More confidence while playing

If there is a place in a solo where you commonly make a mistake, you probably tense up just before you get there, worried whether you’ll make the same mistake yet again. This makes the mistake more likely. One of the problems with mistakes is that you lose your position and it takes some time to get back on course again. So don’t practice how not to make the mistake, but practice how to escape from it. Work out the melody and harmony so that you can improvise a few notes which will sound OK after you’ve made the mistake. You’ll find that the ability to escape gives you more confidence, and you’re less likely to make the mistake anyway!