Stuck with the same phrases while Soloing / "Writing" solos?

[Syriel]

Recently, I feel like I've been playing the SAME phrases over and over during my Improvisation classes / trying to record a solo. So I've been wondering, how have YOU guys gotten over being stuck, if you ever have experienced it?

I've recently been thinking of "writing" solos on paper while following them on the guitar, I guess to avoid the phrases I seem to keep repeating. I thought it would get me used to "thinking" while playing more, as well as help me remember avoid notes as well as find some tension notes that I would find love in.

Btw I'm thinking more in a Jazz / Fusion context, as I know a lot of "metal" solos are actually written / practiced out.

Discuss.

 

[guitareben]

Learn solos. Incorporate licks. Spend time coming up with new ideas and incorporating into playing. Etc


But learn solos ^^

And... just focus on not playing the same lick when you're soloing... given time just having an idea of how you want to sound or don't want to sound should help shape your playing ^^ Don't just mindlessly noodle ^^

AND sing what you play.

 

[Skyblue]

It's been mentioned many times before, but it really does work- Listen to different stuff. Branch out. Especially if we're talking about a Jazz/Fusion, where exploring new territories is always welcomed. Go gypsy, latin, colombian, indian... Anything, really. It'll spark your imagination and get the creative juices flowing.




Just two quick things I randomly heard today, to get you started.
Also, listening to different instruments might help. Lots of guitarists try to copy Sax lines for example.

Have fun exploring

 

[penningmic]

I find that the old young guns and guitar lesson videos by the pros is a nice way to pick up new licks and tricks

 

[MrGignac]

I recommend the guitar grimoire by Karl Fischer. Ive had the scales and modes one and it always helps when i want to try something different. As for phrasing, id say like everyone else and learn a bunch of solos

 

[celticelk]

I'll repeat the "learn some solos" advice, with a twist: learn solos by instrumentalists who are not guitar players. You can't approach a sax or piano the same way you do a guitar, and that naturally changes the types of phrases that those players produce. There are obviously a ton of classic masters and up-and-coming hotshots you could choose from, but I'll cite Christian Scott (trumpet) and Jamie Saft (piano) as a couple of the latter for consideration.

 

[ghost_of_karelia]

Don't underestimate the power of rhythm, and by extension polyrhythms.

The same scale can have a totally different atmosphere if you leave long gaps in some places, and blaze over the strings in others. Change up the beat too, if the rhythm track you're playing over is in 4/4, go nuts and try and get a phrase repeating in 7/8 over the top.

I'm not a brilliant soloist, but paying more attention to the rhythm I'm playing rather than attempting to change the notes has really helped me drag myself out of a lot of ruts.

Hope it helps you too

 

[wespaul]

Definitely listen to other instruments, as suggested. You should really start singing melodies, and singing while you play. This will help you internalize the music. It also helps for when you hear a melody in your head --it will become easier to transfer your thoughts to your instrument.

Building a guitar vocabulary is a long process, and combining it with the ability to immediately pull from it as well as express new ideas on the fly when improvising takes time...a lot of it.

I really like Lick Library's "Quick Licks" series. It's basically a profile of a given player's style, and a complete break down of 3-4 minute solo that consists of 30 or so licks. If you get a few of these dvds, and in different styles that you don't even necessarily play, you'll find your playing becoming a lot more interesting (and fun).

The Albert Lee Quick Licks dvd is one that really opened up ideas for me in my playing. I'm primarily a heavy metal player, but taking these country licks, modifying them, and throwing them in the middle of a thrash solo is really fun, and keeps things fresh.

 

[bondmorkret]

Try improvising with a repeated rhythm cell, for a long time. It will force you to think of melodic ideas and intervals that you don't usually use, in order to stay interested in your guitar playing!

 

[fantom]

I think the key here is you said "improvisation". When on the spot, you will always gravitate to things you are comfortable playing. I don't think I've ever played an improvised solo that didn't sound like generic scale runs or arpeggios played relatively fast (although nowadays... mediocre tempo). In my case, that's what I was comfortable playing because I practice the shit out of scales and arpeggios.

You need to work on becoming comfortable with more than that. When I write solos, I almost always challenge myself to find a fingering that I'm not comfortable playing and practice it for 10-15 minutes until I can play it near speed. You can count this as "learn other solos" if you want. The idea is to stop trying to "play" and start trying to get out of your comfort zone.

 

[Syriel]

Thanks for all the suggestions guys. Much appreciated.

I guess I'll take the learn 'other instrument solos' as a great place to start, and I guess I'll also grab some of those quick lick stuff. Thanks!

 

[Solodini]

I agree with the suggestions above of rhythmic variation, singing/whistling your improv. and trying phrases from other instruments. A few more suggestions below.

Invert some intervals in the licks you're used to playing and pay attention to those you like, as well as the intervals you were using in the normal version. If you're sticking to diatonic notes then see where else in the current scale those intervals pop up and try using them in wherever one note of that available interval appears. If you're in C Major and you like E up to C, that's a minor 6th. A up to F is also a minor 6th so if you encounter an A, try going up to an F after, or go down to an A after an F and see what variations on the licks you can come up with. They might sound off with the chord at that time but it could then pull you to a chord tone which fits you more into the music than playing a lego set of licks.

Mess with the rhythm, using rests instead of certain notes or extending the length of certain notes, repeating certain notes. You can preemptively repeat a note, but that'll take some preplanning. If you're coming up to a bar of C major from a bar of G Major you can try playing a C or an E on the last beat of the G bar and repeat it on beat one of the C bar and that should create some pull and flow into what follows. Syncopation is very useful, as is not just using chunks of phrases which are of constantly equal length. If you're repeating notes as mentioned above, experiment with the repeated notes replacing notes which would follow as variations on the lick, or adding the repeated notes in between so it pushes the rest of it back a bit. Notes will then land on different beats and relate to the chord differently, which could have some cool effect.

Pay attention to the functions you like and put them to use in different contexts. That way you can modify phrases and start to make them your own, rather than reciting from a phrase book.

Hope that helps some. Let me know if you'd like me to clarify on anything.