The essence of improvisation is making it up on the spot, and as you go.

 

There are different degrees of musical improvisation, ranging from dynamically composing the whole piece, including rhythm, chord progression, and melody/lead notes, to improvising over one bar as part of a larger piece of music. Blues is in the middle, where the chord progression and structure of the song are set ahead of time (like 12 bar blues). The improvised lead is free within the constraints of the blues form (which is to say you can play whatever you want as long as you make it sound good with the rest of the music..).

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So, one of the early questions when learning to improvise is "How do you know what notes to play?". There are lots of reasons for playing a particular note or phrase. When played for a reason, I call it a "motivated note".

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Improvising Using Rhythm

Here's a way to add a sense of structure and cohesiveness and "composition" to your improvised playing. The focus is on the rhythmic pattern of a phrase (or riff or lick or whatever structural component of a solo or song you want).

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The idea is to repeat that rhythmic pattern over different notes in different places in the improvisation.  The result is a sense of "variation on a theme" familiarity (where the theme is the rhythmic statement rather than (necessarily) a melodic one).

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Rhythmic patterns can come from:

• The first (or any arbitrary) phrase (lick, riff, etc.) you play

  •  In other words, play a phrase the way you normally would--but pay attention to and remember the rhythmic pattern of the phrase.

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• Some familiar rhythmic pattern you already know

  • For example, try using the rhythmic pattern from "Mary Had A Little Lamb", only don't play "Mary Had A Little Lamb", play other notes.

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• The meter of any sequence of words

  • As you read a series of words, the syllables form a rhythmic meter (e.g. iambic pentameter).  You can reflect these spoken patterns as musical rhythms.

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• Rhythmic patterns of the song in which you're playing

  • These add a sense of "fitting-in" with the song

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• Rhythmic patterns of phrases from other soloists

  • These add a sense of cohesiveness among the musicians and to the different solos in the song.

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• The basic bass or rhythm "groove" of the song

  • Once again, this maintains a sense of cohesiveness between the improvisation and the song.

 

When a rhythmic pattern has been established, it can later be improvised off of, again, rhythmically, over and over.  For example, take a quarter note and turn it into a triplet shake, or swing eighths, or a tongue switch warble... endless variety, yet the rhythmic theme is still recognizable.  And you certainly aren't restricted to a single rhythmic theme.  Play one, play another, repeat the first, repeat the second, play a variation of the second, play a variation of the first, play the second, play the first.  An endless supply of structural combinations exists.

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The goal is to get a sense of completeness, cohesiveness (it all fits together), and integration with the whole.

This attention to rhythmic patterns is also useful as a "rut-busting" exercise.  If you find yourself getting bored with the same ol' thing, try making up new rhythmic patterns and playing a familiar lick using the new pattern.

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One variant of the "theme and variations" tip is...trick 'em.  Set something up by repeating a phrase or rhythmic pattern until the listener comes to expect something--a concluding note or phrase, a particular beat or groove, a certain effect, like vibrato (absent or present), etc.--then take it away and give them something else.  This adds interest, and builds a sense of excitement at the unexpected--"what's coming next that I don't expect?"  Of course this, like most things, can be over done.  You have to create a balance between playing the expected and the unexpected so the music is neither too predictable nor too "off the wall".

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Too often musicians, especially less experienced ones, pay too much attention to the notes, and not enough to the rhythm.  The notes you choose to play should always fit with the rhythmic content of the music.

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Improvising Over Chords

I think of the notes of resolution, and emphasis, and relationships changing with the chord progression.  What I mean is, when soloing during a I chord, I'll emphasize notes that are in the (e.g. blues) scale of the I chord--and more than that, I'll lean a bit harder on the notes that are actually in the I7 chord.

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When the IV chord comes around, I'll switch and emphasize notes in the (e.g. blues) scale of the IV chord with further emphasis on the IV7 chord notes. Same for the V chord. So, to me, one of the first "theory" things to learn (or learn to hear) is the notes in the I, IV, and V chords--then adding the rest of the notes in the (e.g. blues) scales for those chords.

