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Posted by: Martin la guitarra Sep 6 2008, 01:24 PM

OK, so here is the problem:

Im learning new solos and its really fun to play them. But I get a little discourage about how to learn a solo.
I've heard people saying that learning songs/solos will build your repotoire, but I've also heard that if your not improvising the licks you've learnt from that solo it will be useless.

I want to integrate the licks I've learnt into my own playing, so does that mean I have to improvise them 24/7 or is enough to just learn how to play them?

What do you think?

Posted by: Emir Hot Sep 6 2008, 01:30 PM

Every time I hear a cool lick in a song I usually don't forget it after learning it. Next time whenever I hear that the same lick could fit in an improvisation I never forget to play it It's fun

Posted by: Bogdan Radovic Sep 6 2008, 01:32 PM

Well you need to learn them , and than jam and try to incorporate some licks you like into your improvised solo..You don't need to practice them 24/7 , if you like them you will remember them easily..

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 6 2008, 01:59 PM

You tackle the solo piece by piece until you practice it on a fast enough tempo to sound good. Also it must sound clean and comfortable for you to play it. It will come in time naturally, don't need to push things, just workout a solo, and after a while you will be able to play it.



Both of these things can be true, learning songs and solos is good because you grow your musical vocabulary bigger, and practicing learning stuff, just like a writer reads a lot of books. Also not improvising licks you learn will eventually lead to forgetting those licks naturally. You can't actually remember all the licks, you learn the piece, find a few cool licks in it, you like them the most and play them all the time, some other licks you tend to forgot, and this is how you make your style, by mixing these licks with other important techniques and stuff you learn from regular practice exercises.



It is enough to learn how to play them and play them occasionally so you don't forget them, as I mentioned earlier. The more you play them the more you will use them I guess, but there's no need to play them 24/7, more like 15minutes/7 .

Posted by: Danilo Capezzuto Sep 6 2008, 02:05 PM

Usually when I like an idea or a lick I learn it and then, after I play it without effort I put a backing and try to include that lick or idea in to my playing, then I change backing and try to do the same. Most important I always try to change to my taste the idea, this way it's become mine.

Posted by: Martin la guitarra Sep 6 2008, 02:09 PM

Thanks everybody for clarifying that issue

Posted by: Ivan Milenkovic Sep 6 2008, 08:17 PM

No problem mate, glad to help

Posted by: kjutte Sep 8 2008, 08:47 PM

Stop learning solos and start making your own.
The answer is theory.

Posted by: Pedja Simovic Sep 19 2008, 07:20 PM

Here is my take on your problem :

If you like to song/artist/style very much learn as much as you can from it.
Transcribe licks , after that SING THEM over drum machine or backing track. If you sing licks they become part of your vocabulary much faster then if you practice them ! This sounds crazy but its true , and here is why ...
When you are improvising jamming most of the times your inner ear tells you what to play . For people who don't listen to what they play and just run up and down this doesnt apply - for them its hand memory.
Your ear will send message to your hands what to play and its the best way to play - even if you make mistakes , play out of key etc , but that's the best way to play if you want your own style.

Learn licks, play them in 3 octaves, various tempos and keys , learn from them (edit rhythm and melody ) and you will do great.

Thanks