A couple of weeks back I was talking about Road Maps and I asked for your feedback on what I call the “movies you see in your head” when you think about where you’d like to be on the guitar…
Well just shy of 500 comments later (wow!) I got a LOT of really interesting replies to my question. You clearly put a lot of thought into the questions so I’ve been putting a lot of thought into the answers 🙂
And while I can’t put all of the answers to all of the questions in one article… I do intend to spend the next few weeks working on articles and videos that will address all of the different road maps that might be needed.
The first one I’ll do goes a little something like this:
I’ve never been a lead player, but that’s my goal. Specifically, and this sounds kind of dumb, but I want to get to the point where I can walk into a situation (band warm ups on Sunday morning before church, band gigs during the holidays, or sitting in the local Guitar Center and trying out amps), and I sound like I know what I’m doing…not like I’m just playing the pentatonic scale. I know the scales, and I can hear the licks in my head, and I understand that they are all found in (and around) that scale…but somehow the notes don’t naturally make their way to my fingers. I want to learn to play what I “hear” in my head.
And I think the key is the “sound like I know what I’m doing” part.
But as with most things, that’s the end, not how to get there.
So let’s break the situation down into the parts that need to be addressed. In order to sound like you know what you’re doing the first thing we have to look at is the situation…
In this case, band warm ups on Sunday before church, band gigs or jam sessions, and sitting at the local GC trying out amps were all mentioned.
The big thing to notice is that 2 of those are band environments, and 1 is a solo environment. You’re not going to play with friends at the local GC so you’re on your own in that environment (you’re playing solo.)
So let’s handle the band environment first… here’s what you need to have down:
You have to know what the chords are (and this holds true for any situation…)
There are 2 options when it comes to knowing what the chords are – someone can tell you, or you can figure it out. Having someone tell you is much easier… whether that be verbally or on a chart. It’s also much more common.
No one… and I mean no one, can play over chords without knowing what they are and have a 100% success rate.
Sure, I can go in and the band can play some chords and I can make a guess… and it might work out just fine… but it might not (been there, done that.) And keep in mind that if the band is playing chord changes and I don’t already know what they are, I will know what they are after they play through them once because I’ll hear them… but at this point you probably won’t and that’s ok. We’ll handle that in another article or video but it requires some theory and experience and how you put the two together.
So if you don’t know the changes, find out what they are and don’t be embarrassed to ask because it’s unlikely most people would be able to know just by listening and guessing.
If it’s a blues and someone says, “it’s a blues in E.” Then you probably know what the chords in a 12 bar blues are. But again don’t be afraid to ask.
So you’ve got the chords, how do you know what scale to play?
This has as much to do with what scales you know as anything… it also has everything to do with the chords.
If it’s a blues, you can go simple with minor pentatonic/blues (they are effectively the same) scales. Find the root note on the 2nd string that matches the key you’re in and use the 4 Note Solo pattern or the House Pattern or any Pentatonic Box  you feel comfortable with.
It’s when it is not a blues that things become more challenging. Once you step away from the 12 bar form, you really can’t definitely choose a scale without analyzing the chord progression and that means learning some music theory.
There are a lot of myths about, “use the first chord as your key,” or “use the last chord as your key,” or “play the major scale that goes with the most common chord,” and you’ll always be right.
Baloney! Totally false and responsible for more jam session crash-and-burns than any other advice I’ve ever seen.
When you analyze a chord progression, you determine each chord’s function within the progression as a whole, and therefore you know what I is. Once you know what I is, you know what major scale you can play… and from there you can determine what other scales are likely good candidates.
If you stick to pentatonic scales, there is an option of following the chord and playing a different pentatonic scale to match each chord. So for a G chord you play G major pentatonic but for a Bminor chord you play B minor pentatonic and so on.
That too will always work and really can’t fail unless you get into more complex chords… and it doesn’t require any theory but it’s fairly challenging for some people.
