BLUES/ROCK SOLOING FOR GUITAR, Mus. Inst. CD TABLATURE
A Guide to the Essential Scales, Licks and Soloing Techniques
Series: Musicians Institute Press
Publisher: Musicians Institute Press
Softcover with CD - TAB
Composer: Robert Calva
This private lesson with MI instructor Robert Calva covers: 10 complete solos in notes & tab; common scales and licks; blues, major, minor and combined tonalities; playing over changes; recommended listening; and more. Each musical example is demonstrated on the accompanying CD, which also includes rhythm-only tracks so you can practice your own solos. 48 pages.
... not on the same level as him, then figure out what you need to do to strengthen those elements in your
playing. I hope you get the idea. The idea is to compare your playing to that of the greats and to try to get
your playing as close to that level as possible. Or, as one of my teachers told me, "set your sights high
and endeavor to reach them with integrity." If you do this you will be greatly rewarded.
4. Listen! You should Iisten to a wide variety of music. This kind of goes with what I mentioned in the
first point. There are on/y two types of music: good music and bad music. Music is music is music. The
longer I play as a musician and learn and Iisten to different styles of music, the more I am aware of the
similarities between different styles. Remember, there are only twelve notes in music. Twelve notes! What
makes each style different is the rhythm-not the notes. So, with this in mind I recommend that you Iisten
to a variety of music ali the time. Although I lave playing blues, blues-rock, R&B, and other roots
music, I enjoy listening to and learning from many styles of music. I have a varied collection of records,
tapes, and CDs that provide me with a lot of inspiration and musical ideas. I lave taking a melody I learned
from a classical piece, jazz tune, or a country tune and using it in one of my blues-rock solos. I encourage
you to do the same.
In closing I would Iike to share with you some of my thoughts and viewpoints on music and playing
the guitar that will hopefully give you some food far thought and increase your awareness. I always
encourage my students to think of themselves as musicians first and guitarists secondo You and I are
musicians whose main instrument and means of musical expression just happens to be the guitar.
Because of this, our main goal when we play should be to make good music. We should not be trying to
impress people with our technique or the latest hot licks we've just learned. The idea is to make good
music. What defines good music can be very subjective and differs from person to person. In spite of this,
there are some universal principles and characteristics that are common to good music. One characteristic
of good music is balance. It has the right proportions of melody, harmony, and rhythm. Good music
also has the right amounts of unity, variety, tension, and release. As you practice your soloing and record
yourself periodically Iisten for the right balance of unity and variety in your playing. As l've said earlier in
this book, it is okay to repeat musical ideas (as long as you don't overdo it). Repetition adds unity to
music, while developing your musical ideas adds variety to music. Aiso listen far tension and release in
your playing. If you have too much tension in your playing, your music will never have a sense of completion
or resolution. Too much release and your playing goes nowhere; it is emotionally flat. / have tried
to illustrate these concepts in the solos far this book. If you have learned the solos in this book well, then
you have already learned some good examples of how they work in music. Now ali you have to do is apply
that knowledge to the good music that you make. If your primary goal as a musician is to make good
music every time you play, then people will respond favorably to your music and you will be head and
shoulders above those who are not so driven. To be great at music, or anything else in life far that matter,
takes humility. Humility is teach-ability. You must be willing to learn far the rest of your Iife. Music is a
constant learning and growing processoYou never arrive at a certain piace or reach a level where you cannot
learn more. There is always something new to learn in music; there will always be room for improvement
in your playing. The longer I play and study music, the more I am impressed by what I do not know.
I find great joy in learning new things about music and playing the guitar daily. I hope it is the same far you.
Finally, I would Iike to thank you for purchasing this book/CD. I hope you got a lot aut of it and that it
has improved your playing and furthered your musical education. I really enjoy helping people learn to
play music on the guitar. My desire is for you to be the best player that you can be. So, keep on learning,
practicing, and playing. Or, to put it another way, keep on pickin' and a' grinnin'!
Introduction.
Tuning.
How to Use This Book .
Chapter 1: Common Scales Used in Blues-Rock .
The CAGED Method .
The Crossover Technique .
Learning the Scales .
Practicing the Scales .
Scale Exercises .
Circle of Fifths Method .
Scale Diagrams .
Summary .
Chapter 2: Blues Tonalities .
Texas Shuffle .
Turn for the Worse .
Funkin' It Up .
Southern Boogie .
Chapter 3: Major Tonalities .
Ballad in D .
Foolin' Around .
Chapter 4: Minor Tonalities .
I Adore U .
Dori Ann .
Chapter 5: Combining Tonalities: Playing Over Changes .
Tomorrow's Kiss .
Not For The Faint of Heart .
Parting Words-Food for Thought .
Recommended Listening .
About the Author .
About the CD .