This is something that I mentioned briefly in the previous improvisation article...and also ties in with the “Power of Persistence” section as well.
When you are working on improvisation at any level the ultimate goal is to try and work on an idea to the point where you can execute it comfortably and musically. Learning about symmetrical diminished scales intellectually and incorporating them in an improv setting are worlds apart. It takes the body much longer to assimilate something than the mind does. Playing is as much physical as it is mental.
Remember music is a language. Someone learning to speak the English language in the early stages of their life has to go through several stages of development. They must first learn how to use their vocal chords and mouth just to get a sound out. Then they start to learn specific words like dog, cat, mamma, and dadda, etc. As the child matures they develop a repertoire of words, and after a while they don’t struggle with accessing that information. They have heard enough and read enough that they can put these words together and communicate ideas...
Improvisation is much the same way. There is a physicality about any instrument that can and will always be the overriding factor when playing. If you don’t have technique...you need to get it. Playing in a jazz setting demands a certain amount of technical proficiency on any instrument as it is the most rhythmically (and melodically) sophisticated style of music there is. It is the ultimate hybrid of Eastern European harmony with African drum rhythms.
Once you can get around your instrument, it’s one less thing you have to deal with when playing. Then it’s time to start putting some tools in your tool box. This would include extensive chord and chord scale study. It’s really easy to get caught up in trying to learn and play everything all at once. I would say just pick a few ideas to start off with, and learn them to the point that you can assimilate them into your playing so that they sound as natural as possible.
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