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Introduction To Improvisation

This is a preparatory introduction to improvisation in music. It has been designed for 30 minute lessons either for one-to-one or small groups of students. Recommended to anyone from Year 4 to adults (beginning from Grade 1).

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sittidav
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© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
63 views

Introduction To Improvisation

This is a preparatory introduction to improvisation in music. It has been designed for 30 minute lessons either for one-to-one or small groups of students. Recommended to anyone from Year 4 to adults (beginning from Grade 1).

Uploaded by

sittidav
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Introduction to Improvisation

TO WHOM IT IS ADDRESSE
This is a preparatory introduction to improvisation in music. It has been designed for 30 minute
lessons either for one-to-one or small groups of students. Recommended to anyone from Year 4 to
adults (beginning from Grade 1)

ABILITIES/SKILLS REQUIREMENT
Recommended to students that have been playing guitar for at least six months, and they must
have basic knowledge of
• Techniques of rhythm guitar
• Alternate picking technique and good coordination between both hands
• Tablature notation and charts
• Music theory (bars, time signature of 44, basic time values, stave and treble clef)

SUBJECTS COVERED & ACHIEVEMENT


SUBJECT ACHIEVEMENTS
✴ Improvisation ➡Express themselves in a musical context,
play and create music with others
➡Play an improvised line to a backing track/
over real accompaniment
➡Improvise in different styles and genres
➡Understand the role of a guitar player/guitar
and other instruments in a band/music
context.

‣ Rhythm ➡Develop a good sense of rhythm


➡Learn new time values and practice rhythm
patterns.

‣ Chords ➡Learn new chord progressions and improve


guitar accompaniment
➡Improvise over new chord progressions.
‣ Scales ➡Learn new scale and simple riffs, improving
their technique.

‣ Sight-reading ➡Improve their sight-reading.

THE PENTATONIC SCAL


In my experience, the pentatonic scale, is the best scale to learn and play when you start to study
guitar, and when introducing beginners to music improvisation for
• Its simplicity (does non have semitones), unique character, and it is complete in terms of tonality
• Its use all over the world in so many different kinds of music: Rock, Blues, Jazz, Pop, Country,
Classical.
• Just 5 notes to learn.

Designed by Davide Sittinier


07535 54725
[email protected]
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Introduction to Improvisation

GETTING STARTED

๏ Am pentatonic scale in 1
octave, using three strings

We need two essential ingredients when we improvise


1. Notes
2. Rhythm (time values)

What can we do with these two ingredients


We create a melody! That’s what musicians do when they improvise. To make a good solo/
improvisation, we don’t need to use all the possible notes (all the notes of the scale), and all the
rhythm values that we know. We can even create a beautiful melody starting with just one note and
one time value, then we can add more. Remember, keep it easy! Beauty is in simplicity

๏ Core Melody: three notes (A, C, E), two time


values (minim, crotchet).

๏ Core Melody Variation 1: one note changed (A,


C, D), rhythm same as core melody

๏ Core Melody Variation 2: same notes of the core


melody, but the value of the second note has
changed from crotchet to quaver.

Designed by Davide Sittinier


07535 54725
[email protected]
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Introduction to Improvisation

The exercises written above are examples of melodic improvisation, that is the base of music
improvisation of any instrument
In a song context we can start our improvisation playing part of the lead melody of the song (for
example the singer’s melody), or we can create a simple melody by ourselves just using few notes,
so we can inspire ourselves nding new melodies
‣ Changing just one element or both of them. For example, changing one note but
maintaining the same rhythm (or viceversa) can add a different colour to the melody itself, but
you can still recognise the lead melody
‣ Repetition. Changing just one element, make yourself repeat the rest of the melody. Repetition
in music is an essential element, that is common in every song or improvisation. Verses,
chorus, lyrics could be repeated, as well as chords and melodies. Guitar players as Jimi
Hendrix, Eric Clapton, built their solos on repetition, as well as classical composers like Bach
and Beethoven.
‣ Personalising/creating melodies with our own taste. Every musician is different, as
improvisation is expression of ourselves in a musical context, we model our melodies following
our taste and feelings. Improvisation is a composing process that values our uniqueness as
musician.

๏ Hybrid Melody between variations: notes and


time values are changed at the same time

Through these examples, I want to stimulate students’ creativity, that is fundamental to make a
good improvisation, so, they can create and personalise melodies following their feel and taste and
compose their own music
They can expand the same scale outside the octave and use all the strings, and they can learn
new shapes and explore the fretboard. They will be able to apply the same concept to new scales
and play in different keys.

Designed by Davide Sittinier


07535 54725
[email protected]
3 sittidavguitartuition.tumblr.com

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Introduction to Improvisation

PRACTICE WHAT HAS BEEN LEARNED

๏ Chord Progression 1

๏ Chord Progression

Group Activities In Clas


‣ In pairs: one plays the melody/solo for four bars, while the other accompanies them following
the rhythm exercises provided above. Then they swap. Repeat the same with 2 bars
‣ Group of three: one plays the melody/solo for four bars, another student plays the chords/
power chords/arpeggio, and the last one plays the bass note (root of the chord). Then they
swap. Repeat the same with 2 bars

Home Activit
‣ Students can practice the scale and improvise over the provided backing track, using the
rhythm exercises written above, playing either the accompaniment and then the scale
‣ Students can play the accompaniment (following the rhythm pattern above) for two bars, then
improvise for two bars

LISTEN TO EXAMPLE
Through active listening, students can explore all the different colours and sound variations,
discover new styles and genres and learn more about the art of improvisation

• David Gilmour - Comfortably Num


• Jimi Hendrix - Bold As Lov
• Mark Knop er - Sultans of Swin
• AC/DC - Highway To Hel
• Brian May - I Want It Al
• Derek Trucks - Sweet Inspiratio
• B.B. King - Sweet Little Ange
• Little Walter - Juk
• Chuck Berry - Johnny Be Good
• Sonny Rollins - St. Thoma
• Dexter Gordon - Body and Sou
• Miles Davis - So Wha
• Django Reinhardt - Minor Swin
• Jimmy McGriff - Satin Dol
• Oscar Peterson - Ad Lib Blues

Designed by Davide Sittinier


07535 54725
[email protected]
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