soloing: character/style or boredom/limitation?
- Thread starter Lasse Lammert
- Start date
Skinny Viking
¯\(°_o)/¯ How do Lydian?
guitarguru777
Member
jeff666
New Metal Member
I have a bass playing cousin who related a similar story to the Eddy Van Halen one, his guitarist focused entirely on learning the Van Halen style and ended up sounding like Van Halen.
If you want your own identity my advise is just this. Learn all types of pick attacks, legato phrases, slides, stupid bar tricks, ect. play scales and learn what your ear 'likes' then use theory(I, III, V is a nice starter) to build chords to work with what you like. Transpose those scales out in every key. Get the relative scales to the keys you like(google) they become invaluable in harmonizing theory.
Now drop the theory and try to improvise with the sounds, your basic 'self' just needs to shred with the new sounds applying pick attacks, legato phrases, slides, stupid bar tricks, inversions, arpeggios, tap harmonics, finger tapping, artificial harmonics, bends, natural harmonics, controlled feedback, backwards phrasing, ect.
Don't bother learning major players licks it's true that if you play them enough times you'll do it your way but it's still someone else's licks and since their major players you will get called out on it. Instead lock yourself in your room and shred with what your working on until your fingers bleed then grab some crazy glue, glue some fresh callous on your fingertips and get back to it.
While your doing that try to think of things you want to sound like from memory, break down the phrasings, compare what you hear in your head to what your hearing and find that note. And that is a pretty good start to finding you own sound. Above all don't get hung up on scales they are just 'ear training' to get you where you want to be faster, after all if you want to shred you will shred.
If you want your own identity my advise is just this. Learn all types of pick attacks, legato phrases, slides, stupid bar tricks, ect. play scales and learn what your ear 'likes' then use theory(I, III, V is a nice starter) to build chords to work with what you like. Transpose those scales out in every key. Get the relative scales to the keys you like(google) they become invaluable in harmonizing theory.
Now drop the theory and try to improvise with the sounds, your basic 'self' just needs to shred with the new sounds applying pick attacks, legato phrases, slides, stupid bar tricks, inversions, arpeggios, tap harmonics, finger tapping, artificial harmonics, bends, natural harmonics, controlled feedback, backwards phrasing, ect.
Don't bother learning major players licks it's true that if you play them enough times you'll do it your way but it's still someone else's licks and since their major players you will get called out on it. Instead lock yourself in your room and shred with what your working on until your fingers bleed then grab some crazy glue, glue some fresh callous on your fingertips and get back to it.
While your doing that try to think of things you want to sound like from memory, break down the phrasings, compare what you hear in your head to what your hearing and find that note. And that is a pretty good start to finding you own sound. Above all don't get hung up on scales they are just 'ear training' to get you where you want to be faster, after all if you want to shred you will shred.
ahjteam
Anssi Tenhunen
Skinny Viking
¯\(°_o)/¯ How do Lydian?
Anssi, I was really hoping that as you spent time here your sense of humor would improve
maybe in another month or so
maybe in another month or so
Sacha
Throbbing Member
Steve Vai had some good tips on this when I went to his masterclass, he was basically very deliberate about discovering and honing his own style. He suggested recording yourself improvising every day, and pick out the nuggets that sound unique, focus on those and improve them / add them to your style.
Mago
Austrian Blech Machine
Haha you guys are phucking fantastic!Thanks Lasse for bringing the clarity.
