Improvisation over Rick Graham’s Creative/Hybrid Scale Backing

Hey Guys, 🙂

BTW, I double-checked the links, and they should work fine. I really appreciate any feedback & opinions you might have about my playing for me to learn from. 😎

Thanks guys! 😉

~Bill Meehan~ 😀

@EinarG 10688 wrote:

Great job! Nice vibrato 🙂

I think you should work on getting out of the pentatonic box. It seems like you rely on the pentatonics to much when you play. Try flinging some modes at that track and the results will be amazing!
And maybe take a look at TQs playing out toturial, the 4-bar method for example is a great way of ‘letting loose’ 🙂

/E

Thanks Einar! 🙂

I know what you mean about the pentatonic “boxes,” but this tutorial was specifically about blending portions of the Root-Minor Pentatonic (in this case “Am”) with the Relative-Dorian Pentatonic (in this case “Em”) as Rick Graham demonstrated in this tutorial. (Actually in my improv, I really did the hybrid-scale during the fade-out at the end. That was my best usage of Rick’s concept, IMO!) I think also in the second (2nd) improv I did, I played some Dorian Mode and arpeggios with the pentatonics. 😉

That having been said, I AM a “rock-guy” through and through, so in general you are so correct in your assessment of my playing – LOL! 😮 😉

I do appreciate you taking the time to listen and offer advice. That’s what I was hoping for, to help me improve! 😎

~Bill Meehan~ 😀

@JMinoia 10690 wrote:

Hey there Bill, I only listened to the first one and first and foremost I would like to start by saying Well Done 😀

It does come across in your playing that you are in fact a Rock Guy 🙂 lol Now that being said, I do think at times some of your licks sound a tiny bit cliche. However there are some great ideas in there. Might I recommend maybe using a bit of hybrid picking and maybe some more string skipping at times.

My only other rant would be is that you started off your whole improvisation in your first upload with a nice theme, and you built it fairly well, but it seemed to me ( the listener) , that over time you ventured a little too far away from it and I was left thinking ” Hey wait a minute, what ever happened to that cool idea he started with?” Might I also recommend to maybe relate back to original ideas every once in awhile, by having a variation on the original lick . That way your really giving the listener something to latch onto.

But all in all very nice take 🙂 , I Might check out the other one later !

Hi JMinoia! 🙂

Thanks so much for your feedback! 😉

Ya know, I don’t improvise nearly enough, so when I do, I tend to feel a bit nervous and “rambly” (probably like what I sound like in spoken conversation when I’m nervous – LOL! :o) I think you hit on some great ideas though! I’m just barely getting into hybrid-picking, although I love what some of my favorites do with it (Tom Quayle, Brett Garsed, Greg Howe, and even Rick Graham moreso lately!) I need A LOT more work on that technique before I’ll have the balls to try it in improvisation! :rolleyes:

Funny what you said about that theme I never got back to! I agree with you so much that in my second-take, I actually DID re-visit that “Em9 arpeggio/melody theme!” I think that since I had one take recorded already, I “went-for-it” a bit more and played more agressively! 😉

Let me know what you think, if you have a chance, OK?

Also, thaks again for your time & feedback. I found it very true and accurate! (BTW, your assessment of my improvisational weaknessess is spot-on consistent with what Tom Quayle and Rick Graham have said to me in the past about a previous improv I posted – Minor-Blues Tutorial I believe it was? – So clearly you must be onto something! In other words, “If it looks like poop, and smells like poop…well, it MUST BE POOP!” – LOL!) 😎

~Bill Meehan~ 😀

@JMinoia 10692 wrote:

Spot on Bill lol Loved the poop statement ! 😀

I will try to look at the other one tonight. Peace brother !

Hey JMinoia, 🙂

I can’t wait too see what you think of my 2nd-take! 😉 It’s NOT great or anything, but at least I think in a few ways, it’s better (more agressive and a bit less “rambly”) than my first-take…At least I hope it comes across as better?!? – LOL! :o:confused:;):cool:

Thanks again for your time and feedback – It’s greatly appreciated! 😉

~Bill Meehan~

@JMinoia 10715 wrote:

Hey Bill, Listening to the Second one as I am typing this.

You really do have great ideas Bill. Your experience does shine through your playing. But its funny. There are some parts in there I really really love. Take that part from 0:32-0:40 as an example. The theme there is so catchy, and the build up prior isn’t bad as well. After there it feels like it babbles on a bit, the licks aren’t bad, but they some out of context compared to what you already played.

However you did in fact redeem yourself by stating back to that little melody you first made at 0:20, and then re-played a similar (if not the same) idea at 1:04. Those little replayed notions, and themes are what draws me in. But yet again you have to be careful, but if a guitar player does it to much and just keeps replaying on similar ideas it generally won’t sound creative if you catch my drift ? The reason I enjoy Tom and Ricks Improv.]so much is that they know when to take chances, and they also know when to pull back. They both have incredible legato technique, this is known. But sometimes its the space in between the notes, rather then the notes itself that is drawing the listener in. So maybe try adding a little more space in your improvisation. I mean if you look at Tom for example, he could very well be shredding legato licks over and over and trying to compete with the backing in a sense, rather then inserting them where he feels its right, and letting the space be a part of the improv.

*Stops here on that because I just realized how much im rambling on – lol ! *

Another thing I would like to add is that you really do have some skills, I can’t wait to hear some more of your stuff. I feel with some fine tuning, even better things can come from you Bill!

Peace man ! – John

Hi John, 🙂

Once again THANKS SO much for your feedback/critique! 😉

I’m flattered that you think that I have anything to offer and improve on, so that’s encouraging – LOL! 😮 Also, you are VERY correct about my tendency to ramble a bit 😮 :rolleyes: (I mean jeez…just read any of my threads here at IG, and it’ll be pretty clear that I’m a rambler whether by keyboard/mouth or guitar!!! – LOL!) But seriously, you are right…Tom and Rick BOTH gave me that very same “constructive-criticism” in the past, so I’m eager to work on those elements for sure! The point you made about the space is well taken…So much of my professional performing experience involves playing Top-40/Rock/Classic Rock material, and even though I do leave myself some spots to improvise night-to-night, I usually end up playing the same “lame-ass” stuff, 😮 and truthfully, this is only a small percentage of the solos anyways, because my cover-band tends to play stuff pretty close to the original studio-recordings, as opposed to stretching-out and/or “interpreting” cover-songs, ya know?!? A lot of the solos I cover, are radio-friendly 8/12/16-bar solos, so even when I add my own little tidbits, or change them up, I’m STILL so conditioned to playing such short arranged-solos, that there isn’t much-time for space! :rolleyes: I am NOT making excuses though! As a pro, I should be able to step into ANY situation and be tasteful/musical/functional. Clearly I have A LOT of work to do!!! :rolleyes:

Thanks for reminding me of these things, AND thank you for the positive compliments too!!!! 😎

~Bill Meehan~ 😀

@JMinoia 10723 wrote:

Dont mention it Bill 🙂 Take care.

Hey John,

TTYS! 😉 😎

~Bill Meehan~