Free online resources on the Art of Improvisation : 1

www.musilosophy.com

FREE online resources on the Art of Improvisation

(Piano) Improvisation
Technique
by Musilosophy

www.musilosophy.com

Improvisation means real time composing.....

Copyright © 2006 Paolo Parrella.All rights reserved.

 Free online resources on the Art of Improvisation : 2
www.musilosophy.com
“I know of knowing nothing” ( Socrates )

Music is based on harmony

Harmony is based on chords and scales

Melody and improvisation are based on chords and scales

Accompaniment is based on chords and scales

Chords are based on scales

Scales are based on physics,mathematical principles and musical

tradictions

Musical tradictions are based on human

perception,technology,economy,history,religion…

Copyright © 2006 Paolo Parrella.All rights reserved.

 Free online resources on the Art of Improvisation : 3
www.musilosophy.com

SUMMARY

1. Keys
Key awareness
Major
Minor
Scale harmonization

2.Chords
Major 7th
Minor 7th
Dominant 7th
Half diminished 7th
Diminished 7th
Inversions
Chord degrees

3.Other scales
Blues
Whole tone
Diminished
Diminished/whole tone
Pentatonic

Copyright © 2006 Paolo Parrella.All rights reserved.

 Free online resources on the Art of Improvisation : 4
www.musilosophy.com

4.Melody
Melody building
Chordal notes
Turning note
Passing note
Leaning note
Delaying note
Anticipated note
Chromatic note
Double leaning note
Mixed note
“Wrong” notes

5.Phrasing
Beginning of phrase
Ending of phrase
Imitation

6.Rhythm
Emphasizing offbeats and upbeats
Syncopation
Swing
Polyrhythmics

7.Practice… Practice… Practice…

Generale practice
Progressive drills
Fondamental drills
Greatest piano improvise
Copyright © 2006 Paolo Parrella.All rights reserved.
 Free online resources on the Art of Improvisation : 77
www.musilosophy.com
About improvisation

Intervals

Improvisation with perfect fourths

Analysis of solos

Lydian chromatic concept

Main chordal progressions

Main used forms

Improvisation tips

Inside, outside

“Free” improvisation

What you have to avoid…

Improvisation goals

Copyright © 2006 Paolo Parrella.All rights reserved.

 Free online resources on the Art of Improvisation : 78
www.musilosophy.com

About other music subjects

COMPOSING

EAR TRAINING

ARRANGING

ANALYSIS

Copyright © 2006 Paolo Parrella.All rights reserved.

 jazz improvisation techniques : jazz music harmony : theory

Site map
|

Home | Pop music videos | Pop blues jazz albums | Jazz improvisation and harmony | Lingua
italiana | HELP and FAQ |

Site menu
● - Blues singer songwriter jazz pianist
● - Pop music videos
● - Pop blues jazz albums
● - Jazz pianist music stores
● - Improvisation : MIOP donation

Improvisation and music harmony : MIOP

● - Piano improvisation technique : introduction
● » Jazz improvisation and music harmony : summary
● - Music harmony concepts
● - Chord charts and keys
● - Learn chord charts
● - Major seventh
● - Dominant chord chart
● - Minor seventh chords
● - Half diminished chords
● - Diminished chord
● - Altered, whole tone, pentatonic, diminished scales
● - Blues scales chart
● - Learn blues chords and structures
● - Major blues charts
● - Minor blues
● - Jazz melody and improvisation
● - Jazz phrasing : imitation technique
● - Music phrasing
● - Music theory and mistakes
● - Music rhythm
● - Swing jazz rhythm
● - Learn music theory : polyrhythms
● - Jazz techniques : practice
● - Music techniques : coming soon articles
● - Art of improvisation project
● - General improvisation tips
● - Music studying : general tips
●

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-improvisation.htm 第 1 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 上午 01:17:04

jazz improvisation techniques : jazz music harmony : theory

Jazz improvisation, music harmony and theory

MIOP means Musilosophy Improvisation Open Project.

"Improvisation means real time composing.....

Improvisation means composing new ideas....".

Music bases on harmony.

Melody and improvisation base on chords and scales.

Accompaniment base on chords and scales too.

Chords base on scales.

Scales base on physic, mathematical principles and music

traditions.

Music traditions base on human perception, technology, economy,

history, religion.

You need to know the following items to improvise and compose in

a right and nice way:

first you have to know all major and minor scales and relative

keys and all chords in every keys. Then you must play all chord

inversions and the building melody techniques.

You have to practice so much so you can play right melodic lines

with swing and without thinking about scales, rules, keys...

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-improvisation.htm 第 2 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 上午 01:17:04

jazz improvisation techniques : jazz music harmony : theory

Phrasing is the following step.

You must learn to begin and finish melodic phrases from every

point of measure.

