“ F ity by Rohan Stevenson ‘Improvising (in music) — Creating music instantaneously and in response to the stimulus of your environment and inner feelings. InGeneral Think of improvising in the same way as speaking (your already a brilliant improviser when communicating through speech) There are no rules, no wrong or right notes...only ones that you might prefer over others Learn as many scales, chords, techniques, rhythms and sounds as possible to use when improvising (like learning words/phrases/tones before you speak) Listen to as much music as possible (improvised and composed) There is no such thing as mastering improvisation, composition or techniques as music is subjective...spending time on becoming the fastest/flashy-est player is not musical. ‘You should not be thinking too much when you are improvising... you should be listening and focusing on expressing your ideas, just like when you speak, your not thinking of each word or how you are going to phrase them but you do know what you want to get across. Always listen to the music that you are improvising and improvising over. Experiment, learn other peoples phrases/licks/sounds even musicians from other instruments/styles. The ability to play what you hear in your head should be a goal, you can develop this by trying to play simple melodies that you are familiar with. Practice improvising, start by improvising over one chord or sound, listen to how each note you play feels over that sound. Eat healthy, get adequate sleep... your mind and body is a huge part of your instrument. “Seek to attain the sounds first...seek to understand the sounds second” ~ Guthrie Govan “T try to play the notes that I think the audience wants to hear” - Pat MethenyScalic playing — Using lines and melodies constructed from scales Intervalic playing — Using intervals to create lines and melodies Using arpeggio's — Playing chords one note at a time ascending or decending Emphasis on phrasing — making musical sentences without waffling on (try a phrase that ends in the following measure) Repetition — Helps to generate familiarity to the listener lines can be brought back in later during the solo for this effect Chromatic notes — ‘Outside! notes can add spice and interest within your solo arun or line using predominately outside notes can give a free falling effect Allow space — you don't need to play all the time, giving space helps finish phrases Start simple and build in complexity Use dynamics ~ (loud and soft) Accenting beats within your phrases Articulation within your solo (legato/staccato etc) Techniques on your instrument — Hammer on/Pull off/Slides/Alt picking/Harmonics/Octaves/Vibrato/Palm muting/String Skipping/Sweeping ete etc (there are hundreds) Stable and Unstable notes ~ Great for tension and release (like any good story) Remember you are never more than one fret away from a 'right' note. Rhythmic Variation — Change the rhythmic subdivisions, incorporate syncopation (combining ‘off beats and 'on' beats) use triplet’s and ‘dotted’ notes to create a polyrhythmic feel, try to create interesting rhythmic patterns and phrases Don't be afraid to explore different scale positions on the neck, different positions on the neck give different timbre-al effects. Start by linking the 5 pentatonic shapes together, you can develop these into minor/major and modes by adding the other notes in once you feel confident. Get creative, start by seeing what you can do with just 2-3 notes you will be surprised how this forces interesting ideas. A lot of high profile artists never got passed the pentatonic scale (5 notes) but are able to create amazing ideas due to their ability to get creative with it. Pre composed lines — its good to build an arsenal of pre composed lines that you can play well and add into your solo when needed, this can be a way of reaching for something that you know sounds great when you feel that you need it. Variation — Keep your solo evolving and developing as you go Focus on what you like to hear as an artist, don't be discouraged by what others say, remember music is subjective and you can't please everyone Have fun, try new things, experiment