Being able to analyze a chord progression is also half of the “be able to play the chord progression by ear” equation so there’ s a lot of value there.
But I want to bring it back to the blues a little bit (after all, it is Blues Guitar Unleashed…)
So you know the chords (and it’s a blues) and you know what scale to use (the minor pentatonic,) what are you actually going to play?
Well let me put it this way… let’s say you’re at a party for your best friend and someone asks you to say a few quick words about your friend to the guests at the party…
As you turn and face the guests, do you use words and phrases that you make up on the spot?
Of course not! They’d think you were out of your mind speaking gibberish.
So then why would you get up to take a guitar solo, where you’re going to speak through your instrument, and try to make up something brand new on the spot?
The common myth is that improvisation means you make it up right there on the spot when in fact nothing could be further from the truth.
Just like when you give a speech about your friend you use words and phrases that are comfortable and that you have used for years, your guitar playing should be natural and filled with things you can play easily… and plenty of licks or stock phrases that you’ve used time and time again.
And just like a child learns vocabulary through memorizing and repeating words and phrases, guitar players learn to solo by… learning solos!
But if there’s one thing I’ve learned it’s that there are 2 very different types of people when it comes to improvising, so you need to know which one you are.
Some are very comfortable with memorizing a handful of licks and then re-arranging them and twisting them and changing them around until the cows come home… these people however are the exception (and pretty lucky if you ask me.)
Most people I run across need more of a step-by-step approach to something that, let’s be honest, isn’t really a step-by-step process. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be done. You just have to remember that the rules you are given at this stage of the game are there to help you and keep you on the path… not to stifle you. Down the road when you’re more comfortable you can break those rules more and more.
So for most people, the best way to learn how to put solos together is to learn several of them and get a feel for how they go together. Starting with some fairly easy solos goes a long way because you can learn more of them in a shorter amount of time.
Now like I said, all of this assumes you are playing in a band context…
But the good news is, nothing really changes if you’re playing solo… except you have to do more.
Not only do you have to carry melody, but you have to carry rhythm as well. Acoustic players tend to have to do this more which is why I recommend my Acoustic Blues Guitar Unleashed course for it… but it’s also good for electric players as is the Little Wing Lesson if you’re into that style of playing.
You still have to have a chord progression in mind first, and you still have to know what it is and how it works. That doesn’t change. The only thing that changes is that you have to give some rhythmic elements to your playing as you go so it doesn’t sound random.
But if you keep in time while you play, and you keep chord progressions in mind, you should find that you don’t have to work that hard to keep it going even by yourself.
Either way you can see that a lot of it comes down to the knowing the chords you are playing over and being able to analyze what they are and how they function, (unless you’re doing the Little Wing style of playing where you follow the chords,) and having some vocabulary by learning some solos and stealing the licks and stock phrases.
63 replies to "How To Sound Like You Know What You’re Doing…"
Aside from beginner’s luck (of which I’ve had my fair share), the best way to “sound” like you know what you’re doing is to actually “know” what your’re doing. I played chords and sang campfire songs for years before Griff taught me what a chord was (i.e, 1st 3rd and 5th of a scale). Griff helped me to understand, musically, what I was trying to do. The same thing is now happening with solos, and I am loving life because of it. Once you “know” what you’re doing, having the confidence to get up on stage, or play anywhere in front of others is much more likely. Just comes down to practice, and experience. And, of course the best teacher on the planet! Thank you, Griff!
I had a lovely experience awhile back being invited out to a open acoustic jam on stage and good player’s and acoustic is not my fav. but been friends with this guy for over 30 years so brought my guitar and they hooked me up with this dude who would NOT tell me what key he was playing in for 2 songs and I’m sitting in front of of a crowd just bleeding inside….Finally I figured out he was D tuned and rather than trying to fix it I just solo’d in D off the 10th fret and complemented him and that’s all he played in….went pretty good from there….yet he would not tell me or he just didn’t know how to explain it??? embarassing moment that come out in the wash….Pheeeew!!!
