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So, I have been playing guitar for while now and I have finally joined a band. This is just a great roadhouse blues band. Man, was it nerve racking. This is a band that has been playing together for a couple of years and they have about 40 tunes cold. Being the new guy I had to learn these tunes in a couple of weeks. It is all pretty straight forward blues/R&B repertoire, lots of fun to play. It is so funny because I thought to join a band you had to be this amazing player. This leads me to my first question: 1. I am finding that in this band about 85% of my playing is rhythm. This has been a strange turn of events. I have been practicing my soloing constantly for the last four or five years and now I suddenly find my rhythm playing lacking, seriously. Over the last few months I have been trying to make up for that. Most guitar player friends that I talk to about this say the very same thing. Get the word out, practice your rhythm playing!
Question 2. Again, for years I practiced scales, modes, degrees of the scales, phrasing all of it. However, in this band I don’t think I play one major scale or mode, with the exception of one funk tune where I solo out in a C# mixo. Most soloing is done in maj or min pentatonic. I don’t even think the other guys in the band know a major scale, well the keyboard player does, of course. Now, however, I am coming to the subtleties of the tunes. I really want them to sound good so I’m focusing on phrasing, build up of tension, and release. Like the current lesson on ActiveMelody, man I love that solo. This is the kind of playing I am looking to do in the band.
Question 3. ActiveMelody has been an awesome resource for me. We do a Robert Cray tune, so I did the Robert Cray soloing lesson. We do a Albert Collins tune, so I did the Albert Collins lesson. Just awesome. To truly live and breath your instrument to where it becomes such a part of you is an awesome experience. Thank you Brian.
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