MUSIC is a like Recipe.
What kind of cook (musician) are you? Do you follow the recipe step by step or do you like to wing it (improvise) ?
I know. I can hear some of you out there, feel very strongly one way or the other. And I can understand this might be a controversial topic: most Classical musicians are trained from the beginning to play every note- exactly as the composer intended. Where as Jazz musicians are taught to explore from the beginning.
Where do you fall?
Of course, there’s no Right or Wrong here; maybe more like left and right and everywhere in between. I, myself, lie a little in the middle. As a teacher, I understand the importance of training students to read, understand, and honor the piece by playing it properly. As a pianist, I feel there are some styles of music that need to be rigidly followed while other styles are more forgiving of my embellishments. As a composer, I am constantly improvising- looking for new sounds & new melodies that catch my attention. After the idea is born, then great care is given to crafting the piece in a way that makes it easy for teachers and players to understand.
Today, I’d like to offer a few suggestions to help you feel flexible with the recipe; I want you to explore a little. Let your fingers wander….
Quiet Moments with You is a reflective piece using minimal chord progressions- giving space for the Right hand melody to wander and explore. This piece began life as an improvisation study for my student in the style of Erik Satie. I would love for you try it too, all you need is the first 4 bars.
First step: Play and listen to the harmonies; how does it make you feel? Try humming while you play, looking for a melody.
Next step: Learn to play these using notes using only your Left Hand. This frees Right Hand for Solo improvisations later.
Start simple with the Right Hand- let’s only use 5 notes: A B C D E. Try walking up & down in stepwise movements, then expand to skips. Look for patterns that please you. Not sure where to begin? Try 1 note at a time and add more when you’re ready.
Ready for more of a challenge? Add the notes of the A Natural Minor Scale. Only use the F# if you add the D9 chord- more about that later.
Are you ready to wing it from the established recipe and explore more? See how I put all these suggestions together and more with this
