This is what I'm submitting for Griff's BGULabs Challenge

OG_Blues

OG_Blues

Guitar Geezer
Marv's suggestion is good. But....like Marv says "relatively safely"
While using a carefully chosen complete solo as your emergency fall back will often work, you can't just use any old solo you know. Some solos can't be just pushed into the chord sequence at any starting position without having a problem later in the sequence if you don't "find yourself" and get back on track. This can be especially true when the V chord rolls around.
This concept can actually be even further simplified to learning a single emergency fall back lick.
One lick is easier to remember, and is easier to transpose and remember in different keys. In addition, if you apply the Murnahan "Torn Down" technique to the lick, you can continue playing the same lick as long as you need to without sounding like a broken record until you find your way back to something else you actually wanted play.
I demonstrated this a year or so ago in another thread where I took a single lick, constructed specifically for this purpose, and played it over and over again on a slow blues backing track. I purposely played the same lick with only very minor variations in the notes or the rhythm over the entire track to prove to myself that it didn't create any significant dissonances against any of the chords.
If anyone is interested in this idea, I will try to find it and post it again.
Tom

Here is the link I found:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/33864104/Lick_Anywhere_and_Everywhere_TEST.mp3
Note that I am not suggesting anyone play the same lick repeatedly for this long - it's just a demonstration that it would work anywhere.
 
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HotLks

HotLks

Blues - it's in me and it's got to come out.
Great idea OG_Blues! Chuck Berry had some classic trademark licks that can be played through a whole 12 bars without sounding out of place.

See you down the road! :thumbup:
 
OG_Blues

OG_Blues

Guitar Geezer
Here is the actual lick written out in a GP6 pdf - timing is not critical, subject to great variation, suited to personal taste. Many variations of the "internal" parts of this lick can be used.
It might be worth talking about why this works as it does. It covers 2 measures, and I think it's significant that it starts and ends on the D, or the fifth degree of the scale (in G). The D is a chord tone in the tonic G chord. It's the 9th of the IV chord C, and it's the root of the V chord D, so it sounds fine over any of these chords. Since the first and/or last note of a lick often gives the lick its "flavor" to the listener, this is good for any chord in the key of G. Also, the lick has fairly continuous motion, never lingering long an any single tone, so almost everything else can work as a passing tone over any chord. The F note at the end of measure 1, and also in measure 2 kind of stands out in the lick - it is the seventh of the G chord, and the #9th of the D chord, commonly used in the blues. Although not close related to the C chord, the F still sounds ok against it, providing some tension that is soon released.
I think that this is somewhat of a formula that could be used for creating other emergency backup licks.
Sorry if this is kind of hi-jacking this thread off of the original topic, but since the idea came up, I thought I'd throw this out there.
Maybe someone will find the idea useful.
Tom
Forgot to note - the second iteration of the lick in the pdf uses a different but common blues ending that resolves to the G root - this ending can come in handy when you realize as you are playing it that that's a better place to wind up.
BTW, if anyone wants the actual GP6 gpx file, just ask and I'll send it to you.
 

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Marv

Marv

I play 'err' guitar.
OG_Blues said:
Marv's suggestion is good. But....like Marv says "relatively safely"
While using a carefully chosen complete solo as your emergency fall back will often work, you can't just use any old solo you know. Some solos can't be just pushed into the chord sequence at any starting position without having a problem later in the sequence if you don't "find yourself" and get back on track. This can be especially true when the V chord rolls around.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify, I meant to say, if I didn't, that you pick up your emergency solo at the right spot in that solo. You do need to know it well enough to jump into it at any of the chord changes.
 
Thatman

Thatman

Playin' for the fun of it.
A real good mix of licks and well played so it's good to see that this mixing exercise produces such good results. I appreciate the additional effort you've put in with pulling a video together.(y)
 
MikeS

MikeS

Student Of The Blues
Staff member
Thatman said:
A real good mix of licks and well played so it's good to see that this mixing exercise produces such good results. I appreciate the additional effort you've put in with pulling a video together.(y)
Click to expand...

The video was pretty easy. I didn't really "pull" anything together. Pointed the camera at myself & pressed record.
 
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