6 Tips for Learning to Improvise on the Piano
1. Chords or Melodies 🎵
Learning to improvise in music is a very unique skill and much like when we have a conversation (and essentially improvise with words), your hands need to be very comfortable with the patterns that make up the language of music. This is why initially it is best to systematise your improvisation so that you are able to clearly think through the process in your head as you are playing.
So when starting an improvisation you first need to select the scale that you are going to be using, then from here you can either play a melody and pick chords that work with your melody notes, or you can play chords and pick a melody that works with your chords.
The important thing in this process is that you aren’t trying to think through everything at once.
For example, if I chose the scale of G major (G A B C D E F#). I can first pick a chord to play (Chord 1: G major chord - G B D), now I can play this on the piano and pick a melody that works with these notes. To find a melody that works with these notes, you only need to know that the melody will sound safe and stable if you play a note that belongs to the chord, so you may want to play around with notes in the scale and always come back to one of these three chord notes.
Alternatively if you start with the scale of G major (G A B C D E F#). But you prefer to start with a melody, then pick chords that contains the note that you have in the melody at the time.
2. Structure 🏛️
During an improvisation it’s easy to get stuck playing one idea. Perhaps you’ve found a melody that sounds nice, or a set of chords that you really like. The problem is that ideas can start to get boring quite quickly, and this is why it’s a good idea to structure your music.
To do this, play through an idea and maybe repeat it, then come up with another idea using the same scale. By doing this, when you return to the original idea it will feel familiar and comfortable and it won’t sound so boring!
It’s also a good idea to develop ideas to tell more of a story with the music. At the start of an improvisation, you don’t want to give away everything all at once. Save something for later in the piece of music. So think about starting simple and small and turning the same musical idea into something bigger throughout the music! This will also keep the idea sounding interesting.
3. Mistakes Are Just Surprises 😮
It is inevitable when improvising that you are going to play something that doesn’t sound how you wanted or expected it to. You may be using a G major scale (G A B C D E F#) but you may hit a note that isn’t in that scale for example. However, it’s also important to realise that there is no such thing as a mistake in improvisation. What makes it a mistake or not is simply your reaction to it.
There have been many times when I have played a note that I wasn’t expecting while improvising and instead of stopping or immediately correcting the note…I instead play it again with confidence! Make it sound like it was all part of the plan and adapt to it…maybe play a chord that includes that note so that it doesn’t clash against the chord, or maybe play some more unusual notes to make the improvisation sound like its entering a more “turbulent” landscape. Whatever you chose to do with it, it is an opportunity to do something interesting!
4. Stick to Patterns That You Know 🤔
Many new musicians think that improvisation is all about making new, unique ideas on the spot. This is actually not the case. Improvisation is in essence a series of patterns that you have practiced before applied to a new situation. So to start getting really good at improvisation it is important to narrow down the number of variables that you are changing each time you try to improvise. This is why it’s a good idea to find two or three different ideas that you like and use them for everything…and I mean everything!
If you have a left hand chord pattern that you like, use it for lots of different chords. If you have a melodic idea that you like, use it all the time. The idea is that over time the patterns will become automatic, then you can throw in another chord pattern or melodic idea to start expanding your repertoire of patterns!
5. Listen for Genre Idioms and Copy 📝
Most musicians have an idea as to the type of genre that they like to play or listen to. Each of these genres have different commonalities and patterns that are used, and to be an affective improvisor it’s a good idea to start paying attention to these and using them in your own playing. For example if you listen to jazz music; it uses lots of 7th chords, there’s often solo sections, it has a more free structure with a couple of chord sequences that repeat a lot. Whereas if you listen to rock music, it uses power chords (often on a distorted guitar), it features a memorable chorus, there is often a melodic riff and there could be a guitar solo.
These different features are what make up the style of music, and recognising these will enable you to replicate something like it on your instrument….so listen and copy!
6. Make it Simple 😌
When starting to venture into the world of improvisation, it can be tempting to start playing complex chords or by playing random keys without any real reason in the hope that they sound good together. In reality, it’s much better to build up your understanding of what you are playing by starting simple.
Try to play something in the key of C major (C D E F G A B) with just basic chords in the left hand and a slow simple melody in the right hand. Starting from here will give you a solid foundation to build upon. Then once you are able to do this without much thought you can work from a place of curiosity, “what would that same idea sound like if I played it using a G major scale?”, “what would that chord sound like if I add a 7th to it?”, “can I make the texture sound much thicker by playing an interesting chord pattern in the left hand?”
Starting from a place of simplicity and really understanding what you are trying to do will give you a much clearer roadmap to expand your capabilities when improvising.
Matthew Cawood
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