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anthony1832
Try A Little Harder
USA
63 Posts |
 Posted - 06/17/2005 : 07:53:28 AM
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| I havent picked up my electric guitar since I started playing a few years back, and now im trying to get into it. Im trying to improv with it in a rock and roll style using penatonic scales, but when i try improving it always just sounds like oriental music. Anyone have any tips? Should I try a different scale maybe? |
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Silky The Pimp
Alien Abductee
3321 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2005 : 2:42:17 PM
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Step 1: Study SRV
Step 2: Realize you can't touch him
Step 3: Give up
Worked for me... 
Honestly, best advice I can give you where to start is to choose a few solos from different songs that you love, and learn to play those solos. Learn them in and out, backward and forward so you can call upon any given lick from those solos at any time when you are soloing yourself. When you've mastered some easy solos, try some harder ones. Mix that with learning some different scales and you'll eventually build up enough knowledge to solo on your own. |
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Zachmozach
Fluffy-Esque
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2005 : 4:02:39 PM
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Well first of all you have to understand that a pentatonic scale is five pretty much completely consonant tones and you are never going to play anything that sounds "bad". Often people give kids instruments with pentatonic scales or have them sit at a piano and write using only the black keys to see how creative they can get with them knowing that they can't make anything that really sounds "bad". So the thing is that playing scales with five notes is pretty boring because you are never really going to be able to achieve any tension or release from it. That's why guys who constantly use pentatonic scales do so with speed or do it with other added notes, but keep it based off the pentatonic scale. We all know how similar a blues scale and a pentatonic scale is. With SRV his genious to me was that he found ways to bend pitches and make a simple form seem so appealing by adding tensions through bends and such.
Basically if you are just going to play only pentatonic scales you are going to get bored quick. I would reccomend playing around tonal centers to begin with. Figure out what key you're jamming in and play through all the modes of that scale. Then try playing a lydian mode based off the tonic, or just sharp the 4th of a major scale. Try playing around with different tension notes. Then check out what other people have played that is in a similar style to what you want. It's just about learing to speak the language on your instrument.
All that said you can solo convincingly for most people on a pentatonic scale, but it becomes more of how you play the notes and not what notes you're playing. Make sure whatever you are doing you are thinking in clear phrases or question and answer type of lines and that your rythym is strong and defined. Just playing the full scale of whatever key you are in will help add that extra color you're looking for though. |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 06/30/2005 : 10:51:21 PM
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very true. i'm not an srv fan myself, but that's neither here nor there. expression is very important. without expression, it's just so many notes.
what i'd do, have done, to help my improv: learn and practice scales. major, the three minor scales, as many keys as you can. the modes. familiarize yourself with these to the extent that they all come naturally to your hand. once you have the knowledge of these scales in your mind and hand, you're ready to start improv with them. pick an appropriate scale and go for it. it leaves your mind free to focus on improv and not worry about the technique.
as zack said, it's also important to listen to what other people have done. it gives you a reference point after all, one wouldn't be much of an actor having never seen the play, would he? just be careful you don't end up just ripping someone else off. being influenced is one thing. copying is another. |
death to false metal. |
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Zack
Try A Little Harder
USA
73 Posts |
Posted - 07/04/2005 : 10:58:45 PM
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| want great access to all scales in all modes with every voicing? I've got just the book for you! .......THE GUITAR GRIMOIRE-SCALES AND MODES. Nah seriously, ask anyone on here, this is the handbook of champions for practicing scales and learning them. Get the grimoire book of progressions too, and put these scales to them, its a great way to practice and progress man, and the books are cool colors too! |
Zack |
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dan p.
Alien Abductee
Uganda
3776 Posts |
Posted - 07/05/2005 : 12:35:16 AM
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| zack is right. |
death to false metal. |
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anthony1832
Try A Little Harder
USA
63 Posts |
Posted - 07/05/2005 : 12:51:52 AM
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| Thanks for all your help guys, I have a book of a whole bunch of scales inevery key, im gonna start looking into that. |
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electric guitar improv
