Soloing for complete idiots! (call and answer technique)

[delpreston47]

Hi again guys,

After the last entry I made about classic rock soloing styles and modes all my questions have been primarily answered. However, there is one question that I still have and hasn't really been answered. The question is as is follows:

How do you develope call and answer techiques?

What I mean by call and answer techniques is that in a solo, there will be an initial lick, then a pause then a following lick that gives the entire phrase a sense of closure. I was teaching myslef the solo from bob marley's "stir it up" last night and all he is doing in his solos is using these call and answer techniques... one lick to start the phrase, then another lick that gives closure. What is the logic behind this? Are their any tricks to this? I notice that he ends phases on the 5th and fourth alot and he's constantly using the a major scale. I really enjoy bob marleys guitar playing technique. I also really like his solo in bob marley's "no woman no cry". What would really help me out is that if someone took a solo and explained exactly what was going on during each lick, what note he is ending on, and why? what notes he is hitting and their significance in the major scale? Well anyway, guitar playing come natural to me, however i do struggle a bit with the soling and improvisiong. I'm an idiot when it comes to this musical theory sometimes. If you know anything about the call and answer techniques please let me know or know anything that will help my situation. Thanks everyone, i really appreciate it.


cheers,


-Del

[guitaral]

here's something i do (hope it helps)-
try to get away from the root of the scale, and then find closure towards the end of the chord change sequence. by closure i mean get back into scale if you're doin chromatics, or just try to get back into the triad built on the tonic or the starting degree of the progression.

[Stiglar]

It can be easy to get to carried away with the theory side of soloing ... i doubt bob marley would've been thinking theoretical when he did the solo , try doing it by ear ... and trying to hear where it should resolve .

Having said that . in a theory sense , the tonic and 3rd in particular will sound very strong against the chords . so it's good to resolve your phrases and end on one of those if you want to really strongly resolve it . of course other tones will work , but as a start it's easiest to hear the resolution with those scale tones .

for example Playing 4ths and other notes will create tension and want to be resolved to strong tone ... play a c chord and hammer an F .. it will be dying to go down to that E (the 3rd)

hope that helps . my main advice is to try and hear it and just play !

[italianstallion]

Do a search on the topic heading :
"Backing Tracks For Lead Solo Guitar" !!!

You might give these links a try :
www.jamtracks.com
www.musicdispatch.com
www.ordermusictoday.com

Learn The Fretboard Notes and Scales up and down the neck !!!

Happy soloing....

[mcnach]

I'm with stiglar in this one. Or maybe I'm too lazy to learn theory

When I hear a song, I can hear in my mind what I'd like to play, something that sounds good... then I try to play that. How close I get to what i hear on my mind is another issue LOL! Practicing allows you to translate better and faster what you hear in your mind to the fingers, even without knowing the theory behind it. However, it's interesting when you get into the theory of why you played what you played... and realise that certain things you like have a name... and knowing that you can communicate more effectively with other musicians...
I'm always jealous of these guys who want to play something to convey certain emotion, and if they cannot imagine something they like, at least they know the theory, so they can start experimenting along certain lines, and find things "by educated guessing"...
but I am too lazy to invest the time required... by the time I get the chance to get my guitar out, after a day's work etc... the last thing I know is to study

[delpreston47]

Thanks guys, i got a couple more questions though...

What is a "tonic"? I'm thinking its the root of the key but im not sure..


Are their any videos to explain this visually?

I've been practicing for years and have been at a stump for atleast 3 years and I really would like to overcome it. I listen to solo's and improvisations done by clapton, beck and brian may and It seems impossible to me to just think of that off the top of my head without using theory. I'd really like to know what was going through clapton's head when he plays the solo in crossroads live. It just seems like my brain won't calculate and figure out what will sound good that fast. I'm not an idiot (Bachelor's in Business, Comm, Ermergency medical Tech.. etc., hehe some credentials for ya ) but I just don't see how clapton or bob marley can make a solo sound so amazing and give ya chills. Once again thanks guys. This guitar forum has been the best teacher that anyone could ever ask for.

Cheers,

-Del

[SirChick]

My common way is if you start on fret 3 on E string = G (in standard tuning) then say the song is in key of G. So starting on fret 3 we know Major scale in G. Do some fancy pantsy stuff on it, then to finish off i know the Minor scale is E so i end on that scale only to back to the first note = G. Now the G can be a high G or a very low G, or a slow bend in to a G that makes it sound classy ! So figure out what note u start the solo on and work your back to end it.

Think of it like a door. If you open the one door, you cant close that same door by opening and closing other doors, its only that one door you can close. In terms of music you start on G you can end on a diffrent G or a G chord or on the same G you started on. This is only basics. You can get fussy!

In key of G major you could end your solo with F#M7b5 (F-Sharp Minor 7 flat 5) usually found on the VI or 7th chord in that key's scale, and always sounds like a closing type chord.

Theory knowledge helps alot on all this

[tnadr]

Yep, I agree. Theory can help you communicate and it can open new horizons for you, but, in the end, it still is all about translating what you hear in your head to the frets.

When I first started I wouldn't even bother listening to what was in my head...if there was anything. It was all technique and how fast I could go. I would base my solos on patterns and have no idea of a melody.

