5 Ways to get Better At Improvising

One of the most enjoyable parts of learning an instrument is jamming along with friends in a basement or a garage. This practice has birthed some of the greatest rock bands of our time.

Nirvana, for instance, was merely a garage band when they were signed to their first label, later becoming one of the biggest rock bands in the world.

These jams are usually spontaneous, revving on a round of a few chords, bouncing between band members for solos, and coming up with cool new musical ideas.

Jamming isn’t always so informal, though. If you want to be a go-to session cat, your improvisation will have to be top notch.

This level of improvisation takes a lot of practice, as these musicians are expected to improvise new, exciting, and tasteful guitar parts for the songs they work on day in and day out.

Studio guitarists often write their parts in a matter of hours. The best of the best may have the perfect guitar part on the first take, without hearing the song beforehand.

How do they do it?

Tasteful, simple, and unique improvisation.

Start with these tips, and take your improvisation to the next level.

1) Listen to Music

Seems pretty simple. The more often you listen to music, the more you will recognize patterns.

Almost all popular songs are built in patterns based around chord progressions and time signatures.

Training your ear to hear patterns in music will help you feel out the next part of the song, giving you a good idea of what to play and how it will fit.

This cognitive processing happens pretty quickly, so it almost has to be second nature. Listen to songs. Study them. Hear how they move, and how the different instruments and parts interact.
Improvising tastefully is all about knowing your place in the song.

Listen to the guitar, hear what works, take that approach.

As a general rule, less is more. You’ll hear this the more you listen to music.

2) Learn To Solo In Different Scales and Modes

These days, if you want to be a prolific guitar player, you have to play something that stands out.

Ripping through a blues scale or a major pentatonic scale won’t cut it anymore. Even major-scale based soloing has been done time and time again.

If you want your country or rock solos to stand out, take a new approach.

Practice soloing with different scales.

Playing in a minor key? Try soloing in a Harmonic Minor scale. Want to make it a little bluesier? Shift to a Dorian scale. Jazzier? Try a Phrygian or a Locrian scale.

Do these sound complicated? Dorian, Phrigian, and Locrian scales are just different major scales starting on the leading note of your key (for example, an E Phrygian scale is just a C major scale starting and ending on E). So learn your major scales, and apply these modes!

Major key? Try a Beebop, Lydian or Mixolydian scale.

If you can find the right scale for a certain song, you will find improvising tastefully to be pretty easy!

3) Learn the Nashville Numbering System

Learn those scales, but again, learn your major scales too. These will help you with the Nashville numbering system.

The Nashville numbering system is based around scale degrees. Scale degrees are the numbers assigned to each chord found in the major scale of the key you’re playing in, starting with the chord built on the tonic note (the name note of the key) and working up in sequence.

Here is a diagram to illustrate…

For example, one of the most common chord progressions is I – V – vi – IV. So in the key of C major, the first chord would be the chord built on the first degree note, Cmaj. The second chord would be the chord built on the fifth degree of the scale, Gmaj, the third chord is a minor chord (hence the lower case), built on the sixth degree, Amin. The last chord is built on the fourth degree, Fmaj.

Yelling out the numbers is shockingly more efficient and comprehensive than screaming out chords every few seconds.

It’s also universal, so anybody playing a band instrument, or guitar with a capo can follow along easily.

This will help you learn songs on the fly.

4) Expand your chord knowledge.

Again, being a great improviser means you can create interesting sounds and parts on the fly.

Playing interesting chords will help.

Learn your major 7, diminished, and augmented chords. Add your 2s and 4s. Learn different inversions. Learn each chord in as many different places as possible and learn to switch through them smoothly.

Playing chords higher up the neck can change the sound and feel of the whole song.

Play a Dmaj7 instead of a Dmaj. It could open up a whole new soundscape.

Chord set the mood of a song. Expend your chord repertoire, and you will be able to custom-fit a mood to each song you are jamming to.

As a player, you are the chords you know. Learning how more difficult chords work will expand your playing in every aspect.

5) Play with interesting rhythms.

Nobody wants to hear the same old strumming patterns they’ve heard before on their songs.

Once again, be creative, and be different. Sometimes musically, the song will only call for simple chords and riffs.

Reel in your listeners with interesting rhythms.

Play slightly behind or ahead of the beat.

Play a reggae rhythm over a slow ballad.

One note played in a funky way will have more power than fifty notes played straight.

Improvising is an art form, it takes years of practice to master. You’ve got your work cut out for you.

Take the time, get into the garage with your buddies, and try new ideas. Figure out what works and what doesn’t, and build on those ideas.

Good ideas come from a good approach. Take these tips, learn your stuff, be unique, and be ready to give the song the treatment it needs.