Good advice. A guitar teacher did tell me about “Arps” (arpeggios) one time. They are very close to playing the pentatonic scale of the chord you suggested…also use that technique a lot to play bass (!).
Please unsubscribe me, your are over my head.
Thank You
I started guitar way too late(68) to ever think I could get good enough to perform at 74. My constant fear now is that my time on this planet is relatively short for me to reach a performing level. But I just gotta say I stay fascinated by guitar and music. I have learned much, my wonderful wife says I am getting better and I can hardly go one day without playing and practicing. It’s keeping my old brain alive and my fingers flexible. Also I have developed a cadre of new friends via the music scene in my northern Michigan home. Thx Griff for your knowledge. I just wish I had started 60 years ago.
Gerry
I started at age 68 and will be 78 in a month. I have been taking both vocal and guitar lessons and I love it. We have acombo of two acoustic guitars and a drummer. We play at several senior living places plus restaurants around town. Some pay us and some we get tips. We use our moneys to sponsor under privaleged kids to music lessons. I love it. Just wanted show that age is just a number. Good luck and keep on keeping on.
I started at 67. Two and a half years later and I’ve decided that I just want to get to be a competent rhythm player. I just have no “feel” for soloing, and when I watch the lessons on licks I just get lost and frustrated. So I’m focusing on chords and strumming.
Thx Ron, Mark and Paul for your supportive words. Yeah, I do get frustrated sometimes with lack of observable progress but I do understand it is a continuous journey and, luckily, I love my hands when on my guitars. I ain’t giving up. Gerry
GERRY. KIETH RICRADS IS OLDER THAN YOU AND HE STILL CAN PLAY LIKE HE DID WHEN HE WAS PLAYING IN THE70’S.
I NEVER GO INTO ANY GIG, WITH OUT FIRST LEARNING THE CHORDS. I HAVE BEEN SOLOING FOR 60 YEARS, NOW LIKE ERIC C, I HAVE NERVE PROBLEMS IN MY LEFT HAND. SO I CAN’T PAY A SOLO LIKE I USE TOO. THEN GRIFF IS THE MAN THAT CAN HELP YOU AND HE STILL HAS TRICKS UP HIS SEEVE TO HELP ME.
ERIC CLAPTON IS NOW RETIRED!
This is one of the best articles I’ve read yet regarding improvising. It makes complete sense and has cleared the fog from my brain on the matter. Many, many thanks Griff!
Nice article, Griff. The more you study theory, scales and modes, and various styles, the more developed your ear becomes. And those little nuggets find their way into your own style.
For awhile (25 years ago, or so) I was travelling for work, and would always look for a group of musicians to jam with. In Arkansas, I ran into a dream situation with a group of folks in the hills that were all really talented (an ideal of mine – the best are the unknowns). One of those people had toured with Minnie Ripperton just before she teamed with Clapton. Unfortunately, that was my last night in town, and I never played with them again.
The following year I was jamming with a group just outside Dallas. Small venue with about 10 players crammed into this little stage. I was playing an acoustic through a 10 watt little amp, set on a chair in the back. The guys started playing “Act Naturally,” and being an avid GH fan, I knew the fills and solo by heart. When I started playing it, people started looking around and noticed I could play the Harrison parts …. So over the following weeks, the band “leader” would call me for solos regularly. One night there was a very attractive lady who came up to sing (apparently she was performing in Dallas), and was a very gifted vocalist. They introduced Willie Nelson’s “Crazy,” and when the middle eight came around, I was called for a solo. This is not a simple arrangement, and I stunk. 25 years later, I wish I had that opportunity again, as all these years studying Jazz, Blues, and Classical (Bach is a favorite), my ear is far more developed, and I know I could have vamped that solo with feeling and context.
Bottom line: if you have a passion for the instrument, there is no substitute for playing – any time, any venue. (Of course, instinctive timing and a developed ear will get you home every time.)
