By Mark Hanson
January 8, 2025
Fingerstyle improvisation is a multi-faceted undertaking. Improvising on a wind instrument (saxophone for instance) requires you to play a new melody, one note at a time. In fingerstyle guitar, you need to do that plus keep the chord and rhythm going underneath. It’s a workout for the brain!
A way to get started: First, memorize the chord progression of the tune you want to use. Do this by writing (by hand!) a chord chart of the tune. Early on I discovered that writing by hand has a special connection to the brain; plus you then have a visual image of the chord progression that you can remember.
Next tiny step: Take a fingerstyle solo tune that you know, with a notable melody, and play the chords in a different area of the neck. For example: a G chord is a “C” shape at the 8th/9th/10th frets. This gives your fretting hand access to a different range of melody notes.
You’ll need to learn the names of the chords in your tune (NOT just the notes or TAB numbers!), and where to play them in different areas of the neck.
Third step: Try picking out some melody notes at the new chord position. They likely are different from the original. That’s improvisation!
As you first do this, try changing just one aspect of the melody at time: change the notes, but play them with the same rhythm as the original. In other words: Find new melodic notes to play in the new area of the neck, but keep the rhythm of the melody notes the same.
Then, reverse that approach: play the same melody notes (same area as the original) but try applying a different rhythm to the melody. Eventually you will be able to do both: new notes and new rhythm.
A note: Improvisation does not need to be a blistering Stevie Ray Vaughan solo, but simply a changing of the melody.
I’m working with a student on improvising on my tune “Taylor’s Ferry.” He starts his improv sections not at the 8th fret like the original, but two different ways: at the end of the neck with ‘cowboy’ C, and at the 12th fret using a partial “D” shape. New melody notes are available in each area!
Give it a whirl!
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