Keyboard Improvisation Blog

Discussions about composing, arranging, orchestration, songwriting, theory, etc...

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Discussions about composing, arranging, orchestration, songwriting, theory and the art of creating music in all forms from orchestral film scores to pop/rock.
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MIDI Life Crisis
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Keyboard Improvisation Blog

Post by MIDI Life Crisis »

I've started a new blog and website about musical improvisation. Y'all are invited to participate, whether you improvise or not. Tell your friends! It ain't just jazz!

THE BLOG:
https://keyboardimprovisation.wordpress.com

THE WEBSITE (under construction):
http://www.KeyboardImprovisation.com

Let's have some fun!

On a personal note, I want to thank James Steele for keeping it real around here by not allowing politics or religion to cloud the focus of the board. I am adopting that stance on the blog as well.
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monkey man
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Re: Keyboard Improvisation Blog

Post by monkey man »

You know, I'd love to poop... I mean, pop in and fling some poo, Mike... I mean, Magilla, but I'll surely be out of my depth there. I can't read, and rely heavily on my programming skills to get anything done.

The only improvising I've ever done on keys is when I flesh out mono-synth breaks. Lead breaks are mandatory on all my tracks, be they guitar, bass or keys, and as I'm so pathetic on keys I've not had the courage to try non-mono synth concoctions. Still, it works for me; as you'd know, mono synth is easy, right?

Hope it all goes well, brother. James will appreciate that you're taking a leaf out of his book and not his stash box for a change. LOL Sorry. Way out of line there, but what more could one expect from a jungle bunny?

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Phil O
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Re: Keyboard Improvisation Blog

Post by Phil O »

Looking forward to it. Thanks, Michael.

Phil
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FMiguelez
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Re: Keyboard Improvisation Blog

Post by FMiguelez »

Awesome, Mike!
I´ll definitely follow it.

Improvisation has always been a sort of taboo for me, because I suck at it, but it´s a skill that I truly admire in musicians who do it well, and one that I would love to acquire at some point in my life.

I have good piano technique and good knowledge of advanced harmony, so my hypothesis is that I just haven´t developed the skills necessary to join, in real time, those 2 skills.
Perhaps I haven´t found a good training routine? It must be much more than simply practicing patterns and licks in different keys, yes? But then, to be able to truly let your inner music speak freely and fully, is by knowing all those basic patterns and gestures and keys in your sleep, so you don´t even think of them, and original and interesting lines may be thus expressed, correct?

And then there´s also the fact that some people have this natural talent to improvise and some don´t...
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Phil O
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Re: Keyboard Improvisation Blog

Post by Phil O »

There's an old book that most drummers know of by Ted Reed - Progressive Steps to Syncopation:
http://www.alfred.com/Products/A--00-17308.aspx

It starts with common time, 4 quarter notes per measure, and goes through all the permutations of quarter note rests within, and then progress in a very logical fashion to common syncopations. I've used it with my percussion students for years and it gets them reading syncopations accurately and quickly. (There are a many other ways to use this book as well.)

I've always wished for an improvisation book that uses the same approach. I've seen those that claim to, but they all start out simple then very quickly throw you in the deep end, leaving out all the intermediate steps. Just sayin'.

Phil
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MIDI Life Crisis
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Re: Keyboard Improvisation Blog

Post by MIDI Life Crisis »

Thanks for replying, guys. I'm just getting started with this and your comments are really useful. While I believe the most useful "training" will be from one-on-one realtime interaction, there are a lot of exercise I will share that might help break down the improv "wall" for some. Make a post. Ask a question! They haven't posted yet but a couple of heavy hitters are lurking.
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kinnylandrum
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Re: Keyboard Improvisation Blog

Post by kinnylandrum »

FWIW I just left a post on the blog. Looking forward to following it.
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MIDI Life Crisis
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Re: Keyboard Improvisation Blog

Post by MIDI Life Crisis »

Just saw and posted it. Thanks! I'll respond tomorrow. I'm wiped.
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