Bluegrass instruction improv

**Kbone** · Apr-03-2004, 2:11pm

If i were to teach someone how to improv in blugrass , I'd start with four of five diffent intros and endings in the most common keys -,then I'd teach 1/2 dz or so licks, double stops , tremolo , etc that work over the one, four and five chords ( most common in bluegrass )then go with the minor keys with the same premise.
Niles material is the closest thing I've seen , but that is more scale related , I'm talking about interchangable breaks. any ideas out there..

**Bruce Evans** · Apr-04-2004, 8:13am

Sounds great to me, Keith! Write it out and I'll beta test your method for you.

Bruce

**jmcgann** · Apr-04-2004, 9:08am

My opinion- "interchangable breaks" mean you play the same stuff on every tune. Learn the melody to each tune, and learn to mess with it a little to create variations. Get a slow-downer software for your computer, get some Bill Monroe CDs and sweat it out by ear. It's the time honored method, you'll gain a lot by doing this rather than getting it from a book (and this from a guy who writes books!)

**Crowder** · Apr-04-2004, 9:26am

Originally Posted by (Kbone @ April 03 2004, 15:11)

If i were to teach someone how to improv in blugrass , I'd start with four of five diffent intros and endings in the most common keys -,then I'd teach 1/2 dz or so licks, double stops , tremolo , etc that work over the one, four and five chords ( most common in bluegrass )then go with the minor keys with the same premise.
Niles material is the closest thing I've seen , but that is more scale related , I'm talking about interchangable breaks. any ideas out there..

I'm not sure what "licks" have to do with improv.....I agree that the gold standard in bluegrass improv is to be able to work around and generally within the confines of the melody of the tune you're playing. This would not inlclude playing the melody for three bars and then throwing in a standard hot lick in the fourth, though that's what a lot of people do (myself included at times). I think that any method for bluegrass improv should concentrate on ways to embellish or harmonize with the melody, and let the licks take care of themselves. JMHO.

**Kbone** · Apr-04-2004, 9:28am

I'd write it out if I had the talent and time - i do have the Monroe 16 gem book , but a nice written out book or instruction CD would be nice for those of us with time constraints or lack of ability. If you had a dz or so breaks that would work in all the important keys, it would give you something to work with , as far as expanding your own skill.