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Topic ClosedWhat kind of music do you improvise to and how?

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Dayvenkirq View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2013 at 11:09
^ It's in the user info section of his post, under five stars "not as bright as ... spam".
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2013 at 11:11
Ooooooooohhh, ah, I see now, sorry.
She does make a valid point though.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 18 2013 at 11:12
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: May 25 2013 at 17:20
Originally posted by cstack3 cstack3 wrote:

Originally posted by jasonofthestorm jasonofthestorm wrote:

I haven't been practicing improvising very much, but sometimes I like to pop in Miles Davis' Live-Evil and jam along to the first couple tracks. It has some really relaxed, slow grooves with plenty of room to noodle around, and the progressions are easy enough to experiment over without sounding 'off.'

...and then John McLaughlin shreds my face off and I throw my guitar out the window... Confused

Ain't it the truth!!  I've had Holdsworth make me want to fling my Les Paul....

When I first was learning to play lead, I would put on a jazz-rock LP like Stanley Clarke's first solo album.  As you said, there was plenty of room to noodle around.  I don't improvise on bass much, mostly try to learn the songs note-for-note.  
 
You know what? .... that's sad!
 
You should be inspired, and not compare your ability to his ability ... and you feeling inferior, only tells you that the majority of music teachers you ever had were idiots that only knew how to put down people, not help them love and understand and appreciate the beauty in music ... which has nothing to do with what Jon does, and you don't!
 
Except that (I don't think) you believe in yourself enough to become ... music! With no self in between, which is what someone like Jon does so well! It's the nature of his studies, btw!  But that's too mystical a discussion that most folks would not appreciate here!


Edited by moshkito - May 25 2013 at 17:39
Music is not just for listening ... it is for LIVING ... you got to feel it to know what's it about! Not being told!
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 04 2013 at 20:51
Just been improvising to Soft Machine's "As If" ... in this heat. Jesus, maybe improv ain't my thing. I know all the basics, but I guess I haven't been doing it enough.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 24 2013 at 22:41
I started jammin over miles davis recordings and charlie parker, but now i knnnow something more about changes and that they weren't just playing scales haha
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 25 2013 at 09:17
Standards normally, or my own stuff
"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."

Arnold Schoenberg
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 25 2013 at 15:19
I spend hours playing along with the chord progression from King Crimson's Exiles...D  C  Bm  Am Bowdown
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 25 2013 at 15:42
Thumbs Up ... Something like:

D C D C Bm Am
D C D C B [coda]
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 25 2013 at 17:04
Giant Steps is always a good laugh as well
"Market value is irrelevant to intrinsic value."

Arnold Schoenberg
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: October 26 2013 at 18:28
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

Thumbs Up ... Something like:

D C D C Bm Am
D C D C B [coda]

Ya, I just set up my Motif to play the bass/drums/mellotron of the D C D C Bm Am indefinitely then quit when I start repeating my solo too much...sometimes I last 5 minutes, sometimes an hour LOL


Edited by The.Crimson.King - October 26 2013 at 18:28
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2014 at 00:51
One fun way to improvise is when you're sitting on the couch with the TV on and hear a random commercial's music, or the soundtrack to a movie or show. I've had random moments of spontaneity like that that have been really awesome
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2014 at 01:58
^ Ooh, there's no way I'd be able to improvise to commercial tunes. Not much to go on to. I need to feel the chords. Maybe the chord progression needs to sound great before I pick up my guitar.

By the way, I've changed something in the thread's OP:

Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

EDIT: I've extended the premise of the thread a little bit. Given that I struggle with improvisation, I want to know what the lads here think about when they improvise. (It really is a shame that I haven't put that in my OP early on. Damn me.


Edited by Dayvenkirq - July 10 2014 at 01:58
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2014 at 01:59
Launch analog sequencer, have the polysynth hold a relevant minor chord. Either that or put multitracks of some old thing of my own and mute all the leads. I avoid improvising to pieces of music I haven't at least been involved in, both out of principle and out of extreme paranoia of accidental plagiarism down the road.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2014 at 02:03
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

^ Ooh, there's no way I'd be able to improvise to commercial tunes. Not much to go on to. I need to feel the chords. Maybe the chord progression needs to sound great before I pick up my guitar.

By the way, I've changed something in the thread's OP:

Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

EDIT: I've extended the premise of the thread a little bit. Given that I struggle with improvisation, I want to know what the lads here think about when they improvise. (It really is a shame that I haven't put that in my OP early on. Damn me.


Ever tried looking up the commercial on Youtube? Changes are you'll find it.

I think it may have been an infomercial I improvised on - like a long 30 minute one haha. More to chew on there!
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Dayvenkirq View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2014 at 02:04
Originally posted by PC-72 PC-72 wrote:

Launch analog sequencer, have the polysynth hold a relevant minor chord. Either that or put multitracks of some old thing of my own and mute all the leads. I avoid improvising to pieces of music I haven't at least been involved in, both out of principle and out of extreme paranoia of accidental plagiarism down the road.
Nice. But what are you thinking about while you are improvising? I've skimmed through an article about a saxophonist who has a lot of chords burned into his brain so that he knows what chord is coming next in a composition before he determines how to solo over it. What little technical things do you think about?

Edited by Dayvenkirq - July 10 2014 at 02:04
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2014 at 02:05
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

By the way, I've changed something in the thread's OP:

Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

EDIT: I've extended the premise of the thread a little bit. Given that I struggle with improvisation, I want to know what the lads here think about when they improvise. (It really is a shame that I haven't put that in my OP early on. Damn me.


I try and enter whatever emotion is boiling underneath at the given moment, whether it's rage at a sh*tty day, sadness from something I read, etc. I really just try and let it seep out musically.

I try and be honest about those feelings too, as I'm playing


Edited by coffeeintheface - July 10 2014 at 02:05
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Dayvenkirq View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2014 at 02:10
^ So, basically it's noodling without any knowledge about the music, correct? ... I tried doing that.

What technical concepts do you use when you improvise? Do you know scales?


Edited by Dayvenkirq - July 10 2014 at 02:12
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2014 at 02:14
Originally posted by Dayvenkirq Dayvenkirq wrote:

^ So, basically it's noodling without any knowledge about the music, correct? ... I tried doing that.

What technical concepts do you use when you improvise? Do you know scales?


I mess around until I find a note that sounds right, then I either noodle some more or mess around with scale/mode patterns. I have basic knowledge of scales/modes but I mostly mess around and do it by ear
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Dayvenkirq View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: July 10 2014 at 02:17
^ Have you ever tried playing dyads (two-note chords) in your solos every now and then? Like:

--------0----2----3---5------
--------0----------------------

Edited by Dayvenkirq - July 10 2014 at 02:19
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