thoughts on improvisation:
• how to improvise tonal music in any style: jazz, classical, emo, whatever. i.e., what to do with all those pesky scales you've been learning.
• a jazz improvisation primer I made up for some sixth graders I was teaching back in 1997.
• a jazz improvisation primer based on notes from a jazz history class I took at The Boston Conservatory with Jeff Stout back in 2000.
• a free improvisation primer I made up just cuz back in 2003.
• a real basic primer on comping bass lines, geared towards folks who know their chords and scales already.
Also see the open instrumentation pieces I have on my composition page; most of those also contain opportunities to improvise that should be comfortable for those new to improvisation.