The "Blues Construction Kits" & "How To Improvise Blues Solos"

[Paleo]

Having worked with both, this is how I look at it.

(And I still don't know any licks, per se, so I'm no expert.)


In the "Construction Kits" you have a choice from 5 different licks for each of the 5 positions in the Shuffle Feel and 7 positions in the Slow Blues Feel. That's a total of 25 licks and 35 licks, respectively.

This reminds me of Mr. Potato Head. You have a variety of choices for each body part and you pick one (or a pair) from each. You choose a mouth, a nose, a pair of ears, etc. from several choices for each.

In "How To Improvise" you'll work with the same 5 licks, but rotate them through all the positions.

(With the possibility of using the same lick more than once.)

This would be like building a Mr. Potato Head, then rotating the body parts. Putting the nose where the mouth goes, the mouth where the hair goes, etc.

Then you'll transpose the same 5 licks to a different key.

Then you do the same thing with 5 new licks in a Slow Blues. (A total of 10 licks in the course.)


The construction kits have more total licks, but uses each lick in only one position.

"How to Improvise" has fewer total licks, but emphasizes using each in all positions.

The emphasis of each is different, but eventually you'll want to be able to do it all.

Play a lick in different keys and/or modify it to fit in different positions of a progression (as well as different areas of the fretboard).


If you are just looking for more new licks, go with the construction kits first.

If you're interested in more ideas for modifying licks to fit in more positions, go with "How To Improvise".

Just a suggestion.

I consider them both "essential".

 

[Silicon Valley Tom]

I have followed that path with those courses, and agree with you 100%.

There are so many ways to approach the topic of "How To Improvise". Add the five boxes, the BB King Boxes, and the list goes on.

I saw a great documentary yesterday, about Nat "King" Cole. When he was playing in his trio, they cut over 1000 transcriptions at the radio network where they had their show. Many hours were spent on playing a piece of music, and after a few years of intense work, about 80% of any piece they played was from an arrangement they had, and 20% improvised. The 100th birthday of Nat "King" Cole, will be celebrated on March 17th, by the way. He has been my favorite male singer, and jazz pianist since I was 5.

Improvisation takes a lot of work, and is not easy, nor is it for everyone. My personal preference is to create arrangements that I like, and "play with them". By that I mean, I may have a half dozen different arrangements of a similar piece of music I play. Sometimes I label them: Level 1, level 2, etc.

The concept of question/answer, or call/response is important to me, when it comes to the Blues. I like the musical phrases to sound like a conversation, and not a series of disjoined arguments. Shredding (playing lots of notes very fast) does not interest me. Everyone should have an approach to the music they play. There is no one answer, but you should take the time to find out what is best for you.

Tom

 

[Paleo]

I like the musical phrases to sound like a conversation, and not a series of disjoined arguments. Shredding (playing lots of notes very fast) does not interest me.

And on that I agree with you 100%.

That makes at least two of us.

 

[Scotty R]

That's a great run down of the two courses PB. Well done!
I especially like the comparison to Mr. Potato Head.

Griff made reference to the "How to Improvise Course" in the past saying he should have named it differently. Something along the lines of "How To Take Apart And Actually Use Blues Licks"

https://bluesguitarunleashed.com/forum/index.php?threads/the-alternate-name-for-this-course.25900/