Many beginning Jazz students ask this question: how do you begin to improvise, and how do you practice it?

It can be a daunting challenge, but one way to start is to make a game of it and set sound boundaries for yourself to work around.

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra saxophonist Walter Blanding offers some insights in this Jazz Academy lesson on developing improv games for your practice sessions. Check them out, and give it a try.

Want another practice technique? Check out saxophone master Lee Konitz discussing how to practice by singing a melody, then playing it. Click here.