The best CD/Album to play along with?

JetBlack

I want to learn to solo better. Although I'm getting most of my ideas from Orianthi at the moment I'd like to expand my solo skills and add more than just blues and old school rock licks. I want to be able to play solos over nice chords and add jazz things and so on.

Can anyone suggest a good record/album/CD to get general ideas from and to play along to to build up more skill.

Thanks

Belinda

Jack-Flash-Jr

I like to solo over/play along with Ali Farka Toure (particularly The Source) to stretch my mind and kill the boxes but the most fun are any Zep album ?
Check out Justinguitar online for lessons and backing tracks too...
(Orianthi rocks btw.)

AlanRatcliffe

Play along with anything and everything. Seriously - start with whatever albums you like the sound of and branch out from there.

Bumblefoot says he often plays along with whatever is on TV - show themes, adverts ...whatever is on. He says it means he ends up playing stuff he wouldn't usually do, which helps him break away from convention and it always teaches him something.

Jack-Flash-Jr

ps you may want to repost on Monday (I think most folks on here browse from work ahem ahem)

aja

Jack Flash Jr wrote: ps you may want to repost on Monday (I think most folks on here browse from work ahem ahem)

Ain't that the truth.....

Weekends are like:

But weekdays are like:

DonovanB

LOL,

Ruan7321

I actually learned my modes along with the Blink 182 Ennema of the State cd, because most or their songs are
in C. So that helps.

Bob-Dubery

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Play along with anything and everything. Seriously - start with whatever albums you like the sound of and branch out from there.

Bumblefoot says he often plays along with whatever is on TV - show themes, adverts ...whatever is on. He says it means he ends up playing stuff he wouldn't usually do, which helps him break away from convention and it always teaches him something.

+ 1

And don't just listen to just the electric guitar and just the soloing. Listen to the other instruments, listen to the rhythm parts. Listen to, for example, piano players or sax players and see what you like in what they do and figure out ways to get those colours into what you do. Broaden your listening too, different genres, different eras. That will not only suggest different colours for your musical palette but increase your listening pleasure too.

Wizard

X-rated Bob wrote: Broaden your listening too, different genres, different eras. That will not only suggest different colours for your musical palette but increase your listening pleasure too.

To learn a new genre, complete "immersion" is useful.
I was battling to hear and understand a new genre of music.
Got a CD and just listened to it, end to end, all the time at the exclusion of other music ... for a few weeks.
Each time I listened I heard something new.
Was eventually singing it and tapping it - then I had it.
Bit of an extreme approach.

tonerider

Christopher Cross's first album by the same name. It's a masterclass of exquisite playing over great chord changes in fantastic songs. Larry Carlton, Jay Graydon and Eric Johnson - need I say more! Listen to it over and over and try to get a handle on what they're doing. You'll be a much improved (and interesting) guitarist.

When playing along with records/CD's/Mp3's I would also suggest that you sometimes consciously avoid bending strings altogether but rather to try to slide-into and out-of notes, much like jazz players do. It's much easier making up time by bending strings excessively than it is to think ahead and come up with melodic passages and interesting solo lines. Try to think ahead and avoid repeating your usual licks in every song.

Just my 10 cents. ?

Renesongs

@ AndreM - I would jam along with Larry Carlton if I had three hands, two on the guitar and the other to keep my jaw from dropping to the floor.
http://www.bluesblast.com/#jamfiles is a good source of backtracks to jam to mainly blues though.

JetBlack

Thanks everyone for the advice and ideas. I've made notes of everything.

ZarK

Might sound funny but I love improvising over progressive Trance tunes. Nice constant beats and interesting progressions that keep my attention. A refreshing break from rock etc. that inspires me to be creative in more ways than the usual... Bonus is there’s not much vocals involved, so plenty of space to rip up the fretboard! ?

All of the best!

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