the elusive trey style

[jroot]

Hey

I really like the lead style of trey anastasio from phish. I also like many of the other jam band type players. They seem to meld the blues, bluegrass, country, rock, and the kitchen sink together, to form great lead lines and melodies. They also seem to use modal scales over one or two chord vamps at times.

I am a box/scale player and have a very hard time thinking across the neck. I have come to know licks in different positions, and fall to using these every time I jam/solo. In 23 years I have learned a lot of these licks, and can play them well, yet I can't seem to construct a proper solo or get to the type of freedom of the neck I aspire to. It has made my playing one dimensional and left me feeling uninspired.

I have quite a few DVD lessons from various styles. It seems they all have examples and exercises that are probably great tools if you know how to apply them correctly. I seem to have a problem taking examples and applying them in an actual solo form with my band.

I can emulate blues guys licks but with trey's style it is so different.
There doesn't seem to be much instruction out there on this style of playing.

Please help me out of this trap. Thanks

[Tomo]

Hey

I really like the lead style of trey anastasio from phish. I also like many of the other jam band type players. They seem to meld the blues, bluegrass, country, rock, and the kitchen sink together, to form great lead lines and melodies. They also seem to use modal scales over one or two chord vamps at times.

I am a box/scale player and have a very hard time thinking across the neck. I have come to know licks in different positions, and fall to using these every time I jam/solo. In 23 years I have learned a lot of these licks, and can play them well, yet I can't seem to construct a proper solo or get to the type of freedom of the neck I aspire to. It has made my playing one dimensional and left me feeling uninspired.

I have quite a few DVD lessons from various styles. It seems they all have examples and exercises that are probably great tools if you know how to apply them correctly. I seem to have a problem taking examples and applying them in an actual solo form with my band.

I can emulate blues guys licks but with trey's style it is so different.
There doesn't seem to be much instruction out there on this style of playing.

Please help me out of this trap. Thanks

I think Trey's biggest influence was Joe Pass. Work on harmony by your ears and away from visual aspect of playing. Connection between your lines and chord changes. It's nice to study triads etc. Learn approach instead of any licks, shapes, any instant stuff. Make a good plan. Soloing is like a good travel. If don't play well, no gas, no food!

Tomo

[gratephulred]

I always hear a lot Santana and Allman Bros in his tone and phrasing, and Jerry or Zappa for that exploratory aspect that makes Phish unique.

At its very simplest, you'll find Trey/Phish makes extensive use of Dorian for minor songs (Antelope, David Bowie, Mikes Song, etc.) and Mixolydian for major jams (Down with Disease, Limb by Limb). These modes are often the foundation of the jam, which might then go any number of directions.

Of course a lot of chromaticism/passing tones, pentatonics, blues scale thrown in for good measure with his style of phrasing giving that recognizable sound (some of us) really love!

[Phalanx200bc]

Not a fan of the jamband style....but if you are looking to break out of a rut and the stuck in a box/scale trap try this......

http://www.melbay.com/covers2/20816BCD.jpg (http://www.melbay.com/bigcovers/20816BCD.jpg)

or at least youtube him to see if that style (intevallic playing) appeals to you.

have fun....

Whatever you do avoid that chromatic asending triplets/triads stuff up the neck to the highest note and holding it long enough for everyone to start spinning around.

[zestystrat]

I think Trey's biggest influence was Joe Pass.

Interesting. I've never heard JP's name in any Trey discussion.

I know the big three for him were Jerry, Zappa and Hendrix. I also hear a Pat Metheney influence too.

[gomez1856]

Not a fan of the jamband style....but if you are looking to break out of a rut and the stuck in a box/scale trap try this......

http://www.melbay.com/covers2/20816BCD.jpg (http://www.melbay.com/bigcovers/20816BCD.jpg)

or at least youtube him to see if that style (intevallic playing) appeals to you.

have fun....

Whatever you do avoid that chromatic asending triplets/triads stuff up the neck to the highest note and holding it long enough for everyone to start spinning around.

Can't agree with this more. Great great book and it definitely goes a long way towards breaking you out of that rut.

[Tomo]

Interesting. I've never heard JP's name in any Trey discussion.

I know the big three for him were Jerry, Zappa and Hendrix. I also hear a Pat Metheney influence too.


I read his interview a few times and I could hear that from Trey. Very nice.

Tomo

[Buddy Boy]

As Tomo said "connection between scales and chords".

Andre Segovia's "Diatonic Major and Minor Scales" teaches how to achieve this in totally useful ways.

