Improvisation is a really important part of playing the guitar. It’s pretty essential for playing with other guitarists and musicians. Part of learning to improvising is expanding your musical vocabulary. Just like having a conversation with another person requires a good vocabulary, playing with other musicians requires musical vocabulary.

In this Live Q & A I talk all about improvisation and how you can start today. We’ll talk about basic scales to use, and I’ll even demonstrate some of these ideas on the spot!

As with all of these Live Q & As I’ll also cover any guitar questions you might have. If you want to join these sessions live, head over to my YouTube channel and subscribe. We have these the first Thursday of every month. Make sure to ring the bell for notifications so you don’t miss these!

[3:29] Normally when improvising we use a set scale to improvise over the backing track. Are we bound to that scale or can we also use all the notes of the scale and its relative scale all over the neck of the guitar? Will it sound good?

[12:40] I saw mentioned that there are 5 minor (and major) pentatonic positions and I thought that it would be cool to learn them.

[21:03] I’m really enjoying the course. I am learning the blues scales as I go, but am getting confused by the phrase ‘chromatic passing tone’ in the pentatonic scale. I would love it if you would explain it please.

[30:59] What are good chords to use for backing tracks?

[35:20] I really like fingerpicking. Should I focus more on that or chords and strumming?

[37:44] When I play certain chords my thumb joint hurts and I have to stop playing for a few days. . Is there anything I can do to prevent this like changing its position or certain stretches?

[40:18] Are your instructions applicable to electric guitars too?

[42:33] In your Real Guitar success course I can do alright with playing chords, but I have a hard time following along with the backing tracks. Is this normal?

[45:58] Let’s say that I have 30 minutes a day to practice and there are several things that I want to learn: 1) a song with new and difficult chords 2) scales 3) new fingerpicking techniques. Should I practice each one for ten minutes or should I concentrate on only one skill each day, rotating between them, till I’ve mastered it? What is most effective in your experience?

Backing Track 

Willie Nillie Blues – 12 Bar Blues Backing Track In A minor

Tomas Michaud · Willie Nillie Blues – 12 Bar Blues Backing Track In Am 100

Links Mentioned For Members (Sign In First)

Thumb Position for Beginners (less pain and better chords)

Hand Stretching Warm-up Routine for Guitar Players

Not a member yet? No problem. Sign up here for the 14 day trial for $1, then click the links above. I’m hoping you stick around…  but if not the 2 weeks should be enough time to make considerable progress.