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Soloing in the Style of Mike Stern

Mike Salow
AdvancedJazzImprovising 5 lessons11m

Hi Guys! For this tutorial I've done something a little different and gone with a bebop solo transcription. The backing track you hear is actually a minor 24 bar blues: i(1)     Am - Am - Am - Am    Am - Am - Am - Am iv(4)   Dm - Dm - Dm - Dm i(1)     Am - Am - Am - Am bVI(b6) F7 - F7   V(5) E7alt - E7alt i(1) Am - Am - Am - Am (This would usually be 12 bars but I've extended it to 24 since the tempo is so high.) This is very typical of Mike Stern. I can't tell you how many times I've heard a Stern solo of minor blues changes.  This solo was completely improvised so I've done my best to break down the more important lines in the following videos. The TAB is 100% accurate, down to the exact picking pattern I use. Jazz has specific phrasings and inflections so pay close attention to the Tab. Enjoy! 

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5 Lessons

  1. 1 0:48 Lesson · 1m Soloing in the Style of Mike Stern: Solo Hi Guys! For this tutorial I've done something a little different and gone with a bebop solo transcription. The backing track you hear is actually a minor 24 bar blues: i(1)     Am - Am - Am - Am    Am... Tab Guitar Pro
  2. 2 1:49 Lesson · 2m Soloing in the Style of Mike Stern: Breakdown Part 1 In part 1 of the break down I've focused mainly on three licks that happen within the first 12 bars of the solo.   #1. The first lick is a simple dissention down the A Dorian scale. The important thing to... Tab Guitar Pro
  3. 3 2:26 Lesson · 2m Soloing in the Style of Mike Stern: Breakdown Part 2 For part 2 of the break down we'll be covering two long licks that happen bars 16 - 30 (last 8 bars of the 1st time through the form, into the 1st 6 bars of the 2nd time through the form).   #1. The first... Tab Guitar Pro
  4. 4 2:18 Lesson · 2m Soloing in the Style of Mike Stern: Breakdown Part 3 Part 3 of the breakdown goes over the last 2 big/important riffs.   #1. Here is another lick that is intended to imply a tonicization of the IV(4) chord, Dm. This time we take a different approach and play... Tab Guitar Pro
  5. 5 3:49 Backing track · 4m Soloing in the Style of Mike Stern: Backing Track I've included the chord progression as well as suggested scales.   Am - Am - Am - Am - Am - Am - Am - Am A Dorian. Over the last 1 or 2 bars you can use D Harmonic Minor or Bb Melodic Minor to lead to the... Tab

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