How to Improvise on the Piano

Traditional piano instruction generally fails to challenge students to express their creativity and individuality through the instrument. For those who prefer to learn through experimentation rather than the study of others' work, improvisation is the answer. Developing the skills necessary to improvise on the piano requires dedication and careful study, as it comes naturally to very few.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Study music. Listen to your favorite compositions while reading the corresponding sheet music, if possible. Whether you want to improvise blues, jazz or classical, you must have an ear for good music before creating your own.
2. Pay attention to chord progression. Some notes signal the beginning of a song, while others have a sound of finality and nicely close a tune. Most music ends on a tonic chord, the chord that coincides with the piece's key.
3. Study and practice using intervals to build chords. You must know how to form major, minor, diminished and augmented chords to improvise effectively, which requires knowledge of scales.
4. Harmonize the melody. Knowledge of music theory and chord structure is a crucial element of harmonizing, but trial and error is often the key to perfecting a musical composition's sound.
5. Add note patterns to fill gaps in your music and enhance it's flow. Runs within a composition's key, chord inversions and arpeggiation are often the final touches that make a good piece of music great.
6. Stick with it. Although some people have a natural gift for piano improvisation, most musicians develop their skills over several years. You must study music and practice to master improvisational techniques.

Tips & Warnings

• Hum or sing the song in your head before attempting it on the piano. This is especially helpful for those who favor auditory learning.