Improvisation exerts a seductive power over all musicians. To be able to free yourself from the "shackles" of sheet music to give free rein to creativity. To be able to express personal emotions through the piano.
Who hasn't dreamed of it? Imagine mastering the instrument so well that you are able to create beautiful music in an instant.
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What Is Piano Improvisation?
Piano improv is not the same as playing randomly. Improvisation is a balance between freedom and constraints. Having the ability to choose any note to come next, but knowing which one will give you the results you desire.
There are many different ways to improv piano, but the one you may think of first is “improvising from scratch.” This is where the pianist creates a whole piece of music with no outside input.
You can think of this type of improv like an impassioned painter, approaching a canvas with a loose idea and throwing paints across the space in ways that appear haphazard and aimless. But, because the painter has ingrained knowledge of color theory, visual composition and even how the paint behaves, they are able to make a beautiful artwork that captures the emotions they envisioned.
Improv on the piano is the same idea. The pianist begins playing, perhaps not completely sure of what will come out next, but because they understand music theory, musical composition, and are confident in their abilities, they are able to play something that appears to come out of thin air.
Other types of piano improv include embellishing, soloing, jamming, and accompaniment.
It takes a lot of practice to get good at piano improv. It’s often one of the skills that budding pianists most look forward to.
Improvisation is a cumbersome five-syllable word that could easily be replaced with a friendly one-syllable word: play.
Forrest Kinney
Why Should I Learn About Piano Improv?
Improvisation appears in all sorts of genres and styles of playing, not just jazz and blues. In fact, one great historical example is Mozart, who was able to invent a thirty-minute encore after his Prague Symphony premiere in 1787.
Practically, piano improv can be used to
- Put your own spin on a written song
- Enhance a singer’s performance
- Provide Foley work or score for a movie
- Spontaneously create an atmosphere at a gathering
- Accompany poetry at an open-mic
- Take song requests
- Have a jam sesh with friends
- Create a dramatic effect
In strictly musical terms, the ability to improvise opens up so many doors as a musician. You are able to navigate a wide variety of musical situations adeptly. You can teach and learn with much more ease, and understand different stylings quickly.
Being able to improvise also means that you have an extremely thorough understanding of all parts of music.
Having the ability to modify a piece of work to suit your whims is no small feat. Being able to actually play, as in, have fun, with the piano allows the pianist to use their instrument to their full expression.
Using the piano as an extension of the body and mind, able to translate thoughts and emotions into music, is a worthwhile pursuit.
Types of Piano Improvisation
Although there aren’t official definitions of different kinds of improv, we can still think of some categories to help you understand what kinds of applications exist for this skill.
From Scratch
This is the type we have mostly been talking about, and the type that is perhaps the most recognizable.
Creating music from scratch means either using no sheet music at all or using lead sheets (sometimes called fake books) for some guidance. Lead sheets (meaning, sheet music that leads you) are like a rough outline, providing tips for intros and outros, as well as some suggestions for elements within the genre of music you are performing. But the meat of the piece is entirely up to you.
Embellishing
This type of improv is most used when making an existing piece of music your own.
Think of this practice to be like making a cover song, or putting your signature pizzazz into a piece. You can add flourishes throughout the entire piece or only in select places. Maybe you play in a different key than the original piece was written, or change the rhythm as needed. There are so many ways to reimagine a piece of music!
Soloing
Soloing is an act of improv. When you are soloing, you can utilize the “from scratch” method or the embellishing method.
Perhaps you are solo in the sense that you are the only one playing the entire time, or maybe you have a solo part within a song. Either way (unless your solo requires you to play the same part every time) you have the opportunity to spice up your solo differently with every replay.
Accompaniment
Accompaniment is another act of improv. Just like soloing, you can utilize “from scratch” or embellishing when performing accompaniment.
A good example of this would be if you were the piano player at a cocktail lounge, playing while a single singer performing on stage. The singer might be singing modified versions of songs that already exist, which requires you to modify those songs as well. You’ll want to be able to interact with the singer; when they pause, you fill the space with an interesting flair that may not be written.
