Improvising to Mozart Live! With Adam Simpson
3I would just like to point out that before I continue in giving out tips to learning how to improvise, I do not begin to even dare promoting classical music (but I definitely teach it if somebody wants me to teach them). It is like saying telephone companies advertising their telephones, they wouldn’t advertise candlestick telephones (google somebody that is using this telephone). Anyway hahaha, this post is about learning how to improvise so here are some REALLY helpful tips (the performance details are at the very bottom of this post).
1) Play any notes that are within the key signature (or the proper musical term, diatonically). For example, if we are in the key of G Major, choose notes of G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G and listen to yourself. Have a go!
If you want to take this a step further, make the F# a F natural and then we are actually changing the key to C Major (no sharps or flats). This is actually a music composition technique called tonicization but the home key hasn’t changed.
2) Know your cadences. For example, when you feel that the music is coming to an end, use chords such as V-I or IV – I. Also, know other basic chord communications such as I-IV-V-I or I-ii-V-I.
3) Now melodically speaking, when you are feeling that the music is coming to an end, finish on scale degree numbers of either 1, 3, 5 or 8.
4) Improvisation does require concentration so when you’re doing it, concentrate.
5) Listen to your playing and be intuitive. This is absolutely vital if you want to create a great melody.
6) Improve your music theory and aural skills. The better you are at these, the easier and better improviser you will be. For example, the more chords you know, you will have A LOT more options to choose from such as suspension chords, augmented and diminished chords.
7) Be experimental. This will help you in becoming more musical and have better awareness.
8) Improve your sound recognition/perfect pitch and internal hearing skills (this is advanced so do not stress over this one).
9) Really enjoy it! Some unexpected and very therapeutical musical passages may come out.
With the snippets from this piece, you are probably wondering why on earth am I performing on 3 chairs? It was a very comfortable feeling for me (not a wheel adjusting chair) and this was a REALLY fun music performance night called The Music Extravaganza when I was an early music school student. I do also sincerely apologise for the very shaky camera.
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