[zestystrat]

I read his interview a few times and I could hear that from Trey. Very nice.

Tomo

Cool! If you have a link to it I'd love to read it.

I love reading those types of things - what they learned from a player and how they assimilated it into their style….

[jcground]

While I had never heard Joe Pass listed specifically as one of Trey's influences, I won't disagree with Tomo.

Hendrix and Zappa both had very adventurous style for rock players, and Jerry certainly incorporated a lot of bluegrass and non-traditional rock influences in his playing too.

To me the big deal about Phish, and Trey in particular, is that they incorporate much more of a jazz influence than any other jam band that got big. It's funny to me that I know huge Phish fans who say they don't like jazz, and when I saw them live I would always think how jazzy their style was - especially the way they improv.

If you're not big on theory, but prefer to pick things up by listening to music, try listening to more jazzy stuff. In addition to Joe Pass and Pat Metheny, I'd recommend checking out some Larry Carlton. Trey reminds me of Carlton from time to time. (Carlton of course also played with Steely Dan, another rock band that incorporates obvious jazzy elements in their playing.)

[kludge]

LICKS. ARE. THE. ENEMY.

Freedom of the neck is only part of it. The reason the great long-form improvisors are great isn't because they play well, but because they structure well. They're not thinking of the next beat or the next bar, they're thinking of the next movement. Their improvisations (I hate to call them "solos" have a sense of direction, a clear beginning and end, climaxes and conclusions, plot twists and surprises. Licks are called "phrases" for a reason. Trey ain't giving us phrases, he's giving us short stories, even novellas. Same is true of Jerry, or Frank Zappa, or Miles Davis, or any of the other masters of long-form jamming improvisation.

Freedom of the neck isn't an end in itself. It's a means to an end, which in this case is the ability to improvise in larger forms. Each area of the neck has its own tones and its own possibilities, things that can't necessarily be played elsewhere (for example, open strings in the first few frets, or large intervals on a single string high up the neck).

Personally, when entering an improvisational space longer than a couple of bars, I try to think of "beginning" and "end". My own take (and this is MY opinion) is that what you play at the beginning and what you play at the end is more important than what you play in the middle. The first note(s) should establish a tone and attitude, and the final notes offer a climax and conclusion. If I'm doing good, I'll establish an interesting rhythmic/melodic motif early on that I can repeat and revise as I play.

Going back to my comment that "licks are the enemy"... that's too strong. Licks can be a useful tool, because they're memorized and you don't have to think much to play them. A well-placed lick can buy you a bar or two to gather your thoughts for the next move, and a familiar riff can provide a landmark for listeners to follow. But they're just a tool! Don't let licks be the ONLY thing you play, because licks don't GO anywhere. They don't lead to the next idea, they don't send you farther down the road. If you rely on licks, you don't have structure, and without structure, you can't play anything meaningful in the longer form.

The only valid reason in my world for a three-minute guitar solo is to play out an idea that takes three full minutes to express.

[kludge]

As for useful practice... I learned a lot from Mick Goodrick's The Advancing Guitarist, especially "The Science of the Unitar". He recommends practicing scales and melodic motion on a single string, up and down the neck. Then practice on two strings, then on three, etc. This will get you out of the box! Try playing simple melodies you know really well, like "Happy Birthday" or "Auld Lang Syne", on just one or two strings. This will force you into along-the-neck melodic behavior.

[Lambone]

here are a couple vids worth watching:
http://theartoftrey.blogspot.com/2010/07/lesson-3.html

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYWSTuxmOs4

I'm no expert, but I can tell you Trey has a lot of little tricks in his bag that define his style. for instance bending up to root notes, sliding into notes, chromatic runs, modal playing obviously...he also plays a lot of inverted chords and triads and lets Mike hit the low end roots.

[Tomo]

While I had never heard Joe Pass listed specifically as one of Trey's influences, I won't disagree with Tomo.

Hendrix and Zappa both had very adventurous style for rock players, and Jerry certainly incorporated a lot of bluegrass and non-traditional rock influences in his playing too.

To me the big deal about Phish, and Trey in particular, is that they incorporate much more of a jazz influence than any other jam band that got big. It's funny to me that I know huge Phish fans who say they don't like jazz, and when I saw them live I would always think how jazzy their style was - especially the way they improv.

If you're not big on theory, but prefer to pick things up by listening to music, try listening to more jazzy stuff. In addition to Joe Pass and Pat Metheny, I'd recommend checking out some Larry Carlton. Trey reminds me of Carlton from time to time. (Carlton of course also played with Steely Dan, another rock band that incorporates obvious jazzy elements in their playing.)


