Piano improvisation - making music from day 1!
Using just the black notes
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Accompaniments for piano improvisations using just the black notes are below. Click on any, let go and have fun!
1. Here is a band accompaniment while you improvise on any two black notes on the piano 2. Here's an accompaniment of harp and strings for you to improvise using any three black notes on the piano 3. On this one you can improvise using any black notes! |
Switching between black and white notes
4. Listen carefully to this accompaniment, it switches between using all the black notes and all the white notes. Listen carefully to where it changes and change with it!
Improvisations in different keys
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5. A minor sad improv accompaniment with orchestral backing
6. C major happy improv accompaniment with strings |
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Here are some improvisation backing tracks taken from Forrest Kinney's Pattern play books 1 & 2. The quotes are taken from his introductions to each piece. Have fun exploring and remember to include your feelings! (These recordings work best when played through a speaker)
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This is the harmonic progression from Pachelbel's famous Canon in D. It's in C major here.
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'Music is made of the love and hate between tones, the curious ways they are attracted to each other and pushed away. Perhaps this is why music has such power to express the mysteries of our lives' |
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'Simple patterns allow complex feelings time and space in which to grow.' 'Imagine a mirror that reflects feelings we can hear rather than images we can see. This is what music is....(it) sounds out what is hidden deep within us' |
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'Sometimes rain falls so gently that it becomes a veil of mist. Sometimes the music we make is so quiet and personal that we don't want it to be heard in public places.' |
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'This pattern sounds like an Irish jig - a kind of dance music. When we play it with a strong rhythm we feel as if we are dancing on the keys while creating music that inspires more dancing!' |
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'Some music is for singing, some for dancing. This is dance music from the Caribbean. Pianists often think that the piano is played with the fingers, but in making music such as this, the whole body is involved. Let your body sway as you play.' |
Ramp up your creativity!
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Be as creative as you like, here are some ideas:
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