The Joy of Improvisation
by Nancy Fierro
One of my adult piano students once said to me: “I know that my improvisations would never be on the level of music by Chopin or Beethoven. So why spend time learning to improvise when I can use that time to learn masterpieces?" It’s true that we are all short on time and that setting priorities in our lives is a must. However, in the next few paragraphs, I’d like to make a case for learning the art of improvisation---for the sake of coming to understand music more deeply and most of all for the pleasure of self-expression.
WHAT IS IMPROVISATION?
Improvisation is natural and intuitive. It is part of our everyday lives. We improvise conversations all the time. When we speak, we express what’s in our hearts and minds. We are good at it because we have listened to many conversations, have created thousands of sentences, have a good base of vocabulary and have learned how to put words and sentences together by studying grammar and syntax. The same process occurs when we improvise at the piano. Improvisation is the ability to invent music spontaneously. When we first begin to improvise we will probably not produce music as well-crafted or inspired as the masterworks but in time we will deepen our understanding of the musical language and eventually find our own personal vocabulary and syntax. We will learn how a melody, a progression of chords, a random rhythm we create relates to emotion, thought and mood and how we can give our musical thoughts logical meaning in the flow of sound. Through improvisation, we come to know music from the inside out. Rather than music moving from the written score to the mind and to the fingers, in improvisation, the sound flows from the imagination to the fingers onto the keyboard. What follows is a thrilling sensation of freedom -- a quality that can find its way into our performance of the masterpieces.
BALANCING FREEDOM AND CONTROL
Artistic expression reflects a fine tension between control and freedom*—too controlled our performance will be rigid. Too free and the results will lack direction. When we are learning to play classical piano, the emphasis is more on control. Control is represented by hours of practice to hone technique and perfect all the performance details of the score. Even our interpretation of the score is bound by dictates of structure and style. To give a convincing performance, we must free ourselves from the literal reading of the score and learn to read "behind the notes" to find the expressive meaning of the music. On the other hand, when we improvise, we begin directly with the nuances of personal expression. For this reason, improvising may be an effective way to cultivate the subtle aspects of performance.
The two traditions--performing written scores and improvising music enrich each other. Learning to interpret musical scores authentically refines our ideas and opens the way to greater understanding and complexity. Improvising helps us discover and explore the range of expression in music. Early classically-trained musicians understood the value of both currents and so were often equally skilled in both. Bach, Mozart and Beethoven were all great improvisors. After hearing Beethoven play his first concerto, Wenzel Tomaschek, a well-known virtuoso remarked: "his magnificent playing, and particularly daring flights in his improvisation, stirred me to the depths of my soul."
A PRACTICAL SKILL
There is something to be said about the practicality of learning to improvise as well. When we experience making up our own melodies, chord progressions and rhythms, we appreciate the inner workings of how music is put together. This experience brings us much closer to understanding the results of the creative process behind the masterpieces. Sometimes when learning a score, I write down the basic harmonic flow or "harmonic floor plan" of the piece then, improvise over the chord progressions. This is very helpful in securing the memory but also in feeling the underlying tensions and easements of the music I am performing. There are some professions such as that of church musician or dance class accompanist where improvisation skills are required.
HOW TO BEGIN IMPROVISING:
1. Create an environment of freedom
"Okay," you say, "I want to learn to improvise. So, how do I start?" Improvising means letting my intuition guide me. This requires mentally letting go of the outcome, giving ourselves permission to play whatever comes to mind, letting the fingers roam over the keyboard as they please. Nothing is wrong or right. There is no standard to match. When we improvise, we enter a "free zone." Everything is acceptable i.e.
· Mistakes are OK. So-called mistakes can often be inspirations for more creative ideas.
· Simple ideas are OK. The musical ideas we produce do not need to be complicated or impressive. In fact, simple and short motifs work best at first.
· A slow tempo is OK. There is no need to play fast. Find a comfortable pace so that you can really listen and savor the sound.
2. Provoke the Imagination
We may find it difficult to make music "out of thin air" so to speak. Sometimes the creative brain needs a jumpstart. I like to keep on hand what I call "starters"--ways to stimulate the imagination and get it moving:
· Picture scores. Instead of a written score, place a magazine picture on the music rack. Read it like a score. Turn the design into sound. You may want to follow the contour of a mountain range for melody or allow the seasonal mood or colors to evoke a feel.
