Glad you enjoyed my reply!

Originally Posted by: jasim.hd

With that being said, it does look a bit complicated, especially if I wan to improvise on the spot. I mean, at my level, it will take me a while to figure out the chords and then their notes, is it normal?

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Yes, very normal. Until you have a certain level of skill & dexterity it's hard to just wing it. At any skill level you can only improvise what you actually know & can play.

After all, improvising (rhythm or lead) is only on the spot rearranging pieces & parts of what you can already play.

[quote=jasim.hd]

Another thing, a friend of mine, how's pretty good at improvisation, has no clue about tones or names or theory or anything. I mean yes I know some people are genuinely born with the gift, but I'd be lying to you if I said I'm not a bit jealous.

People that "don't know any theory", but can still play well, have figured out that "certain fretboard patterns make certain sounds" & they've practiced those motions enough to be able to play them in time with music.

So, they do actually understand some music theory, but might not know the technical term for the concept. It's like a person that can speak well, but not read or write. For example, I know blues guys that can shred the heck out of one pentatonic box & hit all the right notes during a 12 bar blues. They sound great! But they don't know what the scale degrees are called, or what it means if I say they are "targeting chord tones."

As long as they stay in their comfort zone all is good. Now if you asked them to play on a jazz standard where you have know how to changes keys & modulate quickly & use more than one pentatonic box in one position they are lost. But that's just because they don't have experience with how to adjust to different fretboard patterns.

Make sense?

It's a lot to learn & do, but really it just comes down to practice, trial & error. People can learn to improvise without taking lessons. But ultimately they have in some manner do the things I outlined. You can do it all yourself by trial & error & listening & copying other players. Or you take my lessons. I encourage you to do both. They all lead to the same thing. Improvising music on the guitar. [br][br]Best of success with it!