Overplaying

[telemonster]

hi,
chop a couple of your fingers off-that'll slow yer down a bit...hahaha....

[38thBeatle]

There apparently was a guy in the late 1970's who cut a finger off on stage as part of his, erm, "act". A short term career move methinks and how would he have held the knife when he started on his other hand( get a roadie to do it I suppose).

[telemonster]

don't have a name, do you? i never heard of it, but stuff like that's 'interesting'....wonder what he's doing now....could be living rough wishing he'd never cut that finger off in the 70's

[38thBeatle]

No sorry I remember hearing about it. I think he only did it once in the end.

[willo]

hi,
chop a couple of your fingers off-that'll slow yer down a bit...hahaha....

didnt slow django did it?!?

[telemonster]

yeah, well we're not all up to django standard, are we? i reckon a couple of digits would slow 99% of us right down!

[Underground_Player]

When you next go to take a non-metal solo, try to concentrate on playing a hook as your very first line.  I.e. a catchy, memorable phrase, which would be suitable as a base to build a solo from, or to keep refering back to.

Then if you really want to slow down, concentrate on playing a hook as your second line........and your third........etc!


It would be very difficult to shred a good hook.

[rahnooo]

I find it the total opposite about having a beer and playing, even if i have just 1 beer I find it almost impossible to play!

I think this is really the case with most people, but the other effect of beer is that it makes you *think* you are playing better, even if you are not  

hmm that would probably explain a few things :?

The entirety of Neil Young's album "Tonight's The Night" was recorded while jamming the songs after drinking more tequila than is strictly good for you. The band thought that they were just rehersing new material but unbeknown to them Neil had the sound engineer record everything that was played. You can tell they were sozzled; missed notes, fluft harmonies, forgotten lyrics, technically they were shocking. But an amazingly emotive performance. You can feel the emotion oozing out of the speakers, such feeling.

*Rahnooo*

[Muzzzz]

But if you listen to Michael angelo Batio, John Petrucci, Malmsteen and say Rusty Cooley (who is the worst case of this lol) youre gonna end up playing 3 not per string scales over and over, good luck!

I almost agree with that. Except for John Petrucci.

Petrucci's playing has, in fact, encouraged me to go the other way, and made think about constructing real - but still technical - melodies in my solos, rather than to just pour out buckets of cr@p, meaningless shred. Listen to, for instance, Overture 1928 by Dream Theater to get an idea of what i'm talking about.

[Muzzzz]

Another thought...

As helpful as scales may seem in constructing solos, I think that they are the sole reason that this 'overplaying' business exists. I think that the main problem is, that people have got hooks and melodies and ideas in their head, but don't know how to play them, so they resort to bumming around in box shapes, not sounding anything like they would want it to.

Try this:

Forget about scales for a minute.

Think about a melodic solo - not one you made up, someone elses' - and try to work it out from your knowledge of intervals.

From learning piano and extensive amounts of theory, I know a little trick that helps you to hear intervals, and, eventually work out complicated melodies by ear:

1st (C-C): The notes sound the same (duh!)
2nd (C-D): Sounds like the start of a major scale
3rd (C-E): Play E then C, sounds like a doorbell (ding dong)
4th (C-F): First 2 notes of the 'Star Wars' theme
5th (C-G): ? It's pretty recognisable anyway
6th (C-A): First 2 notes of 'My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean'
7th (C-B): Sounds like almost an octave. yuk
Octave: (C-next C)  Immigrant song (Zep)

After you've practiced recognising these, you'll start to notice the 'in-between' intervals, like minor 3rds and dim 5ths (tritones), and this skill will become automatic, you won't need to think about doorbells or anything, you'll instantly recognise the sound and be able to play it.

To practice, work out little well-known tunes (National anthem, The simpsons, etc.) and sing each interval to your self many times until you can recognise which one it is, then play it.

Good Luck, and have patience :D !


Muz :D

[Elliot]

Another thing that helps with scale boxes is to learn the major and minor chord triads accross the neck and their relationship to the scale boxes - if nothing else knowing the triads in root, first and second inversion give you somewhere safe to go when you leave the box and they also help you shift your solo when a chord change occurs.

[headtheball]

Following on from that quote from the Irish fiddle player there...


My Grandfather was and all-Ireland fiddle Champion in his younger day (yup, An Fleadh Ceol, Ireland's musical Olympics), but as well as this he was a champion Lilter. Now, for those that have never heard of this, frankly bizarre, musical discipline, it's basically Irish "scat" singing. It's why idiots call the old Trad "Diddly Dee" music.

Now, the point. While Granda could, and occasionally did, shower out whole screeds of notes when the notion took him, he preferred a slightly laid back style. Essentially, he didn't like to play anything either too fast or too complex to lilt. I suppose it was his way of putting it, that it was better to find a melody catchy enough to sing rather than just flashing his bow madskills.

So, the point. Listen to what you play, maybe record it and try to whistle or even lilt along. Work on getting yourself into that mindset. There's two things in it that help. Flashy Leaping about tires the voice quicker, and you have to breathe (and as such, let te music do the same). It's been part of my routine for years (although I'm not that great a player, so you can feel free to ignore everything I've typed).

[Adam.M]

After soaking in what everyones said here about overplaying (something i do far too often) i went and did a bit of jamming.

This is a bit into it...

http://www.neom.ca/lugerman/Adam%20-%20Jam%20in%20E%2026Jan07%20-%20Cut.mp3

I'm veeeeeery new to jamming and such, but would you say im overplaying too much here? sorry for the sloppy playing, it's freezing here :lol:

Oh and is the tone any good? it's all Amplitube 'cause my real amps broken. heheh :)

[maxingwell]

1st (C-C): The notes sound the same (duh!)
2nd (C-D): Sounds like the start of a major scale
3rd (C-E): Play E then C, sounds like a doorbell (ding dong)
4th (C-F): First 2 notes of the 'Star Wars' theme
5th (C-G): ? It's pretty recognisable anyway
6th (C-A): First 2 notes of 'My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean'
7th (C-B): Sounds like almost an octave. yuk
Octave: (C-next C) Immigrant song (Zep)

What a good way to remember intervals! I'm gonna try this tonight.

[Muzzzz]

1st (C-C): The notes sound the same (duh!)
2nd (C-D): Sounds like the start of a major scale
3rd (C-E): Play E then C, sounds like a doorbell (ding dong)
4th (C-F): First 2 notes of the 'Star Wars' theme
5th (C-G): ? It's pretty recognisable anyway
6th (C-A): First 2 notes of 'My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean'
7th (C-B): Sounds like almost an octave. yuk
Octave: (C-next C) Immigrant song (Zep)

What a good way to remember intervals! I'm gonna try this tonight.

It can be EXTREMELY helpful.

Sometimes I get my parents and sisters to name me a tune, and through lots of practice of singing each interval and umming and ahing about which one it should be, I get it right at full speed ALMOST everytime.