If you’re like me, you may often listen back to one of your solos and think, ” I am playing too much, I’m not leaving any space and I’m not listening to the band “. I think that the main reason this happens to many of us is that we don’t actually practice using space and so we don’t have any tools developed at our disposal to rely upon when playing live. The added pressure of an audience, the increase in adrenaline, and general nervousness will often exacerbate the situation making us play way too much, not listen, and leave almost no space. This method, which I learned from guitarist Anthony Wilson, is simply taking your hand off of the instrument between each phrase. Once this physical habit is a ingrained, you will naturally leave space without thought. During the space, I often listen back in my mind to the idea that I just played. When I’m playing with live musicians, I use that space to listen to the other members of the band, either specifically or generally.
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