Improvising Study 8- Break on Bar 12
Sat, 01/16/2016 - 22:50
Hi, Dave:
In a song like "Highway 59" or "Cleo's Mood", the band breaks on bar 12. How should a soloist treat these areas (during an extended solo)? I can imagine using this area to buildup to the next chorus, but I think that maintaining a beat or two of silence (along with the band) might be effective. How does a top level pro like David Barrett approach this type of song?
Morning Marc. You almost always play through that "using this area to buildup to the next chorus." Also something to think about is that it's common not to break in the middle of someone's solo. If you listen to "Highway 59" you'll only hear breaks between heads and solos, but no break in the middle of someone's 24 bar solo. The band hints at it, but it doesn't fully happen. This is the common way to approach breaks in Bar 12.
P.S., take a listen to "El Gado Rumba Azul" by Curtis Salgado on the Hit It 'n Quit It CD, he uses Bar 12 breaks very nicely.
A break in Bar 12 is the norm for a Rumba.