The BEST WAY to STOP Random Playing (and Instantly be More Musical) 

My pleasure. Thanks for watching!

so you don't wanna learn how to play, you wanna learn how to solo sorry to say that but this is the path to mediocrity on guitar

@@oluisart who cares? As long as you’re having fun it really doesn’t matter

@@oluisart don’t be such a square, have fun

@@bignutsalsobigballs it matters to the ears of anyone walking by

Well put Sean. A few people have commented that this is just CAGED. No. This is, as you say, a gateway for much, much more learning - melodic construction, voice leading, chord extensions and substitutions. For me, it was the real point at which I feel I started to truly understand things - including how I needed to listen more intently and develop my ears. Time and again, when I went to melodies I loved from singers or to guitar solos I loved, this was what did it. Before then it was, "Okay, time for a solo. What scale should I use?" Thanks for your well thought out comment!

Ok, ok...

Glad I could help! Now get some sleep! :)

Exactly!

Hmm i always thought it was obvious... This knowledge has been out forever 😅 there are videos from 80s with guitarists saying that the basic of improvising are not just scales but playing correct notes to chord changes. Basically whole jazz music is about that isn't it ? 😅😅😅😅

@@siemniak It's absolutely not obvious for rock/pop lead guitar playing, though yes the knowledge has been out forever. Most guitarists start out learning a scale shape and then noodling that over a typical blues progression. Most guitarists just end up learning a repertoire of licks and then just repeating those and mixing and matching. Jazz music is the exception, since that is taken mostly from horn soloing. In jazz you start out by outlining the chord changes with arpeggios. From there, it is a matter of dicing those arpeggios up rhythmically and inter-splicing them with themes from the melody. But unless a guitarist is directly working in jazz, they might not ever discover this type of thinking. A whole different approach to soloing is using repeated motifs (repeated melodic/rhythmic patterns) rather than either noodling or straight arpeggios. Jim Hall and Barney Kessel are examples of guitarists who use motifs well in their solos.

@@siemniak An example of a guitarist who works with the chord changes well is Jimi Hendrix. Why? It's because he has stated that his favorite guitarist was Kenny Burrell, another jazz guitarist. So while Hendrix was a rocker, much of his influence was in jazz structurally, and you can really hear that in his playing.

@@TheJofrica thanks, that is interesting! However I can't find anything on the web about Hendrick s liking Kenny Burrell. Got a link?

That's great! (From one engineer to another!)

Glad it was helpful. Give it a whirl. "Feeling it" certainly is the goal, and this can help you get there by providing a framework. Best of luck with it!

So noodling did help you in learning that you have to learn more to do more when you WANT to do more than you do.

I've found getting stuck musically useful in a way because I didn't let it stop me from practising, even if I was playing virtually the same thing over and over. . . I got sort of unstuck because I started to develop speed and technique that I never had before. It's interesting that I can write music in all different scales using electronic programs fairly seamlessly, but something about the repetition of guitar in a physical sense got me more locked in. I should apply this idea of matching progressions to writing some new music for guitar when I have the time to do so. It would be fun to have that versatility.

Thanks Jim C!!

Also, unrelated time-saving FYI: There's zero need to sign your name after a comment on the internet when you use that exact name on your profile.

@@MarkZabel he put words perfectly to match my thoughts. Thanks.

I cant even figure out how to play that c chord

@@schaddalton it kinda goes hard tho

Thanks and thanks for watching!

I agree. Maybe I'm dense but after playing for years I haven't found much solo instruction other than 'learn your CAGED patterns'. Mark is a Godsend. Thanks Mark!!

Glad you enjoyed the video!

Thank you! Yes, intention is the key word here. It can make all the difference.

Great to hear! Thanks!

Thanks Michael!

Wow, thanks!

Glad to help!

Interesting. I never got into sweep picking, but the related technique of rake picking certainly lines up with the modal view you're talking about here. I'm fairly sure I learned them separately, but you're right - they certainly go hand-in-hand.

Hi Jesse! I did the exact same thing - playing along to the radio and MTV (when it really was MUSIC Television). Thanks for sharing your story.

Thanks so much! You really made my day!

Awesome. You can do it! (But keep up with the drums too!!)

Glad it helped!

You're very welcome. Thanks for the kind comment!

You're welcome. Thanks for watching and especially for the kind comment!

