Play And Rest Collaboration, In class type collaboration #5 Options

[Pedja Simovic]

Hi GMC!

Today we are continuing with another in class type collaboration. This time we are focusing on one very important thing when soloing - resting. Just like when we speak, we need to take brakes and pauses so our ideas can get across better and so that listener can absorb all the information we say. The same concept applies to music except Guitar players unlike brass or woodwind players tend to always overplay things The reason for this is simply because we don't blow into an instrument but rather play with our hands which means we can breath 24/7 at our own pace and shred while they need to stop playing in order to catch some air !
Play rest collaboration will teach you how to create logical phrases, learn where to start and stop your soloing and finally get your ideas more across to the audience.

Backing track is at 135bpm. I choose G minor as main key center (G natural minor or Aeolian mode if you will).

Chord progression is following :

// G min add9/ G min add9/ Eb maj add9/Eb maj add9/
/G min add9/ G min add9/ Eb maj add9/Eb maj add9/
/ C min / C min / F / F D /
/ G min add9/ G min add9/ Eb maj add9/Eb maj add9/
/ G min add9/ G min add9/ Eb maj add9/D //

Wherever you see D chord, you should use G harmonic minor scale 5th mode - D phrygian dominant. I also encourage you to use arpeggios or play chord tones. Most important thing is to make music with this concept so it might be very challenging and new to some of you. I hope we will be able to go trough this one very well, as it will set up very strong foundation for improvising and all the concepts you later want to apply.

What do I look for ?

I want you to have very specific play rest approach and pattern in this one. That means that you can do any of the following ways :

1) Play ONE, Rest ONE. This means play first bar something melodic then rest one and don't play anything. Ideally when you get to next bar that you need to play, you should connect your ideas, make it sound like it was meant to be played that way!
2) Play TWO , Rest TWO. This means play first two bars, rest 3rd and 4th, play 5th and 6th , rest 7th and 8th etc. This gives you a lot more time to develop your melody, but it also makes you think for two bars what you will play next!

These two play rest approaches are most common. I would like to see you use in your solo one or the other. When you submit your take and you can do that, I encourage you to mix them up and create variation of both!
There is couple of other more advanced approaches where you :

- Play ONE Rest TWO bars.
- Play TWO Rest One bar.

You can practice these on your own and we can talk later what this actually does to your playing.


This collaboration will have limit of 15 participants !
I have decided to limit all future collaborations so that people who apply and record their take (on time) don't have to wait extra 10 days or so of extensions for other guys to submit theirs. This will also allows us to follow progress more closely and work together like in the real class environment.


Deadline for this collaboration is 15 days from today which is 24th of July.

Upload your take HERE

Scroll down to download backing track and my take.


Participants :

1) Velvet Roger (auto sign up) - Recorded
2) Caelumamittendum - Recorded
3) enforcer (auto sign up) - Recorded
4) skennington - Recorded
5) Outlaw2112 (auto sign up) - Recorded
6) Jesse (auto sign up)
7) berko (auto sign up) - Recorded
8) Oxac - Recorded
9) JamesT (auto sign up) - Recorded
10) coffeeman (auto sign up)
11) sted
12) superize - Recorded
13) FilipofCroatia
14) Canis
15) Pedja Simovic - Recorded

Additional sign ups:
1) Dexxter - Recorded
2) Matt23 - Recorded
3) TheKeplerConjecture - Recorded
4) Paiva

My solo on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wdYMRCanLE

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This post has been edited by Pedja Simovic: Jul 25 2009, 09:24 AM