Music is a language intended for improvisation - does anyone teach it as such?

[green]

Teaching myself jazz and blues improvisation has lead me to see classical conventions also as structures intended for improvisation, of course, I have known that up until the 20th C composers always improvised, and in performance as a matter of expectation, but it is only quite recently that I see now the whole point of learning counterpoint and baroque theory etc is to learn how to improvise within those conventions. But who teaches it this way? Much more difficult, and we would most likely have very few students if we did, but why not at least teach it with this intention?

Good documentary by Derick Bailey on this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4rn4tz7DTs

I find more and more students, mostly adults want improvisation, and pieces which are 'musically satisfying'. Have had two recently who came to me from another teacher and were turned off by the alfred all-in-one adult course - I don't think its so bad actually, adults often want to skip all the basics and go straight to the music, and thus often don't get anywhere fast. But I personally would not choose that series, I was looking at the Hal Leonard all-in-one adult books 1 and 2, which are basically the same pieces as their kids series (without the pictures), plus they add a lot of basic 'improvisation' when introducing scales, chords and jazz tunes. It has a Cd, and I value that more and more, it replaces the need for using a metronome in the early stages, gives them ensemble practice, and allows for hearing harmonically the context in which they playing and improvising.

Anyone have any other suggestions on method books which students and adults like which include elements of improvisation?

[p2u_]

Anyone have any other suggestions on method books which students and adults like which include elements of improvisation?

Well, not exactly a method book, but still something that may be helpful.
Jazz pianists have the Real book and the Fake book, but there is also a Real Classical Fake book. All you need is a little knowledge of the idioms of the listed composers. You could adapt it to the individual level of each student.

Paul

[green]

Yes thats true and Hal Leonard now has several 'easy' fake books for latin, jazz, etc. Beginners can certainly work out basic chord symbols and learn a melody on top, the associated scales, and begin to improv.

I've also started using all these play along Cd's I have, some of which have excellent rhythm sections with real musicians, giving them to beginners with a scale to noodle around with, can be lots of fun for them, then working backwards adding a LH accompaniment, alone with recording, hearing chord changes, then HT without recording, then together with CD.

I'm using the Berklee press 'Blues improv complete' CD, each of the tracks is in a different style - blues, shuffle, funk, bossa, etc - all of which require a different shift in mood and character - which is then another topic to deal with in beginning improv.

Students immediately hear and feel the difference, and automatically adjust their rhythm and dynamics/articulation. Rhythm then becomes another issue to discuss in each track which provides ample material for a beginner.

Two handed very basic written out comping chords would be another musically satisfying activity for a beginner, can teach them about reading chord symbols and building their own chord changes, this maybe could come a bit later, but could provide many months of lessons in themselves. Rather then endless beginner pieces, working with a few elemental building blocks which all add up to music making, and can be applied to any context of a lead sheet, can full fill a deeper impulse for students to be truly creative, and there are only parameters to work within, not really 'right and wrong', no worry about reading, and it gets them using their ears which is what it is all about.

On another note, it gets them right into the midst of playing and making music with real musicians, not simulated musical contexts or studies to 'prepare' them for the day. And, it really is more interesting for the teacher, because when students are playing some simple chord changes, with or without the Cd rolling in the background, you can jump in and improvise a blues scale over top which can really bring it to life for them (and you!).

I had a good experience with this with a student recently, the parents were dancing in the background and thanked me so much after the lesson, that wasn't part of the plan, but I see that it is also very impressive to non-musicians, and appears much more complicated than it really is.

I'm still leaning to the Hal Leonard adult series as it introduces improv at the beginning stage, vocabulary is then immediately put to use in a musical context, and students can play along with the cd which again makes it 'musically satisfying'. So combining that with the jazz stuff above, can give you a heap of musical material to work through that is fun, satisfying for students, and arms them with essential musical skills at the same time.

[love_that_tune]

I absolutely teach with improvisation.  Right off the bat I start all students with the I IV and V chords and go around the circle of 5ths  When I'm teaching the Moonlight Sonata I teach the students to play all the chords as an arpeggio up and down the piano until they "feel" the chords.  They learn it in no time.  8 year olds start "making up" things this way and get inside the chord structures immediately.  later on they can learn the how and why.  I also teach them to play with technique immediately.  I can't stand to hear students who have been taught for years and all they know is the notes and rhythm.  I'm convinced Beethoven would have loved synthesizers.  Heck he had a brain like a synthesizer.