Post a short improv played entirely with one hand

[Derek]

Okay, lets see if we can have some fun with this. I sometimes like to sit lazily in front of an instrument with coffee in one hand, and play the instrument with the other. Here's a short baroque improv played by my right hand (digital piano).

[goldentone]

That's impressive, Derek.  And I love the improv.  What's your brand of coffee?

[littletune]

Yes that's really cool!  I wouldn't even know it was played just with one hand!! I wanna try that too!   

[Derek]

Recently I've been drinking Sheetz Bros. Pumpkin spice. I guess I really should post a video of this type of playing sometime. I was trying to do a similar thing with my left hand but it is not quite as developed.

Anyway the point of this thread is for other people to try 1 hand improv! Doesn't matter what style either. Use pedal and play "orchestra instruments" in different registers or something.

[furtwaengler]

Okay, lets see if we can have some fun with this. I sometimes like to sit lazily in front of an instrument with coffee in one hand, and play the instrument with the other. Here's a short baroque improv played by my right hand (digital piano).

Very impressive (and expressive), Derek! I love your personal harmonic twists, and a great contrapuntal feel you get with one hand!

I'm not in a position to do much from here at the house where I take my Thanksgiving break. I have been practicing on an electronic keyboard, a Yamaha with 88 weighted keys...but NO PEDAL. I enjoy practicing on it without the pedal (there's one to hook up...not sure where it is), but it's not so good for recordings. Nevertheless, I present these to pedal-less Left Hand alone recordings. BAH!

If I get time on a piano before the next thread, I'll record a better one.

[Derek]

I especially liked the second one, very cool! This is turning out to be fun, hopefully some others contribute as well.

[littletune]

Yes this is REALLY cool!   I like these improvisations!
I want to contribute too  but I don't really know if I should. Well I recorded two improvisations today    one with left and one with right hand... but I haven't listened to them yet... but it was really fun!  so thanks for the idea!!even if I don't post them. 

[pianowolfi]

Littletune, yes please post yours
I didn't listen yet to the other contributions, I comment as I listen:

Derek: very good! ("Wall of intellectual text" just kidding) It has a Bachian touch to it. Maybe your Clavichord experiences have influenced it
So, Sheetz Pumpkin spice must be very delicious, similar to the brand that inspired Bach to write his Coffee cantata
Dave, your first LH improv is very cute and humourous I think you are dealing very well with the "constraints"!
The second one sounds more "grave" (in the Italian sense of the word)
some march elements, taken a bit ad absurdum (wall of...  ) by the accelerandi...
A syncopated accelerated "funeral march" ?
Interesting that restraints can cause so hauntig effects!
Somehow I hear a strong tendency towards polyphony in all the improvs so far.

My contribution:
"unknown"
Well it's rather random in my book, it's from the end of my little practice session today.
you have to guess which hand  

[Derek]

@ pianowolfi My guess is right hand?? If I'm wrong you have a very good left hand.

@ littletune: Go ahead and post them! What harm could it do?

[furtwaengler]

I'll say left, wolfi. And I'll say you're musical language grows deeper and more intense every time I hear you...even in this fun!

Also, we are cheering and waiting...

"LITTLE TUNE! LITTLE TUNE! LITTLE TUNE! LITTLE TUNE!" 

[pianowolfi]

I won't say it yet. When littletune has posted hers has posted her guess I will say 

Thanks so much Furtwängler

[littletune]

Hmmm... Well I guess I would say left too  ... cause it's played more on the left side of the piano  but maybe that's just like a trick and it's really the right hand   

Also, we are cheering and waiting...

"LITTLE TUNE! LITTLE TUNE! LITTLE TUNE! LITTLE TUNE!" 

thank you! Ok I'll post them now... 

[littletune]

Well... so my improvisations are like a story    And it's a story about snow And it's really snowing A LOT today     

I wanted to say that I only play with one hand because I have to catch snowflakes with the other  but just kidding
But I got an idea from the song that Wolfi posted
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=31715.msg439416#msg439416

So it's like that: the improvisation with the left hand is about snow clouds. And the snow clouds are climbing onto the sky with backpacks full of snowflakes... so it's not very easy for them cause they're sooo heavy, but then at the end they all climb onto the sky and take their backpacks off and open them and turn them around and the snowflakes start falling towards the ground. And then the first part of the story ends and then the second part starts... and that's the improvisation with the right hand and the second part is about the snowflakes slowly falling down towards the Earth... until almost all of them come down.

Oh and I was playing with the middle pedal (silent pedal) because of the neighbours. And in LH improvisation there is once one high sound (i don't know why) and the RH improvisation ends maybe about one second too early because my camera turned off.
Well lots of snow!!!    

