How to Improvise 

You have taught me more usable music theory, in the past two weeks of me watching your videos, than I had picked up from around ten years of reading books and trying to figure it out by myself. Legend.

Dude you're literally unlocking music in my head

Simplicity really is way underrated in improvisation. I like to start with one chord, try to squeeze out of it as much as I can, and then, once I introduce a second, you can literally feel the harmonic possibilities open up and take shape, way more than if you just connected a couple of chords and try to force a melody over it. Like open a nice, cool can of soda on a muggy summer day. Especially in music, where you have literally an infinite number of possible note concatenations, it's useful to limit yourself for a while and really feel what you're working with.

I read a book, I think it was by Ira Gershwin, titled "The Infinite Variety of Music." He talked about how in only one octave, there are billions of combinations of notes, even without repeating the same pattern twice. Extend that to an 88 note keyboard and, yeah buddy. Anyway, my main goal for most of my musical life has been improvisation. So I'll sit down, put on some backing tracks, and improv melodies all day long. But up until seeing this lesson, I've been approaching it wrong all this time. The bubble idea is gonna make a BIG difference in my playing. I've heard it said "Play what you know, practice what you don't." I got the idea but for some reason I never thought it mattered that much. But when you described it here, it clicked. I paused the video and tried it out and man, smooth as silk. Also, the point of starting out with a specific idea in mind is a big thing to me. It opens up a lot of possibilities. I've always just went for it blindly. Bad idea. Having said all that, I realize I need to expand my vocabulary quite a bit. Great lesson!

"the weirdest things that you can think of" * writes down "cats" *

You are an extremely talented music theory instructor. From comments, it's obvious many of us appreciate what you are doing. Beginning with foundational elements and proceeding into application, the message is an encouraging one. I say this in the context of having viewed numerous "RU-vid" music/ music theory videos. I look forward to seeing where you can take this talent....good luck.

i love when your cat sneaks into your videos lol

you sir are one of my top three favorite teachers. you are friendly, explain things well, and are good at balancing examples work proper theory lessons.

Was having a conversation with a resident surgeon on the unit tonight and she was asking me about Liquid Monk and how, as she put it, start from nothing and make a song, seemed to intrigue her. That was a quality question. I mentioned how it’s really not that. I said something to the effect that even in a deep improv, the instrument disappears and it’s an organic dance between five humans or whatever the sectional is at the time. Only way I could put it was that we all know how to walk, but we didn’t learn how to walk with the guy next to us on the sidewalk. We come to the street crossing for the first time and learned awkwardly how to pass, not how to walk, and which side to pass on. In a conversation, we have all had the experience where a member of the conversation speaks over the others, or that moment as two people approach in a hallway and must decide which side of the hallway to pass on. So it is in music. Same principles apply. At the end of the day it is magic, but even a master painter can not paint if he or she does not understand what paint to mix, and at what degrees to mix, as to draw the shadow or the light. (to put it simply). In the surgical ICU there is an understanding that each person will conduct there part and it will be extremely sensitive to the whole. So it is in our art as-well. Like the many tentacles of an octopus, or a school of fish dancing in the water like one mind, it is part personal training, and part hyper communication. Sensitivity it the root of ability in this form of communication. Soul to soul Outloud.

"obviously thats very simple" oh thats not what i thought

Thank you very much for pointing out the drastic difference between improvising and writing music. As a (piano-wise) non-skilled person I now know there is no need for me to learn to improvise at all!

I love this approach to teaching improvisation, Michael. As a jazz musician, I love how you teach this outside of a jazz context and make it for your average, everyday amateur musician. Keep it up! I will definitely be stealing some of these methods for teaching :)

don't throw cats in bathtubs! :o planting 6 year olds faces on piano keys is fine though :)

If you listen carefully you'll probably find that a lot of improvised music is far simpler than it sounds (from a harmonic perspective). I like a lot of musical pieces that stay in one chord for the whole length or even on just two notes. What you explain here is more than a training - it will actually help people to discover music on a meta level. Thanks for creating this video!

