Lesson Five – Alto Solo
A helpful way to transform the exercises you’ve been working on into good solo ideas is to copy other players and analyze what they do. Once you master the techniques in this course you’ll find this easier to do because you’ll be able to identify and relate to the proper scales and keys of a solo you may attempt to copy.
I recorded 4 choruses (12 bars x 4) using the exact techniques I presented in the 4 lessons in part one of this course. I then transcribed it note-for-note so you can see exactly how these techniques work in my soloing efforts.
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Go ahead and watch, listen, and analyze the chart of what I recorded. When you hear a line or riff that “speaks” to you, copy it or add your own twist or style to it. Practice with the backing track and try to use it yourself.
*Tip – sometimes when trying to copy someone’s lick, I will play it over and over throughout the entire 12 bar progression in order to really learn it. Reading it at first and then playing it by memory. I find that to really learn a lick it has to be memorized. Then I’ll try and play it where I think it will work best… over which bar or chord. It’s this type of experimentation that can help build confidence.
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Also pay close attention to the chords and which notes are used there because even though the modes and chord riffs I used are interchangeable, they are more effective when the majority of the notes match the chord the band is playing. Just as I discussed in lesson two covering the modes and how to use them.
Download the music sheet
