Lead playing and timing/feel/phrasing

AndyJP

Hi all,

I've been trying to improve my timing and feel as a lead player.  Over the years I've focused heavily on what notes/scales to play at a given time, I'm fairly happy now in that area.   But I know my lead lines need better timing and phrasing.

what approaches do you guys use to improve your timing as a lead player?

cheers,
Andy

octatonic

Transcribe music that demonstrates great phrasing.
What sort of genres do you like to play?
I'll give you a few songs worth trying.

AndyJP

octatonic said:

Transcribe music that demonstrates great phrasing.
What sort of genres do you like to play?
I'll give you a few songs worth trying.

Hey cheers for reply. Transcribing is a great call.

Would  like to improve at modern blues and fusion. Like guys like David Gilmour, Robben Ford and Derek Trucks, Allen Hinds, Carl Verheyen,  Guthire.

octatonic

Ok try these:

Robben Ford: Revelation, Help the Poor, How Deep in the Blues (Do You Want To Go).
Carl Verheyen: Highway 27
Derek Trucks: Crow Jane
Allman Brothers Band: Whipping Post

Any of Guthrie Govan's tunes are great to transcribe but I would start with the (relatively speaking) simpler stuff to begin with.

AndyJP

Thanks, that's superb list of tunes. I'm on it.

Much appreciated!

How about yourself? What type of stuff do you transcribe?

AndyJP

Question for you. I'm guessing that you are talking about writing out the music rather than just 
learning it by ear?

TheBlueWolf

Another tip is to deliberately play a little before or after the beat. It keeps the listener guessing as to when you're going to play.

For licks you've already learnt, use the same notes but play them all legato, or with other slurs like sliding into or out of a note and bending and playing legato lines using all picking.

Use your ears a lot too. If it sounds good, it *is* good. If not , figure out why.

Listening to your favourite guitarists playing is good too. It's not so much about the notes but how they're played that separates a dull solo from a good one.

octatonic

AndyJP said:

Thanks, that's superb list of tunes. I'm on it.

Much appreciated!

How about yourself? What type of stuff do you transcribe?

A bit of everything.
I was into serious jazz territory for quite a while but mostly because I thought I should do it rather than any real sense of passion about it.
A lot of Robben Ford, Mike Landau.
Lately I've been learning a lot of functions band type songs- quick easy tunes I can knock over in 20 mins are so- it is a very good thing to do.