The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #50261   Message #762530
Posted By: Whistle Stop
09-Aug-02 - 08:24 AM
Thread Name: Help: Locking up on solos
Subject: RE: Help: Locking up on solos
Blues, I think you missed my point earlier about being surprised by being called on for a solo. Yes, if you're playing music that involves different musicians taking solos in turn (as so much jazz, blues and bluegrass does), then you should expect your turn to come around. And I agree that most people look forward to their turn in the spotlight; I certainly do. But the person calling the shots should not wait until the "one" at the head of your solo to let you know it's your turn. A lot of inexperienced frontpeople do that, because it allows them to shout out the person's name with a flourish right at the top of the solo. But it does not provide the soloist an opportunity to structure the solo very well. It's kind of like being thrown into the deep end of the pool and having to thrash around, when you would have preferred to execute a swan dive.

The soloist has his/her job, and so does the front person. The music works best when they both do their jobs well.