How does one get a keyboardist interested in improvisation?

[thatfrog]

It's all in the topic.

The same words have 2 meanings:

1) If I have a keyboardist already who plays ok, but has no interest in improv, is there any magic pill I can drop into her beer to make her interested?

2) Where do I get a keyboardist who's already interested in free, more or less unplanned improvisation?

 

[mingguan]

Hm...

Let her listen to both original & improvised version of some song.
Maybe this will make her slightly interested in it.
Or is she lack of improvisation skill?
if yes, let her listen more to have more idea.

 

[vernplum]

You can make her interested by stealing her sheet music.

 

[DoubleBlade]

You can make her interested by stealing her sheet music.

And then you replece it with a new score sheet but this time the notes are all gone and only the chords are given on top :lol:

Actually I'm serious lah...you should do that... 8)

 

[mingguan]

Wah!!!
Sabo people...
but good idea!!!
:wink:

For my case,
I learned Improvisation by listening the music at the same time reading the score (piano score, conductor score...etc). Then, what you see is what you listen. You will then have more feel & idea of improvise.

I also listen to both original & improvised version of some song, and compare the different.

 

[DoubleBlade]

Listening to the original version and improvised version of the song and comparing them with the original scores is the most definite answer...

After that you may want to test her improvisation skills by giving a chord progression and tell her to improvise on that given chord progression.

 

[Silencer]

improvisation is an expression. its like talking with someone, a conversation.

like with any conversation, before you can contribute to it productively, listen to what they're saying first. then see how you can make it better.

 

[spikes]

so its like you 'listen' to them, get to know them, then when you know them well enough,then talk back to them in their own language... then you can be really good at it... so its like kinda what silencer said...

 

[azhiwen]

eh i just use the guitar tabs...so i am 'forced' to improvise that way...

 

[thatfrog]

Funny people

The keyboardists here who love to improvise, maybe you can tell me your musical story? Like.. "I used to play strictly by teacher approved scores only, till I met this pretty girl... Then I started to improvise because I wanted to look cool."

Or something like that

 

[mingguan]

Ha... Ha...
:lol: :lol: :lol:

My Musical Story is simple...

long long ago...

heard something nice from Radio/CD,
then without any score,
play it in my own way....

sometime I will end up playing "slightly different" thing (according to my preference or feel) from original... which may sound better than original (to me)...

The End.

 

[soft]

thatfrog, what songs are your band playing?

 

[thatfrog]

i don't really have a band :?

i have a drummer who's willing to work with me, but i need another harmonically-endowed instrument to work with me too (keys, guitar, trombone, whatnot)

check my signature, the concept's more or less there. improvisation as an end to itself. no rules, one day i can sound like a cheap lamb of god rip-off, another day like a unprofessional sigur ros, but it's all in the name of fun you know?

why's the exalted soft asking anyway?

 

[soft]

i am trying to find out what style of songs you are into and 'imagine' how the improvisation might sound like. then i can try to recommend ways fpr your keyboardist to experiment. :wink:

 

[thatfrog]

actually i don't really have a keyboardist.. i have a friend (or 2) who can play piano/organ but doesn't give a rat's ass about improv. and to my knowledge, can't do it too well either.

eh, been watching the northeastern musician thread? we're jamming this sun, i'm recording the thing on my laptop. maybe i'll post it on the open mic forum or something. can get a feel for my playing that way. heeyy maybe even the keyboardist soft will be interested in joining for a recording session or two. Or ten. :wink:

i hope we don't sound like crap, the whole group hasn't played together before :roll:

 

[qfactor]

Re: How does one get a keyboardist interested in improvisati

IMHO, both have the SAME problem!
And that's the LACK of SECURITY to cross to the other side! :lol:
The first keyboardist can't get away from her NOTES while the second keyboardist don't want to see any notes in front!!

It's a difficult dilemma to be in actually.
Though between the two, I think the first keyboardist has more "potential" to cross the line to the other side. The one who's into "freedom" just doesn't know the rules anymore to "get back in"! :lol:

QF

It's all in the topic.

The same words have 2 meanings:

1) If I have a keyboardist already who plays ok, but has no interest in improv, is there any magic pill I can drop into her beer to make her interested?

2) Where do I get a keyboardist who's already interested in free, more or less unplanned improvisation?

 

[kevinlimse]

There is a perfect remedy to this, I will not consider i perfect, but it has worked before. I am sure you all have heard Jazz music, and it is usually a lot of improvistation eh?

Notice that the improvisation is full of

1. Scales
2. Chromatics
3. Chords
4. Modulation
5. Dynamics

Sorry for the Jargon. Will explain if you need me to.

Before giving anyone the score, throw that away, spend 1 day for the sake of the band and change the score.

Add in impromptu scales, chords that does not make sense. Anny pianist will have pianistic sense and equality to a score, she will pick up the mistake, and edit any weird sounds there. Tell here to edit it any way she wants too. This will make up for the lack in 'Ommph.'

Lastly, catch here weakness, here favourite type of music that is, and allow her to groove and play as a lead, this will improve her confidence and her improvisation skills.

 

[zerosoul79]

improvise..

heh in my humble opinion as a keyboardist..one is usually force to improvise coz unlike guitarists who have access to gazillions tabsor guitar pro.. its more tedious to find sheet music, unlike u transcribe midi files..

I find that a hassle so i just improv.. takes a lot of guts and shamelessness to improv though ..

hence i feel it boils down to confidence.. will take time to build. play as much as u can as many gigs as u will and it'll show.. no short cut remedy here.

regards
Ezal

 

[zerosoul79]

improvise..

heh in my humble opinion as a keyboardist..one is usually force to improvise coz unlike guitarists who have access to gazillions tabs or guitar pro.. its more tedious to find sheet music, unless u transcribe midi files..

I find that a hassle so i just improv.. takes a lot of guts and shamelessness to improv though ..

hence i feel it boils down to confidence.. will take time to build. play as much as u can as many gigs as u will and it'll show.. no short cut remedy here ..heh


Ezal

 

[Cheez]

Re: How does one get a keyboardist interested in improvisati

The one who's into "freedom" just doesn't know the rules anymore to "get back in"! :lol:

Actually, there are rules in improvisation. One can hear immediately somebody who knows how to improvise vs rojak. Conversely, there's also freedom in playing scores - different interpretation styles etc. In the end, it is a spectrum - one cannot and should not go to either extremes.

And I totally agree with you - each should cross over to the other side. Then there will be a balance.