We must picture him as a professional storyteller equipped with a mass of miscellaneous reading, a fluent power of narration, and a ready faculty for quoting, or at a push improvising, verses.
Once you build this experience, you'll gain confidence building upon individual notes and scales, reading sheet music, and you'll eventually feel more comfortable improvising.
In fact, improvising using arpeggio sequences can make for better sounding solos.
The text is easy to read and covers everything from the basics of the bass to more advanced techniques like soloing and improvising in a way that isn't overwhelming.
Putting on a CD and just improvising to the music can also yield some great choreography.