If it feels like your solos are kind of a wandering mess, one remedy is to think in terms of 4-bar phrases. But not just that, think in pairs of 4-bar phrases. So, for example, the shortest solo would be 2, 4-bar phrases. If you want it longer, do 4, 4-bar phrases. And then if you want it even longer, do 8, 4-bar phrases.
There’s a symmetry to this that most of us feel naturally. We naturally sense the 4-bar phrases, and we also naturally feel the pairs of the phrases.
There’s a balanced feeling to this when you hear it, and as I said, a lot of people feel it naturally. But if you don’t, you can develop the sense by consciously counting bars with a track before you play a note, so you just sense these groups. It becomes subconscious.
I like to use the analogy of how you can move through your house in complete darkness after you live there for a while. You can walk down a dark hallway, and without counting steps, turn into a dark room with smashing into the wall.
