Weekly update March 1, 2020

Good luck on Albert King licks AND keeping your major-minor pentatonic stuff alive, Jack. After back from vacation last week, didn't pick up the guitar all week (but did make it to the gym 4 out of 5 weekdays). Gotta work on that dichotomy!

I spent the last few days trying to create my own solo for the Jazz standard "All of Me". I also tabbed it out so I wouldn't forget it. I'm talking about a regular solo and not a solo guitar arrangement. I've put off soloing for a long time and now I feel ready for it. The first few bars were easy and then it got increasingly more difficult to come up with something somewhat interesting.

My firm opinion is that if you can't sit down compose a solo you're relatively happy with then there is no way you'll be able to improvise a solo. It's been said that improvising is composing slowly and improvising is composing on the spot.

Here are the steps I took:
1. Since Jazz soloing is all about playing the chord changes the 1st thing I did was to play the basic triads of each chord then the 4 note arpeggios of each chord with a backing track playing. I've stayed with this for about a week to really get familiar with the patterns.

2. Start approaching each chord tone from a fret below and noodling around with the order of the notes.

3. Now it's down to business. Worked on 2 measures at a time. (This song mostly has the same chord for 2 measures.) I used a combination of melodies floating around in my head, some licks I already knew, and anything I stumbled upon by noodling around in a particular pattern.

The end result was a solo that I'm pretty happy with. Much better than anything I attempted in the past. I will definitely make a video of this once I can play it at my target tempo. Of course, after a few days pass and the novelty wears off, I might decide that it sounds like amateurish crap.

Jack: I agree 100% that you need to include some memorized licks. I know exactly what you mean by "my typical sing-songy phrasing". One thing you could also try is to come up with a lick in your head and then try to find it on the finger board. This will most likely be something you've heard before and is already floating around in your head. It won't end up being anybody's exact lick. It'll be your lick, but it will still be a lick that you can use where you need it.

One more thing: step 2 above can also be applied to the pentatonic boxes. Give it a try.

"Tune Up".

My guitar life is much less exciting than everyone else's. Picked up the tempo on Electric Gypsy intro this morning, and still chugging along on the project with my SIL. Added a couple technique exercises to the regimen. They're really supposed to be warmup drills, but for me they are hard enough to be technical exercises.

It's just hard for me to wrap my mind around the concept of memorized licks.  Since I first picked up a guitar I always assumed that guitar solos were made up on the spot - just like you create sentences on the fly when you speak, you create phrases on the fly when you play.  It only took me a third of a century to realize that my idols were using quite a few stock phrases in their playing.  How does a person fit those in?  When I play I hear the chord tones and I hear my notes against them, it's like a wave rolls onto the shore (creating tension), then rolls back out (resolution).  Memorized licks are like a damned metal box on the shore;  it just doesn't fit    It doesn't start where I was, it ends in completely the wrong place, it destroys my flow.  I guess you have to do a bit of planning as far as "memorized lick coming up", and somehow alter the rhythm figure so it will fit in somehow, and then (perhaps though practice?) anticipate where it ends so you'll be prepared to continue on from there.  

A lot to ask from a lazy little worn out brain like mine 

The "memorized lick" has to become part of your DNA so you can use it where and when you need it. Take 1 lick and only 1, and work on using it. Once it's memorized you'll be able to alter it as you see fit. You don't have to use licks, but they show you how notes can be put together to make interesting musical statements. Use the basic idea to create your own licks.

I think it's a myth that improvising is always creating new stuff on the fly. The bulk of it is repackaging familiar phrases in different ways. I'll bet you are already doing this when you improvise and don't even realize it.

You might be over-thinking this whole lick thing.

That's a great way to put it. 

Mick, trying to get back to the Stetina books sounds like a really good idea.  I've only got the Total Rock Guitar book, don't have his rhythm or lead books.  I think I'd got as far as lesson 11 or 12 in Total Rock Guitar, but most of those I never could play well enough to record them.  Are you going to post vids of recordings?  Maybe if I hear some of the lead stuff, it'll make me have to buy yet another guitar book!  I have been on a bit much of a muscle building kick (actually, more of a weight losing rather than weight lifting intent).  I have succeeded in losing almost 10 pounds, and my blood pressure has come back down nicely.  I'm trying to get motivated to get back to some guitar playing, as well.  

I cant help comment on the digital media, but wanted to welcome you to the site.   You sound like you fit in with our crew.  

I have trouble with the funk lessons as well, as a matter of fact I just had lesson with my instructor covering funk.  The problem with funk is timing isn't exact there is like a note that starts a little late but not a full half beat either.