Building improvisational skills
David:
I played at a jam a session last night and of most of the songs I had not played before (some were not even blues), nor had I played with any of musicians before. So had to put my improvisational skills to use. My fills and accompaniment were pretty decent, however my solos were hit or miss. I know how to improvise and build a solo so nothing really lacking there. Not sure if it is nerves; or not being able to think quick enough; or trying too hard to fit the song? Am I at a point where it's just requires practice and experience from here on out? Any tips on exercises in addition to, or building upon, working with my jam tracks?
Thanks
Brian
Thanks, I'll keep working the study songs (still trying to wrap up the two LOA7 songs, so close) and work my existing song repertoire, as well as continue working with my jam track collection. Of course try to get out to the jams to gain experience. Just going to take time. One positive note, I took a side track to learn how to play in third position. What do you know, two songs called at the jam were in minor keys. So I used third position, nothing fancy, and by golly it worked and sounded nice.
Brian
Sweet, glad to hear it.
Afternoon Brian. Yes, this is just experience over time. Keep studying and learning how to play songs and solos, they all will contribute to both your vocabulary and your ability to play in multiple groove/feel types. So, always be working on a song.
The non-blues stuff takes a LOT more study/time, and your study starts with Music Theory Study 6, where the non-12 bar material is taught. Keep your head up, it's a process over time and each year you'll look back and say, "I'm a little better at this than I was last year."