The chord uses the root, 3rd and fifth so you can riff just on the chord notes.

Thanks John!

Glad to help!

Thanks so much David!!

You're very welcome. Glad you could relate to it!

So glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks John!

Great to hear!

Glad you liked it!

You're welcome. Thanks so much for the kind note!

I won't disagree! Country, Bluegrass, and Western Swing are also good gateways - emphasizing the chord/scale connection is a generally simpler context. Also, they're great in that, like jazz, they emphasize improvising and playing off of and with other musicians.

Awesome! The more you do it, the easier it gets too. Glad you enjoyed the video!

Glad it was helpful! Hello from NY, USA.

Thanks!

Glad to help!

So glad it was helpful to you!

Awesome! Glad to help.

watch it everyday, you'll get it bro

Thanks! Great tip! I believe it depends upon how intrepid the learner is. The more willing to just plunge in, the less CAGED is needed prior to it. So I think either works. My experience tells me you're right about 75% of the time on this. A majority of players need to be seriously coaxed to try something they don't know and are willing to sweat a bit to figure it out. One last wrinkle. Once you're willing to go down the "how does a chord fit into this?" path, you're not limited to major/minor triads. 7ths, 9ths, #9, b7b5, you name it - all fair game. I really love doing that myself, as it often leads me to deeper areas like "voice leading" for example. I find I'm surprised at the cleverness of the player or composer quite often. Makes me appreciate the music even more sometimes! Thanks again for your insightful comment!

My pleasure Victor.

Very cool, thanks! I'll check out your channel too.

You're welcome. And thanks for that insightful comment. Hotel California - especially Don Felder's part of the solo, emphasizes chord tones and is extremely melodic.

@@MarkZabel In the solo you taught from ARS' "SPOOKY"... BARRY BAILEY (RIP), not only plays chord tones, he's following the melody... and so does "STEVE STONE" (I think it's STEVE STONE), in the more jazzier 3rd section ( USING OCTAVES), of the solo. U MARK, may be the only teacher on RU-vid, who taught/ teaches this iconic solo. It's probably one of the most tasty, cool 😎, bluesey- jazzy, thick-toned solos ever recorded and played!! WHY? CUZ it has incredible FEELING! KUDOS again to you, MARK!! AND if I recall correctly, you even mentioned how BARRY was incorporating the melody 🎶 into his solo. I don't understand why more people/ musicians don't recognize the incredible talent of "BARRY BAILEY!!

Thank you!

Glad you like it. I like it too!

Thanks so much Todd! I would take that as a compliment any day of the week!! DF is a great player!

Thanks Joe! You said it. Studies consistently show that creativity is positively linked to knowledge.

Glad it was helpful!

I'm so glad!

Thanks for the thought-provoking comment! I must admit I don't like the long, random sort of noodling. Maybe if I were high, LOL! Kind of like listening to water in a brook I guess, which is not unpleasant. Don't get me wrong, I like extended solos from time to time - but not the ones that have no direction. Duane and Dickey come to mind for me. Their solos, no matter how long, always take you somewhere ... and in the case of Dickey they usually take you back home to where you started. He was an excellent storyteller on guitar. I haven't listened to Phish or Buckethead, but I always thought Jerry had a great knack for creating improvised melodies. Sometimes they went nowhere, but mostly they didn't.

@@MarkZabel you mentioned Dickie Betts! One of the Masters of taking us on a Beautiful and logical musical ride that always started off with excitement and logically came to a concise and cool conclusion. I'm always amazed at jazz improvisation.. it seems like noodling, but I know it also employs the same technique as you suggest. Thank you for doing what you do, it's not easy - I've tried. It takes dedication, repetition and attention to detail. Thx for freely sharing knowledge. Excellent work man!

That's great! Thanks so much for the feedback. Totally made my day!

Glad I could help!

Hi Ron. I understand what you're saying, but improvising isn't noodling ... or it shouldn't be. Just playing a scale is going to sound random. Being mindful of the music and the changes you're playing over is a big part of improvising and it's WAY more fun. Players like Guthrie Govan or Larry Carlton or Andy Timmons don't noodle when they play. Stopping noodling is not the same as learning a solo note for note.

Think that’s what separates beginners from more experienced players how to actually use the scales and modes I’ve been playing music for 30 yrs I guess a lot of what I do is feel by now lol to me a lot of it noodling I know what works but finding different ways to use it . Economy playing for sure .

