The Art of Soloing: Marty-fied Tools

My picking form doesn't look very cool. It looks goofy. Often, when I see a photo with my hand in that form, I have it cropped out so it's not visible because I don't think it looks good. It's not something I'd recommend. One thing I want you to understand is that it doesn't significantly impact my playing.

I wouldn't suggest you adopt this hand position. In the end, it doesn't really matter how you pick or fret. What's crucial is the content of what you play and how you convey it to the listener. That's all that counts. Having your picking hand in an odd position won't help you achieve that. It won't make you sound better or worse. It's irrelevant. The key is selecting notes thoughtfully and playing them in a manner that resonates with you.

I've played like this since childhood, I was unaware of any alternatives. No one corrected me during the short period I took guitar lessons, and I'm glad for that because there's no definitive right or wrong. While it might not be designed for efficiency, I'd argue that efficiency is secondary.

The priority is to discover how to play what you want and to do it your way. Efficiency is akin to working on a conveyor belt in a factory. Accuracy matters, but it's subjective. You need to envision what sounds precise to you, irrespective of your technique.

I urge you not to mimic my style or anyone else's. We're all unique, and what's comfortable for one person might not be for another. The best approach is to find the most natural position for your hands when playing, regardless of outside opinions. If it feels right and allows you to express yourself, that's the path to follow.

One thing I'd like you to explore is the idea of ascending one way and descending another – grasp the concept. I'll provide several examples, which, though randomly selected, are valuable. However, understanding these examples is secondary. Grasping the underlying concept so you can create your own variations is paramount.

You should aim to personalize these examples. While I'll present numerous examples to emphasize the concept's importance, remember that many players ascend and descend identically throughout their careers.

You need to play mental games occasionally to enhance your cognitive flexibility and remain sharp. This is especially important when you aim to access any note on the guitar neck instantly and to translate the notes you hear in your mind to your guitar in real-time – a true goal for any artist.

The idea is to be seamless. You want the music to flow directly from your mind and heart to the guitar without any obstacles. Mastering this is a lifelong journey that improves with time and experience. I recall a guitar game that can assist with this.

What I like to do, though I haven't in some time, is to take a chord progression and solo over it. However, challenge yourself: on all these chords, avoid playing the root. Use only notes other than the root over each chord.

For instance, I'll use a progression from one of my songs, "Self Pollution", because it offers ample space between chords, allowing time to think. The progression goes A minor, E flat, D, D minor 7, and then back to A minor. By avoiding the root, I mean that when the A minor chord plays, you shouldn't play any A's at all.

Not even incidentally within a riff. So, if you play a sequence where an A appears, even if it wasn't your primary note, it's off-limits. The goal is to consciously avoid these roots. I'll demonstrate this concept shortly. I encourage you to practice this technique, ideally with a fellow musician. While backing tracks are useful, interacting with a live partner is even more beneficial. We'll explore that aspect later. Now, let's see how I fare while avoiding the roots.

In this lesson, Marty will demonstrate how to intentionally avoid root notes when performing a tune. We'll start with a performance, and follow it up with a breakdown. Let's dive in!

Did you catch where I mistakenly played the roots? Listen again, and you'll notice I unintentionally included a few roots. It wasn't flawless, but I challenge you to identify them. Engaging in exercises like this will sharpen your intuitive understanding of intervals, which is crucial when comprehending the chord progressions you're playing over.

More importantly, it offers you varied choices and perspectives while soloing. So, revisit my demonstration and pinpoint where I struck those roots. The catch is, they sound appropriate. This might make it challenging for you to spot the inadvertent "errors", but they're there. I hope you can discern them.

Here's another brain teaser type of exercise. I used to do this with Jason Becker. While you can manage this alone using recording software, it genuinely shines when done with someone else. You'll understand why as I explain.

You team up with a friend. One of you randomly plays chords, attempting to create a harmonious progression but also throwing in unexpected chords to challenge the soloist. The objective? Test the soloist's adaptability. The soloist, on the other hand, tries to quickly adapt to the chords being played. Naturally, you'd switch roles after a while. The rhythm isn't the focus here; it's about navigating unexpected chord progressions.

We're going to demonstrate this soon, with my good friend Jeff from True Fire. He'll play the chords, trying to stump me, and I'll do my best to keep up. This exercise is about training your ear to recognize and adapt to a chord based on its sound, even if you can't immediately name it. It's an essential skill for any musician, especially during unpredictable jam sessions or improv moments.

There isn't a set name for this exercise. Maybe you can think of one? Jason and I practiced this a lot, and I recall doing it with my guitar buddies when I was younger. Yes, there are times things don't go as planned, but sometimes there are these unexpectedly great moments. Let's hope we have one of those today.