What is the first step for a beginning improvisor?

When I started 30+ years ago, I didn't have the money for a teacher or the support from my family to even learn. Back then you couldn't just look up music or Tab on the net and find all of the cool stuff out there now. The way that I learned it was by key, as long as I knew what key the song was in I could make something up that would fit into the given solo area. Now, I am not saying that I did it well or that I am some super genius now, however I knew the pentatonic scale and nothing more...I am still very limited on my theory and no nothing of modes, circle of 5ths or anything like that. As far as things go I cannot even read music. What I can do though is hear what I want to play in my head and play it after messing about for a minute or two.

So Mark for an answer, teach them the pentatonic scale and let them play it in different keys with a blues backing track (I have a couple of really good ones) and let them figure out variations of the scale and notes within the scale to form nice lead and make sure that they FEEL it. I think you have to have a goal or vision/sound that you want to achieve as a lead player and the first thing is the tone of your equipment, set-up of your guitar (this all makes it easier) and then play what you feel or hear inside...does any of this make sense? I do not usually plan out a lead unless it is for a cover song that I know the lead for and play it similar, but never exactly as I like to add my own little signature to it.

Long but I hope this sheds my light onto it.
 
It really depends on where a student is with lead playing in general.

If they can already learn and play some simple coherent leads by ear from their favorite albums, then I would take the approach of the guys above in showing scales, arpeggios, rhythmic tools, etc., in the context of the leads they already know.

If they can't play ANY lead at all, then I would start them out with a very simple lead from some song, and make them sing it first. This way, they can actually own some musical vision to shoot for in their own solos. I have seen too many students/players who can go through arps and scales, but have absolutely no sense of time or musicality.

Then I would show them how to fumble around on the neck and find the first note by pure trial and error (with possibly some help from me), find the second note, match up the pitches, durations, etc. I think this is the MOST important part, because nobody can improvise and sound good unless they develop a good ear. Painful at first, but after doing it for a few tunes they start to see how to get to the correct pitches on the proper strings faster and faster.

Once they have a few solos under their belt, then it is time to analyze them, identify key, strong and weak tones, chord tones, arps, scales etc.

This may seem counter intuitive, but I think it teaches them to rely on a sense of musicality rather than theory. I have heard a lot of players with tremendous chops do things like play a blazing pentatonic solo through several chords and then end the lick on a dreadful clam note, mainly because the clam lines up with whatever pentatonic pattern and rhythm they have been woodshedding, but doesn't fit where the chord lands rhythmically in that particular tune.

If a student already has a great ear, then known solos are still an excellent starting point, because I will have them change a few notes or rhythms here and there, and see how they sound. If they do something that sounds like crap to both of us, I will show them how to analyze why it might not sound so good, within the context of the song and style, i.e they might sound good resolving to a flat5 with the duration of a staccato 8th note on a root major 7th chord with a clean sound in a jazz tune, but probably not a flat5 with the duration of a whole note on a root major 7th chord with a distorted sound on a country ballad. :idea:

From there, the idea of creating melodies on the fly using the harmonic and rhythmic tools they have learned can be introduced.
 
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Jade,

Try this. Take a song you know .. like comfortably numb. I know you know that and have been working on the solo. Now learn to play that chord progression in only one part of the neck. So do it in 5th position - ALL Chords, dont leave that area. Then do it again in 7th position. THEN overlay the pentatonic box that coincides with that region. Check out the interplay between them

Now take the solo and overlay the chords on top of those riffs (remembering that a whole step bend is actually the note 2 frets higher). Do you have any observations? You will. Get used to just checking the tunes out and quickly making note of what key/chord/scales you are using. Wont take long before you discover some VERY common and reused approaches.
 
Jeremy_Green said:
Jade,

Try this. Take a song you know .. like comfortably numb. I know you know that and have been working on the solo. Now learn to play that chord progression in only one part of the neck. So do it in 5th position - ALL Chords, dont leave that area. Then do it again in 7th position. THEN overlay the pentatonic box that coincides with that region. Check out the interplay between them

Now take the solo and overlay the chords on top of those riffs (remembering that a whole step bend is actually the note 2 frets higher). Do you have any observations? You will. Get used to just checking the tunes out and quickly making note of what key/chord/scales you are using. Wont take long before you discover some VERY common and reused approaches.
Click to expand...

To make it easier, start with any Keith Richards leads from Stones tunes. They are both very easy to play and also very easy to see the relationships between the pent. scales and the underlying chords.
 
Jeremy_Green said:
Jade,

Try this. Take a song you know .. like comfortably numb. I know you know that and have been working on the solo. Now learn to play that chord progression in only one part of the neck. So do it in 5th position - ALL Chords, dont leave that area. Then do it again in 7th position. THEN overlay the pentatonic box that coincides with that region. Check out the interplay between them

Now take the solo and overlay the chords on top of those riffs (remembering that a whole step bend is actually the note 2 frets higher). Do you have any observations? You will. Get used to just checking the tunes out and quickly making note of what key/chord/scales you are using. Wont take long before you discover some VERY common and reused approaches.
Click to expand...

Righto, I'm onto it, thanks... (and I'll take a look at some Stones)
 
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