need help soloing

[pukeboy66]

mk ... so ive been playing my bass alot and attempting improv solos and what not but for some reason even when i use modes/arpeggios it just sounds like im wanking a scale run .... im not really sure how to break this funk so ... can you guys give me some help?

i already know most of my modes and all that jazz so ... yeah

[BenJammin]

Well if your problem is that it sounds like wanking, try slowing it down some. Take a nice, long, leisurely solo. That's the only non-theory advice I can give.

[pukeboy66]

ive tried that as well ... but it just sounds bland and tasteless ..

:upset:

[SixnStones]

oh you know what it is. PRACTICE. Try and use melodies or patterns from earlier in the song, use rhythmic devices, and use blanks/mutes as well as notes

[pukeboy66]

wow practice ... why didnt i think of that

but thanks ... ill give the melodies and rhyhmic devices a shot :)

[tim_commerfordism]

Practice.

[PaulR]

Start of in slower phrases, then gradually decorate them with more notes.

[Phalanx]

practice and inspiration helps. Listen to John Patitucci, he takes a very "scale wank" approach. You might choose to change your views on what bass wanking is

[pukeboy66]

thanks guys

[crouton927]

what exactly does "wanking' mean?

[PaulR]

It's the act of stimulating the penis in order to attain orgasm.

Oh, you mean in a bass context? Well, it's what seems like hitting lots of notes in a short space of time with no real accessible melody ideas behind it.

[Ting]

what exactly does "wanking' mean?
...i really don't wanna explain that one

[roee_co]

ok i'll tell you how i learned\still learning it

once you have a fairly decent technique that you're comftrable with, since you already know modes(hopefully you know it by heart and not just the pattern but how the notes are formed), i suggust picking a key making the simpliest bass riff and playing it at a medium slow tempo. record yourself playing it for 3 minutes and then record yourself soloing over it. then when you done, listen to it and think of what you liked that you did and what you didn't like. then work on the parts you liked and try and make it better and on the parts you didn't like, try to make it work. do it as many times as you can and on different keys and tempos.

solo is like a story, you start with the introduction, then the body, climax and finally the outro. at the introduction you tell the listener a little bit about yourself and you build it up as you go. At the body you literaly begin your story and you give all the facts. each time you say something, you build it up and build it up untill you reach the CLIMAX. at the climax, you dig that solo and you just burst with all the emotion in the world. then you get to the outro and you conclude the story. The climax is important, but without the build up of the introduction and the body, the climax is lost. and without a good outro, the finish of the climax is nothing. just something to think over...

Sometimes its nice when you solo to have this solo riff kinda thing were you like play a melody or a riff instead of a solo for a few seconds and go back to the solo. its really good to build up to the climax or play in the climax. also, like wooten said, solo doesn't have to be just notes, there are plenty of other ways you can add to a note solo. solo can be rhythmatic too

Don't be afraid to expeirment. some of the best solos are played out of key for some time and then come back to the key. playing out of key is a great way to add tension to your solo. you can make out of key notes to sound well, depending on how you use it in your solo. out of key shouldn't be played the whole time through the solo (well it can, if you could make it work and it sounds nice to you then why not), instead you should go out of key and then come back to it in a way that the out of key adds the tension and don't lose the logic of the solo.

You got ears, USE THEM! i recommend ear training : figure music by ear, listen closely to everything, know what note sounds like. always pay attention to the music behind the solo. the solo is nothing without the music behind it

you never stop learning, listening to others always helps. you will see even if you get to a point where you are satisfied with your soloing, you still get better as time goes on(if you put your effort into it)

So basicly:
DONT RUSH
HAVE PATIENCE
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
PUT ALL THE EFFORT AND SOUL INTO IT
LISTEN LISTEN AND LISTEN TO WHAT YOU'RE PLAYING AND TO THE MUSIC

[RoadGear]

Well when I'm soloing I don't use scales. I just do it by hearing. And it always comes up nice.

[Hardinge]

try jamming with a drummer that helps me

and whats wrong with fret wanking

[PaulR]

It's dull?

[pukeboy66]

ok i'll tell you how i learned\still learning it

once you have a fairly decent technique that you're comftrable with, since you already know modes(hopefully you know it by heart and not just the pattern but how the notes are formed), i suggust picking a key making the simpliest bass riff and playing it at a medium slow tempo. record yourself playing it for 3 minutes and then record yourself soloing over it. then when you done, listen to it and think of what you liked that you did and what you didn't like. then work on the parts you liked and try and make it better and on the parts you didn't like, try to make it work. do it as many times as you can and on different keys and tempos.

solo is like a story, you start with the introduction, then the body, climax and finally the outro. at the introduction you tell the listener a little bit about yourself and you build it up as you go. At the body you literaly begin your story and you give all the facts. each time you say something, you build it up and build it up untill you reach the CLIMAX. at the climax, you dig that solo and you just burst with all the emotion in the world. then you get to the outro and you conclude the story. The climax is important, but without the build up of the introduction and the body, the climax is lost. and without a good outro, the finish of the climax is nothing. just something to think over...

