{"id":5470,"date":"2021-10-22T05:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/?p=5470"},"modified":"2023-01-13T09:34:14","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T17:34:14","slug":"teaching-classical-pianist-to-improvise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/teaching-classical-pianist-to-improvise\/","title":{"rendered":"A Classical Pianist Learns to Improvise (Charmaine\u2019s Reflections)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Improvising scares me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Without sheet music, I don\u2019t know what to play. Improvising feels overwhelming, like being thrown into the ocean with no lifejacket. I&#8217;m not sure what notes go together and I&#8217;m afraid of playing things &#8220;wrong.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And I\u2019m not alone. Many classically trained pianists are afraid of improvising. Classical training teaches you to read music like a pro, but few modern classical musicians studied improvisation as part of their education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, in this lesson, Lisa finally teaches me improv! It\u2019s scary at first, but the experience has taught me that <em>anyone <\/em>can improvise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Your Go-To Place for All Things Piano<\/b><\/h2><p>Subscribe to <i>The Note<\/i> for exclusive interviews, fascinating articles, and inspiring lessons delivered straight to your inbox. Unsubscribe at any time.<\/p><iframe class=\"email-form-include\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weeklyemail\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe><\/center><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>How to Improvise in 5 Steps<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Step 1: Find something you\u2019re comfy with as a foundation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For this lesson, Lisa chose a song that I\u2019m familiar and comfortable with already: \u201cPrelude in C Major&#8221; by J.S. Bach. (Psst: it\u2019s also in C Major so I don\u2019t have to worry about sharps and flats!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Teaching%20Classical%20Pianist%20to%20Improvise\/Prelude%20I%20in%20C%20major%20chord%20progression.png\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>So for this exercise, we\u2019ll borrow the chord progression, rhythm, and melodic patterns of this piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Step 2: Get familiar with the chords by practicing them in inversions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cPrelude in C\u201d also has some pretty easy chords to improvise upon. The little section we\u2019ve chosen has this progression:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-large-font-size\"><strong><span style=\"color:#f61a30\" class=\"has-inline-color\">C &#8211; Dm7 &#8211; G\/B &#8211; C<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, Lisa gets me used to the chords. We do this by playing them in a few <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-chord-inversions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">inversions<\/a>. This lets me suss out the range of notes that&#8217;s available to me. It also gets my ears used to the chords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Teaching%20Classical%20Pianist%20to%20Improvise\/chords%20in%20inversions%20min.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m glad I listened to my piano teacher and practiced my inversions \ud83d\ude09 They come in handy here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SmO8UDmZdOI\" title=\"YouTube video player\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe>\ud83c\udfb9 <b><i>WHY DON&#8217;T CLASSICAL PIANISTS IMPROVISE?<\/i><\/b> It\u2019s kind of a running joke that classically-trained pianists get a deer-in-headlights look when asked to improvise. But this was not always so. In fact, the very best classical composers like Bach, Mozart, and Liszt were improv masters. And soloists once proved their skill by improvising their own cadenzas (the show-offy section of a concerto). But it\u2019s since become a lost art. However, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/music\/2020\/jun\/06\/why-classical-musicians-need-to-learn-how-to-improvise\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">some educators<\/a> are hoping this will change. And new classical pianists like <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/SmO8UDmZdOI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gabriela Montero<\/a> are making classical improvisation cool again. Watch Gabriela improvise a fugue in the video above!<\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Step 3: Break up the chords<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Next, Lisa has me break up the chords and play them in an arpeggiated, broken pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Teaching%20Classical%20Pianist%20to%20Improvise\/broken%20chords%20min.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you did classical lessons like me, you may be tempted to play broken chords in the patterns you practiced along with your scales. But try to switch things up a bit here. Make your brain work a little to find new orders of notes to play!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\"><center><h2 style=\"font-size:22px;\"><b>\ud83c\udfb9 Get a Head Start on Classical Piano \u2728<\/b><\/h2><\/center><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2022\/Beginner%27s%20Guide%20to%20Classical\/victoria%20theodore%20beginner%20classical%20guide.jpg\"><p>Love classical music but not sure where to start? Head over to <b>Classical Piano Quick Start<\/b>, four free lessons designed for beginners taught by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/victoria-theodore\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Victoria Theodore<\/a>. Victoria is a classically trained pianist with degrees from Oberlin College and Stanford University, and has played with Beyonc\u00e9 and Stevie Wonder. Start your classical journey with Victoria today!<\/p><br><center><a class=\"join\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/classical-piano\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GET 4 FREE CLASSICAL LESSONS<\/a><\/center><br><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Step 4: Connect the chord progression with other notes of the scale<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Now it\u2019s time to wander away from the chords \ud83d\ude31<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s a trick: since we\u2019re in C Major, <strong>all the notes of the C Major chord are fair game. <\/strong>This is a little embarrassing to admit, but learning this blew my mind. I\u2019ve developed a \u201cstick to the chord\u201d habit from my harmony and theory classes. But I realize that\u2019s theory on paper, not in practice. In practice, you can (and should!) have more freedom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:70%\">\n<video playsinline=\"\u201c\u201d\" autoplay=\"\u201c\u201d\" src=\"https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Teaching%20Classical%20Pianist%20to%20Improvise\/broken%20chords%20min.mp4\" loop=\"\" muted=\"\" width=\"100%\"><\/video>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>And here\u2019s another trick Lisa taught me: if something sounds \u201cwrong,\u201d just play the note next to the one you just played! It\u2019ll probably fix the problem \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">Step 5: Add a wildcard chord!