Piano Improvisation

I've decided to post a series of articles explaining the process I use for composing instrumental piano music. Over the next several weeks I hope to provide you with the skills and confidence you'll need to begin writing your own music, regardless of the number of years you've been playing. I believe that EVERY pianist can and should learn how to compose as a foundational part of their musical fluency, because it provides a practical way to understand basic theoretical concepts and it can be a very enjoyable creative outlet.

Today I'd like to spend some time talking about improvisation, since it's one of the most important components of my composer's toolbox. While improvisation is a foundational part of jazz music studies, classical training often overlooks this important skill. Mozart, Beethoven and many other past composers were superb improvisers, but today's classical training often neglects this important aspect of musicianship.

The word improvisation means "to compose and perform or deliver without previous preparation." This definition is slightly misleading, because it implies a "tabula rasa" in which someone creates something our of thin air without any prior training or thought. But all musical learning can serve as "preparation" for improvisation, and performing "without previous preparation" simply refers to the fact that no DIRECT preparation has occurred. In other words, the musician isn't playing something that's been previously written down or memorized. One approach to improvisation would be to play random notes and learn "by ear" which ones sound good together. This may work for some, but I've found that my best improvisations are usually based on chords and scales, the foundation of all music.

In future blog entries I'll discuss the details of chords and scales and key changes, but for now I want to discuss the emotional side of improvisation. I find that playing piano has a tendency to melt my stress away. Sometimes I play familiar songs from my repertoire, and other times I site read new material. When I want to create and express what I'm feeling in my own way, though, improvisation is my preferred option. With time and practice I've learned to express what I'm feeling in musical form. I might use a hard-driving, bass-heavy rhythm as the foundation for my improvisations when I'm feeling angry, frustrated or anxious. Or I might move to the higher registers of the piano and play a delicate lullaby-sounding song when I'm feeling peaceful. I prefer to be alone when I improvise, because it helps me feel a little more free to experiment and make "mistakes." When I improvise for an audience I usually resort to common patterns and tend to avoid potentially risky key changes. The results may sound better, but I don't learn as much.

The best way to begin improvising is to start with a technique I introduce to all of my piano students early in their lessons. The black keys on the piano make up a pentatonic (5-note) scale, and if you play anything with a steady rhythm using only the black keys you can produce improvised music that, well, sounds like music, even if you are a beginner. You can experiment with sounds and patterns without worrying about "too much dissonance." The amount of dissonance you can handle is a personal preference, and there are no mistakes in improvisation (only unexpected turns), but a knowledge of chords and scales can help keep you from wandering too far into "modern music la la land," which is why the black keys are a "safe" place to start.