Minor Arpeggio

Working from an online source: learned a minor chord arpeggio. Guitar hunting.

Major Scale

Time to move on from the major scale in the Aebersold book!

Improv

Using Vol 1 by Jamey #Aebersold to learn #jazz #guitar #improvisation (the book adapted for guitar by Corey Christiansen). Want to learn just regular scales with the book's exercises to see where it might get me. 

Reading "Schindler's List."

Simple (But Not Too Simple)

Sorry I forgot who said it, but someone said something like 'keep it simple, but not more simple than it has to be.'

Anyway, that saying relates to me learning guitar improvisation with the Silver book. The book is an elegant method of teaching improv. However, I found something out tonight: I was trying to make it too simple by only taking pieces of it, and focusing on just those pieces. Ok so I enjoyed the appetizer, and now it's time to really sink my teeth into the whole meal that the book has to offer.

Practice practice practice

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour.

 Had a dream that ended about 4:30 this morning that I was giving a presentation on the blues to college or high school folks some of whom I knew. I sang "My Babe." BB King was there. It was a classroom. I had to go to my classes after it so I told BB that and I said something like "I gotta go now BB so you know what it's like for me." BB took the hint and said "the thrill is gone."

Guitar practice today focused on really trying to get Silver's patterns more and more internalized. I like how it is working out.

On "Methods" (with regards to learning improvisation)

That's it! There. I've said it. NO MORE METHOD Books! Or DVDs! No more!! I got yet another book recently and it ain't no help. 

Tried some things today. Tried a minor scale from one book. Sounded nice. Looked at the major scale in another book. Ok. Thought of keeping it simple by using the pentatonic scales only. Or some combinations. But decided to STOP the silliness. 

I'm on information overload right now and I think it's time to step back and stop making it more complex than it needs to be.

What I need to do is play music more and keep using what has always been a great source for me: The Marc Silver book. It's all there for me if I will just get to know the stuff in there better. Learn it. I don't mean have a cursory knowledge of it. I MEAN LEARN IT AND INGRAIN IT. It's really so elegant and I just have to INTERNALIZE the information more. I don't even know if I need to go through the whole book. But if I internalize the stuff I know already, I think that can take me pretty far. 

Will really try to internalize the material that I know from the book already. 

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour.

Monday

Rode exercise bike for 1/2 hour.

Yesterday worked a little more on arpeggios.

Interesting

Learned and practiced some shapes from one book that are the similar, yet play different roles from the context in which I learned them before. 

Addendum: An exploration on the guitar revealed to me that actually both ideas are very similar.

Started a little arpeggio work; sounds like they might be quite useful.

WOW!!!

What a difference a day makes!!

I tried improvising again today to the same exact song I used yesterday and I just love how it came out. The difference was because of a couple of factors with the first being the most important:

1) I re-analyzed how I was supposed to play certain thinks, and yesterday's analysis was full of mistakes. I really have to take my time in analyzing what I'm doing or else I will just play notes that just will not fit.

2) I shifted stuff around and did not remain limited to a certain idea. Though an original idea may have fit ok, using a different one resulted in improved results.

3) I like how I shifted the solo to use higher notes sometimes.

4) I was more relaxed today compared to yesterday.

Sounds really cool!

Improvising

Tried to improvise tonight and the results were not earth shattering. I would like to try to get back to the first Aebersold book for guitar.

Charlie Christian

Not feeling too well today but managed to get in a little improv practice. Using the Silver book, I can probably say I'm getting there! Using the ideas in the Charlie Christian book, I practiced a little using the ideas therein. Adding a little scale stuff with some stuff from the Charlie Christian book might take me further in my quest to improv. 

I'm liking the Godin 5th Avenue Kingpin (with one pickup). I have been saving money for awhile now but need to save more to get a new guitar. Will not sell my Epiphone Casino. It's my buddy.

Improvisation

Utilizing Silver's ideas, tried some improvisation to some of the chords of "Just the Way You Look Tonight." Went ok; but it will definitely take more practice. Got better by not giving up. Getting there. May try some other ideas from a book that teaches the utilization of triads in improvisation. Found another book on line about arpeggios that looks interesting, also. Tomorrow will begin practicing for Christmas shows with a couple band members. 

Buddy Holly & The Everly Brothers

HAPPY 75th BIRTHDAY JOHN LENNON!

Not an Easy Guitar Day

Started working on chord melody version of "Have Yourself a Very Merry Christmas." Struggling with that as well as with improvising to it. That's not fun but ok.

Guitar Improvisation

Tried to adopt a notation system I'm using for guitar chord melody to piano; wasn't 100% pleased but may keep it in mind if I get the urge to play piano again.

Tried an improv method that I worked on a little in the past, and I wasn't hooked. Utilized Marc Silver's ideas and was pleasantly pleased as I found myself doing some nice melodic improv to some of "Here, There, and Everywhere." 

Thinking of going back to Garrison Fewell's "Jazz Improvisation for Guitar: A Melodic Approach" for some more improv ideas.

I owe what I judge as being some great progress in guitar improv to the Marc Silver book "Contemporary Guitar Improvisation," and I'm not even done with it yet. Thanks Marc!

Silver's Book

Just practiced some of the stuff in Silver's book. Very interesting.

Improv

The Blues Band disbanded. Tried an idea to learn improv., but I didn't  like how it was working out. Going back to the Marc Silver book, "Contemporary Guitar Improvisation."