|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Improvisation
One of the greatest joys of being able to
play a musical instrument is being able to spontaneously create
music on the spot. Improvising is essentially a form of composing.
Improvising consists of understanding what notes and scales are
going to work over what chords. By understanding some basic music
theory we will learn what chords belong to what key.
If a song has 4 chords and all 4 chords belong to one key than you
can use just one scale.
Three lessons on improv listed below:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1. Tom
Petty guitar lesson - fun and easy to solo over. Chords belong
to one key allowing us to sound good with just one scale.
Once you understand which key and scales to use over which chord or
progression of chords, practice the scale(s) along with the background
music.
For example, visit the page above and play along with the Tom Petty
midi file using your D major scale. Practice playing it up and down
as: |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- Half notes
- Quarter notes
- Eighth notes
- Eighth note triplets
- Sixteenth notes
- Sixteenth notes triplets (if the tempo
isn't too fast)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
After you have practiced
your scales and feel fairly comfortable with them get ready to start
improvising. Begin by playing along with a background track and use
only one note. Try mixing up the rhythm patterns and concentrate on
the "groove". Listen to the way your one note sounds as the chords
change in the background tracks.
Gradually adding one note at a time.
This allows the ears to associate sounds with fingerings.
2. Blues guitar lesson
- fun and easy or fun and challenging, everyone should spend a little
time on the blues. Basic and advanced ways of playing over the blues
are combined in this improv lesson.
For easy playing over the blues we can use our blues scale or minor
pentatonic.
For a challenge we want to learn our arpeggios of each chord we are
soloing over. An arpeggio is a broken chord.
Things used to create a great solo:
- Use silence as a part of your solo
- Go from one note to the next - Half steps
and whole steps
- Try skipping notes - Intervals and arpeggios
- Repetition
- Theme and Variation
- Dynamics (Loud and soft)
- Tension and Release
Good solos usually have a beginning, middle
and ending with a possible climax.
Metallica guitar lesson - depending
on how we want to treat the chord progression we can keep this simple
to solo over or we can challenge even the experienced guitarist.
Sign Up!
The members section has a complete course that takes you from soloing
over one chord vamps to 'making the changes' on John Coltrane's Giant
Steps.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
