Guitar Lesson 35: Speed, fluidity, phrasing, form and building confidence in your improvisations

In guitar lesson 35, we address a question and topic given to us on Facebook about how you can increase the speed and fluidity of your playing. Dan first draws out some ideas which can increase the interest in your rhythm playing (including fills and flourishes). We then do some improvising over a jazz fusion track and look at how you can improve the fluidity and form of your licks and phrases and polish what you are already good at. Main timings: 00:02:28 Introduction to the topic of speed and fluidity 00:10:41 Scenario 1: Coming up with a rhythm on the spot 00:22:57 Scenario 2: Comfortable with song and now adding licks, fills and flourishes 00:26:34 Using the minor and major pentatonic ideas to build confidence in fills 00:31:08 Organising your playing by keeping 'voicings close' together 00:37:40 Mini summary on this chordal section of fluidity 00:42:42 First jam over a Jazz Fusion track 00:51:17 Top tip! Polish your licks and what you are good at 00:59:02 Giving form to your licks and chops 01:05:18 Summary... 1) rhythm and playing chords 2) use major and minor pentatonic for fills 3) play chords on three strings 4) go in gently 5) give your licks some form 6) work on what you're good at 01:07:46 We finish with a quick jam over the same backing track Detailed timings: 00:02:28 Introduction to the topic of speed and fluidity as requested on our FB account 00:10:41 Scenario 1: Coming up with a rhythm on the spot and analysis of it 00:22:57 Scenario 2: Comfortable with song and now adding licks, fills and flourishes 00:26:34 Using the minor and major pentatonic ideas to build confidence in fills 00:31:08 Picking pattern style keeping 'voicings close' together 00:32:54 Using 'organisation' into 3 NPS groupings to build speed 00:33:06 Using 'symmetrical patterns' to reduce stumbling with the right hand 00:33:57 Keeping your chord voicings on three strings to increase picking speed 00:34:11 Me learning three string 'crosspicking' D D U D D U D U 00:36:31 Making things easier to learn by retaining one right hand picking or strumming pattern 00:36:50 EXCERPT We are Scientists acoustic version of Textbook 00:37:40 Mini summary on this chordal section of fluidity 00:42:42 First jam over a Jazz Fusion track 00:51:17 Top tip! Polish your licks and what you are good at 00:56:31 Reference to Chris Green on sweep-picking Lesson here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-g37WOXC17U 00:59:02 Giving form to your licks and chops 01:05:18 Summary...1) rhythm and playing chords, 2) use major and minor pentatonic for fills, 3) play chords on three strings, 4) go in gently, 5) give your licks some form, 6) work on what you're good at 01:07:46 We finish with a quick jam over the same backing track