Tips on Improvisation?

I have been trying to learn improvisation for years but it never really sounded nice, in fact it always sounded boring and involves reptitive licks i used in previous improvise...

Im always jealous how others can play minutes of improvised tasty solo...

Hey & welcome to GT!

Originally Posted by: sameFeathered

I have been trying to learn improvisation for years but it never really sounded nice, in fact it always sounded boring and involves reptitive licks i used in previous improvise...

Im always jealous how others can play minutes of improvised tasty solo...

GT can definitely help you improve your improvisational skills! But the path you take depends on your current knowledge & skill level & desired musical style or genre.

If you are more of a beginner, you might benenfit from working through the rock or blues course. Those provide a step-by-step comprehensive approach. You'll learn how to play lead solo melodic ideas in the context of a complete style of music.

https://www.guitartricks.com/experienced.php

For example if you pick the Rock 1 course, you'll see Anders lays down the basic ideas & skills in chapters 1 & 2. Then in chapter 3 you'll be ready to start learning lead ideas & skills!

https://www.guitartricks.com/course.php?input=rock1

So, you can just start at chapter 3. But there's a chance you might miss out on learning an important idea or skill, a step in the process.

Another possible path is the direct approach. I have a specialized series of tutorials that only focus on improvisation, showing how to play lead melodies or solos. But these assume you already have a certain level of knowledge & skills.

Introduction to Improvisation For Beginners

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=876

Improvisation in a Major Key

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=483

Improvisation in a Minor Key

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=491

Improvisation in a Major Key Series 2

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2318

Improvisation in a Minor Key Series 2

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2329

So you could just jump into those tutorials to see if that helps. If those seem beyond your current knowledge & skill level, then try working through one of the courses I mentioned above.

I cover this topic in depth in this blog post that also has a lot of the links I provided for context.

https://www.guitartricks.com/blog/how-to-play-a-guitar-solo

Hope this helps! Please ask more if necessary & best of success!

Hi Christopher![br][br]Thanks for your reply.[br][br]I have seen those video you mentioned but I still have questions that bothers me.[br]I'm not going to talk about playing in key with the song for now, I'm just playing with drum beats.[br][br]Before you play each notes do you actually already know what it will sound like? Or you just play what it feels will be in melody with the previous notes? Reason I asked was because I can also hear those cool and tasty melody/licks in my head but not really execute them on fretboard because I don't know where or how to play them?[br][br]Everytime I improvise it sounded always like blues, mainly becausely I used less notes, played in slow speed and did many string bending? Tried playing faster and with more notes but it sounded terrible...[br][br]Could you or anyone please give me some advice?[br][br]

You're welcome for the reply!

Originally Posted by: sameFeatheredI have seen those video you mentioned but I still have questions that bothers me. I'm not going to talk about playing in key with the song for now, I'm just playing with drum beats.[/quote]

Okay, fair enough. But keep in mind that is part of the process. Understanding how to play in key & follow chord changes is one thing. Actually being able to do it in real time with music is a completely different step.

And most of that only happens with repetitious practice of licks & ideas until they are second nature.

Originally Posted by: sameFeatheredBefore you play each notes do you actually already know what it will sound like?[/quote]

That's a great question. Because it really gets to the core of the issue.

Usually, yes. That's because the things I choose to play are things I've already worked out by practicing scale patterns, chord tones & little licks & musical phrases that I've spent years building into a repertiore of licks. A library of things I can play on the spot that I know how they will sound, when they fit in time, and how to play them or adjust them to any given chords that happen in any given order.

This is somewhat like learning a language. You learn a bunch of words & then the grammar of how to form sentences. After you acquire those skills, then you are prepared to have a new conversation with anyone you encounter that also speaks that language.

Now notice that if the person you are talking to has specialized knowledge that you do not (maybe medical or engineering, or something advanced) that you might not be able to keep up with the conversation. Because you have not learned what all those words & concepts mean. But you can learn them!

Now sometimes I don't know exactly what I'm going to play will sound like. But that's a different situation. That might be because I'm experimenting with new scale patterns or new chord progressions.

Essentially, I won't know what it sounds like until I play it if it's a new idea. But once I play it then I get an idea of how it will sound. If I like it, then I remember it & keep playing it in order to really memorize it & make it part of my library, my repertoire. If I don't like it, then I make note of what I didn't like & try to remember to avoid playing it in the future! :)[br]

Originally Posted by: sameFeatheredOr you just play what it feels will be in melody with the previous notes?

[p]That's putting the cart before the horse. If you don't know how something will sound before you play it, then how will you know how you feel about it? Or how will you know if it will get aross the emotion you want to express?

