How Your Bad Habits Are Hurting Your Solos
My daughter took an oatmeal bath this morning.
Not the kind you take in a tub when you have chickenpox. I'm talking about what happens when you let a little girl loose with a bowl of porridge for breakfast.
And the thing is, she started out great with a spoon.
But after a few minutes of slow and steady utensil usage, she went all in with her hands, smashing fistfuls of oatmeal into her face, some of which made it into her mouth. Most of which did not.
Believe it or not, there's a profound music lesson in this story.
You see, whenever we learn a new concept—like laying back on the beat to avoid rushing while improvising—we tend to start with the spoon and end up with fistfuls of sloppy mush.
In other words, we remember to lay back for a few measures but then get caught up in old habits and start rushing again.
Don't do that.
Especially if you're playing material from my lick & etude pack, Solo with Soul.
Because if you want to sound soulful, you must not rush.
Please do not botch these super hip, one-of-a-kind licks by playing them ahead of the beat.
All you have to do is remember to lay back and play them slower than you think is necessary.
If you do that consistently, your solos will be drenched in soul, and the folks around you will be blown away by how good you sound.
Make sense?
Click here to grab Solo with Soul, and promise me you won't resort back to smashing fistfuls of metaphorical oatmeal into your face.
Happy shedding,
Jeff
P.S. The feedback from you guys about Solo with Soul has been amazing. I’m thrilled to hear that this lick/etude pack is hittin’ the spot!
Here’s what Ollie E. had to say:
