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Step 1
Know chord progressions, especially the chord progressions of the song you want to improvise on. It's also helpful to write down other keys that you can play in when the song is in a particular key, so that you know not only which notes will fit the key, but also what other notes you can play without having them sound bad.
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Step 2
Grasp the major scales and all the different types of minor scales inside and out. Improvisation means composing on your feet, so you don't want to waste your mental energy trying to remember the notes of a scale when the piece will change key in just a few seconds anyway.
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Step 3
Practice improvising every day to a track of music in a specific key or progression. Helpful tools like Jamey Abersold's jazz series of books and CDs can be great practice aids for dictating the amount of time you spend on a particular key. It's important that you practice with music playing so that you know that what you're playing fits with the chord progressions.
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Step 4
Listen to other musicians and observe what they do. It may seem like stealing, but quoting lines from other musicians or from other songs is actually a very common way to express yourself in improv, so don't feel sheepish about learning even an entire solo by another musician.
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Step 5
Transcribe the solos of your favorite artists. Actually sit down and write out the notes that the artist plays, and then mark the chord progression on the music so that you can see how his or her lines fit into the overall chord progression. Observe the note choices and places where the artist has strayed from the key.
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Step 6
Practice soloing over CDs of any music selections you like. Rather than solo over a CD specifically made with tracks for you to improvise on, just listen to CDs of songs that you like and want to play. Work a solo into a song before you learn the actual chord progression to test your ear for key changes.
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Step 7
Find a comfortable setting for practice and skill development. A small combo of musicians is a great place to get a lot of improv experience and to get to know a small group of musicians well. It's important that you feel confident and comfortable with the people you share your improv practice with; otherwise it will be difficult for you to really develop your basic improv skills.
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Step 8
Make your solos your own. Work on developing a personal style, whether with the dynamics that you choose, the articulation that you use for emphasis or the phrasing of your lines. Improvisation is a kind of composition, so express yourself.
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Step 9
Push yourself to achieve better results all the time. Never stop listening to new artists and trying new songs. One of the biggest dangers of improvising is that you will get comfortable with your own style and stop growing as an artist, so refrain from becoming complacent with your musical skills.
