Thursday, September 3, 2009

THE ART OF MUSIC IMPROVISATION



T
his is for you EV to help you with your research on improvisation.


Improvisation is music which is created as it is performed, without previous preparations or detailed notation. Improvisation was once considered of great importance, and was a skill much practiced by keyboard performers, such as Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven; in 1747, for example, Bach improvised a fugue on a theme devised by Frederick the Great, which he subsequently developed in his Musical Offering.

In modern times, jazz musicians have improvised melodies against a harmonic, or modal, background, and improvised passages have appeared in "aleatory" music, which contains elements of chance, or random selection. Nowadays, improvisation may be applied to a wide variety of skills, ranging from elaborate extemporisations by organists or other keyboard performers, which may involve a high degree of compositional talent, to the reproduction, or harmonization, of existing music

Some people have a natural gift for playing by ear music, which they have heard, sometimes with a remarkable degree of accuracy. Those who do not possess this gift may, with practice, acquire sufficient skill to enable them to harmonize melodies, and possibly to attempt simple composition, at the piano. To attain this skill, some knowledge of harmonic progression is necessary.




Bach and Mozart


Beethoven, Chopin and Liszt



Cavallaro, Duchin, and Liberace


Some great improvisers at the piano are Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Liszt, Cavallaro, Duchin, and Liberace.


Do you remember your progression studies? Keep practicing and memorize them by heart.



11 comments:

RMChito said...

Wow, ang gleng-gleng! You really take care of your piano students ha!

Mang Joe is very good sa jazz and he improvises very well.

Bay Martin said...

Indeed he is! He loves jazz music!

Montsing said...

Is Mang Joe teaching piano?

KarloV said...

Five minutes before practice T2 Bay ha!

Are you teaching us improvisation?

Bay Martin said...

@ Montsing.

Mang Jose used to teach piano before, but couldn't do it on a regular basis. He is very much busy with his piano tuning activity.

Bay Martin said...

@ KarloV,

That's part of your piano lesson in level 3.

Montsy-Montsy said...

I'll visit you during the holidays and listen to Moonlight Sonata. Hope the moon is full, knowing you're so moody when it comes to piano playing hmmppppp!!!

Bay Martin said...

You are always welcome. Make sure the moon is full, or I won't play the sonata at all ha ha just kiddin! I am actually mastering the last page of the piece.

Jose said...

Join ako dyan! I want to hear Remember Me and Love and Devotion ulit.

Bay Martin said...

Just drop by and we're going to have some fun! Jamming tayo!

Ka Miyong said...

Very interesting post! You really take care of your students ha!