improv....?

Question

im horrible making up improv solos does anyone know of a way i can become better at this?

on a saxophone

Answer 1

Heres a good tip I picked up from Keyboardist Jordan Rudess, Well know to break into amazing sounding improv's which would make you think he sat down and wrote it out before hand.

Heres what you do:
Just play two notes. usually a note and then its octave. Try to come up with as many rhythms as you possibly can with just the two notes. This may sound silly but if you really try then you will be amazed at what you can think of.

Once this has been exhausted, add a third note, usually I use the 6th of whatever not I have just been playing. Now do the same, using three notes in any order, in any timing just go wild with it.

After that just do the same with four notes, only this time develop a cool little lick. Once you have memorized that lick start to change it up, play the line then change up the line slightly, then play the original line again, then improvise another variation and keep doing that.

Steve Vai, an awesome Guitarist, has detailed how he developed his improvisational style by thinking up a simple thing which could happen to you throughout the day, and then find the perfect sound for that occurance. It may be a line of music, a whole peice or simply a chord. Check it out:

Answer 2

Try learning or making up your own "riffs," or short melodies, that you like. Then challenge yourself to learn them in every key. When you have mastered this, improv will be a breeze.

Here's a simple example:

You learn a riff that goes G, E, D, C (in the key of C major). Now when you are playing a solo and see a chord progression, you can use this riff. Let's say the chord progression is D7 / G7 / C7 / Fmaj6. You could play A, F#, E, D / D, B, A, G / G, E, D, C / C, A, G, F.

I hope this makes sense for you.

Answer 3

Practice improvising at home on your own, playing whatever pops into your head. You need to have a good ear to improvise in a group. Try turning on a CD or the radio and playing along - you'll figure out what works and what doesn't. And when jamming in a group, just go for it. It doesn't matter if it isn't perfect, and trying will help you improve.
Good luck!