· Use a poem or favorite text to inspire you. Set the words to music.
· Song Styling: Create your own ideas around a written piece of music. You may want to choose a familiar piece. Play it as is then make your own version of the piece by changing one or more of its musical elements: Change the meter---i.e. if it is a waltz turn it into a march. Change the mode--if it's minor, make it major. Substitute harmonies; change the direction or make up a variant of the melody. You may want to pick just one of the musical elements to alter. For example, you might use the rhythm of "Jingle Bells" but play entirely different notes to that rhythm.
3. Get a working knowledge of scales and chords
We are comfortable being spontaneous in our everyday conversations because we are versed in the language and have a great deal of experience making sentences out of the words we know. Scales and chords are the vocabulary of music. The more familiar we are with musical vocabulary and syntax, the better we will be in crafting our improvisations. In the long term, improvisation is about deepening our understanding of the musical language. For this reason, it is not only important to play scales and chords but to be playful with them. Over time we will store up many "experiments" in our memory. These musical patterns will literally flow to the tip of our fingers when we need them.
Musical elements to explore and practice may include:
· Scales and scale fragments. (explore some exotic scales or make up one of your own)
· Common cadences--chord progressions that give a sense of finality and bring the music to a formal close.
· Various rhythms and meters, or create free flowing music with no beat at all.
· Basic chord progressions in all keys. Many musicians pick out chord movements from existing music, memorize them, then improvise over them in various keys.
4. Experiment with Form and Structure
After some time, we may want to guide the flow of music so that it has some type of shape. That shape can be anything we can imagine. We are the architect of our musical edifice. As we listen to ourselves, we will begin to hear how the elements of repetition, variation, contrast, sequence and surprise help extend ideas and bring cohesiveness to the music. For example, let's say we start with a brief motif. We might repeat our idea again but with a slight change, repeat this version creating yet another little change and so on. This chain of varied repetitions can then be joined together into a section. We may want to contrast this section with a new motif which builds into something quite different. These two contrasting sections can be labeled A and B as landmarks. We can also experiment with other types of sectional continuation such as ABCD or ABACA.
Sometimes I meet with a colleague to improvise four-hand music. As we listen and respond to each other's motifs and rhythms, the music unfolds organically. Our improvising becomes a live conversation where the interactions can be humorous, imitative, contradictory, enhancing or divergent. The same cohesive elements are at play here as in more formal structures: repetition, sequence, variation, contrast, climax, surprise and conclusion. When we create, we don’t know where the music will take us. Each phrase suggests the next gesture. We begin only with the sense that the music will start somewhere, go somewhere and end somewhere.
Another approach to form might be through fantasy. For example, you might invent a story then dramatize it in music. Or, put a DVD film in the computer or TV, turn down the volume and become a "silent movie pianist"--improvising music as a backdrop to the action.
Conclusion
One of my adult piano students, who is one of the busiest person I know, finds time for improvising on the piano--it is his passion. At first he struggled because he had difficulty letting go. Accepting the outcome of his efforts did not come easily to him because he has such high standards for everything he does. But he persevered and as he progressed, a thrilling transformation took place. Before long, I saw a profound joy in his face-- a joy he radiates to his family members when he improvises. Late in the evening, “when the silvery light of the moon floods the house,” he turns off the lights, sits down at the piano and lets his fingers articulate his mood. He comments: “I was surprised and delighted to find that all my family love my piano improvising.”
When we first start to improvise, we are self-consciousness and afraid of sounding bad. If we can drop the labels of "good" and "bad" and listen to ourselves without judgment, we will see how beautifully the imagination works and how natural music making becomes. Including improvisation as part of our musical experience provides a refreshing approach to our instrument and enhances our musicianship. Improvising builds confidence and security at the keyboard and inspires a more personal expressive touch in our performance of the standard repertoire. Perhaps the greatest reward though is the excitement of creating our own music.
*Thanks to Tom Darter for his idea on the tension between freedom and control in art, expressed in his article "Improvisation: Exploring the Magic of the Moment." Also to Mildred Chase for her helpful examination on the nature of improvisation and for her conviction that we all born with the ability to improvise--thoughts so well elaborated in her book "Improvisation: Music from the Inside Out."
copyright 2010 Nancy Fierro
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