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, Lisa challenges me to add a new chord to the progression, such as Am, which sounds really nice with this progression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To be honest, adding Am threw me off a little. So, the next time I do this exercise, what I\u2019ll do is add Am in the second half of a measure. For example, play G\/B in the first half of the third measure and go to Am in the second half.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This way, we keep everything balanced and symmetrical within four measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<span class=\"blue-text-block\">\ud83c\udfb9 <b><i>WANNA PLAY THE ORIGINAL &#8220;PRELUDE&#8221;?<\/i><\/b> It\u2019s a heavenly and beginner-friendly Classical piece. Get Lisa&#8217;s tutorial and free sheet music <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/moonlight-sonata-easy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">here.<\/a><\/span>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:32px\"><strong>Takeaways: How Classical Musicians Can Learn to Improvise<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Improvising with these steps was easier than I thought! And not that scary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Reflecting on my fears about improvisation, I realize I didn\u2019t quite understand what improvisation is.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Improv isn\u2019t about throwing yourself blindly at a piano\u2014yes, it can be chaotic, but it\u2019s <em>organized chaos. <\/em>Improv masters like jazz pianists don\u2019t start from absolutely nothing. They improvise off a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/piano-chord-progressions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">chord progression<\/a> or a jazz standard. And they <em>practice<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>My performance in this video was a little rough at first, but after a few tries, I played faster and with more confidence. And things started coming together!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Summing up, here are my tips:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">#1. Borrow from a song you\u2019re already comfortable with<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For even more guidance, pick a song in a simple key (like C Major) and choose a progression (like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/pop-piano-chord-progressions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1-5-6-4<\/a>) that is straightforward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns are-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<p><meta charset=\"utf-8\">You can do a lot with a very simple song. For example, one of our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/twinkle-twinkle-5-styles\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">recent lessons<\/a> was playing &#8220;Twinkle Twinkle Little Star&#8221; in five genres. Guest artist <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/kevin-castro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kevin Castro<\/a> took a very simple children\u2019s song and a very simple progression and created five spectacular arrangements out of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><meta charset=\"utf-8\">This is an exercise I would try next as a beginner improviser!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-vertically-aligned-center is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"1 Song, 5 Different Genres (Piano Lesson) \ud83c\udfb9\u2728\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DINpAsM1u0A?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:28px\">#2. Use stuff you already know<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a classical musician, you have an advantage because you already have a few tools under your belt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While improvising, I found myself naturally playing patterns I\u2019m already familiar with. Things like scales, trills, and thirds. I know that thirds sound good, that trills add ornamental flair, and that scales help take you from point A to point B in a nice, sensical way.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.musora.com\/musora-cdn\/image\/quality=85\/https:\/\/pianote.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/blog\/2021\/Teaching%20Classical%20Pianist%20to%20Improvise\/improv%20toolkit.png\" alt=\"Infograph titled Charmaine's Improvisation Toolkit with three icons for scales (stairs), trills (a fancy flourish), and thirds (hand holding up 3 fingers).\" width=\"600\" height=\"300\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>So make use of your existing knowledge \ud83d\ude42 You probably already have some!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" style=\"font-size:16px\">#3. DON\u2019T be afraid to make mistakes!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Improvisation is not supposed to be perfect. At least not right off the bat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Astute viewers would note that I play a G chord instead of the G\/B chord at one point. But I chose not to dwell on it and move on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you make mistakes, that\u2019s okay. As Lisa demonstrated, mistakes are pretty easy to fix\u2014just play the note next to the bum note and it\u2019ll probably fix the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Remember: just like scales, chords, and sight-reading, <strong>improvisation is a skill you can practice<\/strong>. And unlike scales, chords, and sight-reading, it\u2019s <em>pretty addictive<\/em>. I wish our lesson was longer so I could keep exploring the chords!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thanks, Lisa, for the improv lesson! And to all you classical pianists out there: go improvise!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:10px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe class=\"email-form-include-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/weekly-email\" frameborder=\"none\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:15px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Classical training teaches you to read music like a pro, but few modern classical musicians studied improvisation as part of their education.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":10857,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1110,1108],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-improvisation-musicianship","category-musicianship"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5470"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10858,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5470\/revisions\/10858"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pianote.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}