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Forums :: Ask Instructor David Barrett

Totally frustrated

1 reply [Last post]
Wed, 11/18/2020 - 14:40
cad7495@gmail.com
cad7495@gmail.com's picture
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Joined: 05/04/2016

Hey David - I have been using the site for 8 years now and believe I have some kind of adhd possibly . I have done a lot of the lessons and memorized  a lot of bass lines , pent scale ,and blues forward and back and a couple of note patterns and watched a lot of lessons but  jumping around a lot . Problem is that I try to play to a jamtrack and feel like a beginner still .Seems evertytime I log on there is a new song and I get into learning these songs and that is taking up a whole lot of my practice time . So many songs ,so little time - altho I am spending at least 2 hours a day playing . I dont fault this site at all by my own ego that maybe needs to be fed by playing the songs and sounding musical instead of playing to a jamtrack and feeling like I just plain suck . Any advise , feeling whicked frustrated Thanks Frank

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Wed, 11/18/2020 - 15:57
#1
David Barrett
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ExpertHead InstructorTeacher 10Level 10
Joined: 12/20/2009
Hello Frank. Your frustration

Hello Frank. Your frustration is a common one... improvising is a skill set that takes focused practice and a lot of time on the harp doing it.

The most important thing you can do is to apply the Chorus Form process every day in your practice. This is where you take a lick from the song that you're studying that day and play to a jam track as A A A, Af Af At, A A B, Af Af Bt, A B/A C (B = contrast, slight change, and sequence), move the lick up an octave, experiment with different textures (try the lick with slaps, pulls, flutters, octaves, two-note textures, shakes, etc.), fragments, etc.

I recommend that you review Improvising Study 1 and give what I state above a try each day and you'll be very surprised how much your improvising improves from it over time.

Give this a try and report back in a couple of months on how feel your progress is.

P.S., each study song uses different grooves, so as you do this process over time, your ability to improvise over the various grooves used in the blues grows.

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