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<blockquote data-quote="Linky Lee" data-source="post: 615747" data-attributes="member: 15"><p>brilliantly summed up.</p><p></p><p>The thing with improvising is that sometimes it's not going to work, other times it will, sometimes it will be brilliant.</p><p></p><p>There are various techniques to make the success of Improvised soloing consistently better. </p><p></p><p>The first is learning the scales and using those over the chord changes. This sounds very fixed and bars often seem to be a bit disjointed but you won't end up playing completely independently of the band.</p><p></p><p>The second is learning licks and riffs. Once you know some set routines start of with those transposed into the right keys, then develop in a theme and variation style, which I assume you understand as you implied you have a classical background.</p><p></p><p>I would suggest that you stick to blues for now. You seem to like it more and you said yourself you have the 'feel for it' more than the Bebop.</p><p></p><p>So... Blues scales and Dorian mode are very common. </p><p>You can apply the riff theme and variation method to blues very easily as well. But you know as long as you play in a relative key you're doing nothing wrong, it's all about learning to play melodies and have better choice of notes.</p><p></p><p>A thing I've noticed is that when you have a solo in your head you can normally recreate it fairly accurately. I used to record myself singing my solos then transcribe them onto the saxophone and embellish them articulation and other things.</p><p></p><p>When playing a solo you have in your head, I found I was never more than a tone from 'the note' that I wanted.</p><p>After a while I'd have the solo worked out so that I liked the flow of it and the pitches seemed right to me.</p><p></p><p>Practice is the key. As making a solo sound great is all in the performance, the expression and the passion you put in.</p><p></p><p>I would recommend you stick at this workshop, though if it does really get you down then don't worry about it.</p><p>I say that as it's a fantastic opportunity to see various different ways people going about improvising and building solos.</p><p></p><p>It also gives you a great chance to practice basic riff development over chord changes that you could of worked on in your free time.</p><p></p><p>Do the risky stuff at home, get all the dodgy notes out first, work out where you want to be going. Then go practice it in a live situation and don't worry about not being the best or finding it the easiest. </p><p></p><p>If you really work hard at something it feels better once you nail it. Take heart in the fact that you will get more out of succeeding than most of the others there will.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Linky Lee, post: 615747, member: 15"] brilliantly summed up. The thing with improvising is that sometimes it's not going to work, other times it will, sometimes it will be brilliant. There are various techniques to make the success of Improvised soloing consistently better. The first is learning the scales and using those over the chord changes. This sounds very fixed and bars often seem to be a bit disjointed but you won't end up playing completely independently of the band. The second is learning licks and riffs. Once you know some set routines start of with those transposed into the right keys, then develop in a theme and variation style, which I assume you understand as you implied you have a classical background. I would suggest that you stick to blues for now. You seem to like it more and you said yourself you have the 'feel for it' more than the Bebop. So... Blues scales and Dorian mode are very common. You can apply the riff theme and variation method to blues very easily as well. But you know as long as you play in a relative key you're doing nothing wrong, it's all about learning to play melodies and have better choice of notes. A thing I've noticed is that when you have a solo in your head you can normally recreate it fairly accurately. I used to record myself singing my solos then transcribe them onto the saxophone and embellish them articulation and other things. When playing a solo you have in your head, I found I was never more than a tone from 'the note' that I wanted. After a while I'd have the solo worked out so that I liked the flow of it and the pitches seemed right to me. Practice is the key. As making a solo sound great is all in the performance, the expression and the passion you put in. I would recommend you stick at this workshop, though if it does really get you down then don't worry about it. I say that as it's a fantastic opportunity to see various different ways people going about improvising and building solos. It also gives you a great chance to practice basic riff development over chord changes that you could of worked on in your free time. Do the risky stuff at home, get all the dodgy notes out first, work out where you want to be going. Then go practice it in a live situation and don't worry about not being the best or finding it the easiest. If you really work hard at something it feels better once you nail it. Take heart in the fact that you will get more out of succeeding than most of the others there will. [/QUOTE]
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