Very cool thanks griff
Advice that is well worth keeping and remembering as I do your various courses. I feel like the solo construction course has been a breakthrough for me. I have the tools and the theory to put together some tried and true blues combinations that are satisfying and a couple notches up from my previous attempts. We are all fortunate to have a teacher with the good sense,clarity, and professionalism and musical maturity and range that you exhibit. Thanks Griff!
By no means do I think I’m an accomplished player. I have learned what makes me play better, I’ve tryed learning complete solos and just find it harder to fit them in. Learning bits and phrases knowing where they get them from and moving them around let’s me not think so much about they have to go here or there. It’s what I want to hear out of them. It may take a bit longer to really be come proficient at them. That’s the whole part pushing myself and best having fun to see what I can come up with. Learned a Ton of stuff from Griff and big improvements on my playing. For that I’m really thankfull
Thanks for the info. I just happen to be going threw the Guitar Theory course of yours last night seeing what modes go with the Improvising course as the Major minor patterns from your email and the 5 easy blues course are so helpful as knowing that anywhere you move it ..it works out the same and the knowlege of cords are so important as knowing where they are at anywhere you are on the guitar neck…like a A7 on the 10th fret to go from as you play the lick in the improvising course as I get up to speed…I have to have my 3rd. finger operated on because it is at a 5 degree tilt twards the middle finger from the nuckle…making power cords almost imposible…but anyway I can hear notes and my fingers move with the sound so I tend to GET INTO THE ZONE and just make upthings as I study the penatonic, modes, my thick cords book and my many courses and books so I kink of hear things and add things to the licks griff shows and go on..and on…INTO THE ZONE…THANKS SO MUCH GRIFF…..
Thanks Griff for the helpful information.
I am forever indebted to you for showing how to play good acoustic guitar using 7 classic ‘licks’. As you suggested they can be played in any order and sound great.
Thinking about Larry Pitts’ question and Ken’s answer ; it is a lot like you experience when tuning your guitar by ear. When the pitch of a string ( or other instrument such as horn or voice ) is heard along with one you are using as your standard of reference ; it either will or will not produce a “cross beat” BECAUSE one of them will or won’t divide exactly evenly into the other. For example you tune your A string to a standard of 440 cycles ( beats ) per second, in standard tuning. The next A above that one is exactly twice as many beats per second ; and hearing them both together is a pleasant sound. The A above that first A is at 880 beats per second ; and the A above it is twice 880, or 1760 beats per second. The next A below that first one is at 220 beats per second ; and the A below it is at 110 beats per second. Any or all TRUE A’s can be heard together and are pleasant ; because they are IN TUNE with each other. The same principle is true with chords ; which are groupings of notes that work in a very specific manner of harmony within THAT identity of chord. The more one note gets away from being IN TUNE with another note ; the more “cross beat” is produced. Two notes which may not sound very good together may become pleasant when combined with CERTAIN other ones ; because the obvious cross beat is changed into a less unpleasant combination overall. The more complex chords reach some sounds which are especially pleasant ; and obviously better than just a plain major chord. Think about the sounds of full nines, elevens, and flat thirteen chords. They ARE USED in blues ; not just in jazz or classical music. It’s a little like comparing the taste of a hamburger to the taste of a steak with a wonderful special sauce above that of A-1 such as au poivre. The high third in a scale works as well as the low third of that same chord ; and gives you a pleasant alternative when you hear that chord again in that song. This principle of harmony is true in ALL kinds of music, and in all combinations of instruments, including voice.
Thankyou as always Griff. I also memorised “Lazy” by deep purple. I also recommend “hideaway” and the early live version of “crossroads” both by Eric plus his not so lazy version of “Steppin Out” from The Bluesbreakers album.in fact most of that album is invaluable. the stumble” by the incomparable Peter Green. Regards from Australia.
Hi Gruff. I’ve purchased several of your courses over the past year or two. I’m 61 and used to make money playing bass and singing harmonies with a few bands back in my early science teaching days during the late 70s and throughout the 80s. Last gig was in 1988, just before my first child was born.
