When you play, you concentrate on...

[75lespaul]

Re: When you play, you concentrate on...

Not to think!!! Seriously...I always mess up when I think too much, so then I just concentrate on the feel of music, and remembering the breaks if any unison stuff is being done.
Just sink into the music, I forget about the guitar, if I start to hear it too much then I know that I am in trouble

Ain't that the truth! If I can't get through it in five takes, I'll put down the guitar and try to clear my head. By the fifth try I'm probably started to get frustrated and self concious--and this is when I'm recording with nobody around, lol. I'm my own worst critic. There have been a few times though where I'm so angry that the solo comes out with more fire and feel. Go figure. :smokin:

 

[fingerace]

Re: When you play, you concentrate on...

I used to focus more on trying to get an amazing tone, but now that I have my new amp, the great tones just spill out of it no matter what guitar I plug in. I always focus on the notes I'm playing, and I wish I could break out of the patterns that I always play, because now all my solos are sounding exactly the same I'm trying to learn new scales or anything to use, but I either forget them all-together, or forget to play them and where to use them.

That's how I felt (well, still feel). This is what I did Corbic:

I went back, read the lyrics, heard the lyrics, got their message down and expanded their content into the solo. It's easier said than done but if you have the chops and technical skills to pull off what's in your heart it can work!

For example a Gov't mule song "soulshine".

Waren is saying the same things with his guitar as his voice!
Not many guitarists can effectively do this...

I wish I was one of them. I mostly solo in the pentatonic box - I feel safer... but I am trying to get out of it more often these days...

my 2 cents bros...

 

[Al.C]

Re: When you play, you concentrate on...

when al plays, i think of the killer tone from those custom amps his bro whips up and that killer PRS ... long time no see, al .. hope all is well there ..

Thanks T4D,

I have been around just not a lot of time to post. Lately trying to learn to play my new EJ strat (yes your post got me going). Yes my first non-PRS in many years.

Just never have enough time to actually work on anything recording wise other than a quick one take sample. Have a friend who sings so some fun projects may be in the works.

As far as my brother's custom amps, last year he officially started a business building them.

 

[Gunny47]

Re: When you play, you concentrate on...

I used to focus more on trying to get an amazing tone, but now that I have my new amp, the great tones just spill out of it no matter what guitar I plug in. I always focus on the notes I'm playing, and I wish I could break out of the patterns that I always play, because now all my solos are sounding exactly the same I'm trying to learn new scales or anything to use, but I either forget them all-together, or forget to play them and where to use them.

A good way to solve this problem is playing a different instrument for a while. I dont know if you play piano or something like that, but even if you don't, find a keyboard somewhere and try to noodle around with it. I play trumpet and piano, mostly trumpet though (been playing for 7 years) and I always take stuff from trumpet and put it on guitar. I also do the other way around, that's how I taught myself to improvise on trumpet (I dont take trumpet lessons, but guitar lessons).

Another good thing would be to listen to other recordings of other instruments. I listen to a lot of jazz, and a lot of stuff with good lead sax and trumpet. I cant tell you how many solos from Freddie Hubbard's band and The Count Basie Band I know on guitar. Of course, Miles Davis is awesome to listen to, and that has some great guitar on it as well.

Finally, another good way to get out of a rut would be to tune differently. Instead of standard or e flat, tune to open G or open E. This way, the patterns you usually use do not work and you are forced into other patterns, even when you are just jamming on the penatonics.

Hope this helps dude...

Anyway, to answer the question of the thread, I focus on emotion mostly. Holding a note out for a long time, vibratoing it evenly or exaggerated when the song calls for it, or not vibratoing at all to keep that steadiness. The use of dynamics is very important to me in a solo and also complex rhythms instead of just 8th notes. Doing stuff on offbeats, adding some triplets. A lot of jazz techniques I use. As for the thinking part, I do a lot of thinking right before I break out into a solo. Sort of planning just the first lick, when Im going to come in (downbeat or offbeat). After I have that one major thought and have the first lick nailed, the brain turns off and it all comes out from there naturally. I get my best results then...

 

[Corbic]

Re: When you play, you concentrate on...

That's how I felt (well, still feel). This is what I did Corbic:

I went back, read the lyrics, heard the lyrics, got their message down and expanded their content into the solo. It's easier said than done but if you have the chops and technical skills to pull off what's in your heart it can work!

For example a Gov't mule song "soulshine".

Waren is saying the same things with his guitar as his voice!
Not many guitarists can effectively do this...

I wish I was one of them. I mostly solo in the pentatonic box - I feel safer... but I am trying to get out of it more often these days...

my 2 cents bros...

A good way to solve this problem is playing a different instrument for a while. I dont know if you play piano or something like that, but even if you don't, find a keyboard somewhere and try to noodle around with it. I play trumpet and piano, mostly trumpet though (been playing for 7 years) and I always take stuff from trumpet and put it on guitar. I also do the other way around, that's how I taught myself to improvise on trumpet (I dont take trumpet lessons, but guitar lessons).

Another good thing would be to listen to other recordings of other instruments. I listen to a lot of jazz, and a lot of stuff with good lead sax and trumpet. I cant tell you how many solos from Freddie Hubbard's band and The Count Basie Band I know on guitar. Of course, Miles Davis is awesome to listen to, and that has some great guitar on it as well.

Finally, another good way to get out of a rut would be to tune differently. Instead of standard or e flat, tune to open G or open E. This way, the patterns you usually use do not work and you are forced into other patterns, even when you are just jamming on the penatonics.

Hope this helps dude...

Thanks for the advice guys! I play piano and euphonium/trumpet/trombone/french horn, and I think I might come up with better improvisations on the brass instruments then I do on guitar sometimes. I'll try tuning to some new tunings, DADGAD and the different open tunings seem like they'd be fun to play in.

And I just got my first Gov't Mule CD the other day, it's the live album 'Deepest End.' Warren is a fantastic player, very melodic. I've been listening to more melodic players lately like Leslie West, Gary Moore, Scott Gorham, Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Rory Gallagher, and try to take some of their licks and melodic ideas, and just trying to listen to the entire scope of their playing. Clapton, for instance, uses just the Pentatonic and Major scales (from what I can hear anyway), but still, every solo he plays sounds different, yet all equally brilliant in their melodic scope.

 

[StrangeSound]

Re: When you play, you concentrate on...

Lately I'm trying to use more string skipping. It sounds almost the way I play the piano -> wide intervals etc.

I try to develop my own sound/style more and more.

 

[Marinblues]

Re: When you play, you concentrate on...

Not to think!!! Seriously...I always mess up when I think too much, so then I just concentrate on the feel of music, and remembering the breaks if any unison stuff is being done.
Just sink into the music, I forget about the guitar, if I start to hear it too much then I know that I am in trouble

+1. Thats why I like my first takes the best. After the first 2 takes, I begin to think too much about what I play. The downside is that I am playing/recording without "warming up" so they are on the "sloppy" side. However, I give preference to feeling more than I do to technique, so I keep them.

M.

 

[StrangeSound]

Re: When you play, you concentrate on...

Thanks for all the input! I like how the thread developed.