1. Think ahead. Learn to hear a melody in your head, visualize how to play it on the instrument and play it– all within a split second or so.

2. Seek ultimate variety in melodies, phrase length, ammount of rests and notes, and note patterns. Play with expectations. Allow yourself to be surprised, too.

3. Practice scales and patterns. These are the building blocks and the cannon fodder.

4. Learn harmony. Track the chords as you play tunes, or at least be able to do so easily if you want to. A familiar tune should be like a drive through a familiar city. At each moment you know exactly where you are and you can picture the route you’ll take to your next destination. You also know many possible routes you might choose to take.

5. Play “ideas” not notes. Just as we should think a note or two ahead so as to be prepared, on a grander scale, we should endeavor to play a sound we conceive in our head. This is different from just rearranging notes and patterns we’re familiar with. Rearranging notes and patterns is one way to think when improvising, but if it’s just playing riffs with nothing to balance it out, it can get old pretty quick.

—

PRACTICES

Play over a drone. Good for intonation and coming up with ideas. Also, more fun than playing alone.

Get as familiar as you can with the styles you want to emulate.

Make up scale variations and technical exercises using patterns you’d like to get better at.

Sing melodies and play what you sing.