Getting Results in Pillar #2

Total Artist Development System - Start Here

Pillar #2 is devoted to not just "playing" pre-written ideas but "speaking" fluently in the language of music, in the moment. But far from merely "playing whatever," musical improvisation is actually Spontaneous Composition & has all the same requirements as composition, with the added difficulty of playing it in real-time.

Previous Lesson

Next Lesson

The 2nd Pillar of the Total Artist Development System (TADS) is designed to make you so fluent in "speaking music" that you can compose music spontaneously — while performing it.

For over a decade, I can't count the number of times I've said this:

The TRUE test of your current abilities as a musician is what you can do on the spot.

Why is this the litmus test of "how good" a musician you really? When you are put on the spot:

You can't hide your mistakes

You don't have the luxury of editing out the first 60+ takes to get it right; you're (presumably) in front of people

If you don't know your fretboard and music theory well enough, it'll show because you'll get lost and go out of key constantly

If you only rely on things you "know how to play" (other people's music you've memorized), you won't be able to do much at all if put on the spot

The things that really MATTER to memorize about your instrument are the things that will enable you to avoid the embarrassment of these situations.

Going back through that same checklist above, let's translate each of those to what they mean you'll need to devote your time to achieving:

You need to focus on playing consistently well so that you just generally don't make mistakes anymore. (Yes, seriously.) That means good, clean, consistent technique (Pillar #1!), using the same "default" fingers whenever possible for familiar patterns, having a very clear and systematic approach to picking so you never second-guess yourself about what type of pick-stroke should come next, etc.

If you're playing in front of people, if you DO mess up you need to learn how to "mess up like a pro" and recover in real-time from any mistakes, so you can save it and get back "in the zone" mentally right away. That means picking it up from where you would have been BY NOW in the music, NOT picking it up from back whenever you messed up (that part is OVER now!). This, too is something that you need to practice, and it comes from constant, focused improvisation practice (Pillar #2!).

You need in-depth knowledge of your scales (all modes, all positions; Pillar #1, The Scale Knowledge Onion and using & memorizing patterns from the Guitar Practice Whiteboard) and not only that, but how they connect to each other so that you're not just "trapped" in one scale position the whole time. Your scale practice needs to deliberately involve and include switching between targeted scale positions and modes, to the extent that you can do it within a split-second decision.

Your practice material needs to consist of a lot less of learning other people's music, and a lot more creative work using scales and their internal chord tones for each scale degree (Pillars #2 and #3), where you're essentially just constantly fulfilling rhythmic criteria with scales, arpeggio tones and chords. This should happen first in controlled isolation in "exercise mode" and then in a less-controlled "creativity mode" while improvising (especially while you're forced to keep track of chord changes as they're happening and adapt what/how you're playing), to see how well you can do it when the "training wheels are off."

Here are a few things to remember:

Again, no single Pillar in TADS contains everything you need, period. Your focus will invariably involve at least 2 of the Pillars, minimum. This is the ONLY way meaningful musical growth can happen. You've got to apply your skills and patterns in real-life situations for them to become useful components of your musical vocabulary. That's exactly what Pillar #2 is for: APPLYING the things you practice in real-time, to see how well you can hold it together when all the moving parts are in play.

Your technique practice should always consist of between 1/3 to 2/3 of the session devoted to improvising with your skills. When starting out playing, it should be about 1/3 of your practice time, and as you accumulate more and more vocabulary, more and more of your practice time should consist of using & adapting that vocabulary in as many real-life situations as you possibly can.

Improvising complex patterns is made possible by the constant use and incorporation of SEQUENCES in your playing. The more fluent you are with each sequence, the more insanely complex stuff you'll be able to do on the spot. This usage, as well as speed training & solo writing, are why I stated the rhythmic length of every sequence in The Book of Sequences.

Adapting your existing vocabulary components means trying different scales, different interval relationships altogether, applying ideas to different (sometimes incompatible) rhythmic subdivisions, adding or removing notes, playing them at half-speed or double-speed, modulating them (playing them in different modes), and doing whatever else you need to do to bend and twist the idea to make it WORK in the new situation. Always serve the current music with what you play and how you play it.

Improvisation practice time is also full-time phrasing practice. Your expressive playing skills (bending, expert vibrato, perfect intonation, evolving textures, rhythmic variation, etc) should be on full display during this activity. Remember, this is where you're PLAYING, not just practicing exercises. Real-life musical situations call for musical, expressive playing, so treat your "Improv practice time" as "always peak phrasing time."

Lesson Resources

Music Career Blueprint: Overview

This is the full image of the 12 steps of the Music Career Blueprint at the heart of the Total Artist Development System. This will give you an overview of what the journey ahead of you entails so you're not going in blindly.

Click the button to open it in a new tab and read through it closely.

Download

Music Career Blueprint Workbook [Coming Soon]

Download and print out the full PDF so you can follow along and carry out each action step.