Phrasing

[nils152]

Hi again, Im having difficulty with making up good original phrases. I really like players who start with a simple phrase then gradually extend them. One of the masters of this i feel is joe satriani.Are there any tips that you can give me,to help me with my phrasing? Any help would be appreciated.

[UKRuss]

Phrasing itself i think if as different from what you describe. i think of your description as a hook.

Although Satch's hooks are great AND well phrased of course:D

I don't know if there are any tips for making up the hook, sometimes it's just something you hear in your head, sometimes it's a sequenced scale fragment.

What i can suggest is try to think of many ways as you can to sequence scales or chord tones etc. and see if you come up with something you like.

[forgottenking2]

Sing little melodies to yourself. And then reproduce them on the guitar. That seems to do a whole lot for me. Use slides and bends. Keep your phrases short and don't forget to use silence (rests) as well. The main asset of all LISTEN and work on developing your ears to better serve you on that purpose.

[DemonSorcerer]

Phrasing involves sooooo many things at the same time...a few of them are articulation of notes, accents and dynamics...so there's a myriad of possibilities in phrasing...but be aware: you have to listen to the "feel" of the music you're playing...'cause you can screw your own solo spot in the song if you phrase your ideas incorrectly....phrasing is just like talking to ppl...if you use the wrong words and the wrong articulations and the wrong volume, for example, most prolly you'll get a "distorted" message going on...and most prolly you'll get yourself in troubles just for that...

Think about that!!

David

[silent-storm]

transcribe some vocalists

[Don Kee]

I agree with both the sing little melodies to yourself, and absoulutely with the phrasing is like talking to people points. I always try to hum or sing something over the backing track, it gives my leads a more melodic quality, and to be honest...I usually run out of breath before I can clutter it up too much...which I've also been known to do.

Satriani if you think about it does a lot of stuff that would translate quite well to a vocal or sax type thing, pretty simple,quite listenable themes interspersed with pyrotechnics...very tasty player IMHO

[bnazzz]

I think a great way to improve phrasing is through motivic development. Take a simple melody to start with, for example in the key of A minor- A C C E F E A (pretend that's rhythmic). Analyze the melody by it's diatonic movement. In this case it's Root 3 3 5 5 6 5 Root. So now you move that up and down the scale, so example is next would be 2 4 4 6 7 6 2, or B D D F G F B and so on. Then you play with the rhythms, then you play with the order, play them backwards forwards, leave notes out and extend them. This helps you to think in terms of "ideas" instead of scales and licks, and it also comes in very handy for playing changes, in that you can approach the chords with a consistent idea, as opposed to worrying about what key you're in. Hope this helps.