Basic Improv Week 5

Sp8ctre said:
Thanks Ray! I'm finding out just how important it is to play against a backing track! Noodling all alone was getting me nowhere...
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I hear that brother. I spend every night playing against songs, learning them and trying to play over them, even imitating commercials as they come on. When I really like something, I try to lay down the rhythm and play lead over it, which you have heard me post on occasion. It is the part of playing that really lets your soul spill out onto the fret board. Rock on!!
 
This is week 6 assignment...I don't even know where to start!

You will play a total of four choruses on an A minor blues progression.

Start by creating an A A A riff head for the first chorus. On the second and third choruses,
improvise a solo with an awareness to "the big picture" by having a beginning, middle, and end.
In the fourth and final choruses, play an A A B lyric head.

Plan a specific dynamic, rhythmic, and range intent for this solo. In the second chorus, start softly,
and crescendo to a peak point at the beginning of the third chorus. At the end of the
third chorus and into the fourth chorus, decrescendo into the A A B lyric head.

Vary rhythmic density by starting out the second chorus using sparse rhythms. In the beginning of the
third chorus, build to dense rhythms. Then, decrease rhythmic activity at the end of the third chorus.
Use a mid/low range in the second chorus, gradually expanding to a high range in the beginning of
the third chorus. Gradually, work down to a mid/low range at the end of the third chorus into the
A A B lyric head.
 
Sp8ctre said:
You will play a total of four choruses on an A minor blues progression.

Start by creating an A A A riff head for the first chorus.
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What progression, I-IV-V?

And sorry for my ignorance to technical terms, but can you please explain what a riff or lead "head" is?
 
RVA said:
What progression, I-IV-V?

And sorry for my ignorance to technical terms, but can you please explain what a riff or lead "head" is?
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I'm curious too. I remember being at Buck Owens Studio as a kid and talking with the producer about music theory and I always thought the term "lead" or "head" to refer to the main melody or the first part of a song????
 
Any progression I like. I'm not clear on the word "Head"...I'll have to clear that up.

Here is a explanation about "Riff" and "Lyric" from an earlier lesson.

Riff Blues

There are a number of blues tunes or tunes based upon the blues that contain a repetitive four measure melody or "riff." If we are playing a twelve measure form, the riff is a four-measure melodic pattern repeated three times. The riff is referred to as "A." So the melodic pattern for this twelve-measure pattern would be referred to as "AAA."

Lyric Blues

The lyric blues is very similiar to the riff blues with one exception. The third phrase is different. In a twelve- measure form, the lyric blues is composed of two four-measure phrases that are the same with a different phrase over the last four measures. This form can be thought of as AAB or complaint, complaint, solution. This is called a lyric blues because of how the blues lyrics take shape over the form.
 
Some of the best lead guitar advice I ever got was simple. Play the notes you would have used if you were singing, and don't play them before the rhythm has given you a cue.
 
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