Why can't I do this?

[Iris]

I revisted PG's lesson of the 6 magic notes for soloing. I was trying to use those notes while playing over the backing track but it just sounds disjointed and there was no flow. I know that I won't sound like PG, Syn, or some of the other students in the riff section overnight, but I don't know how to play it so it sounds good. I've seen people sit down, put on a backing track, and just jam some really cool stuff off the top of their heads. I'm starting to think that I'll never be able to do that. Any tips or motivation? Because I'm feeling defeated.

 

[Lindsey]

" I'm starting to think that I'll never be able to do that. Any tips or motivation? Because I'm feeling defeated"
Same. It seems like learning a lot of licks helps but I'm here to see the replies

 

[Filip Tomiša]

Try focusing on the 4th note a.k.a, "the landing note" because as PG says, that's the note that is safe to land on or resolve.

 

[Steven Huth]

I revisted PG's lesson of the 6 magic notes for soloing. I was trying to use those notes while playing over the backing track but it just sounds disjointed and there was no flow. I know that I won't sound like PG, Syn, or some of the other students in the riff section overnight, but I don't know how to play it so it sounds good. I've seen people sit down, put on a backing track, and just jam some really cool stuff off the top of their heads. I'm starting to think that I'll never be able to do that. Any tips or motivation? Because I'm feeling defeated.

It takes time for sure.

So my path being able to sit down with backing tracks and just play is to really learn the scales up and down and build that up. you can take it one note at a time even and just listen on how that note interacts with the chord(s) in the background. The CAGED system part 2 lessons are a good starting point because it focuses on one chord and what you can play over it, and how get a good flow going.

I struggled hard with trying to make solos not sound like scales. There are tricks you can do to help alleviate that. Skipping strings, double stops, moving positions, repeating notes....etc.


Keep working at it! Try and set small goals and go from there. Learn a couple simple solos to really build that confidence and add those techniques into your scale playing.

 

[Steven Huth]

Try focusing on the 4th note a.k.a, "the landing note" because as PG says, that's the note that is safe to land on or resolve.

Syn mentioned this well at some point on this forum:

"Soloing around arpeggio notes.....gives the solo an interesting sound."

You can literally go note by note in a scale over a chord to hear if it sounds good or not.

 

[William B.]

You can do it, if you got the notes memorized try to play them back 'n' forth maybe in half or whole notes at first. 2 or 3 at a time and try to sustain or play the same notes multiple times like "G" quarter note 2 times and "A" a half note for 1 bar or vice versa. Maybe it helps. I just looked at the lesson again there's lot's of cool stuff, I think you can try any of the lick/notes and they'll work somehow.

 

[Iris]

You can do it, if you got the notes memorized try to play them back 'n' forth maybe in half or whole notes at first. 2 or 3 at a time and try to sustain or play the same notes multiple times like "G" quarter note 2 times and "A" a half note for 1 bar or vice versa. Maybe it helps. I just looked at the lesson again there's lot's of cool stuff, I think you can try any of the lick/notes and they'll work somehow.

I'll watch the video again and study what PG is doing. Maybe that will help.

 

[William B.]

I'll watch the video again and study what PG is doing. Maybe that will help.

I should watch it again too

 

[Forgetabull]

I revisted PG's lesson of the 6 magic notes for soloing. I was trying to use those notes while playing over the backing track but it just sounds disjointed and there was no flow. I know that I won't sound like PG, Syn, or some of the other students in the riff section overnight, but I don't know how to play it so it sounds good. I've seen people sit down, put on a backing track, and just jam some really cool stuff off the top of their heads. I'm starting to think that I'll never be able to do that. Any tips or motivation? Because I'm feeling defeated.

Disclaimer: there are much better soloists here than me

• So sounding disjointed and having no flow is more going to be about your rhythm than the notes you are playing.
• As PG's video and others have mentioned, that fourth note in the 6 notes of soloing is your root note (the key of the song) -- that's a super safe place to return to/land on, to the point where you can just spam that note if you really wanted, whether it be on it's on, sliding into it, hammering onto it.
• The 6 notes are a really good way to have some choice, but not too much choice. This means you can be more creative and not fall into a scale pattern.
• With respect to your solo rhythm (and solo in general), a technique that works for me is to think of a phrase and you strum on the syllables of that phrase ie. "Potatoes and Cheese", "my dog has fleas" If you say both of phrases out loud, you can hear a rhythm to them. Pick/strum your note to the rhythm of the phrase and try to land on the root note as the last syllable. Literally try this with just the root note (I think there's a ramones song where the entire solo is the open b string).

 

[Iris]

Disclaimer: there are much better soloists here than me

• So sounding disjointed and having no flow is more going to be about your rhythm than the notes you are playing.
• As PG's video and others have mentioned, that fourth note in the 6 notes of soloing is your root note (the key of the song) -- that's a super safe place to return to/land on, to the point where you can just spam that note if you really wanted, whether it be on it's on, sliding into it, hammering onto it.
• The 6 notes are a really good way to have some choice, but not too much choice. This means you can be more creative and not fall into a scale pattern.
• With respect to your solo rhythm (and solo in general), a technique that works for me is to think of a phrase and you strum on the syllables of that phrase ie. "Potatoes and Cheese", "my dog has fleas" If you say both of phrases out loud, you can hear a rhythm to them. Pick/strum your note to the rhythm of the phrase and try to land on the root note as the last syllable. Literally try this with just the root note (I think there's a ramones song where the entire solo is the open b string).

