Intuitive improvisation: a guide for beginners

American Music Teacher, Dec, 2007 by Valerie Kampmeier

"Elefante?," inquires Pasquale from the sofa. "Cavallo?"

"No, tigre!" His 6-year-old daughter swiftly corrects him, peeping around the corner of the piano.

Why are an Italian father and daughter discussing animals in my living room? Because Ornella and I are playing our favorite game, "Guess the Animal," as part of her piano lesson.

From her first lesson, I discovered that Ornella and I were both perfectly capable of creative improvisation at the piano. What fun to learn alongside my students! However, improvisation wasn't always so easy for me. It was a gradual and rewarding process of learning and exploration.

As a child learning the piano from age 5, I was never encouraged to improvise, a fact that now astounds me because my teacher gave me an otherwise excellent piano training--technique, style, history and an imaginative approach to my pieces. My mother diligently followed my teacher's lead, and whenever she heard me start to improvise, would poke her head around the door and say (in her strictest teacher voice), "I haven't heard any scales lately." I was incensed.

From an adult perspective, I now know that my mother was simply doing her best to make sure I practiced in the way I was supposed to--and I admit that I wasn't the most focused student as a child. However, not being permitted to improvise ("play around" as it was called) and being compelled to play only certain scales and pieces in a prescribed way was inhibiting and joyless. It is no wonder that I grew to dislike practicing and began to play with increasing physical tension over the years--although I loved music, was a gifted pianist and went on to become a successful professional musician.

As a teacher of talented young musicians at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, I was specifically asked to teach improvisation. Although initially ill at ease, I was keen to learn and to accept the assistance of the two improvisation experts who came to class and showed us some easy games and processes to get us started. Making sure to facilitate a positive attitude and offer plenty of encouragement to my class of 8-10-year-old students, I began to improvise at the piano alongside them, at first with embarrassment and then with increasing enthusiasm. As the years went by, I developed my own games and processes to assist my students. It took much longer, however, for me to begin to improvise alone at home for my own pleasure.

Beginner Games for Improvisers

First duet

The teacher picks a key, then plays a bass line, such as Pachelbel's Canon, or simple harmonic sequence in that key. The student then plays whole notes in that key until comfortable, then half notes, quarter notes and finally eighth notes. You can direct the process to include rests when students become more confident, and then encourage the students to start to combine the different note values to construct a melody, This is often when they begin to understand the process of composition experientially.

Second duet

First, the teacher picks a mode--Dorian (d-d on white notes) or Aeolian (a-a on white notes) are the easiest for pianists. The teacher then plays a drone, a repeated fifth or pattern of parallel fifths. The student experiments as before--then the student and teacher switch roles.

Question and Answer

The teacher picks a key and plays a two-bar melody ("question") in a clear 3/4 or 4/4, making sure not to end on the tonic. The student completes the melody ("answer") by adding another two bars, ending on the tonic (which I call the "home note"). The student and teacher then switch and experiment with different keys (black key pentatonic is fun for beginners), time signatures, rhythmic patterns and moods. The teacher should discuss with the student what worked well. This is one process where students often do not believe that they will be able to do it, but usually with encouragement they do fine. I'm frequently astonished by their ability to copy instinctively elements of the "question" when playing the "answer" and I will sometimes point this out to them--that they already understand the basics of how to compose. I also ask them how it is different if the "question" ends on the tonic or the "answer" ends on a different note.

Guess the Animal

This is a bit more adventurous--but great fun. The teacher secretly picks an animal and think about its size, shape, color, texture, character, the sounds it makes and how fast or slowly it moves. Then represent that on the instrument, even if it's not musically coherent. The student guesses the animal. Then the teacher and student switch, and the teacher encourages the same thought process in the student to help create her animal picture.

Music to Picture

Take an art book, a calendar, a children's picture book, a postcard--whatever is at hand, and place it on the music stand to use it as a basis for improvisation. Either give the student free rein or, if he needs encouragement, ask him about the elements. Where is it situated--a tropical island, a lone tree in a barren landscape? What sort of colors and textures do you see? Is there any movement or sound? Does the picture tell a story? When does it take place? How do you think the artist was feeling? What sort of feelings do you have, looking at the picture? It could be done as a duet: "How about I play the part of the river, and you can be the boat/palm trees/crocodile?" Don't over think it. Trust yourself. Be a child again.