The advantages of using the melody in a solo
In my previous post on this idea, I discussed two of the advantages of using the melody of a tune as the basis for improvisation. The first advantage of this approach was how it unifies the sound of the song and makes everything more cohesive, and the second advantage was how it gives you an idea to work with and respond to instead of trying to create the whole solo from nothing. In today's post I want to discuss a third potential advantage to this kind of soloing, using the example of "Chief Crazy Horse" by Wayne Shorter above.
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| Pepe is the man! |
Inviting people into your solo
The third potential advantage of using the melody in a solo is how it can help invite other musicians to participate in your solo. In the example above you can hear how my bandmate, the fantastic Pepe Gonsalvez, comes back in with the bass line of the song at around :48. This in turn sets up a cool dialogue between the two of us which gives my solo a more varied and interesting character. Not only that, when I quote the bass line at the end of my solo, it gives the band a way to transition seamlessly back in to the head out.
Of course, you never know exactly what is going to happen when you are improvising. But if you strive to keep the character of the melody alvie in your solos, you will help to contribute to the conditions necessary for continuous interaction with your fellow musicians. In essence by playing this way, you give your bandmates something that they can recognize, which invites them to participate in your solo musically.
