There's many times I've listened to recordings I've made and thought, "Wow! I played THAT?" There's a lot of times when things are just happening too fast to think about.
This is true. I certainly don't think of every note I am going to play, in fact I never know where my solos will go. That said, I do follow a basic framework. Now, most of the songs I play are with my band and I've practiced the songs many times. I know the chord progression and this is what I follow. For instance, we play Honky Tonk Woman by the Rolling Stones. The solo goes from G to C, back to G, then A, then D, G to C, G then D. I will start in the G Major Pentatonic to get the country flavor of this song. For the C I might go to the C Major Pentatonic, or I might go to G Minor Pentatonic for a more bluesy type feel. It is just whatever occurs to me at the moment. Then maybe G Major Pent to A Major Pent, D Minor Pent... whatever. I don't play the solo the same way twice, but I pretty much know where I'm going ahead of time.
That's just the way I do it, everybody is different. Personally I like to change scales with the chord changes. I could play the G Major Pentatonic or even the G Minor Pentatonic over the entire progression and it would work, but I think changing scales sounds far more colorful. But that's just me. And I never know what lick I am going to play in the scale once I get there, I kinda just decide that at the moment with how I feel and what I want to hear. But I do have a framework I follow and know basically where I am going with a solo.
Hope that helps.
If you know something better than Rock and Roll, I'd like to hear it - Jerry Lee Lewis
Hmmmmm ...... I just shut up and play my guitar. :? :lol: I don't think in terms of notes or scales. I hear in my head what I want to play and do my best to have my fingers do it. Thats kind of planned but spontaneous at the same time isn't it?
What he said :D
Hmmmmm ...... I just shut up and play my guitar. :? :lol:
Yeah...that's pretty much it, Jason. But it's a cool question, in any case. There's Sports Psychologists...so maybe there's a Music Psychologist that can really say how much is learned and has become "second nature"...and what is "out of nowhere"???
Under it all...the human brain's pretty mind boggling!!! :lol:
Yeah...cool question...
Cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
There's a book called "This is Your Brain on Music" which deals with that kind of stuff. Pretty interesting read.
For me, theory and thinking is for practicing and studying, and maybe experimenting w/ new ideas. When it comes to playing, I try not to think and just play from the gut. That's the ideal at least...
Remember music is all about hearing. Theory just helps you get there.
Death and the Maiden - Guitars Playing String Quartets
Hearing...and what you happen to be feeling.
cat
"Feel what you play...play what you feel!"
