How to Avoid the “Spray and Pray” Soloing Trap

My family and I are walking through a highway rest stop in the middle of New Jersey.

On our way out, my son Harrison spots a toy airplane in the store. He just HAS to have it.

A full-blown tantrum ensues.

We've only got a couple of hours left in our two-day road trip home from North Carolina to Connecticut. The last thing I need right now is an argument with a four-year-old about a cheap piece of plastic.

Luckily, my super-dad instincts kick in, and I manage to "talk him down" and get everyone in the car so we can make it home in time for my daughter Ruby's nap.

But even though the toy airplane fiasco is behind us, about an hour into the last leg of our drive, Ruby starts to lose it.

She's overtired and has had enough of being trapped in a car seat for hours on end.

My wife Allison is pretzeled up in the way, way back of the car trying everything she can to keep Ruby calm.

Nothing works.

Alright, time to throw on the cape again and save the day with a series of my go-to soothing techniques...

I try opening the windows. I try telling stories. I try singing songs.

Her wailing only gets worse.

All Ruby needs is to be out of that damn car seat and in her crib sleeping.

But it's the one thing I can't deliver.

I feel helpless.

So much for Super Dad.
--
Being keenly aware of a problem and not being able to fix it is frustrating as hell.

But there's something even worse...

And that is being aware of a problem and not knowing what the issue is.

For example, if one of my kids is crying in the car (the problem), I can look in my mirror to see what's going on (the issue).

Maybe someone dropped a cup. Or the sun is too strong coming through the window.

But what if I didn't have a mirror?

I'd be aware of the problem but unable to identify the issue.

That's the experience of many a frustrated musician – including me.

I can remember countless times in my playing career when I was unhappy with my solos but was unable to figure out what was wrong.

Thankfully, those darker days are behind me (for the most part).

My job now is to be your mirror. To help you figure out why your playing isn't up to par.

Of course, everyone has different problems and issues that require different solutions. But after working with thousands of students over the years, I've been fortunate enough to identify the most common playing deficiencies and most effective fixes, especially when it comes to soloing.

You see, a lot of musicians ask me for help with improvising. They're unhappy with their solos. They want to be able to blow over more tunes. They need guidance and methods for how to actually practice the art of improvisation instead of just floundering with their instruments, hoping for the best.

If that sounds like you, I truly feel for you because I used to be in the same boat.

But after years of trying out every exercise I could find, I figured out the secret sauce to better solos.

And it all came together because I gained an awareness of both the problem and the issue.

Here's what I discovered...

My solos sucked because I was just playing a bunch of random notes that were supposed to sound good according to a scale syllabus I found in the back of a Jamey Aebersold book.

That was the problem.

But the real issue was that I wasn't making the changes in a musical way.

And in case you've never heard that phrase before, "making the changes" means outlining or representing the chord progression within an improvised solo.

Unfortunately, it's not as easy as playing a bunch of chord scales. Making the changes is a bit more nuanced than the spray and pray method, which I used to do, too.

You see, the secret sauce is being able to improvise horizontally and vertically – at the same time.

If that sounds too scary, complicated, or foreign, don't worry – it's not as hard as you think, especially if you follow the system I created for learning how to make the changes.

I lay it all out in my course, aptly named Making the Changes, which is open for enrollment this week.

I can't wait to share with you this system I've created. It's helped so many improvisers of all levels take their solos to the next level and beyond.

Learn more at the link below and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.

Click here to learn more about Making the Changes.

Looking forward to seeing you in the class!

Happy shedding,

Jeff