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Post subject: Improvising?
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:33 am
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Aspiring Musician
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Hello:

After playing guitar for a couple of months I am starting to "get it". Now I am interested in arranging licks into songs. Can you direct me to any good information on how best to do that?

Also, what do you recommend for maintaining a written record of my own lick library?

By the way, I love electric guitar. It's so much fun I wish I had taken it up years ago.

Thanks.


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Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:53 am
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In all seriousness... I would recommend not thinking of your playing as a "lick library." You'll choke your musicality by stringing together licks you've learned... instead of having the singing quality of the guitarists you most admire, you'll end up boxed into a stilted, non-musical kind of playing.

Instead of cataloging licks, it would be better to sing your solo ideas and learn to play them, and see how the licks you've learned fit into larger musical ideas.


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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 7:07 am
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Thanks GravityJim! That makes a lot of sense. I'll do that. The reason I asked the question is that I'm coming up with some interesting licks that I want to turn into songs, and need to start writing things down.


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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 7:25 am
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Rudy, for that I'd invest in a cheap recording system... I like to record interesting things I play, because it's easy for them to et away (especially rhythm things, which seem harder to hang on to than melody for me).

Or you could subscribe to the John Lennon theory: "If you can't remember who to play it, it wasn't good enough to keep anyway." :D


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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 7:36 am
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Gravity Jim wrote:
In all seriousness... I would recommend not thinking of your playing as a "lick library." You'll choke your musicality by stringing together licks you've learned... instead of having the singing quality of the guitarists you most admire, you'll end up boxed into a stilted, non-musical kind of playing.

Instead of cataloging licks, it would be better to sing your solo ideas and learn to play them, and see how the licks you've learned fit into larger musical ideas.


That is what i would have said to, i just couldnt put it out there like Jim did. Also I highly reccomend finding some one or several some ones to jam with, i grew up playing traditional country , bluegrass and western swing, and we would set in a circle and take turns singing different songs and those guys allowed me to play lead when i didnt know anything, and taught me what to do as i strarted, and i still play with them 17yrs later when i can. I still play stuff they taught ,me when i was 13 or 14.


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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:15 am
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RudyH wrote:
Thanks GravityJim! That makes a lot of sense. I'll do that. The reason I asked the question is that I'm coming up with some interesting licks that I want to turn into songs, and need to start writing things down.


Learn some theory, once you understand scales and modes a bit better you'll be able to tell what key your licks are in and transpose them accordingly to fit them into songs.

I've only just started learning theory but I can already see a positive improvement in my playing.


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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 9:28 am
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1. Learn the five shapes of the pentatonic scale, and get yourself some backing tracks from like, www.guitarbackingtrack.com or www.guitarbt.com.

2. THEN listen to your favourite artists for inspiration, listen to what they do and play it over a backing track using scales.

3. Go on youtube and type in blues licks.

4. Google "Blues licks tabs"

Just a few ways you can improve.

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Post subject: improvising
Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:47 pm
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well, for a written record, i tab my songs on my computer, and then print them off, and then keep them in a binder with page protectors :)


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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 1:05 pm
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Location: I don't even know that!
I like to record myself so I know how I sound.

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2008 4:49 pm
Keep all youre licks in ur head and then when ur improvising they should come out naturally when ur playin


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