I also just love the sound of a good electric guitar, of which I have several. In reference to what you`ve said about learning actual solos, I have to say that the most progress I made when learning guitar in my teens was when I decided I desperately wanted to learn a couple of Deep Purple solos. One song that comes to mind is ‘Lazy’. At the time I had never heard of the minor pentatonic scale. But by the time I learned that song – riffs, chords and solo – I had unknowingly ingrained it into my mind and my fingers. And, of course, it sounded melodic. It wasn’t just scales. It was a series of melodic minor pentatonic licks, one after another. It wasn’t until years later that I found out that what I had learned by working for weeks on that solo was actually called the minor pentatonic scale. To this day I know that scale very well, even after some extended periods without picking up a guitar.
Surely, learning any scale (or style) is best done using this approach. Pick a song that you absolutely love and learn it note for note, no matter how long it takes. You won’t just learn that song. You will learn lots of melodic licks, how they fit the chord progression, and the scale/s employed in it will now be engrained, melodically, under your fingers and in your mind. So when you want to bone up on that scale later on, practice that song again and you will realise how well you know the underlying scales.
One more thing I believe we all need to understand is this. I’m sure Eric Clapton can play BB King licks, and BB King could play a lot of Eric’s, but neither of them could ever hope to sound exactly like the other. So why should we mere mortals get bogged down trying to sound exactly like some of our idols. Surely, our only option is to learn some of their songs and make them sound as good as we can to us.
Gruff, I love your work and the relentless dedication you demonstrate to you students.
Griff, I am really digging the direction of this post! I’m pretty much a beginner but I’ve been trying to learn to play since I was a kid. 50 years later… still struggling. Yes, I’m slow, oh well. I absolutely love the sound of an electric guitar so I’m still trying. One problem is I haven’t ever figured out a path through the mass of information available. I’ve bought several of your courses and take lessons locally. I’ve finally broken the thing down into four parts: left hand, right hand, fretboard and theory. Once I started looking at it this way I found that your courses focus (more or less) on one or another and so I’m making my own sort of “syllabus” incorporating the pieces I’m finding and trying to put them into some sort of reasonable (to me) order. Thank you for all the information you are putting out. Without it I might have finally given up. Instead I’m finally making progress!
True that, you can know every note to every scale possibly imaginable and not play a darn thing. Good advice, learn the songs, learn the chords and leads.
excellent advice Griff! Thanks, so much!
Talking about “Road Maps”.
INTERNET………. Is the new CROSSROADS and bluesguitarunleased.com is where it’s at for aspiring blues guitar players.
btw, there ain’t no crossroads in England, only mini roundabouts.
GREAT STUFF, Griff, thanks so much !!
During the weekend of the International Blues Challenge in Memphis, we took a tour of the Delta Blues area going down Hwy 61 to Clarksdale MS to the infamous CROSSROADS and the Ground Zero juke joint, then down Hwy 49 to Greenwood MS to see Robert Johnson’s grave. Talk about the BLUES, you can feel it in the air !!! Don’t ever miss this opportunity to experience this because it’ll be a terrific inspiration.
Great and thoughtful post,Griff.
This is a great conversation Griff. In the early 70’s I went from playing/studying classical guitar, to playing bass in a 3 piece garage band. The guitarist did not read music, the drummer could keep a beat! They also knew the 12 bar blues, 1-4-5. We had two great female vocalists. 99% of our songs were written by either the guitarist or the band. Bottom line, I was never afraid to add my own touch after we got the meat and potatoes of the song down. I never learned to read bass clef but in our case there was no need because Joe, our guitarist played by the rules, some of which were of our own design. We also were good at on stage communication with he nobs and gestures that let the rest of the band know when to come back in or out. It was a language of our own and I wish everyone could have this “package” of experiences and I get a feeling that is what most of us want. With in 60 months of “getting it together” we won the 1971 Evergreen State Fair Battle of the Bands in Monroe Washington. One of the proudest and exciting days of my 19 yo life. We bandmates, 5 of us, were the best of friends. I am painfully shy about playing for others unless I playing with others, I play for myself and the love of my life, I subscribe to BGU. The digital downloads are so affordable, especially when on sale. I encourage anyone who can scrape up the funds to do so as well and you will be on your way to a lot of personal enjoyment…
Great story Johnnie, I think you did a great job of communicating the feeling for us, who have not played music in a band, imagine it is like.