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By way of example, consider the key of C. The I, IV, and V chords are C, F, and G--with the 7th we're talking C7, F7, and G7, which have these notes:

C7: C E G Bb
F7: F A C Eb
G7: G B D F

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The chords don't change just because you play the notes in a different order (though they are sometimes called "inversions" of the root chord). So, let me line up these chords in pairs, to show where notes overlap:

 (I) C7: C E  G Bb
(IV) F7: C Eb F A

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So you see a couple of things.

• The root note, C, of the I chord, C7, is the same as the 5 (dominant) of the IV chord, F7.

• The 7 note of the IV chord, Eb, is the same as the all-important-in-blues flat 3rd of the I chord (3rd is E, so flat 3rd is Eb).

 

From listening, we know that the 7 note and the flat 3rd are "notes of tension"--we want to hear them resolve. So, depending on where you are in the chord progression you resolve differently from the same note (Eb, or the 2nd position 3' [3 draw bend])--either to IV (F7) chord (or scale) notes, or I (C7) chord (or scale) notes.  But, look here: the C note is shared between these two chords. So you can resolve Eb to C over either the I=C7 chord or the IV=F7 chord.  For 2nd position, that's 3' to 2 (3 draw bend to 2 draw).  Ever use that?!  Of course! It fits in so many places. This is why!  In blues, we're mostly on the I and IV chords, with occasional ventures into the V.

(I) C7: C E G Bb
(V) G7: D F G B

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The I and V chords share the 5 note of the I chord (the G of the C7 chord) and the root note of the V chord (the G of the G chord). And, the flat 3rd--here the Bb--of the V chord (the G7) is the same as the 7 note of the I chord. Okay, we've seen this before. The flat 3rd and the 7th are both notes of tension that want to resolve, either up from the 7 to the 1 (Bb to C) or from the flat 3rd to the 3rd as a transition, or to the root of the 5--so Bb to B, or Bb to G. In second position, that's 2'' 2 (2 draw double bend to 2 draw) as 7th to root of the 1 chord, or 2'' 1 (2 draw full bend to 1 draw) for flat 3rd to tonic of the V chord.

(IV) F7: F A C Eb
 (V) G7: F G B D

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The F7 and G7--IV and V chord--share the F note, the root of the IV and the 7 of the V.  The 7 is a note of tension, the root, a note of resolution.  This going from tension to resolution is the heart of blues.  But here, you don't have to change notes! You can play the same note, and the chord progression will go from IV--V, resolved to tense, or from V--IV, tense to resolved. We're talking about the 4> (four blow) here for 2nd position.

(IV) F7: F A  C Eb
 (I) C7: G Bb C E
 (V) G7: G B  D F

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So the C7 chord sits nicely between the F7 and G7, sharing the C note with the F7, and the Eb as the "blue note" flat 3rd; and the G note with the G7 chord, with the Bb as the G7 chord's "blue note" flat 3rd.

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Learning other chords, including bigger 4 and 5 note chords, can show you what notes can be used to transition smoothly from one chord to another, and provides many ideas for improvisation.

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Root Notes Are Anchors

The root note of a chord is the key note, and it anchors any improvisation over that chord.  Musical lines either start on the root note or head to a root note, either of the current chord or the next chord in the chord progression.  Arpeggios begin on the root note, scales go from root (tonic) to root, and interval relationships are revealed based on the root note.  For example, the flat third blue note is a minor third from the root note, e.g. Eb in a C chord.

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Since the I, IV, and V chords are the most often used chords in blues, and most music, it is important to be thoroughly familiar with where the root notes are for these chords.  Since 2nd position cross harp is the most used playing position, it is very important to know where all the root notes are on the harp for all these three chords in 2nd position.

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The root notes for the I chord in 2nd position are:
2, 6>, 9> (and 3>)

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The root notes for the IV chord in 2nd position are:
1>, 4>, 7>, 10>

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The root notes for the V chord in 2nd position are:
1, 4, 8

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Practice playing these root notes by themselves.  First work on the root notes for the I chord.  Play 2, 6>, and 9> over and over until you can hit them cleanly every time without looking.  Pick up a harp and close your eyes.  Can you play the 2 draw, 6 blow, and 9 blow without looking or playing any other notes?  Keep working on it until you can.  Do the same for the IV and the V chord.

