Here's a bit of wisdom I got in a letter from Joe Pass. He stressed
learning melodies of great tunes, and then suggested improvising in the
spaces-really focus on wonderful fills that beautifully and logically
tie the melodic phrases together. Then slowly let the fills bear the
burden of the music, with the original melody receding. Soon it's an
improvisation, but it isn't based on just playing scales over chords.
It's a response to the melody, so a solo over two tunes based on the
same chord changes would neverthless be very different.
I summarize this for myself:
"Embellishment is the Mother of Improvisation"
Learning to play tunes and put ones own personal interpretative stamp on
them is a great way to start soloing.
-- \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\//////////////////////////// Lawson G. Stone-Asbury Theological Seminary-Wilmore, KY ////////////////////////////\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Prediction is very difficult, especially of the future. --Niels Bohr