You are the best teacher and practical.

thanks Michael, i already know most of the concepts you explain on your channel but i always follow you cause you're a very good teacher! go on like this! great job

This helped so much. I watch all your videos now.

Brilliant!! Start with an idea - how simple, but inspiring! Thanks Michael.

Brilliant, interesting and informative - love your videos Michael.

Improv is about discovery, creativity, and playing what sounds good to YOU, without taking from old melodies/songs.

I know very little about music but you explained things so clearly and concisely

Great stuff you got here! I like that someone is taking this serious and putting effort into making videos. (Lighting, camera Angle, etc.) Makes it much more fun to watch!

Thank you very much! it's what I needed right now! can't wait for part 2!!!

your videos literally re-vamp my passion for piano man. keep it up!

I enjoyed this video very much. It was the icing on the cake. Especially how one should use the circle of 5ths and how one should be thinking about modes. I was guilty of doing both the wrong way. Thank you for all your videos. Yours are the easiest for me to understand. I am a 70-year- old Tenor Sax player with a little piano knowledge, and I was pleasantly surprised to learn how simple it all really is. I wish I had this knowledge 55 years ago.

Your video looks better now! Thanks man for the commitment to teach music!

Very good and true video. You just opened my eyes and I'm infinitely grateful for it. Keep up the great work! Cheers, Simon

This explanation is so clear, you’re a great music teacher! Thanks for sharing.

Absolutely brilliant! Love this video!!!

The big thing is to pick one imorov guru and try to copy what they do. Don't try to do too much too fast. Find one or two particular songs that your improve guru has performed, and listen to them all the time. Get the transcribed solos. Practice them. Years ago, a friend of mine, very, very good and well known trumpet player, came out with a CD. He gave me a copy, and after listening to it I told him: "I hear Miles, I hear Freddie, but who is the third guy". He glared at me for about sixty seconds, and finally said, "Clifford Brown". I laughed and told him HE pulled them all together to make it his own. Charlie Parker said that he could go back to the head melody at any time in his improv, because his improve was always built on the head. Put away your rap music and angry bird games and spend all your free time listening. Jazz is a language, and you either speak it or you don't. You learn to speak it by listening to rap, or hip hop, or rock or country or polka.

Thanks Mike. I love your videos, very helpful for me to better understand music theory. As a guitar player, I totally understood and appreciated the 2 note (college) example. as well as the "starting point/concept'" perspective.

Yet another great video. Thanks so much!

"or syncopation..." *pointed look at camera* Nah but for real, thanks for sharing the info. Your channel is one of the most underrated on this site, and it's really helped me realize my interest in music and how complex it all is. I'm planning on starting to take piano lessons and some college theory courses as soon as I can. Keep on doing what you're doing.

So according to this graph, you are the best improv player if you can reliably throw cats into the bathtub and smash your face into the piano in 21/32nds and 34/8ths polyrhythm.

Thank you Michael , I learned some thing today . I love the cat snoozing in the background :) Just noticed the second time i watched the video

This is an extremely helpful video! Thanks man!

Great Video as always Michael. Perfect explanation on having a core idea to start with. I always explain that to friends. Whenever I start creating a piece of music I have a story or adventure in mind. Very interested to see the rest of your explanation on improv and hope to see some on composition in the future. Great work!

Nice! On my violin I improvise too "wildly" (and half baked) so the self-restriction is a great piece of advice. Thanks!

This a fantastic video. Thanks for sharing it!

Thank you for your teaching.

So excellent lesson!

digg the new setup!

LOVE the fact you name dropped 'Who's line is it Anyway'! (respect +1) Big love for Mr Ryan Styles. Also your videos are boss. Keep up the amazing work sir.

So....dont try to make good music,, just make not horrible playable music. GENIUS! Thanks man

LOVEEEEE your videos! Thank you!!!!

