Finding riffs while noodling

[LorenFL]

I spend too much of my time noodling. I noodle chord progressions. I pick around various scales, usually the Minor Pentatonic Blues scale, but also the Major scale sometimes, and one Asian scale that I'm fond of.

It tickles me when I accidentally "discover" a common melody or riff.

I was just plunking around on the Major scale and came up with "Sunshine On My Shoulders" by John Denver. It's absurdly simple, I can just imagine him "finding it" exactly the same way I did.

Of course, I can't remember crap. I'll forget this one in five minutes. (I guess that's why most song writers either take notes, or keep a recording device handy to capture "new" ideas) I can't remember a lot of the ones I've found. I know David Gilmour's opening riff from Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" is among them (Blues scale). "Narrow Your Eyes" by They Might Be Giants is a fun one (Major scale). Frank Zappa's repeating riff from "Muffin Man" (extended Blues scale, seems like it's an additional 7 note next to the normal b7). A couple from the Grateful Dead, but I never can remember most of their song titles.

What have you stumbled upon while noodling? I think a lot of "rock" songs come out of the Blues scale. Just about anything you can play on the Major scale will get you some recognizable tune, as well.

I'm not ready to invest that kind of time and effort, but I can see how it would be fun to use a looping device to lay down a repeating motif and then jam/riff/solo over it.

 

[RafterGirl]

I like to write my own chord melodies, so I'm always experimenting with phrases that sound cool. However, if I don't write them down they are gone pretty quick. I try to keep a blank tab sheet on my desk to jot things down. I like your idea of recording a phrase or riff on a looper.

 

[don_b]

I like to look up common electric guitar solo licks and riffs and practice them on ukulele.

 

[ripock]

I like to play geometrically by which I mean playing shapes and lines, rather than thinking about notes. I let the ukulele and its tuning make the music which is inherent in relationships of the strings. Just as an example: I'll take a pentatonic shape. The bottom of the shape can be played as a chord as can the top of the shape. I'll play those chords as well as a chord or two, like an add9 or a m7 that I know occur within the space occupied by the pentatonic shape. That frequently sounds good. Or I can play individual notes by moving in lines such as going from the top of the shape to the bottom, moving over a string and going from the bottom to the top. It is kind of like sewing. Since all the notes are in a scale and have a pre-existing relationship to one another, I can create little riffs without expending a single thought on it.

 

[LorenFL]

^^^ There you go again proving how you and I have similar approaches to playing the uke!

I've still not bothered to learn the fretboard. I play scale shapes. And I'm exploring how different chord shapes fit into those scale shapes.

 

[ripock]

Not knowing the fretboard seems inconceivable in my life, but it isn't necessary. For example, if you want to play the A minor scale, all you need to know is that A is on the 9th fret and then you play the scale shape from there. Knowing the notes you're playing or the names of notes not related to that scale is overkill if it doesn't fulfill a need in your current musical journey. The only good theory is useful theory.

 

[Mike $]

Praying for the day they come up with another word for "noodling"...we used to call it "playing around..." or "f---ing around..." Who decided Noodling would be an acceptable term for exploring the neck? Makes absolutely no sense, and sounds ridiculous.

 

[Sea]

I’m two and a half weeks into my like journey and have been practicing chord changes and I keep stumbling across things that sound familiar, so I see where they take me - I now have two or three little snippets from songs and I can’t for the life of me work out which songs they have come from. I’ve been listening to music whilst working hoping they’ll pop up in my playlist, but as of yet no luck - it’s driving me mad!

 

[TaoCat]

Praying for the day they come up with another word for "noodling"...we used to call it "playing around..." or "f---ing around..." Who decided Noodling would be an acceptable term for exploring the neck? Makes absolutely no sense, and sounds ridiculous.

The Grammarphobia Blog: Noodling around

www.grammarphobia.com

 

[LorenFL]

I don't know where I first heard the term "noodling", but I know it was long before I ever picked up a uke!

Sea, welcome to the forum and the ukulele!

You want chord progressions to bang your brain against? (I know that one...)

Nothing But Great Ukulele Chord Progressions

Looking for some new ukulele chords to throw together?

ukulelego.com

You know, one of the reasons I've not learned the fretboard is because I play in non-standard tuning. It's bad enough that I'm playing "standard chord shapes", but not actually playing the chord that I think I'm playing. If I learned the fretboard, I'd either have to learn the non-standard fretboard (3 semitones off), or accept that I'm training my ear to "hear" each note with the wrong name associated with it.

