Improvisation can feel like an impossible wall to climb — but Josh Meader’s approach cuts through the mysticism and anchors it in something every musician already understands: language. This masterclass is one of the most practically clear explorations of how to actually develop an improvisational voice that you’ll find anywhere.
What you’ll get out of this lesson
Josh walks you through his vocabulary-first philosophy of improvisation — how to study the musicians who matter most to you, how to absorb and integrate licks into your own playing, and how to think about the process of becoming a fluent musical speaker rather than just a technically capable one.
Improvisation as Language
Josh’s central insight is that improvisation works exactly like spoken language — and the implications of that are far-reaching. When you were a child learning new words, you didn’t analyse them before using them; you tried them in every situation possible until you understood which contexts they worked in. The same approach applies to musical vocabulary. Learn a phrase, try it over many different chord progressions and backing tracks, and let your ear gradually calibrate where it fits. Theory and technique matter, but Josh argues they only become useful when they’re in service of vocabulary — on their own, they’re “less effective,” as he puts it.
Find Your Master
One of the most actionable ideas in this session comes from Josh’s conversation with guitarist Antoine Boyer: every musician should have one master — one artist they’ve absorbed more deeply than any other. Not as a limit, but as a centre of gravity. Josh’s own master for the past six to eight years has been saxophonist Chris Potter. Before that, it was Keith Jarrett, Bireli Lagrene, Sylvain Luc, Guthrie Govan, and Shawn Lane at different points. His point is that having one person whose music you’re deeply in love with creates a focus for your daily practice and accelerates your development far more than skimming across many influences.
Every artist is a combination of their favourite musicians. Figure out who your favourite artist is and learn as much from them. Every player should have one master who they’ve studied the most.
How to Learn a Lick Properly
Josh outlines a systematic process for turning a lick into part of your vocabulary. The steps are:
- Figure out the chord progression it comes from
- Analyse the intervals against the chords
- Relate it to a familiar scale shape or box (normally pentatonic)
- Practise incorporating it into your existing vocabulary
- See what other harmonic situations it will fit
- Put it in every key and different positions, fingerings, and scale shapes
- Write variations, alternate endings, and alternate intros
- Write a piece, etude, or solo with the material
- Keep exploring — add chromaticism, rhythmic variety, and so on
The Chris Potter ii–V–I lick Josh demonstrates at 18:10 is a good example of this process in action:
Here is the Chris Potter saxophone solo that sparked Josh’s deep study of his playing:
From Shred to Jazz — A Personal Journey
Josh grew up playing heavier, technique-focused music — Steve Vai was an early influence — and his transition into jazz happened organically through playing duo gigs with his father at Sydney Harbour markets from around the age of twelve or thirteen. The songs demanded harmonic awareness he didn’t yet have, and that frustration drove him to develop vocabulary over changes. He realised his technical facility was in place but his jazz language was not — and that distinction is exactly what this masterclass is designed to address.
Lick Studies from the Masterclass
Josh demonstrates several licks at key moments in the video to illustrate how vocabulary can be absorbed and developed. At 29:00, a Thomas Pusztai lick:
At 30:20, a Frank Gambale lick played with different rhythms each time:
At 51:05, a legato lick demonstrating how pentatonics can be used to play outside:
Taking it further
Josh’s remark that “a good aim is one new thing or lick a day” is a practical North Star for building vocabulary. It doesn’t have to be a complex phrase — even a two-bar idea learned properly and put into a real musical context is worth more than five licks half-remembered. Over a year, that’s 365 additions to your vocabulary. Start a lick journal: notate or record each one, note where you found it and what chord context it suits, and review it regularly until it’s truly yours.
Your homework
Find one lick this week from a musician whose style you want to absorb — transcribe it by ear if you can, or learn it from notation. Then work through Josh’s nine-step process above: figure out the chords, map the intervals, find the scale shape, transpose it to at least three keys, and try it over a backing track. Don’t move on to a second lick until the first one feels genuinely integrated.