Now we have solved the "H" mysterie and the "PH" thingy...what´s next?
phuck phelix, I phink you phucked my english spelling as your phantastic is now phixed in my word pool.
but phank you phor the comment about my phrasing
Skinny Viking
¯\(°_o)/¯ How do Lydian?
phuck phelix, I phink you phucked my english spelling as your phantastic is now phixed in my word pool.
but phank you phor the comment about my phrasing
"frasing"
Mago
Austrian Blech Machine
Felix Neumann
Member
Germans don't play phrygian scales. Reminds them too much of where the jews came from
LOL
Hahaha the first thing I thought, was "frasing"..now I see, Carlos had the same silly idea
Your phrasing is phantastic, phella!The guy that I record with is one of those Asian bastards, you know the Asian friend you have that just beats you at everything you try to do? Anyone else have that problem? Anyway, he shreds and shreds, not saying he is a wank or anything, but all he really ever wants to do is sit down and learn DT songs note for note, that and Tony McAlpine solos, leaving me to pretty much write most of the songs, our dynamic is kind of like that of a Mustaine/whoever the fuck guy who is better than him and in the band at the time kind of relationship (except I know 2 pentatonic scales as opposed to Mustaine's 1 
) I go for the melodic Akerfeldt dad rock and Andre Olbrich harmonized shit while he shreds like whoever he likes that week. People seem to be equally moved by our solos, impressed by my shit for the melodic, catchy quality, and his in the "holy shit, fuck this guy, I quit I quit I quit" kind of way. So I find merit in both styles of shred, even though honestly, I wish I could rip like my Asian friend Point is, the way you play is the way you play, do what you do, learn what you can, but if you can improvise and pick up on keys without too much fumbling and have it sound at least somewhat decent, no need to go and re-invent the wheel.
) I go for the melodic Akerfeldt dad rock and Andre Olbrich harmonized shit while he shreds like whoever he likes that week. People seem to be equally moved by our solos, impressed by my shit for the melodic, catchy quality, and his in the "holy shit, fuck this guy, I quit I quit I quit" kind of way. So I find merit in both styles of shred, even though honestly, I wish I could rip like my Asian friend Point is, the way you play is the way you play, do what you do, learn what you can, but if you can improvise and pick up on keys without too much fumbling and have it sound at least somewhat decent, no need to go and re-invent the wheel.
Jevil
Pro Evolution Fucker
Phrasings, scales, inversion, phrygian, lydian... ? WTF?
I don't know a fucking scale, I play all by ear, but I need thousands of takes to get a decent solo.
On stage I sweat to play the same solos I recorded, and if I get lost I do like Kerry King, play fast and loads of notes without sense. 90% of the people think you are playing awesome! hahaha.
As I said in other threads, when i was 14 all my mates wanted to play like Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani.... I was the black sheep I grew up listening and playing riffs like Anthrax, Metallica and those palm muting chunk-chunk... now my right hand wrist is more developed than my left hand fingers.
I'm too old to learn now.
I don't know a fucking scale, I play all by ear, but I need thousands of takes to get a decent solo.
On stage I sweat to play the same solos I recorded, and if I get lost I do like Kerry King, play fast and loads of notes without sense. 90% of the people think you are playing awesome! hahaha.
As I said in other threads, when i was 14 all my mates wanted to play like Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani.... I was the black sheep I grew up listening and playing riffs like Anthrax, Metallica and those palm muting chunk-chunk... now my right hand wrist is more developed than my left hand fingers.
I'm too old to learn now.
Skinny Viking
¯\(°_o)/¯ How do Lydian?
Phrasings, scales, inversion, phrygian, lydian... ? WTF?
I don't know a fucking scale, I play all by ear, but I need thousands of takes to get a decent solo.
On stage I sweat to play the same solos I recorded, and if I get lost I do like Kerry King, play fast and loads of notes without sense. 90% of the people think you are playing awesome! hahaha.
As I said in other threads, when i was 14 all my mates wanted to play like Malmsteen, Vai, Satriani.... I was the black sheep I grew up listening and playing riffs like Anthrax, Metallica and those palm muting chunk-chunk... now my right hand wrist is more developed than my left hand fingers.
I'm too old to learn now.
This is MY STORY!!!! Every bit of it
Loki Laufeyiarson
Member
ahjteam
Anssi Tenhunen
I was not trying to be funny, it was a legit question
more like masturbation, not guitar playing
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