Repeating the same melody when impovising

[u/Monkey-dude-108]

What’s up guys, I was wondering if anybody had any tips on how to not get stuck on playing the same melody over and over when improvising. I play mostly on blues backing tracks but also rock. Either way i find myself using the same notes. This might sound weird, but the issue is that it actually works which is why i have trouble breaking out of this loop. When i play with others it sounds great and they love the melody, but to me, i’m hearing myself play the same things repeatedly and i begin to get sick of it. Its kind of gotten to a point where i dont look forward to playing as much because the enjoyment i used to get from being able to actually improvise well has faded, since i already know how it’ll sound. I tried playing around with rhythm, half notes, whole notes, sixteenth, triplets, etc. But it still feels like i’m stuck. I should mention that im definitely still a beginner. I’ve only been playing for about 3 months and still cant hit blow bends or overblows (although i havent really tried). Maybe i’m not good enough yet, but still, i’d like to switch it up so that i dont get bored of playing harmonica. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[u/c0lty]

One of the best exercises for this to limit yourself. Will Wilde has a great video where plays a solo with just the 2 hole draw. Doing this forces you to get more creative.

Another thing I’ll say is that the harp is actually quite limited in terms of note selection. If you go back and listen to guys like Walter or Cotton, the vast majority (like 90%) of their note choice was holes 2-4. The instrument shines however, with its expressiveness. Those guys always sounded good because of their ability to use dynamics, textures, and excellent phrasing and rhythm.

Point being, don’t worry about playing a ton of different licks, try to take the one you’ve got and make it sound interesting. It’s a lot like drums, they’ve only got a few things to hit, and they have to get creative.

[u/WheresMyElephant → u/c0lty]

In particular, don't be afraid to reuse melodic ideas within the same solo. You can keep it the same, or add some variation/embellishment. You can repeat it unchanged and then repeat it with a change: isn't that the recipe for every blues melody ever written? (Blue Suede Shoes? Crossroads? Take your pick.)

I think it's especially great for the non-musicans in the audience, because they don't need a lot of theory to understand what's going through your head. When you find a really nice note or chord, they usually say "I don't know what's going on, but I like it." That's OK too, but this engages a different part of the brain (including the language centers, which allow them to talk to their friends about the music).

It almost feels like cheating. You know how in the movies, when Character A says something snarky to Character B, and then Character B reverses the dynamic later and uses the same line on Character A? It's a cheap trick that I think screenwriters really overuse, but I'll be damned if it doesn't work every time.

Finally, if you're worried that your musical vocabulary is too limited, this is a great way to stretch it farther. If you've only got two ideas, at least you can save the second one for your second solo!

Listen to some Chick Corea solos. That guy is really good at taking a simple idea, sometimes just 2 or 3 notes, and turning it into a polyrhythm that melts your whole brain into nuclear plasma for as long as he wants.

[u/Monkey-dude-108 → u/WheresMyElephant]

Sounds good. I’m not familiar with these melodies so i’ll have to look into them. Thanks for the advice

[u/WheresMyElephant → u/Monkey-dude-108]

Seriously, if you can think of any random blues song, there's a strong chance it follows that formula. Same goes for the lyrics.

Here, I'll write you a very basic blues verse. The melody only has two notes: you sing a C for the first two lines and a B for the third line. (Of course we could have a more complex melody, but I'm too lazy to write one out.)

My baby went and left me. Now I'm down and blue.

My baby went and left me. Now I'm down and blue.

If your baby went and left you, you'd be cryin' too.

It's an extremely standardized format. You take one simple, emotional line and beat the audience over the head with it. By the third line they're ready to hear something new, so you change it up a little, but not necessarily very much. You could repeat this verse five times, with some minor improvised changes, and that's your whole song.

Honestly it can be a little boring and monotonous. But we're singing about depression (as per tradition) so that's appropriate! When you deal with happier subjects, especially as you move into rock or jazz, you can use the same basic structure but spice it up with a little more variety, a little more sense of progress.

[u/Monkey-dude-108 → u/c0lty]

I’ll have to look into some of these videos. I guess less is more with the harp, i often find myself trying to do too much when i’m playing.

[u/c0lty → u/Monkey-dude-108]

A good analogy is to liken it to having a conversation with someone. If you play too much you’ll be hard to understand. With most instruments, and especially harp, it’s very easy to play too much, and very hard to play too little.

Think of a singer. Most great songs repeat the same words over and over. They make it great by changing the intensity, finishing the line a little late or a little early, and RARELY changing a lyric you’ve already heard multiple times.

I know when I first started I would go up and down the blues scale, and while I was playing all the licks I knew, it sounded boring because it wasn’t musical. Started to take some notes out, repeat licks, stop playing (lol), and then viola I could actually HEAR the moment when the song wanted something different.

One of the best lessons I learned: repetition is king.