"Black Friday", by Steely Dan has always been a favorite of mine. It’s infectious groove and aggressive undercurrent provide a weath of opportunities for the developing soloist. I attempted to show a "Hybrid" approach with my lines. Aside from the obvious Pentatonic and Blues phrases, I also leaned heavily on Mixolydian and Dorian. If you have not attempted to improvise using these modes then begin like...today!
You will notice that I did not play the original solos of Walter Becker. In no way do I mean any disrespect to Mr. Walter Becker’s great work on the original track.

As a matter of fact, I am demonstrating the opposite. If you take the time (and you should) to watch his live performances, Mr. Becker also avoids direct note-for-note playing of his original ideas. Why? Well, like any other extremely proficient musician, Mr. Becker believes in improvisation. To repeat over and over original solos would be confining and uninspiring. Moreover, it can show very little in the way of imagination and creativity.