Here’s a little edit of me playing Tell Me – Groove Theory with the Connotations Band. Really dig this tune for a few reasons.
The basic groove is your standard beat that anyone can play but the overall groove has the swung 16th note feel underneath. So it’s all based on a shuffle in reality. I’ve always loved the feeling of playing songs with this underlying subdivision. It dictates what type of fills you play and how you solo. You can also feed really well off what the other musicians are playing as they have to swing their phrases too. There’s lots of scope for great technique focuses like ghost notes and triplet stickings.
My approach for the solo in this video was to use the groove itself as a base and then throw in other ideas around it. There can be many ways to approach soloing but at the time, in this tune, what I played felt pretty right.
Write in with any questions you might have! Love to hear from you.
Enjoy the vid.
PERSONNEL:
Adrian Violi – Drums
Liz Violi – Vocals
Dave Evans – Bass Guitar
Genaaron Diamente – Guitar
Steve Majstorovic – Tenor Sax
Jarrah Whyte – Keyboard
Check out Connotations – www.connotations.com.au
Buy the original track on iTunes!
Tell Me – Groove Theory
I love playing this sort of feel, but, soloing is not a strong point for me.
My question is always: What are you thinking about when soloing? Are you thinking of the melody when soloing?
PS. Thanks so much for freely sharing your gift, experience and knowledge.
Hi Warren,
Thanks heaps for your comment. Really nice to read and appreciate your kind words.
It’s an interesting one, soloing. It varies so much for everyone and now, thinking back, I’m not super sure WHAT I was thinking through that solo. However, I tend to think melodies and rhythms as a base and throw licks around that. They’re my own rhythms though, not the melody of the song to speak. Unless it’s maybe a jazz standard perhaps and I may base my solo to start with on the melody. It’s a good place to start if you’re unsure.
I do ALWAYS structure my solos though where possible. I start minimal and build to create a listening experience.
I wrote an aritcle on the three areas I think about here too. See what you think.
https://www.authenticdrummer.com/article-soloing-where-do-i-start/
Cheers,
Adrian