Thank you for the lesson
Even just “sounding like you know what you’re doing” can mean quite a number of things to different people.
To me, sounding like I know what I’m doing means telling a story. It’s not about how many licks I can cram into 12 bars or how fast I can play, but how to convey a feeling or emotion.
With respect to soloing, I like your analogy about being asked to speak on the spur of the moment.
It’s not how big your vocabulary may be, but how you choose your words and phrases that will make you an effective speaker. I believe the same thing applies to guitar soloing.
I’ve heard professional players onstage whose solos sound so simple, yet so eloquent. To me, they sound like they know what they are doing.
Thanks for the wise words Griff
Alot of advice that is good . Deffinatly borrow an take stock phrases and play around with them . I am doing well with that approach . Sorry I do not use or borrow anything entirely that You present . I can say that I am one of thoes SEMI gifted players . I stumble now and then, but, just go back and do some simple two three single notes . triplets are good to use also that may help some out there . To be able to hear that it is not all single notes, repeat, sustain a note also . That may help also to break out of the single notes that Your playing from the scale Your using .Dont just go up and down the scale . This I have learned . Too many notes is just BORING.Something that I learned here recently is that the approach is minor to major to minor to a 7th flatted maybe even a flatted diminished cord . Seems to sound pretty good . the final cord or note kinda ties it all together then do it again. I dont know whata You think? I like the g7 cords that were posted . I get how much thought has to go into all the things You present .I do know that teaching guitar does make the teacher smarter . It does matter how open the student is also. They have to focus and that sometimes makes it difficult . Oh hey that recent video on doing a slow blues solo is OUTSTANDING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coming from a strictly rhythm background, bass,guitar, drums, I never really paid attention to lead player. I now am learning to play lead much to my surprise much harder than I ever guessed. You have helped enormously.
I don’t know where I read it,it might be from Griff.learning chords, learning solos is like crossing a creek without getting your feet wet( bad notes,bad chords)you have to know where the stepping stones are to get across(frets)….one step at a time no matter how slow don’t give up you will get there. I’m living proof it works!! P.s..Griff do you instruct golf?
This was a great well thought out blog. I really enjoyed the whole 2 hours I spent hitting all the hidden links. I am currently going through the BLUES Guitar Unleashed course, and this really helps.
Thanks again Griff for all your insight.
I am getting better slowly, but of course hit the famous ” plateaus” every once in a while. My biggest challenge right now is switching from Major to Minor when I am soloing. I find it hard to keep time 1-2-3-4 etc, when I am soloing and at the same time trying to hear the chord changes Like from I to IV or IV to V and back to I. But I’ll keep plugging along and try to ” keep my eye on the prize” as they say.
Charles
I have learned that I don’t know much. how to learn?
Well, Griff, I’m one of those people who has a good collection of licks and who is adding to that collection weekly, and who has no problem putting them together in different combinations and coming up with a passable solo nearly every time … so long as it’s blues. It actually surprises me to hear you say that most people aren’t like that. I don’t know if what I’m about to say next will help most people or just confuse them, but my hope is that it will help them. I haven’t memorized a single solo start to finish yet! That’s because I don’t view a solo as a solo, but as a collection of LICKS that MAKE UP that solo. I will start out “learning one of the course solos”, but the very first lick I run into that’s a new lick for me, I STOP focusing on learning THAT solo and shift to INTEGRATING THAT NEW LICK INTO ALL THE OTHER LICKS I ALREADY KNOW. Trying that new lick along with every other lick that I know, in all sorts of different combinations, until that new lick is a firm part of my “lick vocabulary”. THEN I will go back to that course solo and learn the NEXT lick … and do the same thing with it. So … by the time I have gotten all the way through that course solo, I’ve probably played 100 or so other solos or “mini solos”, all “improvised” from all the licks that I know.