The thing about being continuous isn't always the case. The more space the better! Very relaxed.

writes down "cats" X-D

Thank you! I've been having trouble with this

Well done my man, awesome stuff! Time for getting fully baked!

that pause at 7:17 contemplating how to spell syncopation lol

You are doing a great job! Michael New. Thanks

These are the best videos.

Hey Michael, I really like the way you explain things. In this video, I was looking for how to play scales or arpeggios in a particular key. I'll have to check out your next video.

Great video, thank you!

I forgot to mention I also joined your Paetron website pledging $5 a month; Which is a very cheap price to pay for your well-taught, easy to understand, expert lessons. Compared to my (2 years ago) guitar lessons at $240 a month, I am getting a very excellent bargain. Thank You

I tried throwing cats into a bathtub... sounded awfully like Taylor swift

hey Michael just discovered your channel. Clear and helpful videos. Keep up the good work

DO NOT THROW CATS IN A BATHTUB. Unless you have a Tiger...they love the water. ;)

You are a good teacher thanks for the videos

really liked this bud thanks

8:15 Haha, too funny! Might want to get your students to sign a waiver! Thanks for another great video, Michael.

I really appreciated it.

Hi Michael! Thanks for the dice, my kid actually played with it more than me, but, i will get there one day :) Man, your setup changes are paying off! Huge jump in video (and audio) quality, I'm really glad for you that the Patreon took off (maybe not overwhelmingly successful, but still quite well) Also, a very nice lesson, for example the part about setting the idea + rules for improv was something I didn't really think about myself (Well, I don't do improv anyhow because my skill bubble is too small at the moment, but I hope to get there as well) And last but not the least - I've actually got myself a guitar again, aiming to finally learn some theory, not just bunch of punk rock riffs :) And you being probably the biggest inspiration (along with some other youtube guys) for a new attempt in this journey. Thanks and keep up great job!

Simplicity demands conceptual inventiveness, and that Is one ingredient in all top musicians from this planet; as well as clarity of certainty when it comes to these personal concepts.

Took your advice- kidnapped an old man, tortured him and recorded it. Slowed it down and turned the screams into bits of metal music. I love your 'you can do whatever you want' approach to making music! I'm planning on teaching this to my kindergarden students with the cats in the ice cold water experiment! In all seriousness, though, I've been playing piano for ten or so years, eight of them where I've taken the keyboard rather seriously on my own, and I have yet to memorize a single piece of music nor do I know the names of any keys except for C Major (I've joined a choir recently though so this is all subject to change rather soon). I've become quite adept at sight reading and what I feel most comfortable doing is improvising, which is what I've spent the majority of my time practicing. I'd say that the main focus of my improvisations has been finding balance between my right and left hands- to this end I've become rather adept at reading music with the clefs inverted (right hand plays left hand part upside-down and vice-versa). I'm also vegan, and I really think that everyone should pursue veganism as a moral goal- I think that veganism is realistically within the reach of the vast majority of humankind and the benefits of veganism aren't just for the animals whose lives are at stake, but the animal agriculture industry also has massive implications on the environment, the atmosphere and even the prosperity of humanity in the present and future. The planet and it's inhabitants are actually in dire circumstances and veganism is the best solution that we have and it's a solution that anyone can choose to participate in. I just declared that I was vegan without being asked and then preached about it; if there were anything to preach about then it would be veganism in the modern era. In before 'off-topic' (it's always on topic).

LOL the playing with the face and cats in the bathtub...

great video !

Awesome video, love it : )

I love you, your vids are amazing

thanks for the video!

This has to be the funniest piano tutorial ever !! 😂😂😂

I love the cats in bathtub idea. You really got the idea across there!

More talk about music and it's relation to piano in general, I like your ideas very much

Thank you!

amazing

well.. im always "fully baked" when i make music. Does that count as fully baked?

