The improvising pianist
The violinist drops out first. The flutist stops playing a few measures later, followed quickly by the clarinetist. Suddenly I find myself playing a piano solo of basic chord changes in front of an audience while my fellow performers shoot me panicked looks. I improvise a melody, work my way to a satisfying cadence, and end the piece.
I’m playing musical theater auditions and I’m handed unmusical orchestral reductions. I improve the score by improvising accompaniments for all of the singers, which gives them the confidence to express themselves more freely.
I’m at my father’s retirement home playing for him and his friends. A woman asks to hear “Moon River” so I improvise a rendition for her and smile as she sings along.
None of these improvisations were artistic masterpieces, but all of them highlight a very important truth about playing the piano: improvisation is a skill that can enhance every pianist’s experience. Whether it be rescuing oneself from the “stuff” that happens in a performance, improving a poorly written arrangement, or fleshing out chord changes, improvisation is both a safety net and a joy. Freed from the constraints of the score, we let our imaginations and fingers run wild, and sometimes we create something beautiful. It’s unfortunate that many of us weren’t taught improvisation in classical piano lessons, but thankfully it’s never too late to learn.
I’m a self-taught improviser. My training ground was 4-part hymns and the standards I found in the Reader’s Digest collection,Treasury of Best Loved Songs. Years later I learned to play from lead sheets. After a lifetime of improvising, and many years of teaching, I’m convinced that the most difficult barrier to improvisation is the fear we bring to the keyboard. Everything else comes down to two things: being curious, and being willing to throw out the idea of mistakes. Improvising is a process, not a destination. Or, to paraphrase an old jazz aphorism, in improvisation there is no right or wrong, just better choices.
Improvisation is a skill that improves with time. It is also something that jazz, rock, and popular pianists do so well that I’ve hesitated to post anything about it. My simple tips come from the perspective of a classical pianist who improvises for fun. Classical players are trained to follow rules; the best improvisors break rules. This is why the best improv teacher is experimentation, not another set of rules. Consider these few tips gentle suggestions, not a formula. Adopt any that are helpful and discard the rest. And, in the process, have a little fun!
Start with something easy
Choose a slow and simple piece you know extremely well. Pop music, holiday tunes—anything that isn’t musically complicated. If you’re worrying about what’s written on the page, you won’t feel comfortable improvising around it.
Keep steady time
One of the first things new improvisors tend to do is add or subtract beats from measures. Don’t. The pulse is the glues that keeps the piece together and the further one gets from what’s written, the more important it becomes.
Start with long notes
Are some of the notes or chords held for a measure or more? These places are excellent moments to improvise. Think of it as filling empty spots.
Work within the chord
All notes may be available to us, but not all of them will sound musical in every context. To narrow your choices, consider starting your improvisation experiment with just the notes that fall within whatever chord you’re currently playing. As your confidence increases, add other notes as well.
Use open voicing in the left hand
Triads sound great when played in the upper register of the piano, but get clunky and muddy sounding when played in the lower. This is why most improvisation books will recommend using “open voicing” in the left hand, which essentially means keeping plenty of space between the notes you’re playing. To get you started, consider using these three patterns in your left hand (you can put the other notes of the chord in the right hand, underneath the melody):
The root note of the chord, either single note or in an octave (great for pop songs!).
The root and the 7th of the chord (for jazz pieces)
A rolling pattern of root-5th-3rd of the chord (good for ballads)
Keep expectations low
Unless you’ve got a gift for improvisation, your first attempts may make you cringe. Treat yourself with the same compassion and respect you’d show a toddler who is learning to walk. You’re learning, and learning takes time. Improvisation is an exercise where children have the advantage. Free of ego and expectation, they wander around the keys with abandon, using only their ears as guides. They play, they don’t work. That playfulness and freedom is what I try to emulate when I improvise.
Other resources:
I’m a firm believer that the best way to learn to improvise is to just sit down and do it, but plenty of people find they benefit from more guidance than my few tips offer. If you seek more structured instruction on improvisation, there are multiple resources out there to assist you. Here are two excellent guides, both written by renowned pedagogues:
Create First, Pattern Play by Forrest Kinney
Easiest Way to Improvise by Christopher Norton
Whether you learn by experimentation or with the help of a trusted guide, the end destination is the same: the freedom and confidence to spontaneously create music.
Photo courtesy of Bob Dionne