Years ago, I started to hear about Phish, beacuse a lot of my Berklee students asked me how to play like Trey. So I read it somewhere. Then I was working on some minor bluesy tune.. those lines were just like Joe Pass style, I mean good jazz line. Larry Carlton studied with Joe Pass, so I did too. I always big fan figuring out each artist 's childhood listening influences.
Theory is not so important. Listening good music!

Tomo

[zestystrat]

While I had never heard Joe Pass listed specifically as one of Trey's influences, I won't disagree with Tomo.

FWIW, I wasn't. I hadn't heard it either.

Since I have been listening to them / going to shows since the Wetlands days I find this to be an interesting insight from someone who probably has the best ears of anyone who has posted in this thread.

*slings off to dig up some Joe Pass*

[Bo Faulkner]

I steal from him when I can! I try to incorporate bending up into passing notes with Trey in mind.

A couple of examples would be bending a flat 5 up to a 5 and a 2 to a minor third (both in minor scale)




here are a couple vids worth watching:
http://theartoftrey.blogspot.com/2010/07/lesson-3.html

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYWSTuxmOs4

I'm no expert, but I can tell you Trey has a lot of little tricks in his bag that define his style. for instance bending up to root notes, sliding into notes, chromatic runs, modal playing obviously...he also plays a lot of inverted chords and triads and lets Mike hit the low end roots.

[jroot]

Wow thanks for all the thoughtful replies. You guys are great.

[jcground]

Since I have been listening to them / going to shows since the Wetlands days I find this to be an interesting insight from someone who probably has the best ears of anyone who has posted in this thread.

Absolutely. My post wasn't a dig on you at all. I was confessing the same lack of knowledge, and trying to give props to Tomo. :) Just wanted to throw in my two cents... or maybe only one cent.

[thesauce]

I studied for years (and still do from time to time via skype) under Paul Asbell, who was Trey's teacher through his college years. I think there is so much that goes into his style that its hard to really boil in down in a paragraph or two. That being said, here are the foundations (in my opinion).

Triads - major, minor, dim, aug. Learn them in terms of diatonic harmony so you'll know where they come into play.

Construct Solo's - trey has always studied composition, and was focused on atonal fugues for a long time, I think this has yielded a style in which a solo tells a story and takes you on a journey. He has some 'formulas' that he uses as well to build tension, climax etc. Many times there's not really a 'solo' going on, in the traditional sense.

Ear training - if you can't sing it, don't play it. This becomes more 'treyish' as your ear and brain 'catch up' with your fingers.

Hope this helps

[Tomo]

I studied for years (and still do from time to time via skype) under Paul Asbell, who was Trey's teacher through his college years. I think there is so much that goes into his style that its hard to really boil in down in a paragraph or two. That being said, here are the foundations (in my opinion).

Triads - major, minor, dim, aug. Learn them in terms of diatonic harmony so you'll know where they come into play.

Construct Solo's - trey has always studied composition, and was focused on atonal fugues for a long time, I think this has yielded a style in which a solo tells a story and takes you on a journey. He has some 'formulas' that he uses as well to build tension, climax etc. Many times there's not really a 'solo' going on, in the traditional sense.

Ear training - if you can't sing it, don't play it. This becomes more 'treyish' as your ear and brain 'catch up' with your fingers.

Hope this helps
Great suggestion. Triads, ET and all that. Foundation is real key. Look for something you don't see things. Even simple blues solo- try to make a story and limited 2-3 chorus instead playing freely (too many times.)

Tomo

[peterdjp]

Learn the modes. This will open up the neck. Memorize the five patterns. Forget everything else, do this first. This will enable you to play all over the neck.

It's a little confusing at first but once you understand it it's easy. This will break you out of the box.

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad217/peterdjp/guitar%20stuff/img-main-2-major_scale_patterns.jpg

[Bo Faulkner]

Your examples are confusing me?? Some of your root notes (ones in the box) dont seem to be the same on my guitar? maybe I am looking at something wrong? (not at all unlikely!)



Learn the modes. This will open up the neck. Memorize the five patterns. Forget everything else, do this first. This will enable you to play all over the neck.

It's a little confusing at first but once you understand it it's easy. This will break you out of the box.

http://i937.photobucket.com/albums/ad217/peterdjp/guitar%20stuff/img-main-2-major_scale_patterns.jpg

[bsrguitar]

I always hear a lot Santana and Allman Bros in his tone and phrasing, and Jerry or Zappa for that exploratory aspect that makes Phish unique.

