Soloing When You're Not Good At Soloing

[Krisfield]

Couldn't agree more.

They are basically playing a stream of consciousness, but they are drawing on a library of licks they have worked up previously.

 

[Krisfield]

Love this type of solo/improv. The metronome ticking away gives something for the bass to bounce off. And the groove and melodies are actually saying something. Then the Wah effect takes into another direction. Brilliant. If someone was wanting to learn how to solo and improves, this would be something I would point too.

Or just go nuts for 4 minutes

 

[bbh]

For a period in time, I’d do guitar type solos on bass. Everyone liked it...

 

[Playbyear]

Admittedly I didn't read all 8 pages but this topic really interests me as an advanced beginner. So I apologize if this has been addressed somewhere.

On the specific topic of playing the melody as a solo...would someone be willing to show a detailed example? As in, pick a simplish song with a simplish bass line and then tab out what a melodic solo would look like? Like maybe a 4-bar solo?

Thanks.

I don't write tabs... or use them much

However... if you want to train your ear to learn melodies, some of the easiest are Christmas and church songs. So many Christmas carols are in one major scale. Just work in a major scale such as C major, and pick out the melody. You don't even have to move your hand.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Do minor variations of the bassline in the upper register after you play maybe two bars of variations in it usual register. Keep it groovy. People will enjoy it like a fancy bass breakdown instead of a pure solo.

 

[JimmyM]

Just checking in after my 3 weekend gigs with the band...these tips many of you shared really seemed to help, as well as sticking to the melody to ground my solos. I even got applause for some of them

Allow me to share another tip that's great for folks who aren't good at soloing, especially folks like me who aren't super fast...legato and hammer-ons and offs. Not feeling obliged to pick every single notes was a big help as well. I think we often fall into this thing from hearing so many fast pickers where we're afraid to "cheat." PFFT on that! I'm cheating, I'm doing so boldly and proudly, and I couldn't care in the least if someone can play faster than me picking every note. Free yourselves and try it!

 

[smeet]

Not feeling obliged to pick every single notes was a big help as well. I think we often fall into this thing from hearing so many fast pickers where we're afraid to "cheat." PFFT on that! I'm cheating, I'm doing so boldly and proudly, and I couldn't care in the least if someone can play faster than me picking every note.

Not picking every note??? Like that complete *HACK* Allan Holdsworth???

 

[2112]

Just checking in after my 3 weekend gigs with the band...these tips many of you shared really seemed to help, as well as sticking to the melody to ground my solos. I even got applause for some of them

Allow me to share another tip that's great for folks who aren't good at soloing, especially folks like me who aren't super fast...legato and hammer-ons and offs. Not feeling obliged to pick every single notes was a big help as well. I think we often fall into this thing from hearing so many fast pickers where we're afraid to "cheat." PFFT on that! I'm cheating, I'm doing so boldly and proudly, and I couldn't care in the least if someone can play faster than me picking every note. Free yourselves and try it!

You're well-known around here for caring deeply about entertaining the audience... the mark of a true entertainer. IMO, as long as you stay true to that, it doesn't matter that you're not adhering to the frameworks imposed by stodgy bass purists. Congratulations on your success, may it open the door to more!

 

[Scoops]

<snip>
Decided to rely almost entirely on being melodic. If I want to do something difficult, I stick with what I can play in my sleep and I don't reach any further beyond that without practicing it till I have it. I came across an old BP interview with a bassist who spent years backing up Les Paul at his regular Monday night gig in NYC in his later years. He said that lots of bigtime celebrity guitarists would come sit in and solo, and play crazy stuff that Les could no longer play due to arthritis, and it would come back around to him and he'd slay the house by playing the melody of the song. Hmmm...that could work.
<snip>

In learning any new tune, I always learn the melody as well.
I may never play the melody at any gig, but by doing this, I get grounded in the feel of the tune

With respect to soloing, bit's of the melody can be used for thematic development. Sometimes I might just play the whole melody. Sometimes I might just play the last few phrases to signal I'm done with my solo.

There's a whole world out there based on the melody!

 

[mambo4]

I'm cheating, I'm doing so boldly and proudly

I think this attitude should apply to all the 'cheap tricks' that might be frowned upon by 'advanced' players
hammer ons and pull offs
bending the F**k out of a single note over and over
pentatonic runs

there is much that gets dismissed as 'amateur' , but
as long as fingering habits are sublimated to ears
any technique should be use , boldly and proudly