How to learn to improvise on piano: improvisation techniques

Good mood to you, dear reader. In this small post we will talk about how to learn to improvise: we will discuss some common points and see the basic techniques of improvisation applied to piano.

In general, improvisation is perhaps one of the most mysterious and mysterious processes in music. As you know, this word is called writing music right during its playing, in other words, simultaneous execution and writing.

Not every musician owns the technique of improvisation (now, mainly, jazz musicians, composers and those who accompany singers can do it), this is available to everyone who takes on it. Some techniques of improvisation are developed and fixed imperceptibly, along with the accumulation of experience.

What is important for improvisation?

Here we will literally list: the theme, harmony, rhythm, texture, form, genre and style. Now let's expand in more detail what we would like to convey to you:

1. Presence of a theme or harmonic grid, to which piano improvisation will be created - this is not necessary, but preferably (for meaning), in the era of ancient music (for example, in baroque), the topic for improvisation was given to a performer by a stranger - a learned composer, performer or unlearned listener.
2. The need to mold music, that is, to give it any of the musical forms - you can, of course, improvise infinitely, but your listeners will start to tire, as well as fantasy - three times about the same thing nobody wants to hear and play unpleasantly (of course, if you do not improvise in the form of verses or rondo).
3. Choosing a genre - that is, this type of musical work, which you will be guided by. You can improvise in the waltz genre, and you can march in the genre, you can play a mazurka while playing, or you can opera aria. The essence is the same - the waltz should be a waltz, the march should be similar to the march, and the mazurka should be a super-mazurka with all the features that it relies on (here it is a question of form, and harmony, and rhythm).
4. Style selection - also an important definition. Style is a musical language. Say Tchaikovsky's Waltz and Chopin's Waltz are not the same thing, and Schubert's musical moment with Rachmaninov's musical moment is difficult to confuse (this is where we commemorated various compositional styles). And here you need to choose a landmark - to improvise in the manner of a famous musician, composer (just do not need to parody - this is different, although it’s also fun), or some kind of music (compare - improvisation in jazz style or in an academic manner, in the spirit of Brahms' romantic ballad or in the spirit of the grotesque Scherzo Shostakovich).
5. Rhythmic organization - this is something that really helps beginners. Feel the rhythm, and everything will be fine! In fact - firstly, musical size - in what meter (pulse) will you be laying your music, secondly, the pace - determine: slow or fast, thirdly, what will be inside your bars, what rhythmic pattern - the movement of small durations - the sixteenth or triple, or some complicated rhythm, and maybe a bunch of syncope?
6. Texture, if in a simple way, this is a way of presenting music. What will you have? Or strict chords, or a waltz bass chord in the left hand and a melody in the right, or a hovering melody at the top, and under it any free accompaniment, or one general form of movement - scales, arpeggios, or do you arrange dispute-conversation between the hands and get a polyphonic work? This must be resolved immediately, and then you must stick to your decision until the end, so deviating from it is not good (there should be no eclecticism).

The highest task and goal of the improviser is to LEARN IMPROVISE SO THAT THE HEARNER EVEN AND DOESN'T HAVE ANY THAT YOU IMPROVE.

How to learn to improvise: a little from personal experience

It should be noted that every musician certainly has his own experience in mastering the art of improvisation, as well as some secrets of his own. Personally, I would advise everyone who wants to learn this craft to start, as much as possible, not by notes but by myself pick the tunes you like. It gives creative freedom.

From my experience I can say that I was greatly helped by a great desire to select various melodies, as well as compose my own. It was extremely interesting to me, since childhood, to such an extent that, I will tell you in secret, I have been doing this much more than learning the teacher’s musical pieces. The result was obvious - I came to the lesson and played the piece, as they say, "from the sheet." The teacher praised me for good preparation for the lesson, although I saw the notes for the first time in my life, because I didn’t even open the textbook at home, which I naturally couldn’t confess to the teacher.

So ask me how to improvise on the piano? I will repeat to you: you need to play "arbitrary" melodies as much as possible, select and select again! Only practice allows to achieve good results. And if you also have a talent from God, then only God knows in what monster-musician, master of improvisation, you will turn into time.

Another recommendation - take notes of works and analyze them - considering everything you see there. You see an unusually beautiful or magical harmony - analyze the harmony, then come in handy, you see an interesting texture - also take note that you can play like this, see expressive rhythmic figures or melodic turns - borrow. In the old days, composers studied by rewriting the notes of other composers.

Well, and perhaps most importantly ... It is necessary develop a technique of owning an instrument. Without this, nothing will come of it, so do not be lazy to play scales, arpeggios, exercises and etudes every day. This is both pleasant and useful.

Basic improvisation techniques or techniques

When people ask me how to learn to improvise, I reply that we should try different methods of developing musical material.

Just do not need to push them all at once in the first your improvisation. Sequentially try first one, the most understandable, then the second, the third — first learn, undermine the experience, and therefore you will combine all the methods together.

So here are some improvisation techniques:

Harmonic - there are many different aspects, it is the complication of harmony, and giving it a modern spice (make it spicy), or, on the contrary, giving it purity and transparency. This method is not simple, the most accessible, but very expressive techniques for beginners:

• change the mode (for example, there was a major - Ominorte, spend the same thing in the minor);
• re-harmonize the melody - that is, to pick up to it a new accompaniment, a "new lighting", with a new accompaniment the melody will sound differently;
• change the harmonic style (also a coloring method) - let's say, take the Mozart sonata and replace all the classical harmonies in it with jazz ones, you will be surprised what may happen.

Melodic way improvisation involves working with the melody, its change or creation (if it is absent). Here you can:

• It’s very easy to theoretically convert the melody - simply replace the upward movement with the downward movement and vice versa (using the interval inversion technique), but practically you need to rely on the sense of proportion and experience (will it sound good?), And you can use this improvisation technique only sporadically.
• To decorate a melody with melodies: forshlags, trills, gruppetto and mordents - weave such a kind of melodic lace.
• If there are jumps in the melody at wide intervals (sixth, septim, octave), they can be filled with quick passages; if there are long notes in the melody, they can be broken up into smaller ones in order to: a) rehearsal (repeat several times), b) chanting (surround the main sound with neighboring notes, thereby distinguishing it).
• Compose a new melody, the answer to the one that sounded earlier. Here you need to express yourself truly creative.
• The melody can be divided into phrases as if it is not a melody, but a conversation between two characters. Replicas (question-answer) characters can be musically played polyphonically, transferring them to different registers.
• In addition to all other changes that concern the intonation level, you can simply replace the strokes with opposite ones (legato with staccato and vice versa), this will change the character of the music!

Rhythmic method Changes in the music also plays an important role and requires from the performer, first of all, a very good sense of rhythm, because otherwise, simply not to keep in the given harmonic form. Beginners need a metronome for these purposes, which will always keep us in the frame.

It is possible to change rhythmically both a melody, and any other layer of musical tissue - for example, accompaniment. Say, in each variation, to make a new type of accompaniment: either chord, or purely bass melodic, then decompose chords into arpeggios, then organize the entire accompaniment in some interesting rhythmic movement (for example, in Spanish rhythm, or like polka, etc.) d.)

In conclusion, I would like to note that in order to learn how to improvise, you must ... Improvise, and, of course, have a great desire to master this art, and not be afraid of failures. More relaxedness and creative freedom, and you will succeed!