Hello everyone!
I want to start off quickly by apologizing - I realize only now that I completely forgot to introduce myself. So... uhh. Hi, I'm Josh. But I guess it all kind of works out now, what with this being my first blog post documenting actual project progress.
So let's get down to the brass tacks.
This week, as mentioned earlier, is the week I'm going to be focusing on improvising in more varied key signatures. Key signatures have a huge impact on the overall sound of the piece. They generally denote the mood of the piece, in addition to supplying the roots for the chords I play. Up until the start of this project, I generally improvised in the keys of C Major (0 sharps or flats) and D Major (2 sharps). To expand my range, I decided to try my hand at improvising in keys up to 3 sharps (A Major) and 2 flats (Bb Major).
Playing improv and recording it is somewhat of a challenge - it's all kind of spontaneous, so if you make a mistake on a recording and want to make changes, you have to start over completely. Additionally, no two solos are exactly alike, so it's not like I can go back and practice a certain phrase - it's done on the fly. As I got more comfortable, it became easier, but I still found that putting forth something that sounded satisfying took a considerable chunk of time. This may prove to be a roadblock later on - but it hasn't set me back too far. Yet.
Continuing on, I've found also that improvisation seems to become more and more complex by itself. This is kind of in regards to become more comfortable playing a in a certain key, or with certain chords, or with certain rhythms, but I feel as though the experience just kind of piles on and helps add to new compositions. For example, through experience, I've learned that when I hit a note in the wrong key or with the wrong chord, I can (sometimes) pass it off as intentional dissonance by resolving it in the next beat or so. (You'll be sure to hear a few odd notes in my recordings...)
Anyway... this cycle's pieces are in Bb and A Major keys. I didn't really use many other resources to fuel my progress - introducing a new key to play in is rather straightforward if you know your basic music theory. For some ideas on melodies and chords, I did use a few things for reference.
Auto-Chord:
This site basically gave some suggestions for chords that can be played in different keys for different genres. I didn't necessarily take after any specific genre - I just took into consideration chords that resonated well with or sounded nice in the key.
Pandora Radio:
Pandora offers a lot of piano stations - I used contemporary, classic, and solo stations as means of inspiration for melodies, emotions, styles, etc.
Next week's goals, involving new (variations of) chord progressions or patterns, is going to be a bit more complicated - so I'm going to be searching online and throughout my house for some more music theory about chords. I'll be sure to explain a little more in-depth later. Chords are something I don't have a ton of experience with (my piano teacher didn't directly teach me too much, she just assigned simple theory worksheets and had me complete them), so I look forward to expanding more knowledge on them!
And now, having endured my rambling, the moment you have been waiting for: the recordings!
The first two, "Moon" and "Stars," are keyed in Bb Major. They were named by my sister (age 11) based on her first impressions of the pieces. The second one, "Bring Me Home," is keyed in A Major, and was named by my mom based on her first impressions of the piece. Overall, I'm relatively satisfied with how they turned out (though you may hear a little "intentional" dissonance). Hope you enjoy, and see you next cycle!
(Since I can't upload audio files - I've converted the audio into video files and added some pictures with Ken Burns transitions, and because those videos were too big for Blogger to upload, I've embedded them as YouTube Videos. Sorry for any inconveniences this causes.)
Pictures:
Google Images
salon.com
ubanrabbits.eu
artofthesouth.com/Thomas_Kinkade
These sound great, Josh! I was surprised that these are actual, full-length recordings. If I improvised, I would only last for about twenty seconds. I zoned out a bit while listening, which is a good thing! I like music I can just put on and listen to, without thinking too hard about it or it bothering me. I'm looking forward to your next recordings!
ReplyDeleteIn regards to you making mistakes, don't be afraid to just keep going! Remember that we can't see the final product if you try to perfect yourself in the beginning. Obviously, if you loose your 'train of thought' while playing, you might want to start over. Otherwise, just keep on playing!
ReplyDeleteThis is really good! I'm thoroughly impressed by how good your improv wound after only a few weeks of this project. I don't think I'll ever be able to improvise music because it is so much more difficult than it sounds and requires tons of music theory knowledge and whatnot. Are you going to be expanding the genres of music you'll improv to? For instance, I know a improv is huge in jazz, so would you do some jazz improvisations? Keep up the good work, you're definitely on the right track!
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to improv, I've never really tried to look at the progressions or rhythms and decided: this is this genre, that's that genre. The only distinctions I've ever really made are between "improv" and "blues/jazz improv." I do plan to try to incorporate at least one jazz improvisation over the course of this project.
DeleteThanks for the positive feedback!
This is SO COOL! Improv is always something that I struggled with, whether it be in dance, music, or just plain speaking. I would never be able to do what you're doing. Although improvisation doesn't always turn out perfect, I like the natural ebb and flow of the music in comparison to the strict beats that are found in non-improvised songs. On a different note, I know you're in jazz band, so have you ever had to improvise on the trumpet? Is it very different from improvising on the piano? How is jazz improvisation different from classical improvisation?
ReplyDeleteThanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
DeleteIn regards to your (first) question: yes, I have had to improvise on the trumpet (I also notice I didn't mention jazz band or trumpet on my blog posts as part of my inspiration or passion or whatever...).
Improvising on the trumpet is quite different than improvising on the piano - in that it's a little simpler. In a situation in which I'm improvising on trumpet, I really only have to focus on my own melody, (as the trumpet only plays one note at a time), and I can let any accompanists handle the chords. In that sense it's a little easier - but one of the reasons I do enjoy piano improv because of that extra bit of complexity.
In terms of jazz improv vs. classical improvisation - it eventually comes down to the style of the rhythms (swing vs. straight notes), the types of chords and progressions (there are some progressions that are almost exclusively used for jazz), and so forth. Like I mentioned to Caitlyn (above), classifying my improv into genres - and making distinctions between the two has never really been a strong point of mine.
With all the talk about it - I may have to incorporate genre research into one of my ongoing goals for the project. We'll see!
Great work Josh, I have been taking a similar approach to you in my blogs. I try to keep a casual tone like you did when you said thing like "Anyways...". I also try to upload videos after a paragraph to help the readers understand. I think you have been doing a great job in terms of the tone, which I mentioned earlier. You have incorporate humor and puns but do not let them over-run the purpose of the project.
ReplyDelete