Do you know anybody who seems like they can play any song and change it a little bit to make it sound even cooler? Have you ever heard a musician who plays a solo while the rest of the band plays along in the background? Playing music without the notes of the solo being written out is called improvisation and is a practice that often defines jazz music.

First, how does anybody play music without the help of the notes written out in front of them? The answer is simple: We don’t know for sure. To some it comes easy — to others, not so much. Some people have a seemingly unexplainable talent for listing to a piece of music and improvising over top of it while others who are otherwise very talented musicians can’t function without music.

Some people who improvise don’t need any music at all while others have something called a lead sheet in front of them. A lead sheet has the main melody of the song along with the names of the chord changes and where they occur. By watching this, the person improvising can construct melodies of their own based on the chords.

Can improvisation be taught? Yes it can but it’s important to start simple. Go online and find a lead sheet of a slow song that you enjoy. Each of the chords listed are based on scales so if you see a “C” listed, that is based on the C Major scale. As you’re just beginning, only use the first 5 notes of the scale for each chord and simply have some fun. Try to construct a melody using the five notes and then when the chord changes, construct a melody that is based on the new chord.

As you get better, you can use more notes, make your melodies more complicated, and possibly even use a few notes that are outside of the chord. Remember that the most important part of improvisation is to not plan out your melody too much. This should be fun so try something new each time and if sounds terrible, laugh it off and try again.

What’s the secret of good improvisation? Those who seem to have a talent for it understand that a lot of music has chord changes in very predictable patterns and for that reason, those who improvise a lot can hear those changes. Like everything else, artists who are naturally talented at improvisation have also practiced it a lot. Don’t forget that anything in music, regardless of your level of natural talent, will take a lot of practice.

If some have a natural talent for it, is improvisation something that can be taught? Yes it can! If you know somebody who seems to have a natural talent for improvisation while you struggle, don’t get frustration. Some people’s brains are simply wired for improvisation while others are better wired for reading music off of a page. The world of music needs both types of musicians.

Improvisation is truly one of those musical skills that should come not so much from a piece of paper but from inside of you. It’s an opportunity for you to express yourself as an artist. Have fun!