Exactly How To Improvisate On Piano

Ready to enhance your jazz improvisation skills for the piano? Much more simply, if you're playing a tune that remains in swing time, then you're already playing to a triplet feel (you're picturing that each beat is split into three 8th note triplets - and every off-beat you play is delayed and used the 3rd triplet note (so you're not also playing 2 uniformly spaced 8th notes to begin with).

So rather than playing 2 eight notes straight, which would certainly last one quarter note ('one' - 'and'), you can divide that quarter note right into three '8th note triplet' notes - where each note of the triplet is the same length. The first improvisation technique is 'chord tone soloing', which means to compose melodies using the 4 chord tones of the chord (1 3 5 7).

I typically play natural 9ths above many chords - consisting of all 3 chords of the significant ii-V-I. This 'chordal texture' sounds best if you play your right hand noisally, and left hand (chord) a bit quieter - so that the audience listens to the melody note on the top.

Just precede any type of chord tone by playing the note a half-step below. To do this, stroll up in half-steps (via the whole colorful range), and make note of all the notes that aren't in your current range. Cm7 expression (7 9 3 5) with solitary melody note (C) played to fascinating rhythm.

Now you might play this 5 note scale (the wrong notes) over the same C minor 7 chord in your left hand. With this method you just play the same notes that you're already playing in the chord. Chord range above - half-step below - target note (e.g. E - C# - D).

A lot of jazz piano solos feature an area where the tune stops, and Bookmarks the pianist plays a collection of chord enunciations, to a fascinating rhythm. These consist of chord tone soloing, approach patterns, triplet rhythms, 'chordal appearances', 'playing out' and extra.