Fear of soloing - Page 3

Robman · #41 11-15-2004, 12:35 PM

There has been some great advice given here.

I normally don't like to solo, but after nearly 20 years of playing bass, I had a gig last month (Metallica Tribute) with Anesthesia in the first set. This was the third time for me to play the Metallica Tribute, but the first for me to play the solo. The first time, one of our guitarists played it - he started out on bass and is extremely good. The second time, I said I would play it, but chickened out. This time, I saw it as a right of passage and went for it. Man, am I glad I did. After the first few bars, I was in the zone. It was like tunnel vision - just me and my bass. I've never had so many compliments from perfect strangers and I'll never turn down a chance to play a bass solo again - even if I do screw up.

I agree with learning scales and modes and all that has already been mentioned. One day you may feel that you need to do the solo thing

Aaron Saunders · #42 11-17-2004, 05:58 AM

Go for it. I've never prepared a solo, ever, but when I'm sitting at home playing, 80% of the time I'm just improvising. I always go back and play my favourite solo stuff so I keep it fresh in my memory, but the rest of the time, I just pick a mode or two and go at it for an hour and a half -- I've been doing this for just under half the time I've been playing bass (2 and a half years) and as a result, I can easily come up with an original bassline on command. I'm in two bands where I improvise heavily -- a general band (we do all originals, including a funk song with two bass solos) and a jazz quartet (Chameleon, The Chicken, Driftin', etc.). In the all-originals one, when I "write" a bassline, I just play overtop of the chord changes -- same for some of the songs in the quartet (Chameleon I just stick to that nice groooove, and The Chicken has its main thing -- but improvising is very much not out of the question in it). Just improv as much as you can and learn your theory, and when you get a sheet like I did when the band leader handed us Driftin', with half of the sheet just chord changes, you won't be out in the cold when it comes time to solo. Don't prepare, just practice improvising...a lot.

PS: Get your left handed techniques down. I can't tell you how much a well placed vibrato or small slide can affect a good solo.

Joe P · #43 11-17-2004, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Govithoy

Go for it. I've never prepared a solo, ever, but when I'm sitting at home playing, 80% of the time I'm just improvising. I always go back and play my favourite solo stuff so I keep it fresh in my memory, but the rest of the time, I just pick a mode or two and go at it for an hour and a half...

...Just improv as much as you can and learn your theory, and when you get a sheet like I did when the band leader handed us Driftin', with half of the sheet just chord changes, you won't be out in the cold when it comes time to solo. Don't prepare, just practice improvising...a lot.
...

Inspiring, Govithoy! I've been playing bass for about a year and a half (zero-theory solo flattop guitar strumming off-and-on for twenty years before that), and I'm seriously working on scales and chords and harmony and such. It's been just in the last month that I come out of a personal practice session just thinking "Man! I think I'm gonna be one of those bassists who can click right into songs that I've never played before - and improvise singing, melodic solos any time a band leader wants to nod toward me!". Maybe in the next year...

So I value my personal practice time, but have a little band too - it's with the band that I learn groove and pocket and such. It's hap'nin!! Bass has been amazingly more thrilling and satisfying than I ever thought it would be.

I haven't studied modes yet. I know what they ARE, but not how to use them. What I've been working on most recently is the idea of making triads out of any note in a major or minor scale - like "what would the triad be if this note were the root of a chord? What if it were the third; OK, the fifth? Let's see.. oops - no, that one's diminished...".

It seems to me I'm on the right track so far! Ya think?

Thanks,

Joe

Fender78 -fr · #44 11-17-2004, 09:50 AM

There is one way to enhance your soloing (it work very well for me)

!!GET A TEACHER!!

it so simple!

Oh! and I'm a Band-in-a-box addict! It is the best to build strongs solos!

AngelCrusher · #45 11-17-2004, 05:13 PM

I improv my solos too. Best way is to have a skeleton of what you are going to do, and just flesh it in live. It's really fun for me, and I never worry about it. I have created solos out of nothing to fill time, and i don't worry about mistakes. I just really enjoy what I'm doing and zone out. Worst thing to try would be to learn a solo note for note and play it. I have done that before, but always end up altering it a bit. What can I say? I love to improv.

Another great idea is to start your solo by playing a real nice simple groove..just something that gets the crowd moving..while I am doing that, I think about what i'm going to do next, and then build it up into my solo.this makes it more fun for the crowd to dance to, and get into...solos are boring if you don't use taste and space.

Lackey · #46 11-17-2004, 10:44 PM

I've been getting more solo exposure recently in my fusion trio, and I'm trying to stay afloat! This is my first jazzy band, and I've never actually taken a lead solo before with another melodic instrument supporting me. Much easier by yourself, pick your own tempo, time sigs, key, changes etc.

I'm happy with the way my compositional skills are developing, but I'm kinda writing myself into the corner from a soloing standpoint - a key change through 7/8 is slightly distracting for me.

But, practice should help me, and there's lotsa great advice on here for me to remember!