Motifs
You can also use motifs to give your lines inner logic. Any pattern you repeat can be
used as a motif. It can be rhythmic, geometric (a finger-pattern like 1-4-2),
harmonic ( take every chord in a progression and play 1 2 3 5 over each one), a
combination of any of these... and more. The possibilities are really limited only by
your own creativity.
Exercise 3: Experiment with creating motifs. Some examples:
Combine Exercise 1 with a rhythmic motif - play random notes in a repeating
rhythm.
Choose a simple finger pattern, no more than 4 notes, and play it all over the neck.
Combine this with Exercise 2: play in E, move through a bar of your finger-pattern
and back to E.
Choose a jazz standard like All The Things You Are and play 1 2 3 5 (or
your own pattern) over every chord.
Can you think of other things to do? I hope so.
