Questions tagged [improvisation]
For question about spontaneous composing in real time, typically during performance.
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Improv over Tennessee Whiskey
I'm playing Tennessee Whiskey. So, the progression is A to Bm. I know there's some pentatonic involved, but should I stay in A pentatonic or should I be switching things up entirely when I go to the ...
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Is it better or even possible to use one syllable for vocal improv (scatting) or is there a benefit to using multiple syllables?
I really want to be able to focus on just the pitch instead of lyrics of changing syllables when I do vocal improv. I’ve noticed that certain rhythms do not seem to flow as smoothly with one syllable ...
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How to compose for 5 notes/two octaves
I am playing a ngoni, a 10 string gourd harp. I have been happily playing various traditional African songs, but I want to progress to writing/improvisation. It seems like with the traditional setups (...
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bVI -> I which mode do I treat the bVI
I'm analyzing "Lost in the Woods" from the "Frozen 2" soundtrack and some other similar quirks in progressions and I'm wondering how to treat different modal interchanges.
The Lost ...
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How can you listen and judge where you are in the music whilst improvising?
When improvising over a chord progression, I have a hard time knowing where I'm at. I'm thinking about what I am trying to play and not listening to what going on in the background. I know this comes ...
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How do I improvise over the V7 chord in a minor key?
I've been working on a number of traditional jazz tunes in minor keys, and they often resolve V7 > i
During the V7 chord when improvising I feel pretty confused as to what notes to use. I end up ...
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Knowing where you are at in a progression during Improvisation [duplicate]
I'm sure this has been asked a million times but I cant find it.
I have a hard time listening and playing at the same time. Knowing exactly which beat we are on so I can play to the chord changes. I'm ...
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Improvising if I don't hear anything in my "mind's ear"?
Ever since I recently discovered my total aphantasia, I've been really curious as to whether or not I can achieve musical success. Part of this, at least to me, is creating music. So far I've learned (...
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Can I Learn Ear Training Without the Ability to Audiate?
I asked a question a couple days ago along the lines of "can I become a pro musician if I can't audiate?", which was rightly met with some opposition. I appreciate the responses I got on ...
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Jazz improvisation on descending chord progression
The challenge on this topic is Jazz improvisation scales and ideas on the following chord progression:
C#maj7 - Cmaj7 - Bmaj7 - Bbmaj7
So 4 chords are descending chromatically within 2 measures and ...
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How to learn piano improvisation
I am a self-taught piano player, played for about five years with shorter and longer breaks. I've never had any formal education, don't know chords or music theory. What should I do to learn piano ...
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How to play over add 11, 9 etc chords
How do u approach improvising. Over extended chords like c 11 chords eg. I ask because I struggle soloing over them on jazz tunes
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Singing improvisation when the band plays low
I tend to go to jams with other musicians and sing (improvise).
On such events musicians often play blues/rock on quite low-pitch scales, which is a difficult place for me being a mezzosoprane voice.
...
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Major chords on bass guitar
So I've been playing the bass for about a year and a half, I play most nights and play with friends as often as I can. Until now I have only played songs I can get tab for, and spend time learning it ...
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Is all this modal theory for guitarists truly necessary?
A common strategy to learning to improvise is to learn modes. On quite a few different guitar sites (source), I've found a strategy presented that goes like this:
Learn all the modes in a parent key....
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Improvisation and Jamming - the Similarities and Differences
I've been discussing with musos what similarities and differences there are between improvising and jamming. There seems to be a lot of vagueness here.
Some say that improvisation is one player making ...
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How to find scales to improvise with for "How Insensitive" by Jobim
I am pretty new to improvisation. So far I have improvised over a 2 5 1 change using the diatonic 7th chords and the underlying scale tones that fit in with that chord. I am playing on a guitar.
As a ...
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What does one need to know to learn to improvise with other musicians?
I came across the following video on YouTube in which two random people play the same piano together and to me it sounds really amazing. It's something that I couldn't do myself if someone started ...
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Why do i keep forgeting the sections while improvising?
I can do variations of my first section but when i go about developing: or i play the new section, but then i don't remember most of the first one; or keep repeting mentaling the first one while ...
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Help me to understand more interesting improv techniques [duplicate]
Question for all, doesn't have to be specific to jazz.
I love to improvise, and I'm definitely not new to it. This is something that I have been doing for many years.
I'm in a bit of a rut at the ...
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specifics on modal playing, or emphasizing an underlying chord
i've been reading a lot about modal playing, perhaps that which is derived from modal Jazz. the sources i've been reading & watching seem split about the notes/scale & which to emphasize.
some ...
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What Does Vertical and Horizontal Improvisation Mean?
In a question from around 8 years ago, one answer quoted jazz and rock/blues as using vertical and horizontal improvising, respectively. Never heard those terms. What are they representing?
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Does improvisation in the classical idiom differ significantly from jazz and folk improvisation?
How do musicians who actually improvise in classical music, such as Robert Levine, JS Bach, Edgar Meyer, church organists and classical ballet pianists, compose in the moment?
Are there any ...
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What are the rules of improvisation in gamelan music?
I see repeated reference to improvisation in Javanese and Balinese gamelan music but I don't see any reference to the actual rules of improvisation in that music.
What are the rules of improvisation ...
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Why do jamming musicians "trade fours" (rather than any other number)?
I've run across the idea of "trading fours" when playing in (and listening to) jazz groups; i.e. where two or more musicians take it in turns to play four bar licks or solos. I understand that it can ...