At its very simplest, you'll find Trey/Phish makes extensive use of Dorian for minor songs (Antelope, David Bowie, Mikes Song, etc.) and Mixolydian for major jams (Down with Disease, Limb by Limb). These modes are often the foundation of the jam, which might then go any number of directions.

Of course a lot of chromaticism/passing tones, pentatonics, blues scale thrown in for good measure with his style of phrasing giving that recognizable sound (some of us) really love!

I would agree with this as a great starting point. Trey does like jumping an interval of a 6th as well.

[AJ Love]

the best way to learn anyone's style or solos is the time proven way: listen to the recording and find those notes on the fretboard. It is time consuming work but pays huge musical dividends. Remember you must have the music locked into your mind/memory before you can play it

[newb3fan]

I was just listening to a Phish tune this morning and saying to myself "Man Trey is an unbelievably good player and I totally dig his style". Agree with many of the posts here. One thing I've been working on to shift out of the rut of scaler playing in one position is having better immediate recall of the correct notes up and down the neck on the same string or adjacent strings. This allows for sliding and moving around the neck to make your playing more dynamic.

[Butterfly]

Hey me too. For some unknown reason, I find myself on a Phish kick all of a sudden, here in January of 2011. I think it was I was watching the tube on NYE and one of the guys from Times Square mentioned Phish was playing MSG. I was on the floor (11th row) for 12/31/95 and it got me thinking about Phish again.

Checked out some of 3.0. Sounds like 1.0 to me (which I like). Now I am wondering how to incorporate some of his phrasing and style for kicks.

FWIW I think from a soloing approach he uses the pentatonic/mixo/dorian building blocks probably 70 percent of the time. It's the touch and phrasing that distinguishes him.

Chord-ally, he is all over the place--open chords, alternate voicings, triads, jazz chords, etc. Not my usual vocabulary. I would love to see a bunch of "familiar Trey chords" if one existed.

In november of 2003 or maybe 2004, he did a couple of columns for Guitar World which I threw out when I moved over the summer without cutting them out or reading them:jo Anyone have them saved away? One had Jet on the cover IIRC.

[peacebone]

While I had never heard Joe Pass listed specifically as one of Trey's influences, I won't disagree with Tomo.

Hendrix and Zappa both had very adventurous style for rock players, and Jerry certainly incorporated a lot of bluegrass and non-traditional rock influences in his playing too.

To me the big deal about Phish, and Trey in particular, is that they incorporate much more of a jazz influence than any other jam band that got big. It's funny to me that I know huge Phish fans who say they don't like jazz, and when I saw them live I would always think how jazzy their style was - especially the way they improv.

If you're not big on theory, but prefer to pick things up by listening to music, try listening to more jazzy stuff. In addition to Joe Pass and Pat Metheny, I'd recommend checking out some Larry Carlton. Trey reminds me of Carlton from time to time. (Carlton of course also played with Steely Dan, another rock band that incorporates obvious jazzy elements in their playing.)


FWIW, I wasn't. I hadn't heard it either.

Since I have been listening to them / going to shows since the Wetlands days I find this to be an interesting insight from someone who probably has the best ears of anyone who has posted in this thread.

*slings off to dig up some Joe Pass*

I recall him talking about Joe Pass in a GW interview. Trey was influenced by Pass's view on improvising and tonality. I specifically remember Trey saying something like "according to Joe, there are only three types of chords: major, minor and dominant."

[Agitator]

At the risk of seeming obscure, the thing that makes Trey's playing distinctive (to me) is his sense of phrasing, i.e., the way he groups the little melodies together, when he pauses, etc. Don't know if that's helpful but a friend of mine pointed it out to me one time, and now I hear it whenever I hear his playing. It certainly helps distinguish his playing from his influences', IMO (i.e. Garcia, Zappa, Hendrix).

[g0phish]

Good morning everyone! I didn’t see this posted anywhere, but this is a recording of an hour long lesson that Trey did for a guitar workshop (I think in ’92) It discussed band practice, influences, and goes into jamming on Stash.

http://emilstabs.org/wiki/index.php/Guitar_Workshop_Audio_Clip (http://emilstabs.org/wiki/index.php/Guitar_Workshop_Audio_Clip)

Enjoy!