Jim, I understand that! That’s what I do with the rhythm lessons. I start working on a lesson and begin to hear songs that I know and start modifying and improvising immediately. I try everything I can think of. After I wear a new idea out I go back and continue the lessons. Now, if I can only remember what I’ve done from day to day. Like I said in an earlier comment, I can recover what I did yesterday or before but often I have to noodle around some before I get there. I often can’t just do it cold. I’ve started trying to make notes that I can use to not lose my new stuff like I’ve been doing. Sort of like making my own lessons. Thanks!
Jim Kubitza and Steve Biondi, you both sound just like me…I bet there’s million’s of us like that…
good luck…
Makes sense to me! Not just playing scales up and down endlessly.
The comment you used above as an example couldn’t have said it an better. Another very good, informative article. I read all that you send my way, and learn a little something every time.
Im 45 years old with little training. Im trying to get a grasp on scales and modes and understand what goes with what. Youve been very helpful but a lot of what I’m reading elsewhere I just cant comprehend or retain most of it. Hopefully I’ll improve. I just wanted to thank you for explaining everything so well. Thanks
Thanks Griff you mentioned two things that jumped out at me analyzing the cords something the great Joe Satriani says alot and the other thing is analyzing solos I find myself doing that alot when listening to other artists thinking about how they are doing what they are doing and the whole counting thing has really hit home great words of wisdom !!!
Some good advice but getting from point A to point B is not always a straight line. I find however if I just keep plugging away I eventually get there.
a lot of reading to comprehend. as a professional muscian for 4+ years. i have written and recorded my own music. i was always a rythum guitar player, but in the late 80’s i started to do lead guitar as a second lead. i usally try and make my solos sound like the tune. back then , i never knew about all the scales. just stuff i picked up from Niel Young, or Steven Stills. (friends)!so alot of my influnce was from those guys and also Eric Clapton. we knew one onother , but never jammed. had the chance, but blew it off. dumb kid I was, LOL! thanks for your insite. it truelly means a lot to me.
Really helpful, once again. I am attempting to teach myself and it’s not easy.I have good days and bad days and easily loose direction. Pitty it’s so far from the UK to LA although we will be passing through Santa Monica at the end of May. Thanks again.
Griff,
Thanks for all you do. Your the one I go to.
I have another question I would like you to address in the future.
If you are in whatever, Lets say E, One guitar can play HIGH 3RD and the other can play the LOW 3RD, could you explain this to me.
Thanks,
Larry Pitts
Larry, If I understand your question correctly you want to know why on can play high and one can play low. Same note. They are still the same notes. they just add diversity and dynamics to what you are playing. Its like picking the low e and high e at the same time. the frequency is the same. the pitch is different. I hope I explained that the right way.
Thanks for reminding me of the (many) steps between a walk and a sprint. Hopefully keeping your comments in mind will cut down on my frustration.
My comment is really a request for a new course. I would like to see a course on “Using Stock Licks and Phrases” much like your 52 Rhythm Fills and Variations, which is great, but the way. 5 Easy Solos is good, but I can’t easily break them down to use in other ways.
Don’t spend anytime on teaching the 5 patterns or other basic stuff. You have other courses for that. Just teach the licks and phrases along with where to use them.
This is what would help me the most in sounding like I know what I am doing.
“guitar players learn to solo by………learning solos.” That’s what jumped out at me in your blog. I have a private instructor that has the same philosophy, so that’s probably why it hit home so much. Great advice as usual.