Thanks!!! I'll give that a shot. It'll also make it more fun.

 

[Muz Malek]

I revisted PG's lesson of the 6 magic notes for soloing. I was trying to use those notes while playing over the backing track but it just sounds disjointed and there was no flow. I know that I won't sound like PG, Syn, or some of the other students in the riff section overnight, but I don't know how to play it so it sounds good. I've seen people sit down, put on a backing track, and just jam some really cool stuff off the top of their heads. I'm starting to think that I'll never be able to do that. Any tips or motivation? Because I'm feeling defeated.

A little 'hack' I always do is to hum out the notes I want to hear over the track, then try playing out those notes one by one on the guitar.

Hope this helps!

 

[idssdi]

First and foremost you can do it!

Improvising takes a lot of practice and definitely a lot harder than playing a song. When i started taking guitar lesson my guitar lesson really contained improvising over a chord progression my guitar teacher came up with and at the start I would just play a scale up and down. However, I got better every time I did it and started being more musical with it. So you can try this, take 5 minutes of your day everyday to solo over this backingtrack for say a weel and upload those improvs on the riff section so we can give feedback. You'll probably be a lot better the last day than the frist day.

The three backigntracks are as follow btw:
Backingtrack in Am:
Am-G-F try to target the A, C or E notes on the Am, the G or D notes on the G and the A or C on the F

backingtrack in E:
E5-F5-D5 try to target the E note on the E5, the C or A note on the F5 and the D or A note on the D5

backingtrack in G:
G-Bb-C try to target the G or D notes on the G, the D on the Bb and E, C or G on the C

hope this helps a little bit

 

[heisenberg]

I think being a good social life is a silent part of motivation than we know. Old times musicians write in lonely and lonely maybe cure is exploding mind alone in the room but in 2020 we see awesome musicians in same age need to work more need to make intresting thinks. Mind need to relaxed, less money problem or friend. Some of our same ages does it with working a lot with really good mood and vibes. The tip is working hard and seeing real epic things because i dont believe myself if i cant write good in that day i will be sad about it and i will give up soon also people need people, same good heads together i mean Syn had a really guitarist dad i think Dad plays big role in Syns melodies with rhtytms not teaching, editing little notes or motifs. Good luck for all

 

[Iris]

First and foremost you can do it!

Improvising takes a lot of practice and definitely a lot harder than playing a song. When i started taking guitar lesson my guitar lesson really contained improvising over a chord progression my guitar teacher came up with and at the start I would just play a scale up and down. However, I got better every time I did it and started being more musical with it. So you can try this, take 5 minutes of your day everyday to solo over this backingtrack for say a weel and upload those improvs on the riff section so we can give feedback. You'll probably be a lot better the last day than the frist day.

The three backigntracks are as follow btw:
Backingtrack in Am:
Am-G-F try to target the A, C or E notes on the Am, the G or D notes on the G and the A or C on the F

backingtrack in E:
E5-F5-D5 try to target the E note on the E5, the C or A note on the F5 and the D or A note on the D5

backingtrack in G:
G-Bb-C try to target the G or D notes on the G, the D on the Bb and E, C or G on the C

hope this helps a little bit

Thanks Ids. Great idea.

 

[ari.mac]

First and foremost you can do it!

Improvising takes a lot of practice and definitely a lot harder than playing a song. When i started taking guitar lesson my guitar lesson really contained improvising over a chord progression my guitar teacher came up with and at the start I would just play a scale up and down. However, I got better every time I did it and started being more musical with it. So you can try this, take 5 minutes of your day everyday to solo over this backingtrack for say a weel and upload those improvs on the riff section so we can give feedback. You'll probably be a lot better the last day than the frist day.

The three backigntracks are as follow btw:
Backingtrack in Am:
Am-G-F try to target the A, C or E notes on the Am, the G or D notes on the G and the A or C on the F

backingtrack in E:
E5-F5-D5 try to target the E note on the E5, the C or A note on the F5 and the D or A note on the D5

backingtrack in G:
G-Bb-C try to target the G or D notes on the G, the D on the Bb and E, C or G on the C

hope this helps a little bit

Really helpful, thank you Ids!

 

[Ethan Keeling]

Like Ids said, this will take a while. When playing over a chord, pick out the notes which make the chord, i.e. A = A,C,E. These will work best because you are basically playing that exact chord just note for note. Try sliding into notes, bending, and be sure not to play too much... silence goes a long way. before long you will find licks you like. At first, pick one lick and play it. Repeat it. Add the odd bend. Slide to a note. You'll notice you would have enticed yourself into creating a melody. You will then begin to learn what notes sound right, which notes make the listener feel on edge, feel complete etc. This of course takes time, but this is the first step. good luck!!!

 

[Jason Dunbar]

I think it just takes time. Focus on CAGED, scales, playing over backing tracks, etc. This is still something I'm working on too, but what I've noticed is that over time I've started to more intuitively feel which notes are the best ones. Keep at it!