Or you could mean that you "feel" it will fit but you don't KNOW it will fit. That means you are just experimenting as I explained above.

My point is that feeling or emotional reactions have to come after you already know how to play some licks & how they will sound. If you want to express yourself or your emotions, then you already have to know how to play the licks ahead of time that will express any given emotion.

Simply knowing what emotion you want to express does not give you the ability to play notes that will express them.

[quote=sameFeathered]Reason I asked was because I can also hear those cool and tasty melody/licks in my head but not really execute them on fretboard because I don't know where or how to play them?

If you can really hear them, then figure them out. Learn them. It can help to sing them, or record yourself singing them. Pick one lick that you are imagining. Figure out the notes of that lick one note at a time on the guitar until you know where all the notes are. Then spend time repeating those notes until you can play it up to speed like you imagine it. Then move it around the fretboard so you can play it in different positions for different chords & keys.

It sounds like your playing ability is behind your desire & imagination. You need to spend some time woodshedding! You need to spend some time learning & building a repertoire of licks you can play on the spot when you need them.[br][quote=sameFeathered][br]Everytime I improvise it sounded always like blues, mainly becausely I used less notes, played in slow speed and did many string bending? Tried playing faster and with more notes but it sounded terrible...

You have to practice longer series of notes to build into long licks. And then you have to practice playing them exactly in time. So that it doesn't sound like aimless flailing around. You have to play them over & again until it sounds like a musical phrase, just faster & with more notes than a slower phrase that has less notes!

Is there some particular guitarist or song that has a style or a solo that you apsire to play? If you can give me a more precise set of goals then I can try to point you to tutorials that will show you how to build those skills.

I hope all that makes sense!

That actually sounds very logical!![br][br] I guess no one will actually play something they're unsure whether it'll sound nice when improvising on stage... So despite being called improvisation its actually more like series of licks, melodies and scales that the person is already very very confident that it will sound great when combined...[br] (I'm always amazed when people play very cheesy flawless solo that sound like it is fresh out of studio recording, and they'll tell you that was improvised!)[br][br]Its true, most of the time I don't "feel" when improvising more like experimenting what sounds good together, at least I'm not at that level to feel yet. [br][br]Sometimes some licks are way too fast for me to actually catch what technique or notes are played even by slowing down the speed.

My goal actually is to be able to improvise very smooth sounding solo, which I assume will take quite a while to master.

Once again, Thanks for all the help in answering my questions, I'm really understanding so much better now!!! Is there anyway/anywhere I can consult you again?

Originally Posted by: sameFeatheredThat actually sounds very logical!![/quote]

Good deal. Glad that makes sense to you.

Originally Posted by: sameFeatheredSo despite being called improvisation its actually more like series of licks, melodies and scales that the person is already very very confident that it will sound great when combined...[/quote]

Yes, you might want to read this article. It clears up some of the misconceptions.

https://www.guitartricks.com/blog/how-to-play-a-guitar-solo

Originally Posted by: sameFeathered[br]Sometimes some licks are way too fast for me to actually catch what technique or notes are played even by slowing down the speed.

Okay, but being able to hear what the notes are & being able to play them are 2 different steps also. You have to get used to thinking, hearing & playing in larger units. So that for example an entire sequence or series of notes that go together are one unit in your memory. So that you can think well ahead of time & not have to focus on just one note at a time. There's no way you or anyone can think of each note after you pass a certain amount of speed. You have to have practiced those groups of notes & fast licks so many times that you can just play them as second nature.

Again, to use the analogy of language. You don't think of the sound of each letter & sound it out while you are talking. You already know all that stuff & have put it together, so you just say the words you are thinking of saying.

[quote=sameFeathered]My goal actually is to be able to improvise very smooth sounding solo, which I assume will take quite a while to master.

Yes, so the sooner you start, the better! :)[br][quote=sameFeathered]Once again, Thanks for all the help in answering my questions, I'm really understanding so much better now!!! Is there anyway/anywhere I can consult you again?

Yes, you can post any where in the forum. But the quickest way to get my attention is to post directly in my instructor forum.

https://www.guitartricks.com/forum/threads.php?f=36

Have fun & best of success working on improvising.

That is the clearest explination of improv that I have EVER HEARD!! Thanks!

Chris is The Man with this stuff so he'll steer you right :).

I found one of the keys to be spending a lot of time experimenting with scales, licks, and phrasing on my own. You have to really internalize this stuff and have it become second nature.

In the blues course, a lot of emphasis is put on taking a lick and making it your own and exploring all of the different ways it can be played and make it sound different. This is where you can take a single phrase and get all you can from it without sounding repetative. Pretty powerful stuff that can quickly expand your playing.

Have fun!!