05/07/2016

ImprovisationPracticeTipsPart2of2CocktailPianoLessons

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ImprovisationPracticeTipsPart2
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February23,2016

InPart1ofourarticleImprovisationPracticeTips,welookedatthreetipswhichfeaturedexercises
meanttohelpyouquicklyidentifychordtonesandscaledegrees.Itisintendedthatyoumaster
thoseexercisesbeforecontinuingwiththemoreadvancedexercisespresentedhere.Theexercises
belowarealsomeanttobepracticedsequentially,meaningthatyoushouldpracticeandmaster
themintheordertheyarepresentedbeforemovingontothenextexercise.Asyourehopefully
startingtonotice,improvisationpracticeinvolvesacertainamountoftheoryandalotofawareness
ofconceptssuchaschordtones,scaledegrees,andpatterns.

ImprovisationPracticeTip#4:Using
ChromaticTones
Beforewestartthisexercise,Ihavetorepeatmyabovepointoncemore:besuretocompleteand
masterPracticeTips#13priortopracticingthistip.Intip#4wewillintroducechromatictones.
Weregoingtoborrowfromtheexercisepresentedinpracticetip#1inwhichweplayedthechords
tonesinthefollowingorderroot,3rd,5th,7th.Hereitisagain:

Nowweregoingtoplaythechordtone,thenthenoteahalfstepbelow,andthenthechordtone
againusingthefollowingrhythm:
00:05

00:14

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05/07/2016

ImprovisationPracticeTipsPart2of2CocktailPianoLessons

Practicethisexercisethroughoutanentiretune,intime,untilyouareabletoplaywithoutany
mistakes.

ImprovisationPracticeTip#5:More
ChromaticTonePractice
Nowthatyouveidentifiedallofthechordtonesandapproachedeachfromahalfstepbelow,its
timetoreallyputyourknowledgetothetest.Inthisstepweregoingtomixupthepatternsothat
yourenotalwaysplayinginthesameorder(i.e.,root,3rd,5th,7th).Now,practiceplayingthesame
exerciseasaboveusingthefollowingpatterns:
1.7th,5th,3rd,root
2.7th,3rd,5th,root
3.3rd,root,7th,5th
4.3rd,7th,5th,root
5.5th,root,3rd,7th.

ImprovisationPracticeTip#6:Chromatic
ApproachfromAbove
Cmon,youprobablycouldhaveguessedthiswascoming.Thisisthesameexerciseasintip#4
exceptthatnowwereapproachingeverychordtonefromahalfstepabove,likeso:
00:00

00:14

Andyep,youguessedit.Onceyouvemasteredthisexercisethenextlogicalstepisbeingableto
playthechordtones/chromaticapproachinanyorder,notjustroot,3rd,5th,7th.Trypracticing
thesepatterns:

1.7th,5th,3rd,root
2.7th,3rd,5th,root
3.3rd,root,7th,5th
4.3rd,7th,5th,root
5.5th,root,3rd,7th.

ImprovisationPracticeTip#7:Practicing
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Combinations

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ImprovisationPracticeTipsPart2of2CocktailPianoLessons

Combinations
Nowthatwevegonethroughtheexercisesabove,practicecombiningtheexercisesintips#4and
#6sothatyouareconstantlyvaryingtheapproachtothechordtone.Practicealternatinghalfstep
abovethenhalfstepbelow,andthenpracticesomerandomorder,asbelow:

SomeFriendlyIveBeenThereAdvice
Isimprovisationpracticereallythisinvolved,thistough?Well,yesandno.Forsometheseexercises
presentimmediateaccesstosomethingtangibletheycanpracticethatprovidesstructure,
organization,andresults.Forotherstheseexercisesseemdaunting,mechanical,andperhaps
overwhelming.Thetruthisthatpracticingimprovisationisalongtermstudy,anddifferentthings
workbetterfordifferentstudents.Theimportantthingistohavesomethingspecificthatyoucan
workoninyourpracticesessions,andtheseexercisesareanexcellentplacetostart.Happy
practicing!

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12Comments

Art

Com m ents

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April1,2016

Reply

ThanksWillie.Theseexercisesgiveusapaletteofvariationswhileweareimprovising.
Whilesomeofusalreadyuseasubsetofthesevariationsinstinctively,thereisadifference
betweenleadingyourfingersinsteadoflettingyourfingersleadyou.Ifpracticed

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05/07/2016

ImprovisationPracticeTipsPart2of2CocktailPianoLessons
assiduously,presumablyyourpatternsbecomepartofoursubconsciouslibraryandtheyll
comeoutinstinctivelyonceagainbutwithabroadervarietyofchoicesthathavebeen
practicedforcleanrhythmic,emotionalanddynamicexecution.
Thanksindeed,
Art

fiverrbacklinks

April2,2016

Reply

April5,2016

Reply

Thisisoneawesomearticle.

deborahcamuti

AsalwaysWillie.Somethinggreattochewon.Ilikefeelingmyowncreativeideasbeginto
surfacetoaddtopiecesiamalreadyworkingon.
thankyoualways

claricemouro

April5,2016

Reply

April5,2016

Reply

Good,itseensJSbach,,,thankyou!!

Susie

goodstuff,thanksagain.Ivewantedtolearnhowtoimproviseforyears,Imgladyougave
usthisformula.

BobLangford

April5,2016

Reply

ThanksWillie
Veryusefultome.CouldsomeonepleasesendmepartoneasIdonthaveittoworkon?
Workingawayatputtingthingsintomyexistingwayofplaying.Lotsofchangestogetused
to.
BobLangford

kanderson

April5,2016

Reply

HiBob,
Part1ishere:http://cocktailpianolessons.com/improvisationpracticetipspart1of
2/

GeorgeLancaster

April5,2016

Reply

ThanksWillie.Greattutorialforverymuchneededchordtoneapproachingatany
chordscaleimprovising.IloveitandIwillworkthisinmywarmuppracticeroutines.

FiduFernandes

April6,2016

Reply

April6,2016

Reply

ThanksWillieasalwayslearning

DebraAnnPetitan

OhWillie,Youhavedoneitagain!Thisisanexcellentlesson,wellplannedandmost
effective.
Thankyousomuch.Isoappreciateyouandyourtalentforteaching.

LucioGarcia

April19,2016

Reply

ThanksWillie,thislessonsaresousefull,soeasytounderstandandtoplayinpiano.I
wouldlikeyoutorecommendsomeJazzStandardstopracticethislessons.
ThankYou!

DrLOKOCOMLANVITHEODORE

June8,2016

Reply

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ImprovisationPracticeTipsPart2of2CocktailPianoLessons
MANYTHANKS,WONDERFUL.

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