Jazz improvisation is not a monolith.

If you want to improvise, you have multiple methodologies. A few:

  • Call-and-response
  • Guide-tone method
  • Goal-tone method
  • Vertical improvisation
  • Horizontal improvisation
  • Motivic development
  • Licks, riffs, quotes
  • Patterns
  • Bebop

I think that which method you gravitate towards tells you something about yourself.

That would mean the contrapositive is true, too.

Do you like using what you already know? You might like vertical or horizontal improvisation (scales and arpeggios, the stuff you already practice every day.)

Do you like to repeat the same idea over and over, with variation? You might like patterns (pentatonic), or perhaps even motivic development.

Do you know where you want to end your lines and phrases? Perhaps try the guide-tone or goal-tone methods.

Do you like to compose and polish small bits of brilliance, then show it off? You might like licks, riffs, and quotes.

Do you like the feeling and flow of poetry, or moment-by-moment decision-making? You might like call-and-response, or bebop.

An idea for finding flow: figure out which you can practice, for hours on end, that brings you joy.