[cram]

here are a couple vids worth watching:
http://theartoftrey.blogspot.com/2010/07/lesson-3.html

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYWSTuxmOs4

I'm no expert, but I can tell you Trey has a lot of little tricks in his bag that define his style. for instance bending up to root notes, sliding into notes, chromatic runs, modal playing obviously...he also plays a lot of inverted chords and triads and lets Mike hit the low end roots.

I've listened to Trey a lot. I've learned several of their tunes and really learned a lot. That youtube video becomes relevant to me around the 3:30 mark in the points of tension and resolving tension. That is so much of what Trey sounds like. It's not an uncommon thing to work on, but Trey definitely uses it.

[SmokeyJacks]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsAwIqfnlLA

this is a very good example of trey's recent style. (the jam starts around 4:30)

You can hear the band exploring different modes to build tension. really interesting stuff. love them or hate them...they know what they are doing and certainly pay attention to dynamics.

[Lucidology]

Wouldn't really call Trey's style 'elusive' ... it's pretty accessible ..
It's about putting in the time on many levels ... totally feasible ..

Someone said Mike, Phish's bass player, hits a lot of the roots ..?
From the many times I've heard 'em ... Mike isn't really big on to sticking with roots all that much ...
Which in fact, might give a somewhat 'elusive' quality to the band's over all sound

[marcher5877]

Trey really loves the tension and release style when improvising and you can watch some youtubes that explain this really well. From what I have read, this is what Trey really is all about:

Music is really just sound that sounds 'right' or 'wrong' , and some of the best music is the when the sound is 'wrong', or causing tension. When the progression goes from the I chord, to a IV chord, there is movement in the music, and to continue on the V chord there is more movement, more distance, but that distance is eliminated when the progression returns to the I. So that resolution, that resolution from the V to the I is really what almost all music is based on.

The I IV V has it when the progression ends and the V returns to the I.

The ii V I has it as the second move.

So the V-> I jump is the only chord series in the two most popular progressions in history, perhaps really the only music progressions. Everything else is either based on these, or based as anti-these.

Why?

Because the V and I have a tritone. And the tritone, the intravel between say, a C and and F# is the most important intravel. Its the tone that is 'furtherst' away from the tonic, its the 'wrongest' note in the scale, or actually, since its not in most scales (except a diminished or whole-half...., which Trey uses both of a lot...) in western harmony. So when Trey is improvising, he spends a lot of the time moving towards and away from these various tones.

Of course, Phish being Phish, will change the tonics, which changes the tritone, which changes everything, but at the heart of it is this: Trey is always, always either playing something that is supporting the tonic, or moving away from the tonic, and he is really good at making the distintion really clear.

That is why Phish is known for their climatic peaks. After 20 mins of moving and slithering away from the tonic, the release back to the tonic is euphoric. Its the heart of thier music.

Well, that and a custom hollowbody through two TS9s and a compressor into a tube amp.

[Lambone]

good description

[Butterfly]

After doing some more listening over the past few days, I find that it is in improvising, and soloing where he is at his most distinctive. I can learn the chords to Phish songs easily enough, I would think about any intermediate player can.

When it comes to soloing in the style of Trey, my pentatonic blues background is ill equipped to follow along in his path.

I too believe that he exploits tension in his approach. It seems he begins an improv by moving away from the "inside" notes or chords, getting further "outside" or even "spacy" to use an old GD description. Then what he often does is come "home" with blazing "inside" runs, often pentatonic blues licks that kind of grounds the jam, rocks it out and sonically brings us home. I think this latter technique is what makes it more accessible to my old rockers ears than say Miles, or Coltrane who go outside, but don't seem to come home in a blaze of pentatonic glory.

Lucidology, you mention totally feasible--having read your posts and listened to your playing over the years with the utmost respect, where do I start? When I sit down and try to play over Phish songs, and "make noises like Trey" my pentatonic vocabulary does not have the capacity to get into the zone. I know it's modal, and its arpeggios...?

[marcher5877]

where do I start? When I sit down and try to play over Phish songs, and "make noises like Trey" my pentatonic vocabulary does not have the capacity to get into the zone. I know it's modal, and its arpeggios...?



Chromatics.

[Lucidology]

.

Lucidology, you mention totally feasible--having read your posts and listened to your playing over the years with the utmost respect, where do I start? When I sit down and try to play over Phish songs, and "make noises like Trey" my pentatonic vocabulary does not have the capacity to get into the zone. I know it's modal, and its arpeggios...?

Thanks so much for the kind words ... I really appreciate that ..

Yes, Trey does use modes & arpeggios ...
but in truth, your pentatonic licks can be a good place to start with ...

