Sad Piano Improv

I was feeling really down one day, and I decided to record a little improv. I remember at the time thinking how I was pouring my heart into the keyboard. Now I just listen to it and smile at how melodramatic it is. I usually play in a jazzy style when I improvise, but for some reason I wasn't feeling that. It's not perfect, and there are a couple points I slip up and hit an odd note, but it definitely conveys how I felt that day.

http://lzr.cc/music/SpringBreakMusic/day1_improv.mp3

Wow! I'm listening to it at the moment, and I have to say, for an improv, it sounds very much like it was a written piece of music. I love how sad it is, but then it still has that weirdness to it, I really loved the chord progressions. I get how you were feeling, very much so. ONe thing I love about music is it's ability to let us express ourselves when we feel what words just can't possibly describe.

I'm up to the bit where it starts to get faster (2:40ish) and the whole thing is just getting better.

If this is your improv, then i'd love to hear something you've written.

linkage?

xD

I actually think I improvise better than I compose. I never remember my best ideas long enough to write them down. I keep saying I'll record more of my improvs, but by the time I get all my recording stuff set up, the mood usually dies.

Yeah I know what you mean!! I guess the only way to really remmeber them is to get one of those little tape recorders, just stick it near the piano and record it dodgily that way, and then later try and reproduce it with a bit more though.

My improvs are usually sad/dramatic/dark, but I really actually want to learn how to improv over jazz... but I have very limited knowledge about jazz music. Are there any basic chord progressions you could suggest that might help me? i'm sure i'd easily be able to work out what keys etc to fit over them.

:)

Yeah I know what you mean!! I guess the only way to really remmeber them is to get one of those little tape recorders, just stick it near the piano and record it dodgily that way, and then later try and reproduce it with a bit more though.

My improvs are usually sad/dramatic/dark, but I really actually want to learn how to improv over jazz... but I have very limited knowledge about jazz music. Are there any basic chord progressions you could suggest that might help me? i'm sure i'd easily be able to work out what keys etc to fit over them.

:)

That's a good idea. See, it's easier to record myself on a keyboard, but the piano is always more "inspiring."

If you want to work on jazz, probably the first thing I would run would be my 2-5-1s. Just do them in every key and work on soloing over them. Also, get a fake book and run tunes. Every tune has changes, and you can try improvising over them.

ah, good old 2-5-1's!! I love soloing over them, looking for something more interesting I guess. I've heard a bit about the fake book, so i'll look into that I think.

Thanks for the tips ^_^

I actually haven't got a piano at the moment, all my feelings have to be expressed on a tiny casio keyboard, it's terrible!! I feel so blocked without a proper piano/keyboard. I'm buying one soon though hopefully, i'm dying here without one haha.

I like it alot too! Even though the mood was quite sad throughout, there was variations in development and many points of building climax that kept it interesting. I don't hear any of the slip-ups you mentioned-it sounds really fluid. Sounds like it could match the gray day I just went through today. How did you learn to play improv piano so well?

From 0:34 to around 0:36 my hands aren't really aligned that well. Around 2:18-2:19, I accidently hit 2 notes with one finger that I didn't mean to do. Then overall, the piece has pretty overly heavy use of the pedal. Then there were some points where I did chord changes I probably wouldn't have done if I was really consciously thinking about it. Just a few things that I thought were "imperfect" about it.

As for improvising, I just play a lot of jazz. And I've done solo piano gigs where I had no music and I just had to play background stuff for hours on end, and you figure stuff out from that. Plus I play in jazz band at school and jazz combos. And I've been jamming with my dad since I started playing piano.