10 Tips to Get Started Improvising on Your Instrument

We take a look at some approaches to Improvising for Beginners!

The idea of improvisation can be daunting to beginning musicians, and even more intermediate learners. Many times we see our scores as a safety net and prefer to have everything written out on a page. Don’t get us wrong, that is a valid sentiment! However, there is no denying that Improvising does have its benefits too:

It encourages and strengthens your listening skills
Helps you learn to recognise patterns and scales
Teaches you to understand the piece or song as a whole
Boosts Creativity & Expression

That being said, here are some Tips to get you started.

1. Start off by Singing, Humming or playing along to Recorded Music that you know and Love

By starting with something familiar, we give ourselves a safe place to return to after venturing out into the “unknown”. Just start making sounds that work or sound good with the song, whether you’re harmonising with the melody, or making up little call-and-answer parts. The fact that you’re not using any words or lyrics gives you more freedom to come up with new ideas.

2. Play Along with some Instrumental Music

There are a TON of instrumental backing tracks in all different styles available on sites like YouTube for Drums, Guitar and Bass! Singers can use these tracks to explore improvisation too. You could even use your Rockschool Backing tracks to try this.

We have a few picks for Drums, Bass & Guitar over on our YouTube Channel to get you started.

3. Start small – Take a familiar Melody or Groove and change 1 thing

Singers do this all the time! Usually in a 2^nd verse or on repeating the same line, artistes like to vary the melody. You can do the same too. Play through your favourite melody, or groove, and change 1 note in the line the 2^nd time around – maybe you pitch up instead of down, or you hit a different part of the drum kit than you did before. Try changing up more things each time. Experiment and have fun with it!

4. Change up the Rhythms

In the same vein as changing up the notes & pitches in a familiar tune, try seeing what happens if you shift things around and play a note earlier, later, longer, or shorter, and listen to how it affects the music. It’s a simple way of adding your own touch to a performance.

5. Know the Key you are working in, or the Groove Patterns you can apply

We learn Music Theory for good reason! The basics of understanding how notes and rhythms work together in a song are the key to a vast array of possibilities, first of which is giving you the materials to use to build your Improvisations.

6. Know your Scales and Rudiments!

Remember, Scales are the building blocks of melody and harmony. Having knowledge of where you are in the music gives you a map to follow and guides your hands to the right notes.

For Drummers, Rudiments are the foundation of any drum performance. Having solid grounding in Rudiments gives you a plethora of tools to use when improvising Drum Solos, Grooves, Fills and more!

Both Scales and Rudiments play a big part in Rockschool Exams through the Technical Exercises, so make sure to keep those technical skills sharp!

7. Repeat Notes or Short Patterns

As we mentioned, starting small is always a good way to dip your toes into this wide world of Improvisation. Pick an appropriate scale to fit with your selected backing track (i.e. if it’s in C Major, the C Major Scale or the C Major Pentatonic scale are great places to start). Pick a few notes, and start with short phrases. Expand and evolve from there. Who knows, you might write a catchy tune in the process!

8. Be open to “Accidents”

There isn’t really a “right” or “wrong” when it comes to improvising, just what works/sounds good, and what doesn’t. If you stray from the scale while you improvise, don’t panic! You may just stumble upon an interesting sound that still works with the music.

9. Record Yourself & Listen back

Technology has provided us with an awesome way to help us remember things. Recording your practice sessions and listening back to them will help you understand your strengths and weaknesses and work to build on them and improve your skills. Stay positive and be willing to experience the discomfort (yes, we understand!) of listening to yourself improvise badly at first, as this will be important to sounding better and better with time and practice.

10. Practice Makes Progress

There is no shortcut to musical proficiency. It all boils down to practice, practice, practice.