June 2026 Challenge Response – Serena C.

[Serena C]

Hi AM Friends!
For this challenge I really had to challenge the heat wave as you can see from my face 😅
Anyway, I recorded G-A backing track with the looper pedal and then experimented some noodling on it, with A and Am pentatonic and G pentatonic. I would have liked to think also something modal… but heat wave 🥵… Maybe next time 😅
I’m satisfied I just showed up 🤗
Enjoy the challenge weekend!
Serena

If I wasn't making mistakes I wouldn't be the kind of player I want to be. Perfection is dangerous.
It's all about taking risks, sometimes you get to some place, sometimes you get to a different place. (Brian May)

[Michael L]

Great 2 chord jam Serena. Some nice licks, clean tone. Hope the heat lets up soon.

[Dieter]

A very impressive improvisation.

Dieter

[JoeD1]

That was some great improv which reminded me of On Broadway by George Benson. Cool!

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

[JoLa]

Such a cool way to explore the fretboard, Serena! By layering those two chords in endless loop and then finding your melodies, you accomplished something that did sound modal to me, with an interesting vibe of an ongoing tension pushing the song forward. Glad you made it despite the heat wave! Maybe you should come to Las Vegas to cool off – we had a bit of rain today 😉

🎸JoLa

[AndréM]

Yep its tough sometimes playing with extreme heat, but like you said you made it.
Great improv.

AndréM

AndréM

[sunjamr]

I loved it! Maybe you played better because of the heat, because you never missed a note.

Meanwhile, it’s mid-winter here in New Zealand. In Auckland where I live, that means about 18C during the day, and 11C at night. Come on over, if you want to get cool. Hotels are cheap and uncrowded this time of year.

Sunjamr Steve

[Mark T]

I found that very relaxing and an easy, calming listen, Serena – I’m trying not to use the word “chilled” 😂😂 Oops!! So I’ll say instead, nicely done ♥️👍🎶😎

[Alan L]

I like the groove and peppy energy! I think all the licks fit, but the major pentatonic riffs were most ear catching for me 🙂

[John H]

Well done Serena.
What a great musical workout. Sounds really good, reminiscent of George Benson’s “On Broadway.” I’ve said this before but your lead playing is on an upward trajectory. Great job. Also, I share you pain with regards to the heat. STAY COOL.

John

[Denise]

Nice improvisation over that rhythm. I like how you blended the minor and major pentatonics.

I can imagine that the heat wave was even worse in Italy than in Switzerland.
It is really a challenge to play the guitar when it’ s so hot. And I noticed that the heat was making me lazy.
At least you live nearer to the sea than we. Our lakes are not really refreshing these days.

More Blues!

[Michael Krailo]

It’s supposed to hit 107 with tons of humidity where I’m at today. You won’t find me outside much today.

Anytime I see two major chords right next to each other, I think Mixolydian mode. I played around with your rhythm idea and found it to be a bit tricky when I tried to play a scale. It took me a while to come up with something musical but the structure is fairly simple if you think more in chords than scale in this case. At least that’s what worked for me. Thanks for inspiring me to explore this idea.

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

[wannaplayblues]

Fantastic work! Loved it!

"I hear you talkin' son, but you 'aint sayin' nothin'" - Will McFarlane quoting Muddy Waters hearing a really fast guitar player

[James B]

Great job of working with those chords, Serena. A lot of nice phrases with your lead lines. Hope it cools off soon.

James

[Manfred M]

There’s no way, Serena, that you could think about anything modal during a heat wave—the two just don’t go together at all. But don’t worry, you showed up and played some really inspired improvisations. I really enjoyed your heat wave playing.

Take the chance to meet your AM friends on Zoom
The next Meetup will be on July 25, 2026

For more information click here

I look forward to meet you.
Manfred

[Mike W]

Good choice of chords, Serena – they really pushed the song along, and your smart licks complemented the backing. Great stuff.

[Tremelow]

Thanks for reminding me that there is such a thing as a looper. Great idea to go this route, Serena. I liked it!

[Martin W]

Nice use of the looper with the driving rhythm, your noodling sparked some lead lines which complimented the track .
I agree this recent spell of hot weather is getting a bit tedious, and makes everything hard work especially playing the guitar ,
we need to do the rain dance !

Martin

[Bill]

Good jam Serena! Hope the weather is better!

[Author]

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