July 2026 Challenge Response – Mathieu

[math07]

Hi everyone,

It’s been a long time since I’ve done the monthly challenge. This time, I recorded a little blues in E to experiment with some licks I learned in the recent lessons in E. You might recognize a few of them if you pay close attention!

For the spacing, I used a call-and-response style with short gaps between the call and the response. The length of the silence varies to keep it less predictable—sometimes it’s 1 beat, sometimes half a beat, sometimes 1.5 beats, or sometimes no silence at all.

I did another take with longer pauses (like 1 to 2 bars) and asked some friends for feedback. The consensus was that it killed the momentum of the track, and they all preferred the version with shorter rests. So, the takeaway for me is that adding space isn’t as easy as it looks. It really depends on the context, the type of licks you use, and the backing track, so you have to be careful with it.

Maybe with a slow blues, longer rests would have worked well. But a teacher told me, “If we leave more than 2 or 3 beats of rest, it can sometimes sound like we’re lost and forgot what to play. Solos can also lose momentum with too many gaps.”

So, in the end, that’s why I kept the version with smaller gaps. I think that each call-and-response lick has a short space between them, making it feel like a real conversation. The guitar says a phrase, then takes a small pause to catch its breath and answers—just like when we are talking or singing.

Don’t you think?

• This topic was modified 23 hours, 28 minutes ago by math07.
• This topic was modified 23 hours, 27 minutes ago by math07.
• This topic was modified 23 hours, 26 minutes ago by math07.
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[JoeD1]

I think you got it done right! Loved the little pauses between licks.

Joe

The sight of a touch, or the scent of a sound,
Or the strength of an Oak with roots deep in the ground.
--Graeme Edge

[Mike W]

Great toe-tapper Mathieu, excellent submission that rocked along with spot on phrasing to give the space. I think you picked the right version of your composition.

[Werner]

Wow, I like this one very much. a real foot tapper and your guitar sounds just great. Good performance.

Thank you Werner

[Michael Krailo]

Maybe with a slow blues, longer rests would have worked well. But a teacher told me, “If we leave more than 2 or 3 beats of rest, it can sometimes sound like we’re lost and forgot what to play. Solos can also lose momentum with too many gaps.”

That’s an interesting comment by the teacher and it would depend on the exact timing of it. I think space that is longer is very impressive when all the band members come in with exact timing. So it just depends.

Really nice blues work for sure.

Go slow and practice correct technique, and your abilities will dramatically improve.

[Michael L]

Hey Mathieu, what a great bluesy piece of music! You have the call/response working well, and a good rhythm going to push the vibe along. Fun!

[Alan L]

Great soulful licks. I think you landed on just the right amount of space 👍

[sunjamr]

Well played, Mathieu. I think those short pauses count as space, because lots of players leave no space at all, just 100% notes on every beat.

Sunjamr Steve

[AndréM]

Nice upbeat blues.
Your short pauses worked fine here.
But I don’t agree with your teacher.
The length of the spaces can be longer, it all depends of the feel an emotion.

AndréM

AndréM

[Author]

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