The Complete Idiot's Guide to
Solos and Improvisation

Read the interview with guitarist Elliott Randall

Browse corrections and clarifications to the text

About the Book

You're no idiot, of course. You're a talented musician and you know how to really work your instrument. But when it comes to improvising, you freeze! Out of all the scales and chords in the world, how do you figure out which notes to play when it's time to take a solo?

Never fear. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solos and Improvisation will show you how to improvise great melodies over any chord progression. In this easy-to-read book you get:

• The elements of musical improvisation, including chord theory, progressions, scales, modes, melodies, intervals, and phrasing

• Advice for any instrument and style from jazz trumpet to rock guitar

• Tips on training your ears to pick up on a chord progression and immediately improvise

• More than 650 patterns you can apply to different chords -- as well as hundreds of rhythmic variations

• Interviews with professional musicians from the worlds of rock and jazz

Tap into your creative stream! Here's more of what you'll find in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solos and Improvisation:

• Learn which intervals to play within specific scales

• Liven up your solos with different articulations and rhythms

• Examine different forms of soloing -- including trading fours and improvising behind the melody

• Make 'em weep when you improvise the blues

• Understand how major and minor scales fit chords and chord progressions

• Transcribe solos from your favorite songs and musicians

What Other Musicians Are Saying About
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solos and Improvisation

"I wish this book had been available when I was learning to play music. My musical journey would have been smoother, more fun, and there would have been fewer bumps on the road."
    Jamey Aebersold, author, saxophonist, and internationally known jazz educator

"I am sure that any person strongly desiring to learn improvisation and dedicated to learning his instrument will find this book to be a valuable asset."
    Marvin Stamm, jazz musician and educator

What's In the Book?

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solos and Improvisation is composed of 20 chapters, each of which concentrates on a different aspect of improvising. The chapters are organized into six general parts, as follows: 

• Part 1, "Before You Take Your First Solo," helps you prepare for your first foray into improvisation, and describes the different types of solo situations you might encounter.

• Part 2, "Soloing -- the Easy Way," is where you want to start if you've never played a solo before, or if you're called upon to play a simple rock or pop solo. These chapters will show you how to play a solo based on an existing melody, using rhythmic variation, melodic embellishment, and harmonization. 

• Part 3, "Learning Improvisational Techniques," is for the serious jazz improviser. These chapters present advanced improvisational techniques, and show you how to create both chord- and scale-based solos. 

• Part 4, "Putting It All Together," shows you how to take the techniques you learned in Part 3 and use them to create well-thought-out melodic solos.

• Part 5, "Soloing in Style," describes how to apply your improvisational skills in different types of music -- rock, blues, jazz, and scat singing.

• Part 6, "Playing with the Pros," interviews two well-known soloists -- studio guitarist Elliott Randall and jazz pianist Steve Allee -- to get their real-world advice on soloing and improvisation.

The book concludes with three extremely useful appendixes -- a glossary of terms, a chord reference, and a scale reference.

How to Buy This Book

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Solos and Improvisation is available at bookstores everywhere, or you can order the book online by clicking the button to the left.