That's the way

Mr.Scary

A Blues Legend in My Own Mind
So I'm going over "How to Improvise" course for the second time and things click a little bit better this time around plus I'm "trying" to count. So let me get something straight. The 5 licks he has in the course HAVE TO sound EXACTLY the way you hear Griff play them no matter where you place the lick UNLESS you alter one or all the counts. Is this correct ?
Also if I take one of those licks and place in one of Griffs 50 jam tracks mp3's then I am still playing it the way it sounded in the course right?
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
The emphasis is on how the lick fits.

If you start and end on the same beats over the same chord(s) in the same key as in the course it will "sound" the same within any jam track.

You make modifications when a lick is too long or if it doesn't leave space before the next lick or has notes that "conflict" with other chords.
 

Mr.Scary

A Blues Legend in My Own Mind
The emphasis is on how the lick fits.

If you start and end on the same beats over the same chord(s) in the same key as in the course it will "sound" the same within any jam track.

You make modifications when a lick is too long or if it doesn't leave space before the next lick or has notes that "conflict" with other chords.
I realize all you said . I'm just saying without any mods it has to sound as is.
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
I realize all you said .

Then I'm not sure what you mean by “has to sound as is”.

If there's no modifications it is "as is".

(Shades of President Clinton.)

By definition "without modification" means played "as is".

It will "sound" differently harmonically over different chords and rhythmically if it's used as a pick-up.
 
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Paleo

Student Of The Blues
Griff starts with a lick, then analyzes the 4 qualities of the lick.

Where it starts and ends, what chord(s) it's over and what scale the notes come from.

Then transposes to the desired key.

Then determines if it would work "as is" over all 3 chords or each chord change.

If not, modifications are in order.

This is going to become very circular.

If no modifications are needed or used, it can be played as is.

If it can't be played as is, modifications are needed.

If modifications are needed, it's not played "as is".

If it can't be played as is, modifications are needed.

But if it can be played as is, no modifications are needed ............


You either modify one of the qualities or you don't. :confused:
 
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Silicon Valley Tom

It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
So I'm going over "How to Improvise" course for the second time and things click a little bit better this time around plus I'm "trying" to count. So let me get something straight. The 5 licks he has in the course HAVE TO sound EXACTLY the way you hear Griff play them no matter where you place the lick UNLESS you alter one or all the counts. Is this correct ?
Also if I take one of those licks and place in one of Griffs 50 jam tracks mp3's then I am still playing it the way it sounded in the course right?

Remember: The third time's a charm! ;):cool::Beer:

Tom
 

Mr.Scary

A Blues Legend in My Own Mind
Sorry but it was a simple question . It is played exactly the same way no matter where you put it . With no backing track it sounds exactly the same just a different "COUNT IN" depending where you put.
 

Miles

Blues Newbie
That's right. With no backing track it will sound the same - except for the count you are using for the lick. When you play 'the same lick' at a different time of the bar (i.e. start it on a different count) the lick will be played in the same way. However, due to the timing and possibly a chord change in the backing track the lick will have a different feel to it.

Like Tom said - let your ear be the guide.

Like Justin Sandercoe says: "If it sounds good, it is good".
 

Paleo

Student Of The Blues
Just in case the horse isn't dead yet .....

The first quality of a lick is the count it starts on.

Griff introduces 5 Shuffle licks and 5 Slow blues licks.

For each group he creates a baseline solo and then rotates each of the 5 licks through each of 5 positions.

At no time in any example does he change the first quality of any lick, i.e. the count it starts on.

So if you want to sound like Griff, you will always start each lick on it’s same designated count, no matter which measure you start it in.


In the second to last section, "Adjusting Licks In Time To Create New Licks", he does take 2 of the Shuffle licks and one Slow Blues lick and demonstrate starting them on different counts from the original lick.

Quote: "In fact, you might be amazed at how incredibly different a lick can sound, admittedly for better or for worse, if you changed it's starting time within the measure." End Quote

Throughout the rest of the section he talks about how the new licks sound starting from different counts.

At no time does he change any notes.
 
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