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Having a firm grasp of these chordal root notes will help anchor your internalized image of the harp, as well as anchoring your improvisations to the underlying chords.  You will be able to know exactly where the octaves span on your harp, and where to play to stay in a certain octave or pitch range.  You will be better able to feel how to move phrases around on the harp, from low to middle to high, and in general it will help you know your way around the harp better.  On other instruments you can often see where you are.. see where the octaves are, but not so on the harp.  It has to be internalized--all our vision is inner.  Practice these root notes to help provide anchor points for your inner vision.

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Play through the "Blues and Tonic" tab above.  No, it's not the most interesting blues you've ever heard--but it is clearly recognized as a standard blues because the chords are suggested by their root notes.   

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Motivated Notes

A "motivated note" is a note that is played for a reason.  All notes are motivated to a certain extent, but the degree of motivation is a big part of how well the note will work in the music.. how good it will sound.

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What motivates the selection of the next note to be played?  Why do you pick that particular pitch at that particular time, and why do you hold it as long as you do?  That depends on what motivates you.. what your reasons are. 

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What motivates you depends fairly heavily on what you know about, as well as your attitudes, and certainly what you don't know. Learning new things can enhance your motivation, giving  you better reasons for playing a particular note a certain way.  One new idea can take your improvisations in new and interesting directions.

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Many times we are unaware of our actual reasons for what we play.  We are normally at a different level of awareness and have difficulty peering deep down into the underlying and overriding motivations that meld into our judgments and determine our decisions.  This is particularly true when improvising.  Playing by ear, we say.  Just going with the flow and playing what works, what sounds good.  We get an aural image of the music, look around, and see where we want to go.  But what do we see?  How do we think about what we see, and how do we decide which way to go?

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Notes

To understand how to use notes, we have to understand what they are.

I am not using a dictionary definition of how a note is defined.  To me a note is:

• a particular pitch

• played at a certain moment

• for a particular duration of time

• with a certain timbre

• at a certain volume

• that changes over time in a certain way.

So a single note has many aspects.  Each of these aspects has to be considered as to how it fits in the context of the music.

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Phrase

A phrase is:

• A related sequence of musically motivated notes and silences with an associated

• Sequence of note time-value relationships and rests that constitute the melodic rhythm.

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Melody

A melody is a sequence of musical phrases.

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Musical Context

The musical context is an evolving "state" of the music that depends on three basic things:

1. What has come before (the past). Examples include

   • Meter and rhythm

   • The groove

   • Melody

   • Harmony

   • Timbre

   • Motifs

   • Themes

     • Verse

     • Chorus

   • Phrases

   • Chord progressions

   • The melodic rhythm of note-value phrases

2. What is going on now (the present)  like:

   • Current harmony (underlying chord)

   • Nearby notes and silences

   • Whether on or off the beat

   • Which beat you are on

   • Where you are in the music's chord progression, motif, melody, phrase, or theme

3. What will come later (the future)

   • [same elements as what has come before].

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Music is built with these patterns upon patterns upon patterns of notes and silences.  The musical context sets the framework for these patterns--a pattern cannot be fully realized if the whole pattern has not been exposed/played yet.  For example, the pattern of patterns that is a song or piece of music is not complete until the piece has finished.

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The meter is perhaps the most fundamental pattern associated with a musical theme.  The time signature defines a repeating pattern of note-value (time duration) relationships that often remains inviolate through out a piece--the most common example is 4 beats per measure.  

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Blues Chord Progression

Chord progressions are repeating sets of bars with a defined pattern of chords associated with each bar. 

For example, the blues format is a pattern of 12 bars with the I, IV, V chords played for 4, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1 bars.

 

Within this pattern there is obviously another pattern lurking.. it is divided into 3 groups of 4 bars.  In the first group the chord does not change.  In the second group of 4 bars, the chord changes once.  In the third group of 4 bars the chord changes 3 times.  The frequency of chord changes is a "superimposed pattern" that gives the music a sense of motion. 

