Blues lead needs work

Got a blues backing track from Guitar Center and tried to add lead to it.

Lin'q

Used an 89 standard strat, a mustang II amp, and audacity. Amp is connected through USB.

The playing definitely needs work.

Any constructive feedback is welcome. I'm not thin-skinned so brutal honesty is OK.

I thought it was pretty good, but if I were to critique I would say:


- there seems to be some hesistancy on the right hand
- mix up the rhythm more, with some unexpected stops
- at 2:00 you do a nice contrast-y thing, try to get some more ideas like that in there


hope that helps!

Jon

I really enjoyed this, perhaps it's because I spent this morning practising some stuff that's a bit like it. Agree with John's feedback mostly, the shuffle-stop thing you do with the drums later on is really nice. Only thing I would say is either turn the drum track down a little or better still, turn your volume up, there were times I was struggling to hear your chords under the drums.

Confession time, I've played it four times now and the third and forth were spent improvising along with it.....my theory not being brilliant I don't know if it would be written down this way but what you were doing hinted at lydian mode to me, so I started playing lydian starting on c over the a root chord. If you haven't tried that have a go...it gets boring doing the whole track that way but it's some spice to add to the main meal.

I know it sounds cheeky but is there any chance I could have your backing track so I can record a couple of those ideas and post them in this thread? I really love that rhythm, it puts me in mind of something by Hendrix but I can't think what it's called.

The backing track was downloaded from Guitar Centers battle of the blues site.

http://gc.guitarcenter.com/battleoftheblues/tracks/index.cfm

Thanks to all for the feedback. It really does help.

Cheers,

Originally Posted by: mhowell67Got a blues backing track from Guitar Center and tried to add lead to it.

Lin'q

Used an 89 standard strat, a mustang II amp, and audacity. Amp is connected through USB.

The playing definitely needs work.

Any constructive feedback is welcome. I'm not thin-skinned so brutal honesty is OK.

I like the jazzy Blues vibe on your recording! This has some cool flavour to me.

What I can see as improvements, if you ask me for honest and constructive feedback:

- I don't see a "storyboard" in your lead work (at least I couldn't get it):
Good solos "normally" starts with a melody/motive, which then undergoes some variations.
For the ears of the listener it is important to have repeats and variations on repeats, so he might have the chance to repeat with you as a guitar player your lead work in his mind.
Good solos have ups and downs and a climax where - ideally - everything leads to it.
I normally have at least some anchor points in my solos, where I am going to and moving onwards from. Between these anchor points it is up to everybodies capabilities to improvise or to play it always in the same way ( more or less).

- To spice your soloing up: make a bit more variations on your licks and phrasing (don't play constantly - make more stops). It sounds too much of the same to me. Otherwise you run into a situation where it is boring to the listener. This can be done by variations in rhythm, by using other scales or varations in your tone.

- I haven't heard vibrato in your playing. Apart of bendings and slides, this is another important tool to spice up your solo work. (May be you haven't used it by intenion to be more in the jazzy vibe area).

- The solo does not always seems to be in the right timing for me (I guess that was ment by hesitation in the right hand).

- For my taste you have too much delay on the solo guitar. In some phrases this leads into undefined sounds to me.


In the honest hope that this can give you some new attemps for
your soloing ...

All the best, wolbai.

Originally Posted by: wolbaiI like the jazzy Blues vibe on your recording! This has some cool flavour to me.

What I can see as improvements, if you ask me for honest and constructive feedback:

- I don't see a "storyboard" in your lead work (at least I couldn't get it):
Good solos "normally" starts with a melody/motive, which then undergoes some variations.
For the ears of the listener it is important to have repeats and variations on repeats, so he might have the chance to repeat with you as a guitar player your lead work in his mind.
Good solos have ups and downs and a climax where - ideally - everything leads to it.
I normally have at least some anchor points in my solos, where I am going to and moving onwards from. Between these anchor points it is up to everybodies capabilities to improvise or to play it always in the same way ( more or less).

- To spice your soloing up: make a bit more variations on your licks and phrasing (don't play constantly - make more stops). It sounds too much of the same to me. Otherwise you run into a situation where it is boring to the listener. This can be done by variations in rhythm, by using other scales or varations in your tone.

- I haven't heard vibrato in your playing. Apart of bendings and slides, this is another important tool to spice up your solo work. (May be you haven't used it by intenion to be more in the jazzy vibe area).

- The solo does not always seems to be in the right timing for me (I guess that was ment by hesitation in the right hand).

- For my taste you have too much delay on the solo guitar. In some phrases this leads into undefined sounds to me.


In the honest hope that this can give you some new attemps for
your soloing ...

All the best, wolbai.

Thank you very much and I don't see anything that I can disagree with.

I don't have a huge repertoire of 'licks' so that's something I'll have to work on.

My vibrato technique is horrible. But it won't get any better if I don't work on it. :(

The timing is bad - I was thinking too much while recording. I started my lead in the major scale which is a new thing for me. I've done nothing pentatonic for years so branching out into new areas isn't natural for me yet.

I'll cut back on the delay. There's a time (no pun intended) and a place for delay but just setting it and leaving it was probably a bad idea.

As far as the 'vibe', it's a sound/tone that I like. I'm not a big fan of most jazz stuff and although I love blues, the 'rockin' blues that is so predominant these days is just about all we here. So I'm trying to do a 'jazzed up' blues thing. It sounds a lot better in my mind that what comes out on my strings. :o

Cheers,

Hi mhowell67,

for me your starting point for you to proceed should be what you have finally pointed out: "It sounds a lot better in my mind that what comes out on my strings."

This is a strong guidance for anyone who wants to be a good player on his instrument. I am quite shure, it is only a question of time, until you have closed that gap.

And I also suggest to you not to try everything at once. Take your time and pickup only one element to develop your lead work.

The most critical ones to me are:

1. the timing: slow down to the level of notes, what you are absolutely able to play fluently and in time of the beat. Playing in time is the very fundamental thing (more than playing the right notes in my eyes).

2. to take the idea of ancher points to proceed with your solos. Start with 3 (Start-middle-end) and then try to link them in a sensible way. To link ancher points can be done by repeats and variations of repeats. Find your climax in your solo: where is the point where you have reached your guitar heaven? With this way of thinking, you are buliding up your capabilities of a good musician in my eyes too.

3. Playing less notes and making stops, enables your song and your soloing more time to breath. Guitar playing immediatelly becomes more interessenting to the listener just by making pauses between the notes.


Using different scales, more techniques like vibrato, etc. is coming later.

This may sound very clarified to you, but I am not. I am still a traveller on my personal guitar journey at an early stage (that's what I feel). And the more I am playing, the more I discover new shortcomings. It is some how a like a long and winding, never ending road - but I love that trip!

All the best and good luck from a fellow sharing the same road with you, wolbai.