pretty much everything that they said about scales. Major and Minor pentatonic are the essentials, if nothing else, learn those and you can solo to pretty much any song. But, just to re-emphasize... get a backing track, either self recorded or from a website, and just play scales over it. I learned from 12 bar jamming with my friend, and also from an instructional video that showed the pentatonic scale and had a 12 bar progression as a backing track.

Also, make sure you switch things up. For the longest time my solos were dry and lifeless, and i realized it was because i was just playing whatever note came next. Once you're comfortable with it, try some string skipping, stuff like that. Also, don't be afraid to hit a wrong note, sometimes those can be the coolest part of the solo








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tune low, play hard, and floor it!!!

Take a chord. Starting on its root note, play the scale which fits that chord. A backing track helps here; try other scales over the same chord, throw in some bends (works well with pentatonics in particular). Backing tracks and scales and listen to the masters!

get some good backing tracks or songs. This really helps tremendously.








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Current Setup: Stratocaster -> Tuner -> Wah -> Delay -> Vox AC30CC2 -> Your Ears

Learn scales and feel comfortable with playing them so u dont have to worry about ur hands.

When u can do that learn the notes what u are playing so u know every note of ur scales.

Get some backing tracks, know the chords in them and combine them with the notes of ur scales. When u know which note ur playing, I believe that things will get a lot easier. Cuz when u know the notes of ur fretboard u don´t have to stay in the box playing, but u can still be playing the notes of ur scale.

And last, play as much as possible! Nothing goes up versus a lot of practice!

some of the best backing tracks to practice to are 12 bar blues songs. If you can get to the point where you FEEL emotions brought about by how you are improvising, you're doing well. Plus, learning to solo along to the music style that brought about Rock and Roll will do wonders. Good blues improv will lead you to good improv in other styles as well.








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tune low, play hard, and floor it!!!

I found that a good way to strengthen your improvising skills is learning your favorite songs, then just combining different ideas/chords/notes to reach the sound you really like. If you really get into your playing, you'll have a great time.

impro - hmm let me think . i just make it up as i go along - thats what its all about , no ?

when i first started playing i learned the major / minor and pentatonic scales , and listened to a lot of music which incorporated them such as sabbath ac/dc santana .

this has already been said but im just backing it up . you can only play what you already know when improvising but its the 'zone' you put your head into when attempting it that really counts . when i say zone - im not talking about some spooky ethereal place that only accomplished guitarists can reach but a relaxed state of mind where you can hear the music just before you play it , which means that you are in control of it rather than it you .

someone else has already suggested this but i think its a good idea to make a simple backing track and use it to improvise from using only small sections of a scale such as pentatonic until you are familiar enough to progress into using another section with it.

you must be aware of the rhythm of the drum pattern and the other instruments and use those patterns to allow your guitar to voice itself within the piece of music so that its complimentary.

having a theme to an improvisation is a must - i believe - and if you listen to any guitarist worth their salt you will find that they, more often than not , do this .

what i mean is a simple riff that you can always fall back on if you get a little stuck for ideas or mess it up .

so :

know what your backing is doing and which scales you can use

make a simple riff to start you off

and remember that if you stick to you scale then you wont go wrong

my wife wants the pc so i m off

Good advice.
"zone"
that's what I do when I play
and when I drink too much... kinda the way I'm feelin' now.
Thank you and goodnight.








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http://www.myspace.com/ignite454

with any scale if you are just using power chords you can use any scale on it and change different keys as long as you use the notes that are in the chords you are playing cause power chords just have the root and fifth in it. And it gives it a cool feel

unless you are using a locrian scale where you would have to flatten the fifth of the root note which would not really be a powerdchord

karl_moro wrote:

Does anyone know some good books or tricks on how to learn to improvise?
I've already bought "Rock Guitar Secrets" by Peter Fischer, which deals mainly with improvising, but it is quite a big leap regarding my own playing skills.

Sing your solo.
Play what you sing, sing what you play. This works!

I don't have anything agianst scales and modes. I spent years learing them and they have been indispensible tools BUT what you sing comes from yer chart-toppin' heart and THAT is what you are shooting for.

Scales and modes are for building your technical and motor skills. And you SHOULD do that too.

There is but one true "Rock Guitar Secret" in this guitar-playing Universe. A secret most people can not and will never understand.
It is called HARD WORK.

Git to it.
Show us what yer made of.








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Play what you want, play what you feel and don't look so suprised when the people you play for don't get it.