Scott Lerner Discussion

[fw1132]

Hi Scott, I'm a big fan. I was just wondering, if you just had a keyboardist or another instrumentalist back you with a generic minor vamp, say a i-IV or something of the sort, what would you do to keep your lines going somewhere. I know about implying outside tonalities and things of that nature, but is there anything else? Say you were confined to only the 7 notes in the scale you were playing in, how would you keep the ideas and runs coming without your playing getting stale and repetitive?

[Tim G.]

Hi fw, I don't know if this will be the answer you're looking for, but I'll try to help.

To me, rhythm is the most important element in music. I think that good lines are separated from bad lines by how solid the rhythmic feel is within the line. Basically, what this means is, you can play very basic in a harmonic sense (like sticking to those 7 notes you mentioned), but still sound fresh due to your rhythmic feel. No matter how many substitutions and outside ideas you put into a line, if the rhythm is off, the line won't feel good. So, I would say, for a while spend most of your time practicing on just being rhythmically creative. There's no specific way to do it...just find a metronome and practice things like turning the beat around, 5 over 4 rhythms, etc. Check out a lot of Scott Henderson, John Scofield, Wayne Shorter....and for a real lesson in how to make a beautiful solo playing 95% diatonically--no outside--listen to Pat Metheny.

Another thing to do is to break down a simple scale into intervals, rather than just playing the scale up-and-down. Most people have played their scales in 3rds (like, in C major, you would play C-E-D-F-E-G-F-A-G-B-A-C-B-D-C). Few people go beyond that, however. So try playing scales in 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, and 7ths as well, and be able to play them fluently. Try playing an entire solo, for example, playing only 7ths. It really makes you think, and opens up your ears to new sounds.

A third thing to check out is one you probably already know, but it's worth mentioning--and that is to really know the arpeggios that go along with the scale you are playing on at a particular point in time. That way, you can imply other tonalities at will, without necessarily going outside the scale per se.

Another fun thing that REALLY opens you up--but for some reason, people see it as mundane and don't really practice it--is playing on one string. Mick Goodrick talks about this in his book. Basically, when you are limited to only one string, you simply can't play any of the licks you know, and are forced to improvise, which is good, right? After a while of doing this, maybe open it up to two strings, and eventually to all six. All of a sudden you're playing ideas you would never have come up with before.

These are just basic concepts here, and there's obviously a lot you can do with each one. There's quite a few more things you can do, but this post is getting long as it is. If you have any questions on any of these concepts, or some questions on some of the more theoretical concepts, let me know. Hope this helps!

Regards,

Tim

[Krusty]

Hey Tim, long time bro !

what's new ? still on paltalk ?

[scottl]

[fw1132]

Hi, Scott, thanks for the reply. I'd be extremely interested in those clips.

[Tim G.]

Hey Scott, thanks!

Krusty, yeah man, long time no see! I don't have internet at my place currently so I haven't been on paltalk. I just come up to the computer lab at school when I have some free time. I figure my tuition and fees are paying for the damn thing, might as well make use of it. Someday soon, though, I'll try to get a cable hookup at my place. I need a good gig or something to pay for it!

Regards,

Tim