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Breaks


Jersey Jack

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i'm not sure i understand either, really.. lead breaks? i'm confused... usually one or the other of us plays a rhythm while the other plays lead... or are you asking something else? the part about only one person singing caused my limited mind to stutter...

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I think I understand the question. I voted number 3. Songs that require constant singing are my least favorite in that way. I'm best at songs with one verse, 2 choruses of lead guitar, verse, 3 choruses of lead guitar, verse, lead guitar, outro. Blues anyone?

 

My voice could never handle singing do do do do do, do do, do do do do over and over again without any rest (Suite Judy blue eyes).

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I play solo gigs.... I'll use a loop station and solo over breaks occasionally. If not I'm just crankin out verse/chorus/verse stuff. I completely understand the question BTW. My cousin doesn't solo at all and ALWAYS plays an "empty" progression where a solo should be. It kind of drives me nuts.

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Yes, folks, lead breaks. :poke: I play in a duo with my wife, who doesn't play anything, just sings. But I feel that every song is verse,chorus,verse, chorus :bor:, and I want to add some lead breaks. I tried a looper, but it was difficult to control the volume and a little awkward (and prone to trainwrecks should you miss the pedal or hit the wrong one :facepalm:). I'm currently taking acoustic blues lessons in order to develop the ability to solo over my own bass/rhythm. But this works only for certain types of songs.

 

Take a song like Lodi, by CCR. Sure, you can do it in a fingerpicking style, but it works best as a strummed song. There's the issue: How do you do a lead break during a strummed song with only one guitar??? :confused:

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I play an abbreviated break or strum and talk over the break. "Imaginary 16 bar guitar solo!" or "How about those Red Wings/ Tigers / Lions?" "Did you know that this song was the closing number in the movie Kill Bill?" Stuff like that.

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I'm not sure to answer this either. I like to mix it up. Sometimes I'm solo, and sometimes duo with my wife who doesn't play an instrument. Then again, sometimes I duo with another (mostly acoustic) player. I like to firstly have some harmonies, either from the other person, or from my harmonizer and maybe not on every song. Then I might play a lead break to a looper, or with another player, trade leads. I think it gets monotonous, if you do the same thing every song. The looper definately takes some practice, but i think it is a valuable tool to enhance the show. A proper blend of songs, and arangement are imperative! Have fun with it too.

 

Steve

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Solo - I play leads between the chords, usually on the low strings or I take the break on racked harmonica, if flatpicking. If fingerpicking, I keep the bass and harmony going w/ my thumb while picking out the melody w/ my fore- and middle-finger, and/or slide in some harmonica.

 

Duo - as above, but I'll also sometimes have the bassist take a tasty solo, as the song indicates...a well-placed well-played bass solo can be a very nice thing.

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I'm just crankin out verse/chorus/verse stuff.

 

 

This for me.

 

 

My cousin doesn't solo at all and ALWAYS plays an "empty" progression where a solo should be. It kind of drives me nuts.

 

 

I do this on a couple of songs, particularly if they are short and need a break. Still, I try to do more than just empty strumming. Rather, I try to do a hybrid strum/flatpick kind of thing to give it something extra.

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... My cousin doesn't solo at all and ALWAYS plays an "empty" progression where a solo should be. It kind of drives me nuts.

 

 

I'd be okay with this. To me, the instrumental break is an important structural element of a song and I'd actually prefer a placeholder to omission.

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I find have a looper, I use it sparingly to change things up, or if I have a sore throat, I stretch songs out more. I find that the general public don't care for elaborate leads and breaks in songs. Vocals are what I do best so I may be biased. But the answer is sometimes... I also play percussion with my right foot so that is part of the show too. Sometimes I have a harmonica break.

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Also I sometimes leave breaks in songs without lead just to regroup in my head the next verse or what song I am going to do next. But not every song. I am not one to totally follow the structure of the song, sometimes when I play with a band I feel confined because solo I have so much freedom to shorten or extend.

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