I need some tips on creating a solid solo

[Lowend4s]

I am the kind of Bassist that prefers to just chill out in the pocket with the drummer and groove. But recently my band has called upon me to show off my chops with some crazy solo. I was thinking something in E Minor would be nice. Any suggestions on creating a nice one?


Thanks alot.

 

[Matt Ides]

I am not sure the type pf music you are playing but two things to stay away from:

1. Same bassline just with a few more notes or rhythmic variation.

2. Running to the upper register.

Emin would be great you can utalize the open E string...make it melodic and fit within the harmonic structure of the tune. Plus the open D string is your Min 7 if you are looking at in as a Emin7 chord.

To spice it up you can shift between Emin and Emaj.

Hope this helps.

Matt

 

[MacheteJames]

Avoid beginning and ending your ideas on the root... try soloing from the 5th or the 3rd of the chord, that's a good place to start. Be careful that your ideas don't sound like you're just playing scales up and down.. rhythmic variation and the repetition of notes are the key to this. Your solo should sound lyrical, for lack of a better word. A good way to make this happen is to do a kind of "call and response" with your phrases... play one thing, and then answer it with the next thing you play.

If you're playing in Emin, you can make use of all of the other modes as well, like D mixolydian, C lydian, etc...

I know I'm probably not explaining this that well, but these are the techniques that helped me.

Also, there really isn't anything wrong with soloing in the upper register, personally I prefer it because in the lower octaves, notes can kind of blend together, especially in the mix with the whole band playing... one of the reasons why I got a 6.

 

[Aaron Saunders]

Know the intervals and chords available to you very, very well. Like ssab7, the open D is your 7. A way to actually use this would be to take the other notes in an Emin7 -- let's say the root (E), 3(G), and the ocatve -- and find ways to play this while an open D drones. Keep it rhythmically interesting, too.

Also, explore your different modes, like MacheteJames suggested. If you're playing an Emin, other modes that might work would be your relative major (G) and your mixolydian (D) and the chords available from them (Gsus2 sounds really neat, especially playing the octave of the 2 and a D7).

Finally, don't be afraid of the upper register, but don't spend your whole time up there. A way that I like to leave the upper frequences without sounding choppy is to run (don't walk) down an arpeggio back to the "bass frequencies", do a couple more bars, and then end the solo there, comfortable and in position for the rest of the song.

 

[Matt Ides]

This works for me. Practice it at home and work out your ideas. Live, just go for it, don't think, just do.