Looking to work on improv? I’ve recently been on a bit of an improv kick & even have my first album of improv out. It can be intimidating at first, & I’m not the world’s most eminent expert, but it can certainly be a balance of art & science. You don’t have to have the so-called muse present to improvise!
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Want to listen to some improv while you read? Stream Stay Home…& listen to harp improv on Spotify, Apple Music, Google Play, YouTube, or your music platform of choice.
Here are 5 ideas to help you &/or your student(s) improvise.
Make up melodies using only the notes of chords.
For example, if you’re playing on a C chord, only play the notes C, E, & G.
- Play them in different octaves.
- Play them in different orders.
- Repeat notes.
Play scales based on the chord roots.
If you’re playing over a C chord, play the notes of the C scale in order.
- Play them ascending & descending.
- Play the notes in different rhythms.
Improvise over an existing chord progression.
As they say, no need to reinvent the wheel!
- Practice using the chords from an existing song. Start with a song in mind, or just open up a fake book. This is also a great way to prolong a song while gigging. You can play the song as written the first time, improv over the chords (whole piece or just part), then play the song again.
- Use a common chord progression, such as I IV V. (See the next tip for more on that.)
- Or try another common progression, like the one from Pachelbel’s Canon.
Choose a chord progression.
Make up or find a chord progression to improvise on. Apply your music theory knowledge, or make it into a chance game. Or a little of both!
- Put some chord names or Roman numerals in a hat & draw them out to decide your chord progression.
- Write out a progression(s) to improvise on. I did this for some of the improv on Stay Home…& listen to harp improv. If you’re familiar with music theory (which you don’t need to be a theorist to do this), you can really follow the Tonic, Pre-Dominant, Dominant format to guide you…but don’t let it limit you!
Choose a technique to focus on.
This is a great way to change it up if you feel like you’re getting in a rut.
Here are some ideas:
- harmonics
- arpeggios
- glisses
- triplets
- près de la table
Hope this is helpful! Improv doesn’t have to be as scary as it can seem.
Want to purchase or stream my improv album, Stay Home & listen to harp improv? Through the end of April 2020, proceeds from the album will be donated to Samaritan’s Purse coronavirus disaster relief.
Want even more improv? Boogie on over to the Improv Playlist on my YouTube channel!
I’d love to see your improv videos! Be sure to tag me on Facebook, Instagram, & Twitter!
-Barbara
Barbara Fischer runs Fischarper, LLC and loves her job as a harpist and private music educator. She enjoys blogging about various aspects of the music field on fischarper.com/blog. For more music resources, check out the Fischarper store. Find out where you can find Barbara on the interwebs here. And you can sign up to receive Fischarper updates by joining the email list.