Why Learning Licks Might Be Ruining Your Solos

Licks are adjectives, not nouns.

Now, I know you might be thinking, "What's Jeff on about now?"

The answer lies in this week's issue of Musical Truth Nuggets.

Let's start with a story...

During a recent group coaching session with members of The Shed, I had this lightbulb moment while critiquing Carl’s solo. As Carl blew into the second chorus, something felt amiss. His opening phrase? A bunch of noodles. It wasn't until he was three measures deep that he settled into some solid soloing.

Carl confessed that in measure two, he was trying to throw down a lick he'd learned a few days earlier.

Fine by me. I've got no problem with licks. They're the adjectives that add color to your nouns, i.e., concrete melodic content.

Here's an example:

Ya gotta be careful, though. When you prioritize adjectives and forget about your nouns, you end up with a solo that lacks substance. It's muscle without bone. Sprinkles without ice cream.

Remember that "10 Easy Licks" video I shared last week? Those licks are there to serve your main melody, not overshadow it.

Slow your roll

If you're struggling to come up with and develop melodic ideas on the fly, I urge you to hold off on learning any licks. Instead, check out my course The Soloing System, in which you'll discover the most effective and accessible method for learning to improvise captivating, anti-noodley solos over any chord progression.

If you do feel comfortable improvising melodic content, make sure that your licks don't get in the way of what really matters: the development of concrete musical ideas. I made a video earlier this year which describes a technique called "Lick Wrapping," which will help you work licks into your solos without turning your performance into a plate of note noodles.

Pro-tip: Learning licks is most definitely part of the process of learning to solo. But there’s a turning point where these licks stop being just cool one-liners. They transform into potential melodies, waiting to be integrated into your solos as nouns, not adjectives.

Notice how the shape of the lick in measure one is echoed in measure two. It's a nuanced perspective, but as you begin to transcend licks, remember Mark Twain's wise words: "When you catch an adjective, kill it."

Happy Shedding,

Jeff

P.S. If you want personalized feedback on your recorded solos like Carl, you can join The Shed here or get a free month of access when you enroll in The Soloing System.