first post

hmm where to begin considering weeks and weeks of good improv have gone by. I guess one of the most important lessons i've learned so far is that the key to good improvised music as a guitar player primarily is to focus on leaving space. With any instrument it is very easy to get carried away and over play your role as a part of the entire group. This is especially true with instruments such as guitar, vocals, or keyboards; too much playing can lead to hard listening. Its almost the same feeling as being talked at nonstop for a long period of time and desperatly wanting silence. I think a sign of being an accomplished musician is being aware of this and only having to use a few well placed notes to get your idea across.
An artist who demonstrates this kind of knowledge is someone like Carlos Santana. Santana manages to find a very simple idea that sounds great and he will play it a few times and modify the timing or rhythm. Once he gets these ideas figured out its usually just about linking them together in a seamless kind of manner. A great example of this is the instrumental "Samba Pa Ti". On the track, Santana tells a story through his guitar playing; it starts out very sad and throughout the course of the song changes to a much more upbeat theme.