The Secret to Improvisation in 5 Easy Steps
by Shannon Kennedy
1. Learn the melody of a tune. Really learn it. Listen to recordings and be able to
play the melody the way it was meant to be played.
2. Make it your own. Develop your own interpretation of the melody - how you would like it to be played - without
modifying the changes.
3. Be able to create a bass line to the changes. If you need help, go back to your recordings and emulte the bass player.
4. Outline the chord changes - use patterns like 1235, 1353, 12345678, 1357, 7531, 13579, etc. Try variations and
combinations from measure to measure to challenge yourself.
5. Begin improvising. Start be improvising with the melody notes and the patterns you have practiced, then begin exploring other
possibilities and ideas you would like to try.
Ta-da! You are know an awesome improviser. I told you this stuff was easy.