Good thing I don't really have a need to learn it right now.

I've been trying to expand my chord vocabulary with more of the key of Bb lately. Having a lot of fun jamming on variations of Dm, Gm, and Bb.

Dm > Dsus2 > Dm6 > Dm7
Dsus2 hammering onto the E string to make it Dm sounds cool.

Gm > Gsus2 > Gm6 > Gm7
I hate Gm, it's an awkward chord for me. I'm trying to make peace with it.
Gsus2 hammering on to Gm sounds cool, too.

Bb > BbSus2 > BbSus4 > Bb6 > Bb7
I used to hate Bb, but I've gotten good with it. Couple of the variants like Bb7 are not natural for me.
Yep, BbSus2 hammering on to Bb, also cool!

Of course, I'm really playing in the key of G, and I have no idea what the chords actually are... sigh.

 

[ripock]

I never use the term noodling. I have always used wanking or wankery as the abstract noun

 

[RafterGirl]

I prefer to use the term goofing around when I'm actually goofing around on my ukes at home.
Noodling has a negative connotation for me. At my local ukulele jams & practices, our leader fusses at us when we are noodling around while she's trying to teach or tell us something. "Quit yer noodling and listen up."

LorenFL - thanks for that chord progression link. Ukulele Go is such a great resource. Safety Harbor Florida..... I'm a St. Pete native, and have family in Tarpon Springs & New Port Richey

 

[TerryM]

I like messin' around, dinking around or chooglin'. I'm neutral on noodling and goofing. And I do not like putzing or futzing around.

 

[Jim Hanks]

I've started whipping out my iPhone when I find something I like. I'll even just say the fret locations like "4 6 7 0" (or whatever) so I can find it again later. Now I have a bunch of things recorded, most of which I'll never come back to

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

Noodling a/k/a grabbling is the act of diving under a riverbank with the goal of intentionally ramming your hand into the open mouth of a huge catfish. Usually preceded by “Hold ma beer while I grabble us up some supper’”. Only in very recent “reality” shows did I hear it referred to as noodling.

Because it describes the entirety of my musical journey, I think of what the OP describes as “letting my ear drive my fingers.” In short, plunking because improvising is far more sophisticated.

EDIT: Today, I stumbled across a catchy chorus riff for Mary Did You Know while working through the Am-C-G-D intro for Seminole Wind.

 

[PTRarch.]

I’m two and a half weeks into my like journey and have been practicing chord changes and I keep stumbling across things that sound familiar, so I see where they take me - I now have two or three little snippets from songs and I can’t for the life of me work out which songs they have come from. I’ve been listening to music whilst working hoping they’ll pop up in my playlist, but as of yet no luck - it’s driving me mad!

I had the same thing a while back. I was noodling around (yes I use that term and proudly), and was looking for chords that would go together nicely. And all of a sudden something sounded familiar but I couldn't pinpoint what. Two weeks later it hit me: I re-wrote the intro of Hotel California ...

 

[Pyewacket]

Praying for the day they come up with another word for "noodling"...we used to call it "playing around..." or "f---ing around..." Who decided Noodling would be an acceptable term for exploring the neck? Makes absolutely no sense, and sounds ridiculous.

How about "faffing around"?

I never use the term noodling. I have always used wanking or wankery as the abstract noun

Ummm... you do realize that has a rather ... more prurient, shall we say ... interpretation?

@PTRarch.

At least you rewrote something worthwhile!

 

[kkimura]

Praying for the day they come up with another word for "noodling"...we used to call it "playing around..." or "f---ing around..." Who decided Noodling would be an acceptable term for exploring the neck? Makes absolutely no sense, and sounds ridiculous.

Woodshedding

Woodshedding - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Oldscruggsfan]

Woodshedding

Woodshedding - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Yes!

 

[ukudancer]

You know, one of the reasons I've not learned the fretboard is because I play in non-standard tuning. It's bad enough that I'm playing "standard chord shapes", but not actually playing the chord that I think I'm playing. If I learned the fretboard, I'd either have to learn the non-standard fretboard (3 semitones off), or accept that I'm training my ear to "hear" each note with the wrong name associated with it.

Using alternate tunings is even more of a reason to learn the fretboard.

I'm assuming you're still using your knowledge of intervals whether you're in standard, have all your strings flattened, or in an open or a Drop tuning.

I just put my bass in Drop D for the last song I recorded and I'm still able to find the notes I needed to play. I don't think "learning the fretboard" means that the note locations have to be rigid like they are on a piano.