many thanks Jackal, I will try.
The problem is that I'm a bit lazy...and I can't spend much time on guitar... (you know : wife, kids...
)
So when I got, say 15 min free, I don't want to "study" guitar, just have fun
when I was 11-15 years old, I first learned classical piano, with musical theory.
after 4 years, I stopped and started to play with a singer who only said the chords progressions to me.
Then, I discovered another way to play music, and forgot almost what I learned
around 17-18 years old I started to play guitar, alone, without teacher, and at this time I was listening to blues, blues, and sometimes blues
. So the first licks I wanted to play were like the JL. hooker things, you know what I mean.
Then It was rock-country, riffs, lead licks and so on, yes all very UNsmooth
in the mid-90's, my friend drummer made me discover prog-rock (genesis, yes, oldfield....) and I re-discovered something I've forgot : the melody.
Now, my daughter learn piano and musical theory, so I enjoy to re-learn what I forgot
I always listen to jazz, and I know what you mean by saying "elegant and sophitiscated". Totally agree
Yes, the chromatic thing makes it smoother. I like to play the 5th augmented for example, or the "in-between" notes, not in the scale.
By the way, that's what make Mark's style so special : sometimes straight style, and sometimes smoother
I remember reading on MKnewsforum a thing like that :
"on 2 first DS albums, Mark play only pentatonic scales, but you don't hear pentatonic"
and of course, around LOG time, he inclued much jazz influences in his chords progressions, and scales.
Sometimes I'd like he'd play less chromatic licks, and more straight, UNsmooth licks
as always, sorry for my poor and bad english, but I guess you understand what I mean
