Beginner's Guide to Practicing Jazz Improvisation

For many students, the concept of improvisation is unfamiliar, challenging, or even frightening. After all, in school band programs, most of the time is dedicated to reading music from a page, so when improvisation is required, students lack prior knowledge and experience to call upon. Similarly to reading music, improvisation is a skill that requires time and practice to master. However, getting started is not as difficult as it may seem. Here are four aspects of jazz improvisation that students and professionals alike can practice to enhance their improv skills:

Listen!

The best (and possibly only) way to understand jazz style is to listen to recordings of the musicians who have defined the genre. Personal favorites of mine are Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard, Chet Baker, Lee Morgan, Roy Hargrove, and Sean Jones, although there are tons of great players to listen to.

Transcribe!

When you hear a lick (or a whole solo) that sounds cool to you, figure it out by ear. Learn it in all twelve keys slowly, then speed it up. Practice playing the lick in the context of your own solos on tunes you’re working on.

Learn Standards!

In my opinion, the best way to expand and develop your musical vocabulary is to learn and memorize jazz standards. Memorize the melody and practice arpeggiating all of the chord changes. When learning a standard, practice incorporating the licks you’ve learned into your solos.

Music Theory and Aural Skills!

It is important to understand how jazz harmony works in order to solo over a set of changes to a tune. Information to learn includes the following concepts: all major and minor keys, diatonic seventh chords, chord functions, and scale-chord relationships. This is not as scary as it sounds! Aural skills develop naturally over time, but it is worth mentioning that the ability to play by ear is an extremely valuable skill for someone wanting to play jazz. This skill is developed quickest by figuring out tunes or licks by ear rather than looking at the notation.

As you start focusing on these four elements of jazz improvisation, you'll become more comfortable with soloing, allowing you to express more of what you hear internally. Happy practicing!