 

In the 12 bar blues form, the music starts out still, starts moving faster in the middle, and moves even faster at the end.  With this faster motion comes a feeling of "something happening" that is over and above the rhythm and the melody of the music.  When the blues progression repeats, there is another cycle of relative stillness giving the feeling that what was happening is over and something new has started, followed by the increasing motion again and a new sense of something happening.  So, another pattern is built out of repeating verses, a pattern of chord change frequency (even if the chords were different each verse, as in modulation to a new key).

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Why Pick the Next Note?

• It has been composed and is predefined.

  • This begs the question of the composer's motivation for specifying the note(s).  How and why did s/he pick those notes in that order to be played in that way.  An understanding of the composer's motivations can enhance your own motivations as to how you express the music.
     

• It comes from the harmony

  • The harmony is essentially the chord produced by all the notes being played at the same time or in some arpeggiated (broken, one-after-the-other) fashion.  Chords most often extend for more than one beat, and so remain relevant for some time.  Improvising usually works well if you give emphasis to selecting your notes based on the harmony in the current musical context--i.e. lean on the notes in the chord and scale (of the mode) relevant at the time, based on the chord progression (even if no chordal accompaniment is present).
     

• It works with the groove

  • The groove sets the meter and the underlying rhythmic emphasis on the beats, e.g.

    • ONE two THREE four ONE two THREE four

    • one TWO three FOUR one TWO three FOUR

    • ONE two three four ONE two three four

    • ONE two three ONE two three

    • ONE two ONE two ONE two three ONE two ONE two ONE two three

  • The bass is generally integral to setting the groove, so the bass line is a big part of it.  The bass line includes bass notes as well as the rhythm with which they are played, and the chords outlined or implied by the bass is part of the groove and establishes the musical foundation upon which you build your improvisation.  Improvising usually works well if you give emphasis to selecting your notes based on the harmony in the current musical context--i.e. lean on the notes in the chord and scale suggested by the bass.  These are also notes that will be used when a rhythm guitar or keyboard plays chords, and an emphasis on these notes provides a contextual cohesion--a sense of fitting with the rest of the music.  Understanding which of these notes add tension and which resolve it and how they work together is key to playing by ear.
     

• It fits with the selected musical style

  • There are a wide variety of musical styles, as well as a lot of music that refuses to be categorized.  What you play and how you play it can be fundamentally motivated by the desire to play within a certain style or tradition.  Some typical styles for the harmonica include:

    • Blues

    • Jazz

    • Country

    • Rock

    • Latin

    • Pop

    • Classical (seldom played on the diatonic harp)

    • etc.

    • And there are sub-categories with
       

• It works with or establishes some musical theme of a song, like a

  • phrase

  • verse

  • chorus

  • bass line

  • chord progression
     

• It works with or establishes some melodic rhythm pattern (note-value phrase)

  • A melody consists of at least two patterns, a pattern of pitches played with a pattern of timing and note-values (how long notes are held).  The melodic rhythm is the pattern of time-values of the notes in a phrase (which I'm calling a note-value phrase).  Melodic rhythms may be more fundamental than melodies, since different but related melodies can be played using the same melodic rhythm pattern on different pitches, but once you fundamentally change the rhythm melody you have significantly changed the melody, even if you play the same pitches.  For example: "da da da DAAAAAAAAA" might be recognized as the motif for Beethoven's Ninth, whereas: "daaa da daaaaa da" using the right notes likely won't be recognized as that motif.  In some ways, the melodic rhythm gives a melody its unique character more than the pitches associated with the notes.  You will probably recognize a melody more readily hearing its melodic rhythm played with a single pitch (or tapped out with essentially no pitch) than you will recognize that melody played with the same pitches, but a different pattern of note-values.  In any event, both patterns are fundamental and important in defining a melodic phrase.
     

• It contributes to the musical feel

  • The feel of the music is associated with its style, but there may be many different types of feel associated with a given musical style.

