Today’s video is not necessarily a lesson, but it’s no less important…
In fact, in many ways it’s more important, because it can give you direction and purpose – two things often lacking where music is concerned.
A student asked me on the forum about “what to be thinking about when improvising,” and at first I tried a written answer, but this is just too deep of an answer to just write, so I made a video.
I hope you’ll grab some coffee, tea, or whatever, and watch it, and think about it for yourself.
31 replies to "Lots Of Approaches…"
This was for me a very informative and interesting discussion. Lately through a new BGU lesson I purchased I’ve been learning a ton. In particular, chord shape variations that I wasn’t aware of. For me this has been very exciting.
I will finish by asking this; how do I get notifications when you will be “live” as I don’t currently get any. Thank you
Oh’oooo I forgot,I liked your logo intro to you playing.. bye’eeee
Riff..Improvising ..the baby’s language, the science of answer and reply, I really like this video, you played well but explained better, this is one of those videos you have to watch over and over again, so you can learn the language of.. Don’t say it.. improvisation.. did I pronounce that right, ha..
I very much enjoy your lessons. I have a question that is when you changed pentatonic scales . (Like from C to D to G) what position do you use. Do you use the first position for all of them. Please explain. Thank you.
great lesson thanks
Absolutely great lesson! Thank you for reinforcing my approach to improv. I always start a solo as simple as possible with a very few notes and once I “feel” it, I start to add more.
Thank you.
Dick Spindler
Hey Griff,
Been enjoying your lessons for a number of years now and, if I say so myself, progressed A LOT thanks to you.
Once again a great discussion and for me it’s simple … feel the music and apply what you have learned and feel yourself. Playing like that for somebody, in a band or just to friends, they will feel that too and appreciate it.
For me music is an ongoing feeling and teaching.
All the best and will be following you for many years to come.
Walter
Thank you Griff for some great insight.
Do you have a lesson on the backing track used in the beginning of the video?
I love that!
Hey Griff, As usual you have great ways of showing how it is done, when you gave the last bit in Am I was just looking at the the Am blues Tab sheet for each of the Boxes and it looks really cool. As you said you improvise when you come across a sound that you like and work on it a bit more, the only problem I have is trying to remember How I got to that sound a few days later.
Often when learning a particular song in 12 Bar blues even with a Capo, mucking about the song I often come across a much better sound for the solo so if the song does not have a song melody, I muck around with my version.
All good Griff and I just like very much how you teach..That’s why I still follow all your lessons since 2013.
Stay safe,
Michael-Sydney-Australia Aug 6th , 2020
That was a very important vid Griff and I haven’t seen any other online teachers put it in such a way. Lightbulbs would have gone on in a lot of heads today. There is only one thing extra that I wish you had done – at 28:30 when you gave the demo of just using Am over the 12-bar Am blues I wish you had shown what could be done with all five positions of Am. That would have got lots of peoples’ attentions as to what is possible with something so basically simple.
Thanks Griff, that really clears a lot of things that goes through my mind when I hear melodies and chord progressions. I think I don’t know much but after listening to you and going through your courses I started going hey I know how to do that, or yeah, I remember that from a prior lesson I was studying. Thanks again for the “woo woo” talk.
Alexander
Did anyone mention melody ? Most great songs have one and is repeated .Yes I had teachers I did not click with and there are some out there I just do not like . So I have been hanging out here since about 2005 . I tend to follow the all time greats . We recently lost Peter Green and had just started to listen to one particular tune . A all acoustic piece with the splinter band . Peter throws in a ending that is just so great I cannot get the tune outta my head . I cant seem to spell it out right Albatross which I had to find it again to write it correct. C ya .
Great
Watching the greats, it’s easily seen that their apparent spontaneity is actually well-rehearsed. Their genius is being able to ‘cut and paste’ or ‘mix and match’ the components. The long outro at the end of The Carpenters’ ‘Goodbye to Love’ seems to be jamming over a chord series repetition – but attempting to copy it in its entirety demonstrates that it has to be learned in pieces and reassembled as you play.
Loved it Griff! I started playing in a church band 5-6 years ago and got away from your stuff and blues playing in general, because it didn’t really fit with what we were playing. Now I’m trying to learn how to play over the chords and find myself coming back to you and am so glad you’re putting out stuff like this. I guess that old phrase is true.
“When the student is ready the teacher will appear.” 🙂
Griff:
Sting should have listened to you years ago.
” A doo doo doo a da da da…that’s all I have to say to you ”
The Police got a TON of positive reinforcement for that song…but they didn’t do a follow up. Did they stop to think why that song was such a hit ? A great opportunity missed to write another one.
Thank you,that short talk was more informative than many I have listened to by other teachers in my 81 years,I am still learning 🙂
Thanks Griff. Great reminder of some things I had forgotten.
Great session,explained a lot,Cheers from Townsville Australia
Happy day! I love it when at 0.45, Griff goes for the pickup switch on the Les Paul (up in the upper bout of the body), but there’s nothing there because he’s playing the 335 and has to “switch” to the switch down near the Volume/Tone pots. That’s improvising, and you could not have scripted it more perfectly !!
Chris G here in Oz, where it’s Australia Day – the whole country is having a big party!
Thank you!
Thank you.
Very enlightening Griff! Thank you!
1/25/19
Griff do u have any courses on country guitar?
Griff, excellent presentation! After hearing other guitar players talk about phrasing, you finally opened the door for me to understand it! Just the quick demo you did playing just the scale and then improvising using the same scale gave me clairity!
Thanks big time
Dave
I teach my students to expect to lose 20 IQ points on stage, so start very simple until you can feel notes flow. My favorite moments are when I play a lick in the moment that I have never heard or learned.
More like 40 in my experience. LOL
Griff- such a great “lesson”! filled with good advice about the approach to improvising, and filled with cool, real-time examples and applications of what you are discussing. Love that the answer to most questions is yes. Thanks for a wonderful “rap” session.
Griff your course is solid however my opinion is you should urge students to spend more time copying the solos of the masters and change the way you present scales
The scales only represent a basic framework of where blues ideas are contained and in and of themselves do not communicate what blues phrasing,touch,timing,and vibrato do—
It’s ONLY in the music of the masters that the blues language can be learned!
Furthermore,learning solos off records trains the ear and ingrains the music in a deeper and more lasting fashion
The blues greats,for the most part,never practiced scales and don’t mention them in interviews
Scales are great to build technique and learn the neck but there isn’t any actual musical expression within them
We agree wholeheartedly! I know it may not be as obvious from this video, but learning complete solos is one of my 3 “pillars” of soloing and certainly no less important than approaches or individual licks and phrases.
Watched this on FB LIVE yesterday liked it and as u mentioned in this I think u have a great way of teaching