[pianowolfi]

Hi littletune
your improvs are wonderful
And they do actually fit very well to that snow song, storywise as well as tonalitywise, they could almost be used as an accompaniment! 
Thank you for posting!

So well: Derek was right, mine has been played with the right hand

[littletune]

Thank you Wolfi! You are very nice! I'm glad if they would go well with that song  

( Well but I knew it was a trick  and that you just made it sound like it was played with the left hand    just kidding )

Thank you!

[furtwaengler]

Very good little tune. The running water acts either as a of stream in the frozen air, or the melt in anticipation of spring. 

[littletune]

Very good little tune. The running water acts either as a of stream in the frozen air, or the melt in anticipation of spring. 

Thank you!!!    Oh yes the water  it is kinda loud  I think it's more the first thing you said  cause spring is still kinda far away  but then after about 3 or 4 months it will be more like the second  Thanks for listening! 

[pankrpec]

Very good improvisation everyone. After listening to those I was not sure I should post my bumbling attempt, but I said I would participate so here it is.

It was very strange to play with just one hand. I mean, I play with one hand when practicing, but that's different from improvisation. It was just... unfamiliar.

[furtwaengler]

Very good improvisation everyone. After listening to those I was not sure I should post my bumbling attempt, but I said I would participate so here it is.

It was very strange to play with just one hand. I mean, I play with one hand when practicing, but that's different from improvisation. It was just... unfamiliar.

Right hand? It's a very nice room to walk around in, this relaxing improvisation. I'm unsure yet how I'm going to approach acknowledging your other contributions to this wonderful improvisation board I love so much. That is, I want to say something about them, but I do not know whether to do it individually per piece or in a single statement. I will say here at this stage, that I have for the past two nights listened intently to these and do not want to downplay that they are a great discovery for me, and it is like visiting a place I had been intimately familiar with after lifetimes away. I'm trying to analyze what in your music causes this sensation of peace and rest in a happy old home. Part of this feeling of familiarity has been shared in other places in my musical expeditions...Janacek comes up frequently in these thoughts. I don't know, but it is amazing that improvisation carries such great force as to become a part of me as even compositions are a part of me. There is something absolutely extraordinary about this form of spontaneous art, and the power of a simply moment recorded - it's unique. I would love it if the floodgates were opened in this respect, with everyone posting more and more as they feel comfortable. Ah, time...

[Derek]

@littletune, sorry I hadn't responded yet. I enjoyed your two improvisations. I think I especially liked the snowflake one, it was very charming!

[pianowolfi]

Very good improvisation everyone. After listening to those I was not sure I should post my bumbling attempt, but I said I would participate so here it is.

It was very strange to play with just one hand. I mean, I play with one hand when practicing, but that's different from improvisation. It was just... unfamiliar.

This is one very good example of black keys improv! (Right hand, I'd guess)

[littletune]

@littletune, sorry I hadn't responded yet. I enjoyed your two improvisations. I think I especially liked the snowflake one, it was very charming!

Thank you very much!!!   

[littletune]

Oh and I didn't say yet... I really like everyones improvisations a lot!!!  so cool! this thread is really cool!!!     

[quantum]

This is a great idea!  I've been occupied with stuff lately and haven't had time to hear much of the recent contributions in the improv board.

Here are two of mine, one for left hand, the other for the right.  They were recorded at the Uni.  Kawai GS-40, using the H4n. 

[chopinatic]

Gosh, what a good idea, inspired me to do some improvs tonight and get them up, it is ashame this room doesnt have more people contributing. Maybe it is due to embarasment or lack of interest. We need things like this to keep this board alive

If i was too comment on them individually id be here for hours, so ill say, they are all great! nice too see so many different styles of playing and emotions.

Thanks for posting littletune! great job:)

[littletune]

Thank you very much Chopinatic!!  I think this is really cool idea too!!!  And I like ALL improvisations very a lot too!!      I listen to all of them a lot of times not just once. It's really cool cause there's so many different improvisations together!     

[littletune]

Gosh, what a good idea, inspired me to do some improvs tonight and get them up, it is ashame this room doesnt have more people contributing. Maybe it is due to embarasment or lack of interest. We need things like this to keep this board alive

If i was too comment on them individually id be here for hours, so ill say, they are all great! nice too see so many different styles of playing and emotions.

Thanks for posting littletune! great job:)

Chopinatic won't you post your improvisations too?  It would be cooool! 

I wish even more people would post their improvisations cause it's really cool!  Anyone? Now it's time during the holidays     

[samthegreat4]

Haha, cool thread guys!
Here's my contribution.

Greets,
Sam

[pianowolfi]

Cool! To me this has quite a bit of a tango feeling. Thank you for contributing to this thread!

[littletune]

Yes it's really cool!  I'm really glad you posted it! I thought noone will ever post anything here again!    ...