Sometimes its nice when you solo to have this solo riff kinda thing were you like play a melody or a riff instead of a solo for a few seconds and go back to the solo. its really good to build up to the climax or play in the climax.

Don't be afraid to expeirment. some of the best solos are played out of key for some time and then come back to the key. playing out of key is a great way to add tension to your solo. you can make out of key notes to sound well, depending on how you use it in your solo. out of key shouldn't be played the whole time through the solo (well it can, if you could make it work and it sounds nice to you then why not), instead you should go out of key and then come back to it in a way that the out of key adds the tension and don't lose the logic of the solo.

You got ears, USE THEM! i recommend ear training : figure music by ear, listen closely to everything, know what note sounds like. always pay attention to the music behind the solo. the solo is nothing without the music behind it

you never stop learning, listening to others always helps. you will see even if you get to a point where you are satisfied with your soloing, you still get better as time goes on(if you put your effort into it)

So basicly:
DONT RUSH
HAVE PATIENCE
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY
PUT ALL THE EFFORT AND SOUL INTO IT
LISTEN LISTEN AND LISTEN TO WHAT YOU'RE PLAYING AND TO THE MUSIC

*hug*

[The_Fender_Bender]

Practise some scale, or figure out the key and use notes in that key

[pukeboy66]

It's dull?

yeah ... it like ... has no life

[Linkinbassist]

Phrasing is very important...Slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, all sorts of things like that make a solo. Also, try not fit every beat with a note. do some pauses, sustained notes etc. as it helps with feel...I'll post something in a minute to show i incorporate all those in a solo...

[basgitarist]

roee, good stuff. maybe post it as a lesson.

Something different that also helps is singing. :thumb:

[pukeboy66]

singing?

[Akira]

Remember, rests are important. Adding rests into a line can do wonders to giving it a more melodic feel.

[basgitarist]

sing what you want to play. It takes skills, but it helps.

[Manticore Guy]

sing what you want to play. It takes skills, but it helps.

Singing my solos while playing them usually helps them become more melodic, not in that annoying high pitched Oteil Burbridge voice though, usually just quietly to myself.

[roee_co]

sing what you want to play. It takes skills, but it helps.
i agree
its part of ear training

[ignignok]

It's the act of stimulating the penis in order to attain orgasm.


roflmfao

[Naveed Afzal]

read this

http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=419438

its a good idea.. and it helps...

[naut]

Well if your problem is that it sounds like wanking, try slowing it down some.

speed has nothing to do with wankery. if he's playing crap solos, they're going to sound like crap regardless of the applied speed.

[amj]

Try to not stick to the normal scale intervals. Try jumping around into a higher octave to break that scale like feeling.

[BenJammin]

speed has nothing to do with wankery. if he's playing crap solos, they're going to sound like crap regardless of the applied speed.

Maybe so, but I've never heard of anyone wanking slowly. If it's slow and it sounds like crap, then it's usually just because it sucks. Doug said that it sounded like he was wanking a scale, so I assumed he was playing fast.

[bassistuvdoom731]

i think of wanking as excessive passages in a piece that do not fit the genre, with no purpose other then showing off.

as for your predicament, are you sure your using the modes properly?
http://www.cipherarts.com/wingfield/teaching_pages/lessons_menu.html

that might help

[irishslappop]

Maybe so, but I've never heard of anyone wanking slowly.
i beleive lowsound did it in the "Wankering for Sade" thread.

[Son of Magni]

I think the first and most important thing to do before you can play a good solo is to learn the melody / head of the tune. And not just learn the notes, but really internalize it so no matter where you are in the phrase you know what the melody is. Then you will be able to play something that is consistant with the feel of the tune and will fit in, and you'll be able to be creative without losing that feel. For the listener, they will sort of recognise what you are doing, which will make them happy :)

Edit: Something I used to try to put in my head while playing was to think, "if I was listening to this tune, what would I want to hear the bass player doing?". Play what you would want a good bass player to play!

[BenJammin]

i beleive lowsound did it in the "Wankering for Sade" thread.

Hahaha. Good point.