Jazz is all about improvising. I mention in my introduction of my jazz foundations book that “Jazz is by very nature and improvised music. Of course you can play something that sounds ‘jazzy’, and that’s great, and perhaps we might even call that a jazz piece, but the musician that doesn’t improvise can’t seriously be considered a jazz musician”.
If you can have a conversation with someone, you can improvise.
Talking is just improvising using the language of English or Spanish or whatever language you speak.
Jazz improvising is just talking, but with the language or music.
Once you understand the language and have some experience using it, you can make real time musical decisions, which we call improvising.
Here are a few links to our tutorials that will help you to improvise, from some really easy concepts, some licks to pre practise and some more advanced techniques, tips and philosophy.
Jazz Piano for Beginners
Simple 2 5 1 lick
Ten 2 5 1 licks
2 5 1 licks
Using the Guide Tones to Improvise
How to Use Modes to Solo
Modes – Major, Melodic and Harmonic Minor Modes
Approaches to Improvising
Have fun improvising!