just to overall improve your big bad book of tricks
something like listening to a metronome and going over a scale but only a few notes of it so it helps improve what you play and how you play it
any other or good technicque things to do to further better myself?
The only thing that I can suggest is that if you can record yourself, then play some basic chord progressions and solo over it in any way that you know how.
just to overall improve your big bad book of tricks
something like listening to a metronome and going over a scale but only a few notes of it so it helps improve what you play and how you play it
any other or good technicque things to do to further better myself?
For phrasing a lead?
Listen to players of wind instruments. Listen to singers. Listen to someone giving a speech. They have a natural limit on how long a phrase can be. Sooner or later they have to breathe in.
If you limit the length of the phrases within your lead to the length of an inhale/exhale cycle, you'll find the audience connects to you better. THEY won't know why, but phrases of that length subconsciously "feel" right to them. It reflects the natural phrasing of human speech.
Playing guitar and never playing for others is like studying medicine and never working in a clinic.
Listen to "Kind of Blue". As far as melodic phrasing go's you won't find a better place to learn from. Then just borrow the licks you like for practice. Play them with a metronome slowly. Eventually, after allot of practice it'll come naturally for you when you improv'. Melodic phrasing is more about feel than technique. Its about knowing when to shut up and allow some sonic space ya know. Letting the music breath.
At this time I would like to tell you that NO MATTER WHAT...IT IS WITH GOD. HE IS GRACIOUS AND MERCIFUL. HIS WAY IS IN LOVE, THROUGH WHICH WE ALL ARE. IT IS TRULY -- A LOVE SUPREME --. John Coltrane
Find a backing. Chose *one* note and improvise your solo with just that one note. In other words, the only tool you now have is rhythm. Do this for a few minutes. Now pick a second note and improvise with just two notes. Try to find two notes that work really well. Repeat a few times and add a third. The point is you'll learn to make the most of limited resources. Now when you improvise pentatonically occasionally play a few bars with a limited selection of notes.
Imitate your own voice. Jimi Hendrix was amazing at this. Listen to how he copies his voice on Voodo Chile:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22eubaCUNJU
Hendrix didn't invent this, Blues players especially have always used this method. But Jimi was one of the best.
You will be suprised how difficult it is to really copy the human voice on guitar. But you will never run out of great licks with fantastic phrasing with this old trick.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis