Need to make it click

[CrGuitar]

I have a friend who doesn't use theory very much at all, just chords and arpeggios. I don't admire him for his technical abilities or musical expression, but there is something I do want that he has. His improvisational skills. Let me stress I am not jealous or angry at this friend, it's just something I would like to learn.

I have felt the "clicking" before, playing a series of chords or notes that sound good and then your brain sumhow opens up and helps you make the connection between what sounds good in your head and where to find it on the fretboard. I need to have some consistency to this though. Sometimes I find myself picking up the guitar and running over scale after scale, just because I can't get a decent song or rhythm going. I need some help on improvisation, how should I start?

[wild_axeman]

Try using just the notes of the chords for one.You don't "have to" play arpeggios unless you want to (i.e. because you want that sound) but you should learn them.Focus on the notes of the chords and only throw in non-chord notes if you dig the way they sound.If a note is common to two back to back chords then it can be sustained over both of them.If two back to back chords have no notes in common then the last note you play over the previous chord (whether an actual chord tone or not) should "point to" a chord tone in the next chord or approach it by halfstep or step.

Getting a rhythm going: other than just getting a 'groove' going by feel you can also spruce your chord progression up with chords from parallel scales or modes.You have to experiment and use your ears.

With single notes you can add chromatic passing notes between any wholesteps in your scale or approach any note from a note a half step above or below.Well this also applies to chords.

pentatonics...
With power chords,major chords and dominant chords you can experiment with the minor pentatonic and relative minor pentatonic(three frets behind the root) for a little surfing between major and minor action.
Note that the relative minor is relative and gives the major pent sound and is actually the major pent.You can follow the chords this way with good results.But for minor chords though you should just play the minor pent off the root.

:cool: be free...