Developing an idea

I love to listen to BB King as he develops a solo. He starts out with just one or two notes from the melody of the verse- then gradually elaborates. The feel though is absolutely dictated by the melody he is playing with. In some senses this is a pretty basic approach and nowhere near as complex as some of the stuff the jazzers do - but it is a great starting point.
Get a copy of "The Thrill is Gone" and join in- you are bound to surprise yourself.

I think that the scales/versus chords controversy is overrated. I try to learn every chord as embedded in the scale I am playing ( ie play the A Major chord over the Amajor, DMajor and EMajor scales) and to always be aware of the scale degrees as well as the chord as a whole. Well OK this is a work in progress- but it is bearing fruit.

Andrew