Need help to improve

[sirmando]

Well I do need help. I play some Irish, blues, bluegrass, and Country on the mando. I can hear the chord changes but I can not pick some lead without TABS. I want to be able to play lead without the use of TABS, or play chords with some fill in licks. Does anybody have any suggestions on how or books that are out there to learn to improvise or the such? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[250sc]

Try Niles' Pentatonic Mandolin and Up the Neck books. They can be applied to any musical style.

[Pete Martin]

Find a teacher in your area to help you. If none is available, sing what you want to hear as a solo, then learn to play what you sang.

[John Flynn]

petimar:

I can improvize just OK, but I have not had much luck improving my improvisation with five different instructors, even though they were all good players and all good at teaching other things. I think improvization has to come from inside each musician. You can teach the priciples, but not the practice.

I do wholeheartedly agree with the advice on the singing. I am currently working through the "Ear Training for Mandolin" CDs and that is the approach that set teaches for learning tunes, although I think it would work well for improv also. It has exercises that help the student get better at singing what they hear, so they can figure it out on the mando. It is harder than I thought it would be, but it has helped me already.

learn all the scales (first position or closest to) on the insturment #starting with G major, then Gmaj flat 7 then G minor, i must emphasize when learning the G major scale learn it with using your index finger and learn it WITHOUT using your index finger, however practice 98% without the index finger. #it will pay off, i dont know where i picked that up but man oh man that really helped.
so then proceed on from G to Ab, yes it is hard, at first but its important. and so on and so on.
so then you will be able to play any scale in any key, THEN #learn all the positions of the Major, Major b7 and Minor scales. #those are the most important scales to know.


this is how i learned to play the mandolin. #i did this without any material, just the basic knowledge of the scale patterns #such as W-W-H-W-W-W-H and knowing the notes of the strings. #materials can definatly help however this is something you can do on your own.
i also wrote out all my own material, doing that really helps get it in your skull! #it also helps you remember song lyrics hehe

now if you know all that (or a little or not at all) and still need help soloing, you need just really let loose and MAKE NOISE, it will sound bad at first but your ear--hand coordination will kick in and make it sound good, eventualy, hopefully.
for real,
learn the scales!
then some licks.