Guitar Rock Improvisation Thoughts, Tricks, Concepts and Techniques, 12th Episode.
If you have found the time to diligently practice all the topics discussed in previous weeks, you should see a significant difference in your soloing compared to 12-13 weeks ago.
Here’s a recap of all the things we have covered so far.
Rock Guitar Soloing Episode 1
Rock Guitar Soloing Episode 2
Rock Guitar Soloing Episode 3
Rock Guitar Soloing Episode 4
Rock Guitar Soloing Episode 5
Rock Guitar Soloing Episode 6
Rock Guitar Soloing Episode 7
Rock Guitar Soloing Episode 8
Rock Guitar Soloing Episode 9
Rock Guitar Soloing Episode 10
Rock Guitar Soloing Episode 11
Do you think you can handle more?
Are you ready for more?
If so… here we go.
Try to play a whole solo with only 3 or 4 notes: BB King style.
There is tremendous power in limiting yourself to playing a whole solo with only 3 or 4 notes.
Limiting yourself to only a couple of notes, makes you have to focus on different ways to keep it interesting.
As an exercise: you get a lot out of this and you learn a hell of a lot from the experience.
This btw is not something that would work in the more technical or shredding improvisation styles.
This technique is reserved for blues, blues rock, a blues-influenced rock and hard rock, and the classic rock genres.
Playing interval fingerings (i.e. 3rds) melodically
By nature that you are using a chosen interval (i.e. 3rds, or 4ths, etc.) as the building block to create a solo from, this will automatically change your phrasing a great deal.
It will lead to different kinds of melody lines than you’d come up with if you were to use a pentatonic or 7-note scale as the framework to build your solo from.
The concept explained:
- Play the intervals melodically. In other words: you separate the 2 notes so it sounds like a melody instead of like a harmony.
- Move linearly/horizontally through the scale.
- You can also choose to move vertically over the 6 strings instead of horizontally over the same 2 strings.
- Important: be random in the string order. Make sure not to be predictable or repetitive in regards to the order in which you pick the strings, so it doesn’t sound like “low note, high note, low note, high note, low note, etc… ).
- You get added richness if you add open strings to this.
Sometimes it’s tricky to understand verbal explanations.
It might be much easier to understand how this works when you see it at work in a video.
Scroll down for the video.
List of things you can do to make a solo more expressive:
A similar listing has already been covered in the past in a blog.
Here it is.
Boost Your Rock Guitar Soloing Power
The above blog explains many of the tools listed below in greater detail.
The reason why I wanted to add this list here, is to remind you of this very important mantra I keep repeating:
“It’s not about which notes you play, it’s about how you play them.”
The more you implement all the tools from the below list, the more expressive your solos are going to sound.
- Dynamics
- Pinch harmonics
- Mutes, muted hits
- Palm mute
- Legato
- Tap notes
- Pluck notes with fingers
- Pick on different string locations. (closer to bridge, closer to the neck)
- Slides from far below
- Slides from the scale note below
- Slides from far above
- Slides from the scale note above
- Wide bends
- Bends from the note below
- Pre bend
- Release
- Hammer ons
- Pull offs
- Thrill
- Harmonics
- Pick tapping
- Tremolo picking
- Micro bends
- Pick scratches
- Tapped harmonics
- Oblique bends
- Unison bends
- Whammy bar
- Press strings behind the nut
- Vibrato
Conclusion
I know this installment is a bit shorter than usual.
However: if you would spend only 2min per item on the above list of expression tools, you’d be spending an hour of practice only on that.
You probably should: given that they can make a solo sound so much better when applied.
Hit me up anytime at vreny@zotzinmusic.com if you have any questions, or if you would like to book a lesson.
These free lessons are cool, but you will never experience the progress, joy, and results that my students experience in lessons when you’re learning by yourself from blogs and videos.
That is why people take lessons: way better results and progress, much more complete information, exposed to way more creative ideas than you can get from a blog or YouTube video.
There is only so much that self-study can accomplish.
If you want to see amazing results and progress in your guitar playing, buy your first lesson here and get started ASAP.
- 1 Lesson = 75
You’ll impress your friends and loved ones in no time with your guitar playing!
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