I am continuing to amaze myself at how soloing is progressing for me. I watched Toby Walker's Take a Solo cd again a few days ago and was much closer to repeating everything he demonstrated on it. The combination of Toby's cd and the book I mentioned is unlocking the concepts of soloing for me. In zen philosophy there is a concept called being blocked. It pertains to anything you are trying to accomplish and how you have to unblock the obstacles in yourself to get there. I had to become unblocked again in pinstriping motorcycles by hand after a 12 year period where I had stopped doing it. The same for resuming my old career as a master signpainter after almost 20 years away from it. Now it's soloing on the guitar. I'm learning a few new songs for the weekly jam I attend and I'm doing my own solos instead of relying on the 83 year old Texas music legend to play them on his Tele for me. Improvising solos is coming for me with greatly decreased effort as I learn more and more from the Styles for the Studio book and review Toby's cd. As I've said before (and I was quoting another reply to this thread), it's beginning to click for me. Unblocking the flow of sounds available to me is getting easier every day. I'm learning quickly the notes and patterns that don't apply correctly and immediately figuring out the ones that do work. I haven't been this excited about guitar since my dad bought me a single pickup Gibson Melody Maker guitar right after the Beatles first American tv appearance. I'm fortunate to have the Yairi a wealthy friend who recently passed left me that he went to Japan in 1982 and commissioned Kazuo Yairi to build. The 36 year old dred has connected intimately with my soul and together we are entering exciting mew territory every day I play it. I'm still aways from jumping into a song with a spontaneous improvised solo, but that day is coming soon. I can feel it!
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