I'm losing my licks!
I've been playing for about four years now, and have gone through the entire LOA system. Everyday (mostly), I've been following your suggested study times: 10 minutes on technique (for me, scales), 30 minutes on a study song, 20 minutes of chorus form improvising. Each day, for improvising, I would take one lick from my study song and use it in different chorus forms. So I've gotten familiar with the chorus forms, sequencing, and good phrasing. I've been putting in the work.
For the past 4-5 days, I've been trying to play spontaneous instrumentals. For my 20 minutes of improvising, I'll put on a jam track and make up an instrumental. I'll have the head in mind beforehand (a lick from my study song) and then try to use focus notes to move up the harmonica.
My licks from previous songs don't come out very often. The same licks keep coming up, and they're usually from fairly recent study material. Sometimes no licks come up and I just noodle around. I'm sure the noodling is musical in some way, and I tend to use chorus forms with these made up licks, but I'd like there to be some licks from past songs in there, too.
If I stop and think before hand, with no music, I can come up with these licks. Right now, if challenged to come up with a lick for the 2 draw, I could think of examples from multiple study songs and artist songs. So they're in my head, but not coming up during improv.
What do you think about this strategy: I still won't write out a full instrumental. Before I start, I'll brainstorm a lick for each hole and write it down as the "A" lick. Then I'll put on the jam track and improvise the chorus forms through the instrumental, but at least I'll have my main idea (the "A" lick) for each chorus.
Based upon your experience with students, have you seen this problem? Is my idea a good in between measure?
"I've been playing for about four years now, and have gone through the entire LOA system. Everyday (mostly), I've been following your suggested study times: 10 minutes on technique (for me, scales), 30 minutes on a study song, 20 minutes of chorus form improvising. Each day, for improvising, I would take one lick from my study song and use it in different chorus forms. So I've gotten familiar with the chorus forms, sequencing, and good phrasing. I've been putting in the work."
Wonderful
"For the past 4-5 days, I've been trying to play spontaneous instrumentals. For my 20 minutes of improvising, I'll put on a jam track and make up an instrumental. I'll have the head in mind beforehand (a lick from my study song) and then try to use focus notes to move up the harmonica."
Very cool
"My licks from previous songs don't come out very often. The same licks keep coming up, and they're usually from fairly recent study material. Sometimes no licks come up and I just noodle around. I'm sure the noodling is musical in some way, and I tend to use chorus forms with these made up licks, but I'd like there to be some licks from past songs in there, too."
At the four year mark this sounds reasonable
"If I stop and think before hand, with no music, I can come up with these licks. Right now, if challenged to come up with a lick for the 2 draw, I could think of examples from multiple study songs and artist songs. So they're in my head, but not coming up during improv."
Okay, I see
"What do you think about this strategy: I still won't write out a full instrumental. Before I start, I'll brainstorm a lick for each hole and write it down as the "A" lick. Then I'll put on the jam track and improvise the chorus forms through the instrumental, but at least I'll have my main idea (the "A" lick) for each chorus."
Sounds like a good plan
"Based upon your experience with students, have you seen this problem? Is my idea a good in between measure?"
This is very common... four years is not much time in the big picture... your solos will come easier as time goes on. Keep that appetite for studying songs, it pays off. Yes, your plan sounds like a good one.