We All Practice Improvising WRONG

[@grahamcoxon]

I always go to Elliot Easton’s solo from the Cars “just what I needed” as a perfect short pop solo… it’s not difficult but has great beginning, middle and end.. and is pretty melodic..

[@timcat8382]

Oh yes! Amazing tight, crisp phrasing and tone. Elliot Easton is one of my favorites. Check out the solo on My Best Frirend's Girl.

[@jeremyversusjazz]

Exhibit A: Jay Graydon’s solo on Peg.

[@JohnMcGFrance]

Steve Lukather’s solo in Rosanna is my favourite short solo. I think the good point of longer backing tracks is that you can find an idea that works after a few failed lines. You’ve then got time to elaborate and develop on it.

[@marco.savini.128]

i had to study Carlos Rios' solo on Brother to Brother recently, and it kicked my ass, very underrated guitarist, quick and not overtly technical solo as well

[@lawbossproductions1331]

70's Rock Solos: Hotel California: 2 minute and 12 seconds, Stairway to Heaven 0.50, Reelin' in the years intro 0.32, solo 0.23, Freebird 4.15, Highway Star 1.20. An era when the electric guitar solo ruled the airwaves.

[@KozmykJ]

Man Band - 22 minute jam solos ftw Thems were the days ... 🧙‍♂

[@KozmykJ]

Short form for 'pop' singles. Real rock, as long as you have the ideas to keep them going.

[@jmaripen]

Richie Kotzen's outro jams in his solo albums are some of the best "short form" improvs ive heard ever recorded. 👌

[@intenzityd3181]

My approach is very different in that I work on technique as part of improvisation training, with the understanding that as much of the difficulty in improvising is execution as creativity itself. Many guitarists really lack the technique to play what they want to play, and as a result their "improvisation" is chaining together cliches and licks that they have practiced. Guitarists like to have certain comfort zones, certain notes per string, certain shapes, certain amount of picking vs legato etc, and this comfort zone inhibits true expression on the instrument. Guitarists tend to underemphasise the importance of technique anyway and this is especially true when it comes to improv. Also, I don't really listen to "guitar music" but rather organ and sax music, for a similar reason. Different instruments have different "comfort zones" and this trains the brain to hear patterns that you would not normally hear a guitarist improvise.

[@beepoz]

Good point. If we refer to the analogy linking music to language, it’s like saying learn to speak in a concise and impactful way instead of waffling for 8 minutes. Speaking of language, your video reminded me of the excellent solo Matteo Mancuso did on his sister’s song Past Language. Concise and impactful.

[@erickuehnl]

I believe Branford Marsalis said that playing with Sting was quite difficult, because you only get 8 bars.

[@gock0w976]

Great points, I've found some backing track channels have reels which is actually pretty good for improv practice given they're usually under a minute, so a little closer to the real thing

[@shiftd_1114]

It's easy to improvise for a few seconds/solo , to practice improvising would make it no longer improvising lol , to improvise over a backing track for 15 minutes , is the practice ...

[@chrisgmurray3622]

I like Ian Moss of Cold Chisel, Don Felder and Joe Walsh, Chris Spedding, Mick Ronson, Elliot Easton of The Cars..etc, all, like George Harrison, making brilliant pithy dolos within A Good Song!!!! I believe no solo can be sny good unless it is in a good song.

[@ksharpe10]

Your right you do sound good at 1.5 speed. Very nice!!!! Wise advice.

[@SplooshNoonley]

I prefer to spread out my guitar impact over days, weeks and months

[@MikeS4628]

I use the long backing tracks that I find or make to come up with licks in my room that I can then have on tap for when I'm with a group. If I'm playing over a lydian backing track that's long, it allows me to come up with licks that work vs. just noodling, so when I do only have a short time to record or perform in front of people I have those licks that work, over trying to find something on the spot. That may be cheating but it was improved when I found it. I might use the time the longer track gives me to play the same lick over and over to make sure it does indeed work and I can find motifs using that lick so when I'm on the spot, I can play something that works. I do this a lot so I have more than just a couple of licks. Eventually it just becomes part of my vocabulary so I can pull them out, or variations of something I know works when pressed to perform. I do this with all the modes and make tracks to practice playing over chords in case it's some odd non diatonic progression. If I can have a few licks for each situation, when I'm performing I know I can string two or three together in the short time I'm taking a solo and I won't fall flat on my face because I'm just noodling and looking for the right lick.

