Alright, despite being probably a very common question, and one that doesn't appear on this sort of forum very frequently, I would nevertheless want to hear advice from you pianists out there.
Since I started playing, I've already been intrigued with the prospect of improvisation - I'd learn melodies or pieces by ear, then play around with them, play them in different 'styles' - such as turning 'The Entertainer' into a waltz, or whatever. My inclination towards this hasn't faded, and it never has - I think improvising (not just on a musical instrument, but possibly acting as well, making jokes, etc.) could perhaps be the single most enjoyable thing a human being can do, as far as my experience has been.
The problem is, I sort of feel like I am in a box - my classical piano training has helped me a great deal in my technical approach to improvisation, but I feel like I just don't have enough knowledge of harmony and melody to do more than what I do all the time already.
I am able to play all the basic chords, including 7ths, diminshed/half-diminshed, etc., but I feel like my understanding of how music harmony works is still quite limited. I also wish I could improvise the way the Baroque masters did (i.e. polyphony), but it's terribly hard and not very fun to do since it seems to be a long, slow, and ambiguous process (at least from my current standpoint, which is, as I said, quite limited).
I just feel like I'm in a box and it's hard to get out of it. How does one become an expert jazz player, able to shape a tune in a myriad of ways in the blink of an eye? To the commoner who isn't exposed to these music genres, my improvising may already sound complicated, but for me, it just isn't enough, and I can't exactly pinpoint the best way to expand that.
So, what would be your ideas on how to widen my harmonic knowledge and understanding, as well as my capacity to shape melodic lines in a more musically pleasing manner? How can I practice this? How can I improve my skill as an improviser?
Much thanks,
cuberdrift
Topic: How can I practice piano improvisation?