Ear training, transcribing, transposing, voicing, harmonization are

other important and fundamental techniques to learn jazz

improvisation and composing.

These techniques can give you the skill for express the music you

have inside.

Learning jazz improvisation is not simple. The theory and

harmonic concepts you have to learn are few and easy to

understand but the fundamental concept is just one: to learn

improvisation you have to play much and practice for a longtime!

I used to compare improvisation with language. Improvisation is

a language, you can express ideas, concepts and emotions and

sometimes much deeper than language. So, as well as you have

to study and practice a lot to learn English or French or Italian so

you have to do the same with music improvisation.

You do not need to understand difficult concepts but without

doubts you must be patient. Here in this site I offer free

resources to learn this art but be patient if my English is not

perfect.

I have published also another site to learn music theory and

harmony.

1. Music harmony : keys

Key awareness

Major

Minor

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-improvisation.htm 第 3 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 上午 01:17:05

jazz improvisation techniques : jazz music harmony : theory

Scale harmonization

2. Chord charts

Major 7th

Minor 7th

Dominant 7th

Half diminished 7th

Diminished 7th

Inversions

Chord degrees

3. More music scales

Blues

Whole tone

Diminished

Diminished/whole tone

Pentatonic

4. Melody and improvvisation lesson

Melody building

Chordal notes

Turning note

Passing note

Leaning note

Delaying note

Anticipated note

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-improvisation.htm 第 4 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 上午 01:17:05

jazz improvisation techniques : jazz music harmony : theory

Chromatic note

Double leaning note

Mixed note

Wrong notes

^ TOP

More resources on music harmony and jazz improvisation

5. Musical phrase

Beginning of phrase

Ending of phrase

Imitation

6. Music rhythm and jazz swing

Emphasizing off beats and upbeats

Syncopation

Swing

Polyrhythmic

7. Practice and improvisation techniques

General practice

Progressive drills

Fundamental drills

Greatest piano improvisors

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-improvisation.htm 第 5 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 上午 01:17:05

 jazz improvisation techniques : jazz music harmony : theory

If you have troubles to understand what I write, or any concepts I

try to explain, send me an email.

^ TOP

Learning jazz improvisation online

You can learn to improvise. If you know music harmony and you

practice on your instrument one hour per day learning

improvisation is easy. I think is one of the greatest, important Art.

Remember to listen the greatest improvisers : Keith Jarrett, Bill

Evans, Charlie Parker, Sonny Rollins, Pat Metheney, Miles Davis

and many, many others...

...and do not forget that Music must be pleasant.

E-mail

Contact me

©2005-2006 Paolo Parrella. All rights reserved

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-improvisation.htm 第 6 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 上午 01:17:05

 learn chord charts : major dominant minor : half diminished

MIOP Donation
|

Home | Pop music videos | Music albums | Jazz improvisation and harmony | Lingua italiana | HELP and FAQ |

Site menu
❍ - Blues singer songwriter jazz pianist
❍ - Pop music videos
❍ - Pop blues jazz albums
❍ - Jazz pianist music stores
❍ - Improvisation : MIOP donation

Improvisation and music harmony : MIOP

❍ - Piano improvisation technique : introduction
❍ - Jazz improvisation and music harmony : summary
❍ - Music harmony concepts
❍ - Chord charts and keys
❍ » Learn chord charts
❍ - Major seventh
❍ - Dominant chord chart
❍ - Minor seventh chords
❍ - Half diminished chords
❍ - Diminished chord
❍ - Altered, whole tone, pentatonic, diminished scales
❍ - Blues scales chart
❍ - Learn blues chords and structures
❍ - Major blues charts
❍ - Minor blues
❍ - Jazz melody and improvisation
❍ - Jazz phrasing : imitation technique
❍ - Music phrasing
❍ - Music theory and mistakes
❍ - Music rhythm
❍ - Swing jazz rhythm
❍ - Learn music theory : polyrhythms
❍ - Jazz techniques : practice
❍ - Musical techniques : coming soon articles
❍ - Art of improvisation project
❍ - General improvisation tips
❍ - Music studying : general tips
●

How to learn chord charts

Chord families

Every melody and accompaniment bases on a chord.

Melody generally uses the notes of a chord or notes that return to it.

You need to know and play every chord very well to improvise.

http://www.musilosophy.com/learn-chord-charts.htm 第 1 頁 / 共 4 2006/10/20 上午 01:18:09

learn chord charts : major dominant minor : half diminished

The fundamental drill is playing every chord and every inversion of each chord.

