I have learnt tons of licks, now what?

Harmony & Theory
#6

I struggle with this as well. I am not working on improvisation per se but I’m trying to get better at writing riffs and solos.

One “simple” concept I’m finding useful is this: memorable solos tend to be a good compromise between repetition and variation.

Too much repetition and it sounds boring, too much variation and it will sound like a collection of random licks.

A vaguely related concept is “call and response”, which is easier to illustrate with an example.

So you could have something like:

idea 1 (first call) , idea 2 (first response) , variation of idea 1 (second call) , idea 3 (second response)

Of course not all great solos follow these ideas, but this is one possible way to go about it

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#7

Do you have the ability to loop a section of whatever audio you’re soloing over? Like, just a few measures so you’re constantly playing over the same chords over and over again? I wouldn’t be surprised if there is free software that does this now, but I have a loop pedal from digitech and of course my DAW (Cubase) has this capability. Soundslice is another option too. This could narrow the focus so you don’t have as much to think about while you stitch ideas together. You could gradually make the loop longer and longer. Also, you could tweak licks and make variations of them. Just a suggestion! Good luck on your journey!

#8

One thing that I do is creating melodies/solo without guitar in my hands. It doesn’t have to be exact, with every note specified. Just a contour with some reference points is enough.
Also it helps to sing before playing.

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#9

Do you know WHY a lick is the “right” lick to play over a respective chord?

I’m trying to think of all the various things I’ve learned about improvising over the years, and honestly, the single most useful thing to understand I think is understanding enough harmony to understand why a certain lick sounds “right” over a certain chord, and then to be able to use that knowledge to make variations of that lick, or play lines that aren’t necessarily pre-rehearsed “licks” but know what notes you can resolve to to make them sound “right” or what notes might make them sound “wrong” if you resolved to them, but potentially “cool” if you hit them in passing, etc.

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#11

Yes. I do consider I understand why a lick works over certain chord (most of the times). Yet I struggle with isolating and practicing the concepts (trying to give my most sincere answer here), this might be my problem? I’m maybe not decontructin enough the phrases and not doing enough isolated practice

#12

I’ll will try it next time I am practicing. It does require some ear training too, right?

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#13

I guess so… I didn’t think about it much, but since I was in musical school I, probably, use the stuff we practiced witout realizing it.

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#14

How’s your music theory, and specifically you grasp of harmony? Being able to look at a lick and know what chord tones you’re resolving to, or what the particular note that makes it sound so cool is, relative to the chord in the background, can really help understand how to apply that lick to your own playing, or to come up with licks of your own that function on the same basic principle, but the notes themselves are your own.

For example, this fast lick after the main solo in Satch’s “Surfing With the Alien”:


(should start at 2:30)

…is just a classic blues turnaround/intro (think the opening to “Red House”), played in G, but amped WAY up by converting it into a fast pull-off lick. It’s a cool lick, sounds cool, and somehow is even cooler when you can sort of see how Satriani transformed something else to get you there.

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#15

Alright, I do understand what you mean. You unconsciously apply what you were learning at school which has happened to me too up to some extent

#16

Mind blowing, just great the way you put it. In the end of the day, one’s musical language doesn’t originate from a vacuum but rather it’s a blend of what we listen to consistently, right?

Maybe that’s where I’m failing the most, on my listening.

#17

I’d say listening, sure, but in the “comprehending” sense as much as the simple hearing. Like, go out and listen to a ton of stuff. If you hear a guitar line that sounds “cool,” learn it. but when you do, make sure you learn WHY it sounds cool, and maybe try to think of a couple different ways to apply it to your own playing. :+1:

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#18

If you’ve got this library of licks, theory knowledge, and have decent technique, I’m going to suggest something that may seem strange.

Impose limits on yourself.

Say if you’re sticking with a good ol’ A minor jam, try sticking to only a set number of strings. Maybe impose the limitation that you can only begin another phrase if you end on the root note, or chord tones.

Necessity is the mother of invention. If you impose a limitation on yourself when improvising, and you still have to have the objective of making a musical phrase, those limitations will make you play things you otherwise wouldn’t.

Further, another key thing of improvising is try varying the tempo or time feel of the notes you’re playing. If you have a phrase of straight 16th notes, try changing up the time feel to 16th note triplets right smack dab in the middle of the phrase. Maybe the last important notes that resolve down to the root are done in 8th notes.

And finally, when it comes to phrases, go with what sounds awesome. That’s main factor. If it sounds bitchin’ that’s the right way to do it.

Hope that helps! Cheers!

:metal: :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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#19

Honestly, this is really, really, really good advice, and can yield interesting results from a writing/composition standpoint too - it’s a great way to give a solo a sense of cohesion, for example, by focusing on maybe a couple note sequence and spinning variations off that.

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#20

Learn sequences.

3rds, 4ths, 5ths etc

Over time you can feel how many steps it takes to reach a chord tone. Just like how you can roughly feel how many steps it takes till you reach a curb when walking.

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#21

Sing a solo. Over whatever chord progression you want. If it isn’t working. Choose a more simple progression . It starts in your head.

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#22

All this other, learn this and learn that shit is nice for people that have a vocabulary but if you can’t sing a simple solo over some simple changes then it’s going to be an uphill battle. Listen to great songwriters. They just give away melodies that you can steal and work into solos.

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#23

Totally have been applying this one these last weeks. Thanks, Drew!

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#24

Been following this advice too, trying to play scales in one or two strings or only chord tones and so on, it does help. Thanks!

#25

Wow. Not a friend of sequences till now. But I’m integratig it in my routine from now on, as well as thirds and sixths double stop scales

#26

It’s a great suggestion. Have realized that. When I’m able to sing a melody on a chord progression, most likely I’ll play comfy on it