Piano Lesson on the Web
Piano Lesson on the Web
  • Home
  • Music Courses
    • Testimonials
  • Buy Courses
  • Blog
  • Community
  • Contact Me
  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • Music Courses
    • Testimonials
  • Buy Courses
  • Blog
  • Community
  • Contact Me
  • About Me
  • Privacy Policy

Have You Ever Wanted to Improvise? These Tips Will Get You Started!

7/29/2019

0 Comments

 
Have you ever found yourself humming or singing one of your favorite songs and added in your own special touch to it as you did that? That’s improvising!

  • It’s different from composing although along the same lines. Composing is when you write original music and improvising is when you change or add to something in an already composed piece or song.

A lot of improvisation is required for those who play by ear or with a group or band. Pianists who are used to reading notes only and not inputting their own ideas into the music they are playing sometimes find it difficult to let go of the comfort of sheet music and wing it as we do when improvising.

It’s not really that hard to “make the plunge” and we’re going to look at several things that you can do to help that process happen easier and without stressing out about it.

  • There is a video at the end that will go over in more detail what is discussed here that will help you understand these concepts practically at the piano.

There are a few concepts that you need to be fairly comfortable with before starting to improvise. They are:
  • What the melody is in a piece or song – usually the right hand or the single note line in your music.
  • What is a key signature – try to know as many of your major and minor key signatures as possible.
  • Scales – be able to play scales in as many different key signatures as possible.
  • Know basic chord patterns and which chord tones to play with each measure.

When we are dealing with improvising a melody, there are three specific things to remember that a melody can do:
  1. Steps – moving from one note to the next note consecutively; most used in melodic improvisation.
  2. Skips – skipping over a note or playing single notes non consecutively; used often but less than Steps in melodic improvisation.
  3. Leaps – skipping over several notes or even octaves non consecutively; used the least in melodic improvisation.  

Phrasing
is another important aspect of improvising.
  • Phrasing groups notes together so that they flow together well and make sense when you listen to them. Phrasing usually involved 2 or more measures that have a sense of a beginning and an ending…much like a paragraph is used in writing.

The easiest way to put all of this together is to start with a very simple melody in a key signature that you are totally comfortable with. Create a melody that uses mostly steps and single chords in the left hand for each measure. Think about phrasing the notes and measures together so that they make sense and flow together.  

Remember…it may not sound “good” or the way you want it to when you first start and it may feel uncomfortable. As you continue to work on this a bit each day, you will find that it gets easier and easier.

Use the video below to help you understand these concepts at your keyboard and have fun! Improvising is such a wonderful way to continue growing in your piano playing and to connect with other musicians. 
If you like my tips and lessons, you will love the courses over on my website. Whether you are a beginner looking to get a solid foundation to build on or you are looking to take you existing skills to that next level, the online music courses on my website  https://www.pianolessonsontheweb.com will help you do just that.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Most  blogs written by
    ​Robin Hague Els

    Archives

    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    November 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    June 2014

    Categories

    All
    Christmas Piano Tutorial
    Christmas Sheet Music
    Chritmas
    Cost Effective Piano Lessons
    Do You Need To Know How To Read Music
    Finger Exercises Piano
    Five Things About Reading Music
    Hanon Piano Exercises
    High Quality Music Classes
    Holiday
    Holiday Piano Music
    Holiday Piano Sheet
    Holiday Piano Tutorial
    Holiday Stress
    How To Compose Music
    How To Find A Piano Teacher
    How To Get Better At Piano
    How To Play Christmas Piano
    How To Play Piano
    How To Play Piano Articulations
    How To Play With Dynamics On Piano
    How To Read Music
    How To Read Music For Piano
    How To Read Notes
    How To Read Sheet Music
    How To Sight Read
    Is Reading Music Important
    Key Signatures On Piano
    Kindle Sheet Music
    Learn Christmas Music On
    Learn Deck The Halls On Piano
    Learn Jingle Bells On The Piano\
    Learn Joy To The World On Piano
    Learn Oh Christmas Tree On Piano
    Learn Piano
    Learn Silent Night On The Piano
    Learn The Twelve Days Of Christmas On Piano
    Lessonsontheweb
    Lessonsontheweb Piano Teacher
    Musicianship
    Music Notation
    Music Notation Software
    Music Reading Practice
    Online Lessons
    Online Piano Learning
    Online Piano Lessons
    Online Piano Teacher
    Piano Blog
    Piano Fingering Technique
    Piano Lessons
    Piano Playing Basics
    Piano Playing Tips
    Piano Scales
    Piano Teacher Online
    Piano Technique
    Playing Piano
    Reading Music Articles
    Reading Music For Piano
    Staffpad
    Surface 3
    Surface Pro
    Take Lessons From Anywhere
    Thanksgiving
    Time Signatures Piano
    Tips For Beginning Piano Players
    Where To Find A Piano Teacher
    Work Out Hanon

    RSS Feed

Home
Buy Courses
Music Courses
Official Blog
Community
About Me
​Contact Me

​Testimonials
Copyright 2016-2022 © Lessons On The Web. All Rights Reserved.