How to Improvise: an introduction

Since music isn't an exact science, there are several styles one can play and several rules one can break when improvising. But the main style in which most musicians improvise in is the blues-influenced pentatonic scale. The pentatonic scale is used in genres from country to metal (excluding most Indie and "Emo" music), and can even be heard in the backtracks of various hip-hop songs. My point is that the same scale is used in solos and riffs in a broad variety of songs, which is why I will post a tab demonstrating a pentatonic minor scale.

A Minor Pentatonic Scale (basic):

e----5------------------------------------------|
B-----------8-------5--------------------------|
G---------------------------7------5-----------|
D------------------------------------------7---|
A-----------------------------------------------|
E-----------------------------------------------|

This tab demonstrates one whole octave on the pentatonic scale, starting and ending on and A. But this alone is not enough to play even for beginner soloists. The following tab demonstrates the tab that you should practice:

A Minor Pentatonic Scale (full):

e----8------5-----------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
B------------------8-------5-------------------|----------------------------------------------|
G---------------------------------7------5-----|----------------------------------------------|
D-----------------------------------------------|---7------5----------------------------------|
A-----------------------------------------------|-------------------7------5------------------|
E-----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------8------5-----|

Minor Pentatonic Scale (alternate view):
key: 1=index finger; 2=middle finger; 3=ring finger; 4=pinky finger

e----4------1-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|
B------------------4-------1-------------------|--------------------------------------------|
G---------------------------------3------1-----|--------------------------------------------|
D----------------------------------------------|---3------1---------------------------------|
A----------------------------------------------|-------------------3------1-----------------|
E----------------------------------------------|---------------------------------4------1---|

These tabs display the A minor pentatonic minor scale within two octaves. One thing to consider when playing scales on the guitar is that even if the scales change, the fingering stays the same. So if you want to play a B flat (or A sharp) Minor pentatonic minor scale, just shift your fingers up a position from A. If you want to play a B Minor pentatonic scale, shift your fingers up two positions up from A. Just make sure you use the same fingering shown in the alternative view tab above.

Below are some Youtube videos that use primarily pentatonic scales in their melodies. So you have an idea of how the pentatonic scale sounds, refer to the following videos:

These videos are just a few examples of the millions of songs that use the pentatonic scales in one form or another. These video are just here to tune your ears to the sound of that blues-influenced riffing and soloing that is all too common in music. Remember that whenever you improvise, you are expressing yourself in music that is not possible in any other way. The more you practice, the easier it will come.