    • style: blues, rhythm: swing shuffle, feel: major

    • style: blues, rhythm: swing shuffle, feel: minor blues

  • The mode of the music is fundamental to the resulting feel.  The most common modes are simply called major and minor, but there are several different minor modes, and others as well.  The meter and groove also contribute to setting a rhythmic feel for the music.​
     

• It comes from the scale and mode

  • The scale and mode work together to set a musical feeling by specifying the notes primarily used, and to an extent the importance of the different notes.  For example, consider the C major scale.  "Major" indicates a mode type of Ionian.  We had to specify 2 things, the root note of the scale (C), and the pattern of intervals that generate successive notes, in this case major, or Ionian.  The C major scale starts on C and uses only the white notes on a piano keyboard.  The key of A minor (Aeolian mode) also uses only the white notes, but it starts (has its root note) on A instead of C.  There are 7 modes that can be mapped onto the white piano keys, each starting on a different white key note and having a different pattern of whole and half step intervals.  We know that major and minor keys have different and distinct sounds and feels--but they use the same notes!  The difference is in which notes are used more often, which fall on the beat, which follow each other more frequently, and the chord progression made from the notes in the scale.  In other words, there are different motivating factors for selecting notes depending on the mode of the music, in addition to the key of the music, since the set of notes can be the same for different modes in different keys.
     

• It borrows from a related harmony, scale, or mode

  • Chord substitutions

  • The pitches in chords are strongly motivated parts of a note.  Knowing chord relationships can help you think of related chords that will work in the musical context, which will suggest more notes that will be reasonably motivated and work well.

  • Mode/scale substitutions

  • Knowing how the scales in different modes are related, for example C major and A minor, can suggest ways to pattern your notes to provide a particular feel to the music and add variety to your improvisation.

• It follows from the melody

  • Maybe it follows the melody line for a time, and then branches off in a different direction, growing a different line, but still growing towards the sun.  Maybe it mostly follows the melody, but sometimes takes a different twist or turn like a vine entwined around a tree, or dangling from a branch.  Maybe it waits for a phrase/melody/theme to unveil for a while, play on ahead, before it jumps in and follows behind, sometimes in the exact footsteps, or sometimes in some echoed footstep--the same dance in a different place or time.  Both what has gone on before and what will go on later provide a motivated basis for note selection, a solid tree about which to grow.  A well maintained park in which to play and explore.  A large park, with favorite paths and views, and darker passageways leading off in up hill directions through thick fog and brambles.  And who knows what vista lies hidden just around the next dark corner?  But you have to be willing to suffer the scratches while you grope about in the dark fog and climb to the top of the path from where it is easier to partake its beauty and mysteries.  It's good to have a sturdy familiar walking stick to help you maintain your balance as you explore.
     

• It leads to upcoming harmony (chords)

  • For example, building tension by playing notes with a certain chord that are not from that harmony, but from a chord to follow.  Knowing the notes in the chords can help you see how to lead into a new chord by stepping smoothly out of the previous chord, or perhaps landing on a stepping stone note that is part of both chords, the pitch providing transition consistency between them.
     

• It comes from the ear, motivated by the sound

  • The ear has learned to appreciate certain sounds and sound combinations: patterns of expectation.  Moreover, certain sounds and scales and modes seem to be naturally associated (across cultures) with certain emotions and feelings, instilling them as well as expressing them.  Playing by ear is largely about establishing a feeling or conveying an emotion based on sound and our emotional level (as opposed to intellectual level) response to them.  No one can doubt the different feelings established by loud, distorted, fast, wild, raucous Rock'n'Roll, a slow blues shuffle, and a lullaby.
     

• It comes from the mind, motivated by the intellect

  • Music lends itself nicely to theoretical analysis, having many mathematical relationships and symmetries, scales, intervals, chords and chord relationships among them.  Given a relatively small set of note value possibilities (quarter notes, eighth, sixteenth, half and whole notes, triplet notes), and a regular tempo, short note-value patterns and phrases are relatively limited and can be studied independently.  Many interesting harmony-based (and/or rhythmically based) things can be done that follow well-defined, well-expressed rules that can be recognized intellectually, appreciated intellectually.  These intellectual realizations are one aspect of a sense of "good art", or "good music".  If music that is appreciated intellectually also communicates on an emotional level and sounds good, the notes have been well and fully motivated, and will appeal to the widest range of listener.
     