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What does it mean to play "behind" or "in front" of a root scale note [closed]
I've been playing bass for a couple of years now, learning mostly from tabs. Now I've turned to actually trying to learn more than robotically copying bass lines without understanding them. I've ...
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How do i solo with both scale and chords? [closed]
I know how to play pentatonic, major and minor scale.
The question in solo i have chord progression like: C G Am F.
Then i play C major scale, i could play are C major chord in all shapes.
But how ...
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Jazz Piano: Progressing to hand independence
I can improvise relatively freely over standards when using a moderate variety of voicings in the left hand.
I can improvise basslines reasonably well over right hand voicings.
Given I'm a ...
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Patterns for Leading Worship with Violin
I have had engagements with my church to play my violin for worship. In the past, I've just played the root notes of the chords listed on the chord sheet, which has filled the sound in nicely, and ...
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Why is a soloist using an E major triad over a G major 7 chord?
I've just transcribed the trumpet solo in the following recording:
http://www.sierramusicmp3.com/mp3/newmp3s/Heat%20of%20the%20Day,%20The%20(UNT).mp3
At around 5:20 the soloist plays an E major triad ...
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Does practicing set pieces on the piano lead to the ability to improvise or play accompaniment?
I am thinking of somebody whose entire musical training consists of playing from sheet music. He goes though all Bach, Beethoven, etc. and eventually becomes good enough for Carnegie Hall. He is ...
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How to escape the C Major trap when improvising on the piano
I play/practice the piano for some decades and when improvising (Jazz, Romantic, and sometimes even Baroque), I observe a certain magnetism of the C Major key. I'm able to play scales, arpeggios, ...
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How do you play these parts?
I don't know much about music theory but this part seems to require you to improvise or something (1st & 2nd link) , if so how do you learn to improvise something like this, where to start and ...
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Playing Am pentatonic scale over A blues chord progression
I had a guitar entrance exam yesterday regarding improvisation. The guy put on a A blues backing track and told me to improvise.
As I'm not a blues guy myself, I went and improvised on the A major ...
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Improvising over quartal voicings
One particular jazz piano technique is to voice chords using quartal voicings. A quartal voicing is a chord built on fourths. For example, one might voice Cmin with the notes (in ascending order) F-B♭-...
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What is a good guitar solo to learn in the minor scale?
I am starting to play and improvise in the minor scale, and I would like to learn some guitar solos that are good examples of this scale so that I see how other people use it. What are some famous ...
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What do you have to do to sound like you're improvising when you're actually reading from sheet music?
There are several reasons I often can't think fast enough to improvise a trumpet solo live over an unfamiliar set of chord changes, things like:
if there are upper extensions on the chord (e.g. #9, ...
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Is there a standard way to notate random-note stabs in a certain rhythm?
e.g. What the percussionist plays on the Cardiacs's Seaside album version of "Hope Day" at 4:15
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Composing romantic pieces
I am a fan of the organist Wolfgang Seifen. Recently, he played a piece which fascinated me: An arabesque in the style of German romanticism. (Hear it)
Being myself interested in improvisation, I did ...
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Is Gould playing extra notes in Bach's Toccata in C Minor, and if so, why?
In Glenn Gould's recording of Bach's Toccata in C Minor, it sounds like he modifies the melody in the the right hand to add two extra notes
You can hear it here.
Is this just a Gould improvisation, ...
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Blue Sky The Allman Brothers Band vs Pink Floyd Comfortably Numb theory
When I break down these two songs they are very very different. First blue sky by the allman brothers there is a chord progression of e b a e with choirs b a e a. This song is in the key of e. ...
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How to improvise a walking bass line
When improvising or writing a walking bass line the bass note (usually the root of the chord) is played on the chord change, but how do you choose the other notes for a walking bass line? Is there a ...
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Are weird chord types a byproduct of improvising and sound? [closed]
Say we have on one hand the basic chords of triads (major/minor) and sevenths.
And then on the other hand we have less common chords like sus4,add9,augmented,diminished,six chords,extended chords, ...
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To add chords to a song, is playing the chord that carries the melody equivalent to playing the melodic note as note 1, 3 or 5 of the chord?
When I was learning how to play songs on piano by ear, I didn't know how to add chords to a song melody. What I found on videos and on the Web was that you select a chord that carries the melodic ...
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What improvisational techniques were employed by Thelonious Monk and Charlie Parker that defined bebop?
I'm looking specifically for the principles of improvisation as demonstrated by Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk, the fathers of bebop. I realize my opinion may be controversial but I see Dizzy ...
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Improvising Chord Progressions
Usually when playing along with jazz standards we check out the changes before we start, the changes define the song.
I was wondering if it is possible to not have a predetermined set of changes ...
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What are the best ways to practice Jazz improvisation on the guitar?
I have played blues and rock music for a while now on the guitar and slowly venturing into Jazz. I have started with playing the chords and melodies of Standards such as "All of me", "Blue Bossa", etc....
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Pat Martino chord concept - Augmented Forms - Guitar Fretboard shapes
Imagine a A+ chord that Pat transfers to a Dm chord by raising the note c# to d. Pat seems to relate a A+ chord to a D-minor chord.
What´s the improvisational use of that approach as A+ is not "...
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What are the rules of improvisation in Indian ragas?
In How does improvisation in Indian ragas differ significantly from jazz melodic improvisation? Phil states:
With a Raga, there is no theme, per se. A Raga is more like a set of rules as to how you ...
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Music theory: scale/chord relationships and filler notes
In music theory they teach you there are scales are there are chords, and I am having a hard time really solidifying their relationship(s). What I am getting confused with is the chord progression/...
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