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beginner forum: for novice and developing blues harp players >
A little step forward
A little step forward
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MindTheGap
1582 posts
May 07, 2016
6:55 AM
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I believe I've made a step forward, but I'm having trouble articulating it.
After of thinking about those different scales, and listening to a lot of trumpet/brass, a style has emerged that involves freely playing phrases from the scales - just ideas that occur in the moment - as a kind of glue between definite, harpish phrases.
Dangerous words, but I may have found my 'thing'. I've always wanted to noodle around freely without it being a clear, definite piece. But I don't what it to sound unstructured either. I remember Mark Knoffler talking about playing Chet Atkins style hypnotically until he fell asleep - something like that.
If it makes no sense, forget it. It may be a chimera.
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Last Edited by MindTheGap on May 07, 2016 6:56 AM
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Fil
137 posts
May 07, 2016
7:53 AM
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I think I get it, but in the blues context you do it over one of the blues structures, right? You find out what works, what doesn't, and extend your creative range.
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Phil Pennington
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MindTheGap
1583 posts
May 07, 2016
11:37 AM
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Yes, over the various blues structures.
I realise what I've written is pretty generic. So I'll just say that I'm pleased at the moment as I seem to have found an approach to more extended soloing that works for me.
Hooray.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on May 07, 2016 12:05 PM
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Fil
138 posts
May 07, 2016
12:14 PM
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Now that I look at it again, I safely could have assumed the answer to my question. Regardless, I would be very interested in an update in a while on how it's actually helped your playing. I'm going to see how I can make it work for me.
Somewhat related, I began playing in a local jam a few weeks ago, third time last Thursday. I took a chance and asked the lead guy in my set for advice. He said I played fine, maybe could have played a bit more, liked the fills and that I played more melodically (if that's the right word) than most in the solos rather than wail. I think that your approach would increase your blues melodic vocabulary and add much interest to your solos. BTW, it's a real friendly jam, but I'm thinking that you only get to ask that question once, if that.
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Phil Pennington
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MindTheGap
1584 posts
May 07, 2016
12:26 PM
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Ok, will do. I'll have to road-test it with the band. One thing trying stuff at home, quite another out there. Although this is actually more relevant to my home-playing, as with the band we are rarely jamming, so I've got comping and solo's broadly worked out for each song. Still I can mix it up a bit and see if the wheels stay on or rattle loose and bits fly around all over the shop knocking over everyone's pint.
That's nice feedback from your jam. If you like playing melodically, that's definitely a key element of this idea. As I say, those brass improvs are the kind of thing. Fluid, rhythmic, single-note lines. Taking advantage of the chromaticism at the low end to slip around between major/minor blues and pentatonic scales.
I believe that is similar to an approach taken by some guitarists. I don't think it's anything radical.
Last Edited by MindTheGap on May 07, 2016 12:37 PM
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