Take your pentatonic licks say in A ...& while the song stays in A,
play those same pentatonic licks up two frets (from the 5th fret to the 7th fret) ...
without changing anything about how U play those licks!!

That will immediately give you the extensions of the key center
only playing licks you already know ... with just a change of position and viola`..
you're instantly playing many of those same notes Trey likes to play ...

(make sense?)

Once you do that, move those same pentatonic licks up to the the 12th fret & play 'em there ...
Right off the bat, UR playing these really cool notes without changing anything about UR playing..
Only the position UR playing them in as U solo over the same key center!!

To sum it up...

1. Your familar pentatonic licks played at the 5th fret
2. Your familar pentatonic licks played at the 7th fret
3. Your familar pentatonic licks played at the 12th fret

But all played over the key of A (or A minor)



...

[Butterfly]

Thanks so much for the kind words ... I really appreciate that ..

Yes, Trey does use modes & arpeggios ...
but in truth, your pentatonic licks can be a good place to start with ...

Take your pentatonic licks say in A ...& while the song stays in A,
play those same pentatonic licks up two frets (from the 5th fret to the 7th fret) ...
without changing anything about how U play those licks!!

That will immediately give you the extensions of the key center
only playing licks you already know ... with just a change of position and viola`..
you're instantly playing many of those same notes Trey likes to play ...

(make sense?)

Once you do that, move those same pentatonic licks up to the the 12th fret & play 'em there ...
Right off the bat, UR playing these really cool notes without changing anything about UR playing..
Only the position UR playing them in as U solo over the same key center!!

To sum it up...

1. Your familar pentatonic licks played at the 5th fret
2. Your familar pentatonic licks played at the 7th fret
3. Your familar pentatonic licks played at the 12th fret

But all played over the key of A (or A minor)



...

And of course this works all over the fretboard. What a cool insight--thank you. Sometimes its a relatively easy change in approach that opens doors.

Chromatics.


Thanks marcher5877!

[MagnumSSS]

Big Trey fan here. Everyone has offered great advice. One thing I'd like to add is imagine your fingers dancing on the strings. That will help with your rhythmic patterns, and help you produce your own voice on top of learning Trey's style as well. Try small jumps between strings, big jumps, sliding down/up the neck, slithering, doing double stops, etc. Trey does this a lot...goes from bouncy feelings, to rocking stuff, sliding up/down for tension, etc. Have fun with it! It's a blast!

[jazzgtrl4]

dont be this trey though when he was ****ed up. pretty funny to watch though

gO4_bLCqSTI

[Heady Jam Fan]

Someone just linked to this thread and I read it all. I wanted to add my two cents:

Obviously chromaticism is a good goal, a few people were asking how to get there. One thing that I think is helpful is not giving up on your pentatonic box, but considering it relative to its modal roots: minor pentatonic is just dropping two notes out of dorian. It is a simple task to add those notes in and figure out how to use them. Then you start working towards chromatic scales, start with a few notes like the flat 5th, then flat 2, etc.

Also, when he is finally going back to tonic, he often uses a formula type finish. At this point in time, you don't want to pause on the tonic as that will ruin the climax (just coming too soon :) ). But he will play an upward phrase to the 5, then an upward phrase to the 7 (above the 5) and finally on more up to the tonic as the highest note in the solo (at least in the recent phrasing). When he hits the 1, the band is also back on the tonic chord - and the crowd goes wild.

[Mluddy]

Make a good plan.

Tomo

This is my biggest problem when I practice.

[g0phish]

This is my biggest problem when I practice.


Love Tomo's DVD.


I am having problems with his specific phrasing. I can "mouth

I currently am in a rut because, even thought I know the 5 positions of the penatonic scale, along with the other biggie scales, my solos often sound like run ons, and often go nowhere. I have pinned a major source as to be a lack of pauses with my phrasing (potential problem 1?).

I've noticed Trey will often pause, and hold a note on, say the 8th beat, and then go into a new phrase. I can even mouth my solo out, but can't play what I just mouthed (potential problem 2?)

Also, his phrasing in general I'd like to learn more on, and get (hopefully) a few specific licks that I can practice. (any help would be awesome, and I bet others would be thankful too... I know theres a few cover bands out there!)

I have a fairly decent grasp on all 5 positions of the penatonic scale, and all the other major scales (been practicing!) but do not know theory enough to transcribe (nor the time). Basically, I guess for right now I'd like to be a good guitar player, instead of musician.

Any help with a game plan?