@Ron Swary Makes total sense brother. Thanks for clarification. I bet your ears have gotten better over time, and by "feel" you mean playing based on what you hear changing in the music around you (beat, chord changes and so forth). Nothing wrong with that. What I'm talking about is really students (and some players on stage) who just run through scales with no ideas whatsoever. Random scales or arpeggios. The method here is really just a gateway for one's ears to grow into understanding when one is playing a note that fits the music around it. For me, I don't usually map out chords or anything. I usually just have to soak in the beat and get an idea or two in my head and then play - all feel. (But if I play something I don't usually play, like bebop ... yeah, I totally need to think about it the first few times I play through the changes ... and it usually sounds bad anyway, as bebop's not my thing! LOL!

@@MarkZabel ya from that aspect just mindlessly doing a scale run or arpeggios isn’t fun . That’s most of mordern heavy music super fast no feeling behind the notes just how fast can I get from root note to root note and use as much of the fretboard they can to make it look flashy . I can’t explain it really I’m not educated enough I guess but it’s definitely a strong sense of timing and direction tho . Being able to feel the progression happen around me . And if it’s something new i always get that oh you got on that one feeling but nail it on next turn around . I tend to play a lot of a lot of blues solo stuff. I’ve only been playing with a pick for the last 3 years of almost 30 fingerstyle it’s tough but I’m sticking with it .

@@MarkZabel I should clarify that It’s not a I don’t “want to know “ a recorded solo I just find for me it’s more a challenge to make a new one than look at some tabs or have some-guy say put this finger here it’s good for some but I like to learn a different way I guess. There is times I’ll watch scrolling tabs and play along but I don’t play much “cover” music I like to just write in the spot or practice around lol I’ve caught myself jamming along to backing tracks based on famous songs that I know by ear and I’ve found say a page solo or Clapton by “noodling “ around . I know the key I know the chord progression so it has to be from these notes but how I say and the fingers find it . My wife says I was born in the wrong time I’m 40. And where I’m from not very many people played music didn’t have a group of buds to jam with I’m self taught . Started on piano at 3 or 4 Trumpet by age 9 and all through school solo ensemble stuff and guitar @10 . Had to reteach myself music at 19 after a car crash. Without playing music as a way to escape and express and explore I’m sure many can agree where would be 😎

Thanks for you comment Kevin. I'm not sure you watched until the end, but I would encourage you to do so if you haven't yet.. This is 100% about getting your hands, ears, and brain in sync. Hearing chord changes as well as dynamics will make you play more in synch with the music around you. This is very, very gentle theory. Dynamics and spacing are good descriptions - I like that!

Thanks Martin. Glad it was helpful! (There's Tab and two backing tracks - FAST and SLOW) on the member site in "Open Mic" if you'd like that. I posted the link in the description. You'll get an email tomorrow about it as well I think.

Happy to help!

Glad it was helpful!

Awesome! So glad I could help.

Exactly!

Awesome, thank you!

Happy to help!

Thanks Carlos! Glad you liked it!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks buddy!

You're welcome. Thanks for stopping by and for the kind words!

Thanks man!

Thanks brother!

Awesome! Thank you!

Thanks! In the end, it's really all about melody, including the rhythm of the melody. the advantage of doing this is that classic melodies often are to the cadence of changing harmony and use notes of the (often implied) chord. I find most guitarists, myself included think backward about this. I was cured by playing with folk fiddlers who all thought "melody first". I realized I thought "chord changes" first. But that's probably not how the composer made the tune - certainly not so-called fiddle tunes. The reason I'm saying this is that I find an amazing resistance from guitarists to learn melodies. Why? I'm not sure, because most blues and blues-rock lead guitar is largely trying to imitate human singing of the blues. So anyway, this is what I've found is the gateway into learning melodies. Thanks for your comment!

Excellent!

Glad I could help!

Thanks. Whatever works for you!

Thanks so much!

Thanks brother!

You're welcome. Glad it was helpful, and thanks for watching!

You're so welcome!

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks John!

Thanks Jason! I'm happy I could help.

Thanks! You totally made my day!

You bet Brent! Thanks for watching!

My pleasure. Thanks for the kind comment!

Thanks!

Sure thing Kris!

Thanks!

Thanks a bunch Tony!

Thanks! So glad it was helpful to you.

Wow, thanks!