I wanted to try and name/internalize my favorite chord voicings so that I can become good at using them on the spot when I'm following a melody. My method right now is a combination of guessing/muscle memory and I hate it. Of course that doesn't work at all for improvisation since it's basically random. So is the naming/internalizing thing a good idea? Or am I completely lost?
you could do some of that. you could also learn some songs. and also improvise a lot. all those things should eventually merge into one if you play your cards right