If you want to learn to play great lead guitar solos, whether to Rock, Blues or Jazz songs, then you have come to the right site!

We have designed a unique course to help guide you every step of the way.

This course is available to download now and includes the following special features:

FULLY INTERACTIVE - just add you and your guitar!
FLASH DRIVEN - designed to run straight off your PC or MAC
92 SOUND FILES OF EXERCISES - listen to what you have to play, then play along
145 HOURS OF BACKING TRACKS - a whole band at your disposal - just waiting for you to join in!
EASY TO READ TAB AND CHORD DIAGRAMS - no previous knowledge required.

 

 

Module 1

Target 1.1: Establishing the basics of good picking technique
Target 1.2: Command of first position blues scale patterns in E and A

Module 2

Target 2.1: To establish the basics of good left hand technique
Target 2.2: To be able to integrate left hand technique into blues scales

Module 3

Target 3.1: To learn some popular blues licks
Target 3.2: Learn how to transpose a lick
Target 3.3: Learn how to create new licks

Module 4

 

Target 4.1: To learn how to resolve phrases on root notes

Module 5

Target 5.1: To learn five positions for the blues scales in the key of E
Target 5.2: To learn the blues scale in E five-position warm-up drill

Module 6

Target 6.1: To learn two new licks in each position
Target 6.2: To learn to pair licks together in each position
Target 6.3: To transpose positional licks into the key of A

Module 7

Target 7.1: To complete the practice of blues scales in five positions in each of twelve keys.
Target 7.2: To learn how to instantly find the first or fourth position blues scale in any key

Module 8

Target 8.1: To be able to play blues rhythm in any key using the ‘E7’ shaped barre chord.
Target 8.2: To be able to jump from rhythm to lead in any key without disorientation.

Module 9

Target 9.1: To be able to play in any key from one end of the fretboard to the other.

Module 10

Target 10.1: To be able to play through the blues scales using a variety of different rhythmic feels.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This site is dedicated to providing you the guitar player with all the help and guidance you might need to learn or improve your ability to Improvise.

Whether you play blues, rock, country, funk, reggae or jazz guitar this site will answer your questions, provide you with tips, guidance and the necessary inspiration to enjoy the best possible progress.

If there's anything you feel that's missing from the site then please email Nick@ImproviseGuitar.com with your suggestions - your feedback will always be welcome.

Happy Improvising!

Nick Minnion

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Article#1 - Play badly!

Most guitar teachers would agree that it is a lot easier teaching kids to improvise than adults. The reason for this is that adults hate doing anything badly - they are conditioned to 'do it right' or 'do it properly'. Kids, on the other hand, seem to take the attitude - 'this is fun, what a lot of strange noises I'm making!'

The truth about learning to improvise is that you have no real choice: you have to spend a fair amount of time doing it badly before you will start doing it well.

So, once you have learnt a few scale patterns and practiced them until you can produce a reasonably rhythmic flow of notes, then start improvising. You'll be doing it badly at first - because there are just so many tiny details to learn to control and these can only be learnt experientially - but do it anyway!

So do it badly, but do lots of it, think like an eight year old - play badly with total enthusiasm for all the wrong sounds you're making! Then, as you listen to the results, you will begin to hear isolated bits that don't sound so bad. Repeat those bits and make them habitual. Discard the worst bits and move on. Don't agonise like an adult - one thing is for sure, you won't get worse by doing it - you will only improve.

Another point is that you can't really learn to improvise on your own. Lead guitar works when it is heard against a rhythm backing. Ideally, find a mate who is prepared to spend some time playing a few simple chords for you to play along to. You can take it in turns to swap lead and rhythm guitar roles.

The next best thing is to use backing tracks. There are a couple of sample backing tracks available free on this site

On our courses there are more than 30 backing tracks available either as sound files (if you opt for the ebook version) or on the accompanying CD (if you opt for the hard copy version). These tracks have been specially recorded to go with the course and are arranged to allow you to branch out into playing in different keys, different tempos and different musical styles from blues through country, rock, funk and reggae to Jazz.

You can find out more by clicking on a course logo.