pleased (but confused) about jazz soloing

Make up some exercises where you go all over the neck.

 

It just mean's you don't know you're neck down cold. When you're above the 12th fret, the patterns of notes repeat from the bottom, and when you're playing basslines you're towards the bottom of the neck, so presumably you know your way around down there. Fortunately, the solution is simple, practice in the middle register a lot and get really comfortable with note names and placements. It'll come to you, don't worry.

 

Pretty much that's it. They are the same notes, just a little closer on that part of the fretboard.

Letting yourself go, "Use the Force Luke" is the real trick after you have the technique down. Its all about fun!!

 

First, learn the names of the notes...everywhere on the fretboard.

Then, when you discover a lick, pattern, solo, etc. that you like and are comfortable with in one position, force yourself to learn it in other octaves or in other keys in various positions on the neck.

 

i can't really solo for beans in the lower parts of the neck either; i always figured it was because i wasn't hearing the notes down there. i remember reading in the Miles Davis autobiography that for a long time he never played high notes because he never heard them in his solos. maybe this is heretical, but even as a bass player, i hear solos higher up than my basslines.

the other day i bought a digitech whammy pedal, and tried turning it on during my solos. it worked amazingly! and i could hear everything coming out in the octave it was playing in my head. i've only heard of a couple people doing this (reid mathis, for one), but i can play all the stuff down low on the neck where i know the notes, and it comes out really high. pretty cool.

 

how long have you been playing for?