tips on soloing?

[redname]

Hi guys,
recently I've started to do some soloing, just some finger playing.

I've tried to play over several genres.

problem is that my solos are not consistent. i can do some really nice lines and link them up as if i'm telling a story but sometimes my solos are just all over the place.

you guys got any tips on keeping it consistent?

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by redname

Hi guys,
recently I've started to do some soloing, just some finger playing.

I've tried to play over several genres.

problem is that my solos are not consistent. i can do some really nice lines and link them up as if i'm telling a story but sometimes my solos are just all over the place.

you guys got any tips on keeping it consistent?

learn the chord notes first, know the chords to the pieces you want to solo on. Learn the melodies too.

[MalcolmAmos]

Yes play the tune or follow the chords with the chord's pentatonic, that should give some structure to what you are doing.

C chord play the C Major pentatonic
Am7 play the A minor pentatonic
F play the F major pentratonic
G7 Play the G major pentatonic and add the b7.

To the beat of the song. String of notes is noise, some pauses in there helps a lot. Our ear wants to hear four note patterns if they (the patterns) end on a chord tone so much the better.

Follow the chords. Here is what Hal had to say about that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NehOx...feature=relmfu

[whitefuneral]

A solo should be done in time if playing with a band, they only usually last 2-6 bars, try not to let those bars sound the same but you could change the octave playing. But most important is wait your turn, don't jump into one mid bar.

[mantrabass]

To me... Feel is a lot of it. Don't worry about piecing it together right away, learn from how you play when you play with feeling. For me, being not too into theory (and much too lazy to learn more), I like to play distinctly with feeling. Wrong notes used to be a huge issue for me, but now I use them to open up interpretation. Playing a wrong note can lead to a short stint in the solo of "artistic mistakes" that, in my opinion, add some more life to a solo.

Otherwise, take their advice too. If it's a pre-rehearsed solo, or something you're writing, knowing the chords of the song definitely will benefit you!

[Jim Nazium]

Scott Henderson said that soloing is just a matter of making the right face.

[Dustin Teel]

When I solo, I will kick on a bit of distortion, throw up the devil horns or beckon toward the audience. Anything to get them into it more or cheering. This is extremely important as I've found that, when people start cheering for you going into the solo or if they are keenly interested in what you're about to play, it gives you more adrenaline and energy and (in my case) the ability to play faster and more fluidly.

Usually the solo itself builds in intensity. I will start with walks and bends and work up to quick arpeggios and pull-off/hammer-on trills as the peak of the solo. I usually end it out with more bends and walks that center around a perfect fifth.

It's all about feeling. The complexity/technique of the solo is irrelevant if it doesn't have any soul to it. That's why bassists like Flea are so popular - on a complexity level, the stuff he plays isn't really "that" difficult. It just has so much feeling, energy, and emotion behind it. It's contagious.