How To Do Just About Everything
By eHow Arts & Entertainment Editor
Rate: (8 Ratings)
Improvisation is creating in real time. Some musicians are superb at this skill. It involves risk, and the rewards are very enjoyable. Start with small steps.
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Comments
Anonymous said
on 2/21/2006 If you are just beginning jazz improvisation, use the blues scales more often. You can find these anywhere on the Internet. For intermediate players, you should try learning the bebop scales and pentatonic scales. Of course, a teacher would help. It's a good idea to listen to recordings of people improvising, but I would suggest that you listen to more of your instrument, because there are different styles for different instruments, and different tricks and nuances exclusive to certain instruments. For example, with a saxophone you can bend notes, but with a clarinet it is less prominent. Then again, with a clarinet, it is easy to run up and down scales, but with a saxophone it is much harder. In addition, I would suggest listening to players such as Lester Young, as he is well known for his melodic, yet simple solos. As for play along tapes, they are very useful if you don't have anyone to play chords or baselines for you at any time, and I would recommend the Jamey Aebersold series.
Anonymous said
on 1/18/2006 Listen to a player or a piece of music that you enjoy, and pay attention to the improvised passages. Small improvised phrases are called riffs. Step one:
Listen to a riff and sing it back. Step two:
Then play it back on your instrument.
Many solos are clusters of riffs. An unimaginative player with a memory of many riffs can still have a good groove, while an excellent player starts with a memory of many riffs, and improves on them.
The best players will (among other things) mix an encyclopedic memory of riffs with scales and arpeggios and with freshly invented melodic lines.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Listen to all types of music. You will find a lot of new ideas on how to improvise.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 Learn your scales. ... I know it's not fun and all, but if you have no idea what notes fit into a key, you're going to struggle to improvise well.
Anonymous said
on 11/22/2005 These are usually sold in a package that includes a CD consisting of a rhythm section accompaniment and a music book containing the melodies/chords of the tunes on the CD.