# Improv



## PaulS (Feb 27, 2006)

anybody here like to do the winging it sort of thing, that's where you go up they tell you what key it's in and off you go. I had a session of training like that. When I lived in Peterborough you would just get asked to play a weekend or whatever from one of the musicians that were fronting things at the time. He would put himself together a combo and off you'd go for a while or till the next thing came along. Since then I've played in a few bands got a real job and now play in the house band at our local legion Jam night. At these jam nights we have various singer/players come up and have had all sorts of requests. I find it keeps you on your toes and keeps you learning new stuff all the time. Tonight I'm going out to play with a band who I am about to meet in an hour or so and fill in for there guitarist who is in the hospital. This should be interesting there is a bass player,drummer,keys and sax player. Well off to the races...


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## Lester B. Flat (Feb 21, 2006)

I've done plenty of that, even when they don't tell you what key its in. I've hosted lots of jams, and talent shows where the singers come up to sing something you've never heard before, tell you its in G, start singing in A, and then drop and add beats to the bar. Its heads-up hockey and good experience if you can stand it.

I've done a lot of "gun for hire" gigs ,too. Its more fun if your sitting in with really good players and you can "go where no band has gone before" without the wheels falling off. Even in my own bands we would leave the arrangements as loose as possible to allow wiggle room in case we wanted to "deviate" or if someone came up to jam. We had cues worked out to bring it home so it would'nt crash and burn. In fact, I'm really not interested in playing music without some degree of improvisation, even if its just the solos, as it becomes drudgery night after night. Learning someone else's solo and playing it note for note every night is just....pointless.

Have fun at your jig, Paul! :rockon2:


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## PaulS (Feb 27, 2006)

What a gas that was. A fine drummer and bass player, keyboard/acoustic player and a sax player. These guys were great, it was the most fun in a night I've had for a while and I got paid....bonus. I agree with you 100% Lester especially the note for note solo's, grab the signature riffs and let your own come out is my strategy, a lot more fun that way to. :rockon2:


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## Xanadu (Feb 3, 2006)

Improv is fun. Before our practises we do that for like half an hour to get warmed up.


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## JaySimon (May 22, 2006)

I love improv. So much so, that the last band i was a regular member in, i refused to learn solos. Im not Eric Clapton, Im not Jimmy , so ill take the vibe they set, and fill it out how i see fit for the given moment.

I recently jumped on stage with a band that sounds like jack johnson, i asked the key, and ripped out a low key melody/solo thing that they were stoked on.


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## PaulS (Feb 27, 2006)

yea... it's a great feeling :rockon:


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## david henman (Feb 3, 2006)

...since i've never learned how to play the guitar properly, have zero technique, avoided music theory like the plague, never learned a solo note for note (not even my own), rarely ever learned any cover songs and never ever practise, "improv" is the only thing i CAN do!

-dh


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## jane (Apr 26, 2006)

I'd like to be able to improv a bit more, it sounds like fun! I guess that's kind of the disadvantage of a classical piano training... lol... no improv.

PaulS: You're from Bancroft? That's cool... I was there for a week for work.


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