assistance, pointers, tips, advice, touchstones, SOMETHING - PLEASE!

[tone4days]

ok guys,

here's the thing ... i suck

my cover band is playing the pat benatar version of the john melloncamp tune 'i need a lover' ... except our female lead singer is a mere mortal so we have dropped the song 3 half steps ...

we play the chords as D - A - G - A (original PB version was F - C - Bb - C)

i wanna cop Neil Giraldo's vibe without lifting it note for note (transposed, natch) ... but i can not get a frikkin clue as to how he approached the composition of the solo (IMO, it is CLEARY composed as 8 little 2-measure phrases)

can someone (foamy, please ) give me a mode, or a scale, or a harmonic approach or SOMEthing to get me started ... i think i'll be able to dial something in (new each time - some better, some worse) if i just know the main gist

thanks
t4d

 

[seafoamer]

Re: assistance, pointers, tips, advice, touchstones, SOMETHING - PLEASE!

Sounds like he very much sticks to an F major Pentatonic scale (F, G, A, C, D) with an occasional b7 (Eb) for taste.

For you, playing in the key of D, that would be a D major Pentatonic Scale (D, E, F#, A, B) with an occasional C natural, to taste.

You can get sooo tasty with a Major pentatonic scale, if you work it. kinda like the intro to "Octopus's Garden".
George Benson could really milk a major pent, also.

 

[seafoamer]

Re: assistance, pointers, tips, advice, touchstones, SOMETHING - PLEASE!

The thing w/ Major Pentatonics is: know where the 5 notes are all over the fretboard, & slide, slither & bend to them, w/ some nice phrasing & ppl will think you're playing soo much more.

 

[tone4days]

Re: assistance, pointers, tips, advice, touchstones, SOMETHING - PLEASE!

thanks bro

i'll noodle it at home tonight

cheers
t4d

 

[Rainmaker]

Re: assistance, pointers, tips, advice, touchstones, SOMETHING - PLEASE!

I can't offer any help Bill but I'd like to give you a big thumbs up for having the discipline to not rely on tabs. It's gotta be satisfying to pull a song off without help... that's something I wanna be able to achieve... and it's cool that you're doing that

 

[tone4days]

Re: assistance, pointers, tips, advice, touchstones, SOMETHING - PLEASE!

thanks Bee

my approach to most covers we do is to play my own thing - we are a dance band, not a show band ... so no one usually cares if i nail a solo note for note off the record (although i do play neil schon's solo from 'lights' as close to the original as possible - sorry skarey ) ... i just usually try to play something fun in the original vibe of the tune that keeps em dancin' (which is why the NG solo of this tune threw me 'cus i couldnt get in his head at all) ...

... in thinking about our setlist ... i think the only other solos i try to hit note for note are 'walk away' - james gang, 'the middle' - jimmy eat world, and '867-5309' by tommy tutone ... basically, if everyone has heard the tune on the radio 1000 times, i try to play what they expect ...

if i was into the stuff you young guns are into, i bet i'd need tab ... my ears don't hear that fast anymore

cheers
t4d