Posted by Steve Dedman on January 26, 2002 at 16:31:29:
In Reply to: Re: How to practice improvisation? posted by Hans on January 26, 2002 at 16:19:53:
Good advice, especially the scales, and add in some music theory.
The absolute best thing you can do, though, is to listen. Listen to all genres of improvised music. Older, fathers of improv & bebop like Armstrong, Parker, Gillespie, Davis, Monk, (and a host of others)as well as today's crop of younger jazzers. Listen for licks, how they play them, where the inflections and accents are. Listen to Bop, swing, fusion (Herbie Hancock), rock, latin, all of the different styles. Even listen to the guy in the lounge with a fishbowl of tip money on top of the piano. Listen to Live From Lincoln Center on NPR.
In order to become good at improv you have to learn the language. And the only way to learn it is by acquiring the tools technically, then you have to listen to the masters speak the language.
SD