When You Make Stuff Up... Options

[Ignite]

I know my scales/modes.
but I have a few questions.
When you make licks up, do you think about what your playing before you play it, or do you make it up on the spot and if it sounds cool, it's a new lick?
When you play random licks, how do you figure out what other scales to play? (Please take in concept modes too)
Also, I have trouble making new stuff up, when i'm messing around, I tend to play parts of the scales from something I already know, by habit.

I have made some stuff on my own that sounds pretty sick, but I am having trouble expanding my mind and making new stuff up =\

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[Emir Hot]

I always think in what chord I am. If it's a dominant 7 chord for example I would play something in mixolydian mode. Try with arpeggio first

1, 3, 5, b7

Then alter 1, 5, 3, b7

After try the whole mode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7 but every 1st and 3rd, like

1, 3,
2, 4,
3, 5,
4, 6,
5, b7 etc...

This stuff can lead into some serious lick building. If you include some bendings or other techniques in between, I am sure you'll get something interesting. The initial patern is always the important key and of course the right notes according to the chord you're in.

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[Oxac]

I have another thing to recommend. Take a scale, ionian per example. Now play all traids in i in one box, would be like: 1,3,5, 2,4,6 ,3 5 7 etc. This is a great way to get away from simple scale runs and practise something more melodic. It's also very good for picking up things faster.

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[kjutte]

I always think in what chord I am. If it's a dominant 7 chord for example I would play something in mixolydian mode. Try with arpeggio first

1, 3, 5, b7

Then alter 1, 5, 3, b7

After try the whole mode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, b7 but every 1st and 3rd, like

1, 3,
2, 4,
3, 5,
4, 6,
5, b7 etc...

This stuff can lead into some serious lick building. If you include some bendings or other techniques in between, I am sure you'll get something interesting. The initial patern is always the important key and of course the right notes according to the chord you're in.

Cool idea Emir.

And my reply: either you can imagine a cool pattern in your mind, if you lack ear - or you can just "ear your way through" but this needs some aural skill ofc.

Personally I do a bit of both, as my ear ain't pwnage.

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This post has been edited by kjutte: Oct 24 2008, 02:26 PM

[Ivan Milenkovic]

You can use both methods really, and should use both methods. You can first imagine the lick and play it, or you can first construct it, and the listen toit, and if it's sounds cool, you memorize it.

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[Ramiro Delforte]

I think both ways are valid. Sometimes you can make a new lick that is comfortable to your fingers and it's cool, and sometimes you hear something and you have to play it as you've heard it.
I think the best way to make new things is to hear some solos and play them. Ex: you like the Master of Puppets solo, try to get it by ear, if you cannot then check some transcription (but don't loose that ear practice). So new ideas sometimes comes from ideas you've listened in records, sometimes...your mind creates them when you are listening to some backing track, or a chord progression...

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[Marcus Siepen]

I would also say both ways are fine. Personally I like to jam to a riff if I want to creat a lick or solo for that part, and of course I think in what key this riff is, but I don't really think too much about such things in advance.

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[IDontWantMyUsern...]

I just think some licks in my head that might fit to the chords, not that I have played the licks before, and try to play them on the spot, pretty much like Kjutte says
If I want to do runs, I think of the mode the chord is in and just make a run down that mode like some of you guys do.

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This post has been edited by IDontWantMyUsername: Oct 26 2008, 02:23 PM