• It comes from the body, motivated by playing technique

  • Playing technique is a physical manipulation of the instrument to produce a sound or sounds.  The pitches and/or rhythmic patterns are motivated by physical actions and the mechanical characteristics of the instrument, not musical relationships or an inner vision directed by the ear.  Performing a series of physical actions results in a sequence of notes related to these specific physical actions.  Relevant techniques include:

    • Breathing patterns

    • Shakes

    • Glissando

    • Ornamentation riffs

    • Pattern based licks
       

  • Successions of playing techniques can establish musical themes or motifs, and can generate entire musical phrases.  If these action-based playing techniques do not result in well motivated notes, the ear and the mind may not "fully appreciate" the results.  Over-use of technique-motivated notes can detract from the final musical result.
     

• It comes from the instrument, motivated by its mechanical characteristics

  • The mechanical characterists of the instrument give it its capabilities to play music, as well as causing its limitations.  The mechanical characteristics determine such things as:

    • Pitch layouts

      • chords, like blowing 3 holes or strumming a guitar chord.

      • notes generated by or associated with preset licks and riff patterns, for example the different music generated by playing the same lick on a standard richter-tuned major diatonic vs a natural minor or "country" tuning.

      • Music key pattern (a)symmetry (guitar and diatonic harp patterns tend to be symmetric with respect to musical key, piano and chromatic harp patterns tend not to be)

      • distinct trills and tremolos based on easy-to-do-fast playing techniques
         

    • Note creation techniques, like

      • bends (can't bend a note on a piano)

      • multiple notes at the same time (unlike most wind instruments)

      • pushing a chromatic slide (easy to do, can be difficult to duplicate on other instruments)

      • pressing valves on a horn

      • bow patterns (like on violin)

      • finger "pull-offs", as on a guitar

      • grabbing keys, as on piano or organ

      • note sustain and decay variations

      • instrument responsiveness (how fast can you play it.. trombones are slower than violins)
         

• It comes from memory

  • The memory of what you've heard before, learned before, or played before is a huge factor in determining what you will play next.  In order to recognize a pattern, you have to remember a series of notes that have been played before.  In order to recognize a musical context, you have to remember the chord progression, verse, theme, style, etc.--all the relevant musical elements.  In order to recognize and remember these elements, you have to listen carefully and pay attention.  When you pick a note to play you consider:

    • What has sounded good before

    • What has sounded bad before (so you don't do it again in that context)

    • What theoretical relationships have worked before (in addition to what new relationships may work now)

    • What physical actions have been practiced before

      • Lick - A set series of physical actions (consisting of blows, draws, bends, overbends, and other effects) that result in a memorable pattern of notes with an action-associated note-value phrase (melodic rhythm) over a set of holes.  One lick can be played in different physical places, or on different key or tuning harps, to produce different melodic phrases with the same melodic rhythm.  While the original musical phrase may have had "well motivated" notes, when captured as a physical action pattern of play rather than a musical statement the notes can become less well motivated.

      • Riff - The term "riff" is not used consistently by players.  Many players consider a riff to be the same thing as a lick.. two words with different origins that mean the same thing.  Other players think of a riff as a short repeated "lick" used in some thematic way, such as a song's "hook".  Some people think of a "riff" as something behind the solo, and a "lick" as something used in a solo, and others think something else altogether.  It's good to make clear from the context just what you mean when you say "riff" to avoid confusion. Another definition for "riff" is: a physical-action based ornamentation of a note, or transition between notes or phrases.  As with a lick, the motivation of the resulting notes of an ornamentation riff is primarily due to the physical action, and not to play notes of particular pitches.
         

• It is an accident; a mistake of the ear, mind, or technique

  • Let's face it, we all make mistakes.  There are many different varieties: you can feel like a certain note will work well, but it ends up not to; you can think a note with a certain contextual musical relationship (like "go up a flat third", or "hit the dominant 7 of the 4 chord") will work well, but it might not end up sounding like you wanted; you can mis-calculate and not hit the note you thought you wanted (like you wanted to go up a 5th and you went up a 4th instead); you can play at the wrong time, with the wrong expression or effect, or you can simply miss the note and not play it right (which is easy to do on some bends and overbends).  The question is, what do you do when you make a mistake?  That depends on how the accidental note(s) works in the current musical context.
    