Thanks for the good words Griff! Like you I learned songs from the record as a teenager so I’m lucky in that if I have to follow a song I know, the counting and rhythm were all part of the memorization process. For me “borrowing” something has always been a big help.
Hey Griff,
This is really really good to know and it is now much easier to see how all your lessons help us to get to where we want to get and sound good. I will be going through this lesson many times. So it is like Going Back to the Future in other words Back Track on what I need to know before I can go forward where I want to be playing Blues Guitar. Since joining BGU I have been purchasing your lessons Ad Hoc of what I would like to learn but NOW you are providing us all with a General Road Map we can now see what BGU Lessons we need that fit with what our Goals are… To one day take a trip to California and do a Jam with our great teacher Griff Hamlin so that he will be proud of what we can do…That is a rewarding goal.
Michael St Andrews NSW Australia
nice approach Griff…simple and to the point…later.
cowboy
Thank you Griff for all the thought you put into teaching us. I find when I play a solo, if I get the key right or if I follow the chords I “almost” know what I’m doing. I’m in the right pool of notes and what I play sounds in key but it’s not inspiring or interesting. If I play something that sounds good it’s usually something I’ve played before and I’ve “stumbled” on it partially by accident. I have to think a lot about being creative on the fly without really knowing where I’m going before hand. All this thinking on the fly makes me slow to create good riffs. When I create a good riff it’s already time to move on and then the “fishing” process starts all over again until the part where the good riff fits comes back again. This is fine for practice but not for playing. I think that I’ve not yet mastered some foundational material that is key and this causes the need for so much thinking at crunch time. That’s why I like your methodical approach. A friend wanted to hear my progress asked me to play for him. I have been in 52 Rhythm Fills and Variations for a while and have been enjoying my practice time almost every day with lots of discovery and creativity. But I discovered that when I actually tried to “play something” it becomes a fishing trip once again. Maybe fine for practice but terrible for playing. Now I’m practicing with focus on pulling the trial and error of practicing (which I enjoy so much) into full segments of finished product like a full 12 bars in a particular style. I have problems remembering all the cool stuff I discover in my practicing and applying it to the playing situation. If I noodle around for a while (often a long while) it comes back to me but it’s not something I can do on demand at will. I’m trying to develop practice habits that will cement the things I learn into place so that I don’t lose them and have to look for them every time I play. Time to play is not time to go searching again. It’s time to use what I’ve discovered effectively. I like your video about how to use jam tracks. It’s so simple but I think that approach will be helpful. Maybe it will open a door for me. Then I can move on to solving other problems!
Hi Griff, really enjoy your comments as they come from years of knowledge building and skill development, which you so kindly pass on to us,, and I’m so pleased that the giving is going so well and trust that your drummer gets his preference Ok. It shows how much we all appreciate what you give us.
Look forward to further directioning!
Blessings from the UK. David
Thanks Griff, I’m going to have to print this out and read and re-read it a few times and them drag out BGU and the Music Theory course and study more, with “feeling” this time :-).
Ya Griff, this is the stuff I need to figure out! Knowing what’s going on in a song, Everyone could use these skills! Play songs & through a solo in there. That’s the road I want to be on,
Thanks Griff
Griff, thanks for explaining how to ” sound like you know what you are doing ” . I do have the Acoustic blues guitar course I bought from you , and it is helping a lot. I have been going back to the beginning and playing over a few times , but have not finished the course . I have played with a friend who is an accomplished guitar player , and he asks me to solo . It was like you said at first , but I am starting to get a feel now. Thanks for all your great advice . Mike Z.
Thank you Griff… you really are “the man”
P.S. glad to hear the guitars (yours) and the horns (Laura’s) were “safely” inside when things got stolen (!) and glad to know about all the support you got and the positivity of it all… ALL THE BEST and THANK YOU SO MUCH for all those guitar lessons…
Great stuff, really organizes and simplifies the process rather than overcomplicating it.
I played in a couple bands and that’s right on.Gotta know the rhythm to lay down a lead. I really enjoy your blogs.
Good advice