I suggest to study five families of chords:

1. Major seventh chord

2. Dominant 7

3. Minor seventh

4. Half-diminished

5. Diminished 7

^ TOP

Learn chord charts with inversions : major, dominant

Play every chord : 12 chords X 5 families = 60 chords X 4 inversions = 240 (basic)

chords

For example:

1. Major 7th chord : F Maj 7

· Maj 3th + perfect 5th + maj 7th

2. Dominant 7th chord : Bb 7

· Maj 3th + perfect 5th + minor 7th

http://www.musilosophy.com/learn-chord-charts.htm 第 2 頁 / 共 4 2006/10/20 上午 01:18:10

learn chord charts : major dominant minor : half diminished

^ TOP

Learn other chord charts : minor, halfdiminished, diminished

3. Minor 7th chord : Em7

· Minor 3th + perfect 5th + minor 7th

4. Minor 7th dim 5 (half-diminished) chord : Dm7b5

· Minor 3th + diminished 5th + minor 7th

5. Diminished seventh chord : C# dim7

· Minor 3th + diminished 5th + diminished 7th

^ TOP

How to learn chord charts online

Play every inversion and improvise on a chord using just the chordal notes.

http://www.musilosophy.com/learn-chord-charts.htm 第 3 頁 / 共 4 2006/10/20 上午 01:18:10

 learn chord charts : major dominant minor : half diminished

E-mail

Contact me

©2005-2006 Paolo Parrella. All right reserved

http://www.musilosophy.com/learn-chord-charts.htm 第 4 頁 / 共 4 2006/10/20 上午 01:18:10

 learn jazz piano improvisation : learning techniques

Home | Pop music videos | Pop blues jazz albums | Jazz improvisation and harmony | Lingua italiana | HELP and
FAQ |

Site menu
❍ - Blues singer songwriter jazz pianist
❍ - Pop music videos
❍ - Pop blues jazz albums
❍ - Jazz pianist music stores
❍ - Improvisation : MIOP donation

Improvisation and music harmony : MIOP

❍ » Piano improvisation technique : introduction
❍ - Jazz improvisation and music harmony : summary
❍ - Music harmony concepts
❍ - Chord charts and keys
❍ - Learn chord charts
❍ - Major seventh
❍ - Dominant chord chart
❍ - Minor seventh chords
❍ - Half diminished chords
❍ - Diminished chord
❍ - Altered, whole tone, pentatonic, diminished scales
❍ - Blues scales chart
❍ - Learn blues chords and structures
❍ - Major blues charts
❍ - Minor blues
❍ - Jazz melody and improvisation
❍ - Jazz phrasing : imitation technique
❍ - Music phrasing
❍ - Music theory and mistakes
❍ - Music rhythm
❍ - Swing jazz rhythm
❍ - Learn music theory : polyrhythms
❍ - Jazz techniques : practice
❍ - Music techniques : coming soon articles
❍ - Art of improvisation project
❍ - General improvisation tips
❍ - Music studying : general tips
●

Learn jazz piano improvisation technique

"I know to know nothing"; (Socrates)

Hullo,

welcome to my site about The Art of Improvisation.

I dedicate these pages to all musicians who love creating or composing in real time

http://www.musilosophy.com/learn-improvisation.htm 第 1 頁 / 共 3 2006/10/20 下午 03:58:59

learn jazz piano improvisation : learning techniques

their own music.

I am Italian, and I have some difficulties to write in English but my passion for

Improvisation is great and I want to create a free Open Project about this Art. I prey

you to help me to correct the errors of these pages sending me an email with the

corrections.

If you have any opinion, technique, article, review, or other material about

Improvisation, please send me an email and I will publish it.

Many teachers I have had and many manuals I have read about jazz improvisation

do not explain clearly how to build a melody. The say just:

"...Use this scale on this chord..." Or "....On this chord you can play these scales....".

But how to improvise? How must I use these notes?

They respond: "....Use your fantasy, your ear, your imagination and study many

patters..."

Well! I agree. Fantasy, imagination and ear are fundamental to improvise but are

general, confuse, not clear concepts.

Jazz has not invented melody and improvisation; good melodies have clear

mathematical and geometric rules.

If you know these rules you improvise or compose music much better and easily.

They base on many centuries of music development and the greatest composers and

improvisors use them.

^ TOP

How to learn piano improvisation techniques

Music is language but also a science. It can become also a religion, a way to feel

emotions, express love, explore some unknown places of our soul and feel the

http://www.musilosophy.com/learn-improvisation.htm 第 2 頁 / 共 3 2006/10/20 下午 03:58:59

 learn jazz piano improvisation : learning techniques

mystery of Life and Universe.

Remember:

Mastering improvisation needs several years of patient application.

Any door you open you find many other doors to open: you can always improve you

art of improvisation.

^ TOP

Jazz theory and piano improvisation

Improvisation is the most expressive music form. Learning improvisation is not

difficult if you understand what is wrong and what is right.

