30-day guitar challenge, day 18: Improve your improvs

30-day guitar challenge: Go beyond the major scale and take a shortcut to improvisational nirvana.

Improvising can be a minefield. Which scale should you use over which chord? What ideas and techniques work with which style?

With all these questions running through your mind, it can be tough to get around to playing anything. The handy flow chart below will allow you to quickly see what your best options are for most common progressions.

Remember, this is only a guide, there are limitless options and these are by no means the only ones available to you. But it's always good to have some structure to start with.

The improvisation flow chart

Follow this handy flow chart to help you work through your improvisation options and hopefully produce something that's more musical as a result. Start with the chord you are soloing over:

The improvisation flow chart

The improvisation flow chart

Full-size improvisation flow chart (right-click to download)

Total Guitar

Total Guitar is Europe's best-selling guitar magazine.

Every month we feature interviews with the biggest names and hottest new acts in guitar land, plus Guest Lessons from the stars.

Finally, our Rocked & Rated section is the place to go for reviews, round-ups and help setting up your guitars and gear.

Subscribe: http://bit.ly/totalguitar