Learn how to improvise music. MUSIC LESSON 107 – I’m happy to share whatever information I have on playing music! By posting these videos I find I have students all around the world! This is positively phenomenal and it makes me marvel at how technology is changing the world! This *lesson* is introductory, the first the series of 5, answering questions you ask. Most questions I get are in the “how to improvise” category but you ask about other aspects of music too. I hope to be able to give you some pointers on the various elements that will help you accomplish the tasks you are working on. There are two features of a song, we could say … the melody and the harmony (or chords.) To improvise the song means you replace the melody with a tune of your own. Usually the melody you are going to play is an instantaneous creation but it has to be based on certain requisites and you don’t just play notes in a willy-nilly fashion… or it may sound wrong! – You may end up with a gallimaufry! (Better look that word up! – Bill O’Reilly would love it!) All songs have a “backbone” which underpins it. There can be augmentation of these backbone harmonies/chords although the fundamental structure is upheld. For example if the chord progression is (say) C Amin Dmin G the guitarist, keyboardist, or whoever … may choose to sweeten the chords and play Cmaj7b9 Amin6 Dmin7 G5 or whatever. (More on this in MUSIC 110) THE MELODY … THE NOTES YOU CHOOSE TO PLAY OVER THE CHORD PROGRESSION …
Learn how to improvise music. MUSIC LESSON 112! ~ HOW TO IMPROVISE WITH THE 4 MAGIC NOTES AND BUILD YOUR OWN SCALE. ~ surely this one deserves a Grammy! Starting your improvisation with the 4 MAGIC notes is a good way to begin your improv ~ because it’s impossible to sound bad playing these notes! (From mail received newbies love working with the 4 MAGIC NOTES!) “How do you know what notes to play, is there a particular order?” You also asked me to call the names of the notes as I demonstrate and to play slowly. Will do! As I intended to say in the video when time ran out ~ I am not a guitarist of any distinction! I can make a demonstration such as this but that’s about it! If it was a pan flute, or bamboo flute, a harmonica, chromatic accordion, concertina or tenor sax I’d do better! But many of you are harmonica, keyboard / guitar players, so I wanted to use an instrument that would be near to you. I used only the first 3 strings following the habit of most jazz and blues string players. If this is the first *lesson* in this series you stumbled upon ~ PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU READ “HOW TO IMPROVISE WITH THE 4 MAGIC NOTES #1″ otherwise this lesson will not be very clear! Visit www.youtube.com And I strongly recommend you study the others ~ Music 107 through 111 ~ for full comprehension! We’re working in the Key of G major and with improvising a 12-bar blues. Now ~ you can use scale notes and slip in some semi-tones (especially blue notes) as you move though your …
Learn how to improvise music. MUSIC LESSON 111! This *lesson* should be nominated for an Oscar! So much information here, it’s a human cry! The 4 MAGIC NOTES are the 1st 3b 5th and 6th notes of our ‘western’ major Scale and played in any order of course. You can easily figure out the notes for whatever key you want to play in. These are 4 notes you can play through an entire 12-bar progression and YOU SIMPLY CANNOT SOUND BAD or WRONG ! ! ! The 4 MAGIC NOTES in G are G Bb D E. On cross harp harmonica: holes 2 draw ~ 3 draw bent down ½ step ~ 4 draw ~ 5 blow. Fret board: 2nd string, 3rd fret (D) ~ 2nd string 5th fret (E) ~ 1st string 3rd fret (G) ~ 1st string 6th fret (Bb). Also, playing runs without a backing track isn’t at all exciting! If you are now starting out, no matter what your instrument is ~ steel pan, clarinet, harp, guitar, keyboard, whatever ~ using the 4 MAGIC NOTES is a great way to get your feet wet. YOU CAN PLAY AN ENTIRE 12-BAR BLUES PROGRESSION MANY TIMES AROUND WITH JUST THESE 4 NOTES AND USING SYNCOPATION, RHYTHM CHANGES AND ASSORTED PHRASINGS YOU’LL SHINE! (AND HAVE LOTS OF FUN!) PLEASE ~ PLEASE ~ PLEASE ~ PRACTICE WITH A BACKING TRACK! Working with backing tracks is the FASTEST WAY to develop your skills. Start your backing track and play along and rock with the 4 MAGIC NOTES! www.youtube.com (backing track in G) Also visit www.youtube.com Major notes/chords produce a feeling of happiness. Minor notes/chords produce a feeling of sadness. Minor …
Visit my website: www.freewebs.com/swid441 for pages of free information. I used to sell this information and now I’m just giving it away for free! I’ll also be posting more videos. A short lesson on jazz improvisation. Talks about the bebop scale and its uses.
www.easymusiclessons.com Great for players of all level wishing to further their improvisational skills over chord changes. These lessons explore concepts such as harmonic substitution, phrasing concepts for jazz, relationships between arpeggios, scales and chords, and provide a foundational approach for analyzing and playing over chord changes. Available at www.easymusiclessons.com
Visit my website: www.freewebs.com/swid441 for pages of free information. I used to sell this information and now I’m just giving it away for free! I’ll also be posting more videos .A short lesson on the pentatonic scale in jazz improvisation.
All songs have a “backbone” which underpins it. There can be augmentation of these backbone harmonies/chords although the fundamental structure is upheld. For example if the chord progression is (say) C Amin Dmin G the guitarist, keyboardist, or whoever … may choose to sweeten the chords and play Cmaj7b9 Amin6 Dmin7 G5 or whatever. (More on this in MUSIC 110) THE MELODY … THE NOTES YOU CHOOSE TO PLAY OVER THE CHORD PROGRESSION …