Good morning Michael! What a great job on doing a video and an overview on improv! An interesting subject! I have many opportunities to improv (saxophone) in the places that I play and the ones I play with. This area of performing has to me a taste of both math and art, or science and art, the practice and innovation of music, and why it makes it so interesting and also kind of nebulous also. The way you describe it is in real time. Nice. I tend to focus on just what is in front of me (real time) and listen. It may be the rhythm. It may be the arrangement of the notes, the sound of the melody, voice, whatever, but just allowing myself to listen to what is moving for me around that. I like the description of some of the other people who find a story or something to bring to focus their input. Because it seems that it has to do about adding a voice to a song (story), that compliments what is being said, but in one's own words. In this approach one's vocabulary (practiced music endeavors) are going to be utilized to say either something simple or complicated or ?, but always about what is currently moving in the storyline. We all have heard some beautiful solos done very simply though executed with great care and quality of input. And also the opposite very edgy with intricate riffs and great pizazz too! I tend to think that what matters most is the feeling and clarity behind our voice. Thank you for your time and effort to accomplish these videos and your understanding of music and the many gems that you are passing on. Awesome work. I'm in.

wow that improvising was so good

Derek Bailey was absolutely spot on when he said improvisation is the most practised activity in music, yet the least understood. *Anyone* can improvise. You put any random person in front of a piano, and an improvisation can happen. Yet, it seems that, for many people, the more the read and study about music, the least able they are to improvise. I blame that on our extremely purist and pragmatic view of music today, where it's more convenient to sell ready-made packages of music, both in the realm of popular AND classical music. We tend to forget that music is a *process*, not a product, and always focus on the end result rather than the happening itself. The only way to properly learn and understand improvisation is to practise it often, *without* any regard to rules and conventions. When you get rid of all those little rules and laws, it tends to become easier to understand why they exist in the first place, and how, when *and* if they can be used in each situation. I believe the single greatest development in music in the last fifty years to so was the advent of free improvisation. People are only scared of improvising because they're afraid of falling through the cracks of what's acceptable, to allow themselves to explore the unusual. I think the single best advice to give someone who wants to improvise is: *DO SOUND HORRIBLE*. Give yourself that pleasure. Maybe you'll even realise that what you thought was horrible was actually quite interesting. Do everything that you're not allowed to do in traditional compositions. Do what feels weird and start from there. You'll get the hang of it and learn to get better, and before you know it, you'll be thinking why the heck you thought improvisation was so difficult in the first place.

I can totally See that face smashing incident on the piano with that six-year-old hilarious!

Hey dude! Great job on teaching! What's your lighting setup? It's so nice 😀

Where is the "next video" ?

Great video! Thank you so much for sharing. As a novice classical trumpet player the written music i play from doesnt require me to improvise. I'm now venturing into Jazz and your lessons are providing a very helpful base. Is there a follow up lesson on Improvisation which discusses practical application of the ideas you've shared?

Que buen vídeo, gracias....

HI Michael, I really loved this video and I'm looking for part 2 too.... where can I find it? Do you plan to continue your to teach here? thanks a lot

I cracked up when you actually put cats down. Face was wild enough. But you actually put cats. LOL Too much!!

Thanks :)

'Really weird stuff....cats...'

This man is siiiick

Greysdale Mead! Subscribed!

or you could try throwing a bunch of cats into a bath tube filled with ice water? hahahaha

"not horrible" -- great tip :)

9:17 ----- C minor 7 chord (not C major 7) -------- but you did mention C minor 7 at the beginning of the video! Great video. The point about what could be done with just two notes very cool too.

How do I make sure I'm not just improvising, but get to play that piece next time and so on? Another words, how do I reproduce that piece that I improvized ( which I thought sound really awesome) and make sure I know how to play it next time? Thank you!! You are the Best teacher on RU-vid EVER.

Your biggest and most watch tutorial will be you creating a song in your likeness from scratch til the end. We will watch this video even if its 2 hours long.

Throwing cats in a bath of ice makes me think of Skrillex.

Hello Michael, really enjoying these tutorials :) Would there be any chance of doing a tutorial on 7th,9th 11th and 13th chords and how best to use them in chord progressions and in what context they would be used ? .. Thanks

when i improv i like to use cannons as my main instrument

Love the face he did when he wrote cats

Love your shirt