[@grobros]

I agree with @willrayment9544, 8 bars seems about right. Like the The Cars’ “Just What I Needed”. I love SRV’s tone and style, but around the 9th go-round in “Little Wing”, I thinking, “Okay, Stevie, wrap it up.”

[@Chris_Nouvelli]

Well Petrucci’s my favourite player, so I’m 18 mins short still when practising my improv.

[@jimsmith4611]

8 to 16 Bars Max. Prefer to try to play tasteful support in the back ground with out taking over. . Your unreal sir love it. mY FAvourite lead break was garyy moore when he played with colleseum album electric savage trak Am I Absolute class..

[@TheJamieAbraham]

Your Patreon membership is the best £3 I spend each month :)

[@IvorThomas]

Carlos Rios indeed a total badass, but not for that one! C’mon, it’s Brother To Brother, which is tied with Robben’s Monmouth College Fight Song. Those are hands down the best solos EVER. Tell me I’m wrong!

[@alguitarchristie]

I'm not sure you can practice improvising. You can work on licks and scales, speed,bends and vibrato. But true improvisation just flows. A lot of solos on records are composites of takes and not a spontaneous as we think. The first solo in "comfortably numb" is great because you couldn't imagine playing it any other way. Was it improvised? No! Neither was "Hotel California" And I would say the solo on "dancing on the ceiling" was takes put together. One of my favourite solos, is actually Tim Pierce " who played the solo on Bon Jovi's "runaway" perfect short solo, that fits the song. Paco Lucia said improvisation is when the music just flows out of you, sometimes you get lost, but sometimes you go somewhere you have never been and that's a unique feeling!

[@jahstafari4606]

i was 7 years old when movie La Bamba came out so this older guy from street borrowed me a casette i never returned him ....i played that song over and over again untill i broke the tape ...i think that song made something hapenn in me after it came final countdown with great solo and Bon Jovi and crazy CC de vile from Poison ...i never tryd plying that its some crazy style CC ...and Skid Row forst 2 albums and ...solo without a actual song is empty in 90% cases ...more the 30- 40 seconds is ussually not good solo for averidge listener

[@jahstafari4606]

instrumental guitar songs i dont listen at all ...and i'm guitarist like partally, and else ...rare few songs i listen of that kind more then once ...and never again ....i like good song with lyrics and vocals .....Bon Jovi is right exampl of it ...little bit of everyshugar on it and guitar solos is honey on top .....MESSURE is virtue of all good guitarist not masturbating overdoing ...you should keep only golden moments from jammimng to some track for solo ...i usually do it in my head withoout guitar ...i can hear my song or adding things to it in sort off visualisation ...just audisation ...then i take guitar in hands and try it out ...i have to find it on threatboard what i heard in my head ...if i remember ...and sometimes nice moments comew just jammmng with guitar to that song i allready have in lyrics and wnt to add decoration to it ....i dont record my song few year but leave iton papper ...if i would recorded it imediatly certain parts and solos would not exist in it they came naturaly just out of hand without thinking ...sometimes it suprice me ....and cant repeat it 😅 ...and i was not recording it

[@jahstafari4606]

i'm most famous guitarist in universe 😅

[@willrayment9544]

Any more than 8 bars and i see drum sticks. 😂

[@lyricbread]

John I prefer to listen to your commentary at 0.5 speed so I can reeeaaallly drag out that British accent.

[@NJSonye]

He’s British?

[@hawkhead418]

Mike Stern Fat time Miles Davis best solo ever!

[@shreerajanshrestha4366]

boo