I was recently invited to speak to some music students about improvisation and one of the first things I did was to ask them "What is improvisation?" Somebody answered "making stuff up". Not bad. I would add to that definition  making up a melody based on chords and scales. Oh yeah-this is to be done spontaneously!

Creating Interest

That process sounds pretty difficult doesn't it? Most beginners are very concerned about the notes to be played and I don't mean to imply that note choice is not important. There are some other things that are just as important that you should keep in mind when attempting to improvise. One thing you want to do is to create interest. This can be achieved by using different rhythms, different dynamics, different phrasing, use of varying intervals, using the full range on your instrument, as well as what may be the hardest to define- the correct "feel"

Note Choice

There are certain scales that you can use that are associated with the chords. I won't go into a full discussion here except to say that as you improvise, you will probably make a few "clunkers" (notes that don't go along with the chords-also known as "clams"). When this happens, I suggest that you stop and try to figure out why the note didn't work. Was it out of key? Was it a note that was not a part of the scale that is associated with the chord? After your ear has developed, you will be able to determine just what went wrong. Then, of course, you want to avoid making the same mistake and use the proper note.

Vary the rhythm

If you play the same rhythm over and over, that will work for awhile. However, it is easily over done, so you should try something different. Use some triplets, use some 8th notes, and use some half notes as well as 16ths. The point here is that you want to have a variety of rhythms that you can call on that will help to keep interest.

Dynamics are important

While you may be making the right choice of notes as well as varying the rhythms, playing at the same dynamic level has a tendency to be boring as you are not showing any change. When you've played written melodies in the past, you should have noticed that some parts are to be played softly while other sections are to be performed louder. This creates interest and you should employ this dynamic contrast in your improvisation as well.

Phrasing can make the melody interesting

Looking again at that written melody, you'll notice that some notes are to be played longer than some, some are to be played short, some are to be played accented while others are unaccented. This kind of phrasing adds interest as well and a good improviser will definitely change his phrasing as he creates his melody.

Intervals

You will learn that there are certain scales that go along with the chord. If your improvised melody is based solely on the scale and you simply play up & down the scale, this will be boring after awhile. Learn to use different intervals as a part of your improvisational techniques. You may want to go up a 4th, down a minor 3rd, up a 1/2 step then down a sixth or whatever interval you like. This will help you to get away from "just playing scales".

Full Range

Depending on what instrument you play, you should take advantage of its range. Some notes come out very nicely in the extreme registers and this can add interest as well. If you stay within just one octave for your improvised melody, this is going to be taxing after awhile to the listener. Use your full range to create a more interesting melody.

"Feel"

The hardest thing for me to convey to you is the proper "feel". Everyone feels things differently.  You may be sad when you have to stay home on a rainy day, or you may feel that's just about the best way to go through a day. It's the same with improvisation. Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind as you attempt to improvise is that you put some kind of feeling into it, rather than just play the notes. A good way to get feeling into your improvisation is the use of "blue notes" (1, b3, 4, b5, 5, b7) As the name implies, it comes from the blues tradition and is used by just about everyone that improvises.

Most Important!

Oh yeah-I almost forgot the most important principal. Have fun! Don't get so involved that you are not enjoying trying to create a nice melody over some interesting harmony. Try recording yourself and listening to the performance later. As you listen, criticize your performance as though it is somebody else that is playing. Remember, that criticism comes in two ways-good and bad. Try to fix the bad things-keep the good ones and use it as part of your improvisational language.