Improvisation on a theme from Liszt - Spanish Rhapsody

[ranjit]

This theme from the Spanish Rhapsody is extremely catchy. I normally don't improvise over classical themes, but I thought I might give it a try. Would love to hear your thoughts!

[quantum]

You brought a number of the characteristics from the Liszt piece into your own. 

Improvising in the style of a composer or a piece is an exercise one can use to broaden one's improvisational repertoire.  The more styles one is familiar with improvising, the broader the palette one can choose from when creating one's own improvisations from scratch.  A few of my teachers did exercises where we would start by playing a few bars from the score, then continue improvising in the same manner. 

I would have liked to hear you expand on some of the chosen patterns for longer periods.  Another thing to do is slightly twist the pattern so it grows into something a bit different, yet remains identifiable as coming from the same pattern.  For example, inserting some accidentals in the theme so it is heard in a different mode, you could also do this with chords by modifying select notes. 

[ranjit]

Thanks for your reply!

You brought a number of the characteristics from the Liszt piece into your own. 

I have a certain affinity for Liszt, and have always liked his pieces when they're played well. I think Liszt has subconsciously been a large part of why I have acquired a range of different techniques over the years. It's interesting how, when a particular style is "in your ear", it makes it somehow easier to learn stylistic elements. You just keep trying to produce the sound in your head, and it often works out. It's been my experience, though I know it's unusual, that virtually all of my technique of this sort has been achieved through improvisation (this makes it hard to work with a teacher!).

A large number of my ideas owe themselves to Liszt -- the way fast octaves and scales are used, chromatic third passages with both hands, quick colorful arpeggios, chromatic octaves especially in the bass registers, playing chords a third apart (chromatic mediant chords), as well as more recently the idea of modulating using successive diminished chords (C dim-Db dim-D dim-Eb dim...).

Improvising in the style of a composer or a piece is an exercise one can use to broaden one's improvisational repertoire.  The more styles one is familiar with improvising, the broader the palette one can choose from when creating one's own improvisations from scratch.  A few of my teachers did exercises where we would start by playing a few bars from the score, then continue improvising in the same manner. 

I figured the same. I have also found that improvising in the style of a composer helps you understand and internalize their actual music better and quicker.

I would have liked to hear you expand on some of the chosen patterns for longer periods.  Another thing to do is slightly twist the pattern so it grows into something a bit different, yet remains identifiable as coming from the same pattern.  For example, inserting some accidentals in the theme so it is heard in a different mode, you could also do this with chords by modifying select notes. 

I'll try it out! The accidental idea is interesting, although I'm not sure if I'm familiar enough with modes to use them in this kind of improvisation (I have no idea how functional harmony would work in that context, for example). A closely related idea I have is to use unusual ornaments to suggest a different scale/mode. It intrigues the listener's ear, but it's so short that they are left wondering if you're actually going to develop it later on or not.

[quantum]

I'll try it out! The accidental idea is interesting, although I'm not sure if I'm familiar enough with modes to use them in this kind of improvisation (I have no idea how functional harmony would work in that context, for example).

Don't worry too much about the theory when adding new techniques to your improv.  Just try it out and use your ears - enjoy exploring.  If you like it you can later dig deeper into the theory of why it works. 


Look here at the "One note at a time" section.  It could be applied horizontally (melody) or vertically (chords). 
https://www.organimprovisation.com/practice-with-focus/

One can start to create new melodies or harmonies, by taking existing ones and modifying them by one note. 

Another example of this is taking a major melody and flipping it to minor, and doing vice versa.  This is of course modifying the 3rd scale degree.  But you don't have to be limited to the modifying the 3rd degree, you can change any of them.  So if you for example, modify the 7th degree to be flat, it might suggest a mixolydian mode.  Again, have fun exploring these things.