Teaching improvisation

[chrisreeves12]

Hi. I am new here. I am a college senior studying piano performance and composition, and right now I am currently teaching piano. I only have one student right now, but hopefully later on I'll have more. Anyway, my student has had experience at the piano, and when she started taking from me she was already at the intermediate level. Right now, she is working on J.S Bach's Invention no. 4 and a Kulah Sonatina. So far we have been working on technique as well, I have her do scales every week and so far, she's done a great job. My student is very interested in learning improvisational techniques, and although I consider myself pretty good at these things myself, I've always had trouble teaching this skill to people who were not at least a little experienced at doing this themselves. Right now, my student is not even really familiar with the basic I, IV, V, I cadences in any of the keys, so maybe it is too early to get into improvisation. Anyway I would like some of your opinions as to what I should do. The reason why I'm focusing particularly on technique with my student right now is because my own improvisational skills (especially in jazz) really improved when my technique becamse solid. I tried to introduce the concept of improvisation a few lessons ago with my student but she just seemed lost the entire time. I don't know if it's my teaching method or her lack of understanding of the basics. Anyway, can you guys help me? Thanks!

[virtuosic1]

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[andric_s]

I have found that song-based improvisation isn't always the best way to start students improvising.  With students who have some classical experience, the stumbling block is often not their understanding of chords or their technique, but rather their own inhibitions.
Some of my students respond to modal improvisation.  I always start with a minor mode, because they are easier to get interesting sounds out of, and .  I have them play a simple ostinato in the left hand, maybe just the root, or octaves.  I might point out where the "juicy" notes are in the scale, and I might introduce the idea of a rhythmic motif, or maybe sequencing.  Depending on the student, I might use aeolean, phrygian, or dorian.  Mixolydian can be good, too.  Sometimes i use harmonic minor or the 5th mode thereof.

Another thing i do is to use a minor i iv V i progression, one chord per measure, to introduce "playing the changes".  We begin with the harmonic minor scale in the right hand (G harmonic minor has a nice shape).  We divide the progression into two phrases; each phrase is 4 quarter notes followed by a whole.  The first phrase begins on beat one of the i chord (on a chord tone), and ends on beat one of the iv chord (also on a chord tone).  The second phrase similarly begins on the V chord and ends on the i chord.  Then we use different rhythms, including faster notes.  After a week or two, I have them use natural minor on the i and iv chords, and harmonic minor only on the V chord.

Meanwhile, they've been using a lead sheet to play a minor key tune like "Beautiful Love", "Black Orpheus", "You Don't Know What Love is", or something else that doesn't stray far from the key.   We note that most of the chords are contained in the natural minor, and the few that arent (like the V chord) probably have one note that needs to be altered.  Start with 2-bar phrases.  Move on to 4-bar phrases.

I haven't totally worked out this method, but it seems to be working pretty well.

[quantum]

A similar thread that I started:
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,23700.0.htmlhttp://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php/topic,23700.0.html

[keyofc]

Andric,
I like your ideas - think I'll try them.
Chris,
I think they should be very comfortable with at least the 1, 4, 5, chords before they improvise.
I don't know where I would start if they didn't.

I teach improvisation - by having a student bring over a CD and select one song they want to work on.    I use the cadences  to start them out in finding the chord since the rests around it give them a little more time.  I have them use common tones while looking for chords.

It's not easy to write out - My best playing is done by improvisation - but I have found I really have to step back and slow down to try to help someone else do it.  For me, it comes naturally - and I wish I could remember how I learned it. 

I do remember as a child playing the piano at church.  The song was not selected until the moment I played it.  If they did not like the key I was playing (the one in the hymnal) they would ask me to bring it up or bring it down.  So it was an on -the -spot type of thing over and over.  I didn't know the word "transpose" at the time, but I was just trying to please the adults.  I must have been the only musical one there - or you would think someone older would have helped the process.....
Anyway - what Im trying to say - is transposition probably was a key factor in my learning how to improvise later
Hope this makes sense.

[abell88]

Christopher Norton has a new series of books (Christopher Norton Connections), published by Frederick Harris...they're really nice graded compositions and they have activity books with specific improv exercises related to the pieces. 

[quantum]

Christopher Norton has a new series of books (Christopher Norton Connections), published by Frederick Harris...they're really nice graded compositions and they have activity books with specific improv exercises related to the pieces. 

They also have fun backing tracks you can download and play along with.  I've attended one of his promotional workshops for the series.  It's also great for teaching popular styles. 

Norton had a classical training background so these compositions are written out in much detail with regards to articulation, phrase, and dynamics.  So they can be taught with the same emphasis on detail that a classical composition demands. 

The website:
https://www.christophernortonconnections.com/

[Derek]

I've never taught any students, but I can definitely say it is never, ever too early to get into improvisation---it is how I learned the piano to begin with. The very first thing I did was to use a scale I derived from picking out a video game tune (painstakingly by repeating a recording back to myself many many times as I figured out each note)---then start messing around in it. eventually I realized it was G# harmonic minor...and the rest is history. I learned conventional sheet music and classical piano performance later on.  It's never too early. I knew nothing about chords when I started either. not much anyway

[opus10no2]

Ah, I agree and think that playing by ear is the best and most natural way to get on the road to being a good musician.

[pianistimo]

also, if you want to get 'technical' - the book 'patterns in jazz' is cool because you just start practicing these patterns and then hook them together.   you can write you own patterns - if you wish.  just make them fit easily in the hand and jive.  then, later on -incorporate the melody and then these little modulations.  even if they are written out at first (which, for me, i always needed that) - it gives them ideas of how to do it.

also- believe it ornot - organ books have a lot of great improvisational stuff.  that is because organists are sort of expected to sequeway from one thing to another.  i've bought some organ transcriptions and things - and found great chord sequences in them that i 'copy.'