I'm trying to learn as many scales as I can, and am picking out melodies to my favourite songs, trying to imbellish them slightly, with extra notes, hammer-ons, pull-offs, fills, slides etc.

Is this the best and most effective way to learn to improvise? I just want to know that I'm on the right track...

MattyJam said:

Yes you are on the right track and make sure to keep on taking licks off of recordings by ear, that is very very important. Listen to blues artists such as Freddie King , Albert King and BB King...Clapton, Beck, SRV and Hendrix all learned to play by listening to these artist and many others. Listen to what jazz/rock/blues great Scott Henderson says about phrasing...

http://www.dailymotion.co...sing_music

MattyJam said:

YES. Keep going on that track. Though it also helps to have a little knowledge, of keys, and chords and stuff.

MattyJam said:

It's a start, but the best, quickest way to get there is to jam with other musicians. Guitarists and non-guitarists. The more you can play with musicians that are better than you, the faster you'll improve (assuming you practice).

That's how Prince learned.

FrankAxtell said:

I agree 100% with this post above.


An understanding of chords/ notes/ scales is useful and important to an extent but the best way to expand your vocabulary is to use your ears to pick out licks that you like from other people's work. The bigger the variety of styles you can listen to, the more varied your own playing will become.

I personally play a Blues-Rock style and find I get stuck in a rut sometimes with my solos..but then every now and then I hear a new lick I can throw in and the more it happens, the broader my pallet of "colours" becomes.

Make sure of one thing though: If you're gonna borrow licks, steal from the greats!