Keep in mind this is only one example of accompaniment.
Jamming
Jamming is an act of improv. Most of the time, you’ll probably be utilizing the “from scratch” technique when you’re jamming.
Having a good old-fashioned jam sesh with your musical buddies is nothing short of an exaltation. Jamming is when everyone can play off of one another, pass the music around, harmonize, solo, and find the beat together. You likely have no set music for anyone to play, and instead, find your way through a musical journey together.
Tools for Piano Improv
Learning how to improvise playing piano takes time, patience, and trust.
It also takes a lot of solid understanding of the techniques behind being an adept piano player. Before you attempt too much improv, ensure that you are very familiar with the fundamentals. Notes, hand positioning, foot pedal use, harmonies, rhythm, theory, and the structures of music are all concepts you should have a really solid understanding of.
When all of those things are second nature to you, then you can easily utilize them while improvising. If you still struggle to press the keys you intend, it’s going to be so much more difficult for you to be able to translate your improv ideas to the keyboard. The end result is likely that you will become so frustrated that you give up. So, make sure you practice beginner's piano to be the best improviser you can be!
You can find many videos, various books, courses, and lessons to help you learn how to play improv piano.
These are some of the skills you will need to hone if you want to become an improv pianist.
Faith in Your Abilities
Is piano Improv hard? Yes.
Can you learn it well, and play confidently? Yes.
Having faith in your abilities might not be the first skill that you master, but it should be kept in mind in all steps of your musical practice. Without it, your music will seem unsteady and your wariness will find its way into your performance.
Improvisation implies a certain trust in yourself. Improvising is a leap of faith, turning your eyes from the sheet music, and expressing personal emotions and feelings that are often more intimate than those displayed during beginner piano lessons.
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Don’t be afraid of ridicule or looks from others, especially at first. Practice having fun, following your instincts, relaxing, and getting outside yourself.
Develop Your Ear
To improvise, you must have a developed musical sensibility.
Practice listening closely to many pieces of music. Identify its qualities; can you tell what time signature it’s in? What about the key? What chords are being played? What about scales? Would you be able to tell if a wrong note was played?
Inspiration doesn't come only from within, from feelings, from internal emotions, it's the product of what you've heard. Music by other artists can be a main source of material for inspiration and improvisation.
Improvising is largely about recall. Consciously or unconsciously, you’ll pull patterns of music from your head that you have learned, played, or have already heard elsewhere.
Practice Creating Melodies
If you're getting started with improvisation on the piano, your goal during your first attempts will be to improvise by playing a melody with your right hand and the chords with your left.
There's no magic recipe for creating a melody on the piano. The melody is the freest element in music, the one least bounded by theoretical constraints.
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There are two main sources of inspiration for melodies:
- Your inner being, mood, emotions, thoughts, or feelings at the moment. The melody, more than any other musical element, is an expression of the artist's soul.
- Melodies already invented by others, whether it is on the piano or not
Learn Triad Chords for Harmonizing
There are 24 major and minor triad chords. Become familiar with them and their arpeggios, in different octaves, and with both hands.
This sounds like a lot of work -and it is!- but it’s worth it to allow you to be able to play what you want without having to think about it too much. If these chords are ingrained in your muscle memory, then you only need to think about playing it for a split second before your hands bring it to life.
Practice With Different Constraints
Although you have the option of playing absolutely anything in the world when improvising, that unstructured approach makes it daunting and nearly impossible to proceed.
Instead, practice improv with different sets of “rules” for each practice segment. Try using only 3 successive notes and find ways to be creative with them with rhythm. Find other ways to give yourself a guideline that you can play with.
Final Thoughts
Although improvisational piano playing might be a distant goal, especially if you’re just beginning your lessons, it’s still worth thinking about.
Along with taking care of your instrument, knowing all sorts of playing styles will help you feel confident in your title as a pianist.
Absorbing all sorts of information and inspiration will help you stay motivated and give you fodder to use later on. Keep believing in your ability to learn and play. Remember that your musical voice is worthy of being heard. If you want to learn improv, it is a worthwhile pursuit.
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