    If it's a rhythmic mistake--you played at the wrong time--you need to get back in the groove just as fast as you can, or you have to find some "outside the groove" melodic rhythm that you make intersect back in the groove that works.  That's not always easy, and if you screw up the rhythm or can't get back into the chord progression you're in big trouble.  Sometimes you can throw in a little syncopation for variety then get back to the groove.  It's less risky just to sacrifice that note as being wrong and just get back to playing right notes without trying to cover the mistake.
    
    If it's a time-value held-it-the-wrong-length-of-time accident, you can often easily compensate by changing the time-value of some subsequent note(s) in a symmetric, corresponding manner.. e.g. if you held one too long, play another too short; if you waited too long to come in, play shorter notes or skip something--but get back into the melodic rhythm, the meter, and the groove, and get back in control.  Sometimes, especially if you're playing with a band, you may want to just stop playing and lay out until you catch the groove and get your bearings in the song.  Usually silence is much better than a bunch of out-of-time notes that aren't following the groove.
    
    If it's a wrong note you have to judge whether to try to fix it, cover it up, or just accept it and move on.  It depends so much on the situation and there are so many different situations, it's tough to offer advice.

  • 
    Sometimes, when improvising, accidental notes (on time) are perfectly acceptable alternates to the note you had chosen, if less than optimal because it wasn't what you were going for.  If you are just practicing and not performing (depending on your ability and confidence) you may want to use this accidental note as an excuse to go exploring.  Play as if you had intended that note, use the musical context it provides, and see if it leads to any unexplored paths you might like to get familiar with.  After all, you may make that same kind of mistake again, and if you've explored where it takes you you'll have a better idea what to do next time.  Or, sometimes you can use the note to lead you back to where you want to be a beat or few later.  Sometimes an accidental note can give you an idea on how to extend the musical context that you hadn't thought of before.  You may think "this note is related to that chord, and that chord could be used in this way to..." whatever.  And off you go, with new ideas for your music.
     

• It tries to meet expectations

  • The groove establishes expectations.  The chord progression establishes expectations.  A theme or motif or chorus or verse establishes expectations.  In order to please the ear, the music needs to meet many expectations, which have been established by what has come before.. the past part of the musical context.
     

• It tries to be unexpected

  • This can be refreshing and add interest.  There is a lot of musical "meeting expectations", playing what the ear expects to hear or the theory or style demands.  If the music is excessively "expected" it can sound stale or unimaginative or merely ordinary.  The ear wants some surprises.  The mind wants some mystery.  The emotions want some realization of "universal truth" to move them.  The ear and mind also wants the loose ends tied up.  If used improperly or overused the unexpected can sound dissonant, analytical, or just plain wrong.
     

• It acts in a phrase of related notes to contribute to a musical statement

  • Music is normally organized as a series of related phrases that alternate between establishing tension and releasing it, asking a musical question and answering it.  A phrase sets a musical context of its own.  Understanding or anticipating the context of a phrase provides for well-motivated note selection--there's a good reason for playing what you do.
     

Turning Licks Into Phrases

As discussed above, licks are playing patterns that generate a melodic rhythm and associated pitches based on the physical characteristics of the instrument.  Phrases are associated musically motivated notes and silences with a corresponding note-value pattern, which is the melodic rhythm of the phrase.  So, licks generate musical phrases, but they aren't themselves musical phrases.

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One way to help turn a physical playing pattern into a musically motivated phrase is to use the melodic rhythm as a recurring theme or motif in your song.  As with most things, good taste includes not overdoing it.

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To really turn the results of a lick into a musical phrase, you should be able to play the same notes wherever they occur on the harp.  In other words, if you play a lick on the bottom of the harp, be able to play those notes in the middle and top of the harp too.  Be able to play them in different positions so you learn the musical relationships, not just the physical actions you use when playing the lick in one place on one harp.  This will help your ear and mind get control of the musical phrase and help you minimize the reliance on muscle memory.  It helps your music break free of your technique, by extending your techniques to enable the music you want to play.  It helps improve your musical vision, and can help enhance your internal image "mind's eye" view of the harp.