Later on in life I slowed down and went on a tone quest. It wasn't about playing the notes it was about playing the "rests". Then I realized that you can identify B.B. with one note, and that one note can MOVE you! I also took to heart the advice that your solo should be "hummable". It's got to have a beginning and an end.

Now, whether I follow my own advice or not is another topic.

Most of the time I recommend listening and connecting with each note, and learning what you want to say SLOWLY. This is all before speed and even deep technique.

My $0.02.

Originally Posted by mcnach

I'm with stiglar in this one. Or maybe I'm too lazy to learn theory

When I hear a song, I can hear in my mind what I'd like to play, something that sounds good... then I try to play that. How close I get to what i hear on my mind is another issue LOL! Practicing allows you to translate better and faster what you hear in your mind to the fingers, even without knowing the theory behind it. However, it's interesting when you get into the theory of why you played what you played... and realise that certain things you like have a name... and knowing that you can communicate more effectively with other musicians...
I'm always jealous of these guys who want to play something to convey certain emotion, and if they cannot imagine something they like, at least they know the theory, so they can start experimenting along certain lines, and find things "by educated guessing"...
but I am too lazy to invest the time required... by the time I get the chance to get my guitar out, after a day's work etc... the last thing I know is to study

[Pawel]

Originally Posted by delpreston47

I'm not an idiot (Bachelor's in Business, Comm, Ermergency medical Tech.. etc., hehe some credentials for ya )
-Del

Hehe, I know what you mean. My guitar teacher has a masters in Physics and a degree in architecture, he's also studied piano composition. He's now in his 60's (I think) and says that playing guitar has been the most difficult of those jobs, and it's the only one he stuck with.

That's both encouraging and discouraging for me, lol.

[Pawel]

Also, as itallianstallion said, memorising all the scales and modes on all the frets helps ALOT. I spent about 8 hours yesterday and managed to memorise and get used to all of the lydian, aeolian and ionian modes on the whole fretboard. The memorising is pretty easy, but getting them right takes some practice. I suggest using this website http://www.all-guitar-chords.com/guitar_scales.php and learning the scales in one position at a time. I hope that helps.

[LegatoVibrato]

Del,

Don't forget that the notes in the lick are only one element. Just as important is timing and accent. Know what you are playing, 1/4 notes, 16th's, triplets, etc. Know the time signature or rhythm that you are playing in. then make sure you know when you are accenting ON the beat, or OFF the beat (syncopation).

That is why the Blues are such a great vehicle to learn soloing skills. Not that it is easy of course, but it is easy to see when somthing works and when it does not.

Try this, play a simple chord progression in a shuffle rythm, and then play a simple phrase (even 1 or 2 notes) and accent every down beat, then every other downbeat, then every fourth. Then mix it up. You will hear interesting phrasing possibilities immediately.

That is all you are looking for initially; something that sounds interesting. Awesome soloing can come later. Look for something that creates interest.

This should begin to show you how rhythm augments your phrasing. In terms of improvising, the rhythm and the key you are in are vital for "feeling" what to play next.

Enjoy!

LV

[rob_on_guitar]

To finish the power solo from hell!: High pitch harmonics then whammy dive bomb

To finish smooth panty wetter solo: Slide pick down the fret board, finish with pinched harmonic

To finish tear jeaker solo: Descending scale run finish with flurry of either harmonics or lots of delay on harmonies

To finish the pop turn rock for 10 secs while I solo solo: Ascending scale run clean distortion, finish on high note/Divebomb if feeling still unfinished

To finish solo from the soul times infinity and beyond: Drink beer, adopt pose, think of boobies and let it all out!

[adave]

I'm mainly a blues rock kinda player. Personally I'd recommend trying to focus on the Pentatonic scale for awhile. Even if you just use the most common position for now. Start by really getting this under your fingers learn it so you can play it without thinking at all. Then try playing the scale in order but switch up the rhythm. Next dig out afew players you dig that would solo primarily in Pentatonic. Think SRV - Tell Me, Jimi - Foxy Lady is a good example. Try coping afew of the now standard pentatonic licks. The so called smear-licks that everyone from Chuck Berry to Slash to Malmsteen have played. Again sheer repetition is need to get these under your fingers.

Once you get a handle on these put on a 12 bar blues backing track or another I IV V progression you like and try the licks you've learned over that pattern. The hardest part is letting loose and allowing that some mistakes and bad notes will happen. To me especially in a classic rock kinda context you have to listen but shut off your brain to a certain extent when soloing.

Hope this helps a bit.

[WasteGas]

Originally Posted by rob_on_guitar

To finish the power solo from hell!: High pitch harmonics then whammy dive bomb

To finish smooth panty wetter solo: Slide pick down the fret board, finish with pinched harmonic

To finish tear jeaker solo: Descending scale run finish with flurry of either harmonics or lots of delay on harmonies

To finish the pop turn rock for 10 secs while I solo solo: Ascending scale run clean distortion, finish on high note/Divebomb if feeling still unfinished

To finish solo from the soul times infinity and beyond: Drink beer, adopt pose, think of boobies and let it all out!

The dive bomb is always there to save the day.

[rasputin]

I don't know how I do it ? I just do it !