Best way to start an Improv

I usually tell my drummer to play a slow but heavy beat. Then I sorta roll off what he is playing.
Usually ends up with about 10 tempo changes though :LOL: :LOL:
We do this every warm up.
Just shaking the cobwebs out for both of us. :thumbsup:
Actually written some KILLER groove tunes this way. :thumbsup:
 
i guess it depends on the genre and the approach you are searching.

tonal or modal, fusion, basic rnr, metal, etc.

depends on that to seek your best options when you are starting.
 
Improve is about feel . . . . I started learning to improv with just me and my guitar. I would start by playing a simple chord progression, slow with lots of space to "improv" (busy riffs will make it much harder to find your "groove"). Once the progression is smooth and established, start building lead "phrases". Use simple 3-5 note runs that you can fit between the chords and easily return to the rhythm on time to continue on. Build a lot of little phrases and learn to string them together into longer and longer solos. Remember to keep time and in the tonic of the rhythm your started.

As you get better you will find your phases or leads are getting longer and more intricate. You will also find that it is not necessary to jump back to the rhythm all that often as your solos will incorporate the rhythm seamlessly and the timing of the phrases is so dead on, they carry the weight of the tune.
 
Improvise to a metronome. You always have a pulse to fall back on. When I improv I tend to venture into odd syncopations at times in place of a drum fills or when vibing on whatever chord my progression tends to land on.

All in all, don't think too much. memory and creativity are of the same bandwidth. Practice the sounds you like. Understand why you like those sounds. Apply that knowledge theoretically. Understand how intervals relate to chords. Ingrain it.
From that point, your ears do the rest.
 
I primarily improv as a practice routune.
There are hundreds of backing tracks of every genre, tempo, and key signature on YT.

Pick one you like, and take off.
 
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