E-mail

Contact me

©2005-2006 Paolo Parrella. All rights reserved

http://www.musilosophy.com/learn-improvisation.htm 第 3 頁 / 共 3 2006/10/20 下午 03:58:59

 jazz techniques : improvisation : general music practice

Donate
|

Home | Pop music videos | Pop blues jazz albums | Jazz improvisation and harmony | Lingua
italiana | HELP and FAQ |

Site menu
● - Blues singer songwriter jazz pianist
● - Pop music videos
● - Pop blues jazz albums
● - Jazz pianist music stores
● - Improvisation : MIOP donation

Improvisation and music harmony : MIOP

● - Piano improvisation technique : introduction
● - Jazz improvisation and music harmony : summary
● - Music harmony concepts
● - Chord charts and keys
● - Learn chord charts
● - Major seventh
● - Dominant chord chart
● - Minor seventh chords
● - Half diminished chords
● - Diminished chord
● - Altered, whole tone, pentatonic, diminished scales
● - Blues scales chart
● - Learn blues chords and structures
● - Major blues charts
● - Minor blues
● - Jazz melody and improvisation
● - Jazz phrasing : imitation technique
● - Music phrasing
● - Music theory and mistakes
● - Music rhythm
● - Swing jazz rhythm
● - Learn music theory : polyrhythms
● » Jazz techniques : practice
● - Music techniques : coming soon articles
● - Art of improvisation project
● - General improvisation tips
● - Music studying : general tips

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-techniques.htm 第 1 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 下午 03:59:22

jazz techniques : improvisation : general music practice

Jazz techniques for improvisation

General practice

I suggest these progressive exercises:

Learn all major, minor and ...blues scales

First play the scales for an octave just with the right hand, then

with both hands; play for 2 and 4 octaves with both hands

Learn all chords of every key

Play the chords of every key with right hand then with both hand

Learn to analyze music

Practice to analyze every music style with scores or if you want by

ear. Write keys, chord types, degrees of the chords, modulations

(key changing) on the scores. Analyze melody and write the

harmonic role of every note (Chordal note, turning note, passing

note......).

Arpeggiate all chords

Arpeggiate all 7th chords with right hand (but not only) in their

four inversions.

Begin to improvise just using the chordal notes

Improvise only on a chord and using just the four chordal notes

( also out of time )

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-techniques.htm 第 2 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 下午 03:59:22

jazz techniques : improvisation : general music practice

Improvise just using continuous eighth notes, eighth-triplet

notes, sixteenth notes.

For pianists : improvise on a song using just the four chordal

notes, moving the melody up and down the whole keyboard and

playing the chord with the left hand. (You have to play this chord

around C4 and moving the notes less possible when you change

the chord )

Improvise using a melodic item one at time

Practice a melodic item out of time and just on a chord

Improvise using the suggestions on musical phrase

Practice a phrasing item out of time and just on a chord

Some important considerations

Mastering these techniques needs many, many hours of playing

but it is amusing and you can feel what creating music means.

Beseides, these techniques are the same of composing songs or

any other music style.

Composing is easier than improvising because you can correct

your mistakes.

However I will suggest you some easy techniques to "correct"

some melodic "errors";.

Sometimes many new and interesting ideas come from so called

harmonic "errors";.

^ TOP

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-techniques.htm 第 3 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 下午 03:59:22

jazz techniques : improvisation : general music practice

Improving jazz techniques

Ear training

Use this free tool - Functional ear trainer

Transcription - Powerful!

Select your best songs or solos and transcribe them on paper

using your piano or keyboard, then transpose them in all keys. I

think this is the MOST IMPORTANT AND POWERFUL DRILL TO

LEARN IMPROVISATION

Transposing

Transpose some phrases in all keys

Singing

Sing the notes you are improvising

Search

www.musilosophy.
Web com

^ TOP

Listening great artists to analyze jazz techniques

Listening

Every musical style but good music, that is great artists

When you listen to music, analyze it!

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-techniques.htm 第 4 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 下午 03:59:22

 jazz techniques : improvisation : general music practice

Piano improvisors

Listen to these masters of piano improvisation:

Bill Evans

Keith Jarrett

Herbie Hanckock

Chick Corea

Ahmad Jamal

Oscar Peterson

Bud Powell

McCoy Tyner

Many others...

Improvisors

Other instruments:

Miles Davis ( Trumpet )

Charlie Parker ( Alto Sax)

John Coltrane ( Tenor Sax )

Pat Metheney ( Guitar )

^ TOP

Resources on the Art of improvisation

E-mail

Contact me

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-techniques.htm 第 5 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 下午 03:59:22

jazz techniques : improvisation : general music practice

©2005-2006 Paolo Parrella. All right reserved

http://www.musilosophy.com/jazz-techniques.htm 第 6 頁 / 共 6 2006/10/20 下午 03:59:22