brain knows what sounds good. If you hum a tune, granted, at least its not Mozart but it still sounds pleasant. So, try to hear in your head what you are playing first.

(I just realised that EricV is saying this! I really should read closer)

The pentatonic is the best scale to use for improvisation, initially. It has notes that just melt into the chords. Everything sounds good and you can concentrate on phrases and phrase rhythms. But, the pentatonic is limiting. You'll soon find you want to get out of its box, or get away from it becuase everything sounds bluesy. So, then what I did was to supercharge the pentatonic...bt adding notes in between the pentatonic frets.

So,

--------------------------5-8----
---------------------5--8----
---------------5--7---------
--------5--7--------------
---5--8-----------------


Might be mutated to:

--------------------------5-8-9---
---------------------5--8----
---------------5--7---------
--------5-6-7--------------
---5-7-8-----------------


Or something.

Basically, try to explore around the song, be adventrous and add notes. Try playing "question and answer" phrases...or a phrase in the lower register of the guitar, and then the SAME phrase an octave up.



Some player like to memorise licks. I don't...personally. I don't know why! Its just me. But, if it works for you, then go for that!


As has been hinted at by other guys, ESPECIALLY TaikaJim...what a melody is, basically playing Horizontal harmony...

Now that's prtty odd. What do I mean.

Well, chords are vertical harmony. Right?

So, whenever you play a melody, you are highlighting chord tones, or using tones that make up te chord.
That's why sometimes solos sound GREAT, and othertimes they sound awful and atonal. Later on, as you progress, you could learn about how these chords and special scales can create powerful melodies.
Baiscally, these are the beasts know as MODES. These are wonderful at evoking a "feel", like Spanish, Japnaese, Medivevil etc. They can create the TENSION that TaikaJim talks about. Great huge long lines of tense music that makes the lsitener beg it to resolve to a nice safe place.

ANYWAY!

My goodness...I've typed alot. Probalby unrelated garbage.

:D

Have fun and keep us updated!!



(If I patronised you, please tell me. I sometimes do that. Its not nice. :( )

[EricV]

My goodness...I've typed alot. Probalby unrelated garbage.

Not at all unrelated. I think those are some good suggestions. It´s pretty interesting to see all these different approaches posted here.
About your "vertical harmony"-definition:
A while ago I posted a lick regarded to that on my website (http://www.ericvandenberg.com)

It´s based on maj add9-chords. The first bar is similar to something I play in the second chorus of "Canyon Of Spirits"... I think it´s a really nice sound, and the tapped note on top really helps to get that 4 note-arp going. Here it is:
http://www.ericvandenberg.com/march02.jpg
Bar 1 is an Emajadd9 ( E-F#-G#-B ), Bar 2 is an Amaj add9...
I like the sound of that a lot, and I guess it fits to your description of vertical harmony...
Warm regards
Eric

NP: still King´s X- Dogman

[metallibeast]

Thanks a lot u guys
=:->

At least now I know how to approach this problem of mine.

Metallibeast

NP: Dream Theater - Live Scenes From New York

BTW I think adding the NP at the end of a msg is pretty cool!!!